1. The document describes an IBM solution for building a private Microsoft Hyper-V cloud using IBM System x3650 M3 servers and IBM XIV Storage. 2. Key components include the IBM System x3650 M3 servers for the management and production layers, IBM XIV Storage for highly reliable and scalable storage, and IBM switches for a fault-tolerant converged networking framework. 3. Using Microsoft Hyper-V, System Center, and IBM solutions allows organizations to realize benefits like higher resource utilization, agile IT environments, and associating billing metrics to resources.

1. IBM Systems and Technology Group System Storage
Solution Brief
Building a Microsoft
Hyper-V cloud with
IBM solutions
IBM System x3650 M3 and IBM XIV Storage
help maximize cloud deployments
A private cloud is a combination of physical servers, storage,
Highlights networking and management software that enables customers to receive
capacity on demand by creating virtual machines from physical
• Deploy a private cloud to attain highly resource pools. Companies can realize the following benefits:
agile and dynamic IT environments
• Realize higher resource utilization and • Deploying a private cloud in an organization’s data center can help
optimization of resources through businesses attain highly agile and dynamic IT environments.
shared use
• Abstracting the physical hardware infrastructure allows higher resource
• Monitor, deploy and maintain physical utilization and optimization of resources through shared use.
and virtual servers using cloud • Using cloud management tools to monitor, deploy and maintain
management tools
physical and virtual servers can occur while providing reporting,
• Provide reporting, metering and metering and resource billing as needed.
resource billing as needed • Creating resource groups for customers from the cloud’s pool of
• Associate billing metrics for each capacity can enable IT organizations to associate billing metrics for
resource unit such as CPU, memory each resource unit such as CPU, memory and storage.
and storage
From the IT consumer perspective, cloud services appear to have infinite
capacity and are accessed via a self-service portal that allows individual
organizations to create and repurpose virtual resources as needed.
The IBM® Private Cloud Offering (PCO) for Microsoft Private Cloud
Fast Track configuration is a validated, ready-to-use configuration of
servers, networking and storage systems that provide a reliable, scalable,
available, high-performance, fault-tolerant management and computing
platform for your cloud deployments.
Building a complete cloud platform with
Microsoft and IBM components
A private cloud environment built upon a robust and reliable
foundation of IBM System x® servers, IBM XIV® Storage Systems,
IBM switches and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 with the
Hyper-V hypervisor provides exceptional high availability and fault
tolerance for the most demanding virtual environments. To successfully
achieve the uptimes demanded by today’s critical business applications
and organizations, the private cloud must contain both management
and production layers.

2. IBM Systems and Technology Group System Storage
Solution Brief
The private cloud management layer is built on a pair of IBM performance workhorses in the industry. XIV Fibre Channel
System x3650 M3 systems using Windows failover clustering (FC) and Internet SCSI (iSCSI) connectivity are well suited
and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 with Microsoft for private cloud end-to-end virtualization environments.
Hyper-V. For domain authentication, an IBM System x3550
M3 active directory server facilitates cloud security. Cloud Finally, the private cloud layers are linked together by a
management utilizes Microsoft System Center Operations converged networking framework made up of redundant IBM
Manager (SCOM) with the IBM Hardware Management Pack; B32 and IBM B24Y switches in a fault-tolerant configuration.
Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) Each host server in the management and Hyper-V production
with the IBM Performance and Resource Optimization (PRO) clusters uses two Brocade dual-port converged network
Pack; and Microsoft SCVMM Self-Service Portal 2.0 services. adapters (CNAs) to provide highly optimized redundant paths
This unique combination of Microsoft System Center tools, for both SAN and LAN traffic.
extended with IBM upward-integration components, supports
key administrative cloud functions. Together, these components form a high-performing, cost-
effective solution that supports Microsoft Hyper-V cloud
The private cloud production layer consists of an 8-node environments for business-critical applications that include
cluster of IBM System x3650 M3 2-socket servers running Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. All cluster servers are attached SharePoint and even many custom third-party solutions.
to the highly reliable IBM XIV Storage System, which scales
up to 243 TB of usable enterprise-class disk storage for cloud Figure 1 shows the general configuration of the IBM PCO.
servicing needs while being one of the most user-friendly
Figure 1: The IBM Private Cloud Offering
2

3. IBM Systems and Technology Group System Storage
Solution Brief
Microsoft Hyper-V and failover clustering virtual hard disk files. Creating several large CSVs helps to host
Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization technology is an virtual machine operating system files and balance the load across
increasingly key cloud component that is included as a role in Microsoft cluster nodes. Optional CSVs help host virtual hard
x64 versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard, Enterprise disk (VHD) files for application data depending on their
and Datacenter editions or as a stand-alone, console-based functional design. Using fixed VHDs helps to maximize
hypervisor in the Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 product (available performance. Additional storage volumes help provide iSCSI or
for download from http://www.microsoft.com/hvs). Virtual VM pass-through disks as required.
machines can support up to four virtual processors and 64 GB
of memory, depending on the operating system loaded. Furthermore, spreading virtual machines and CSVs across an
active/active group of cluster members helps to maximize
Each virtual machine has its own operating system instance hardware resource utilization based on the number of highly
and is completely isolated from the host operating system as available virtual machines present and the total number of
well as other virtual machines (VMs). VM isolation helps parent hosts participating in the cluster. Similarly, the
promote higher business-critical application availability while spreading of XIV LUNs across every spindle inside the XIV
the Microsoft failover clustering feature, found in the storage array provides consistent I/O response to the cluster
Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise and Datacenter without needing administrator planning or intervention.
Editions, can dramatically improve production uptimes. As Users should still make sure enough physical server resources
such, Microsoft failover clustering plays a pivotal role in the are available to handle all virtual machines in an N-1
IBM PCO solution and careful consideration is built into the configuration to accommodate maintenance windows or
network and storage design. unplanned cluster failovers. Once a management failover
cluster is successfully deployed, a separate virtual machine can
Each clustered Hyper-V node uses four converged network be created for SCVMM.
ports to handle LAN and SAN communication functions such
as Hyper-V management, VM connectivity, failover cluster Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine
heartbeats, cluster shared volume (CSV) traffic, and live Manager 2008 R2
migration communication as well as other desired networks. SCVMM simplifies private cloud management for both
SAN I/O is spread across all four Brocade CNA ports using physical and virtual systems from a single administrative
Microsoft Windows native multipath I/O (MPIO) enabled by console. Administrators have the ability to create virtual
the XIV Host Attachment Kit. Using the Brocade Host machine templates to rapidly and intelligently deploy VMs
Connectivity Manager, logical separation of the Ethernet to Microsoft failover clusters. Acting as a virtual machine
networks is achieved through the use of two CNA network deployment hub, SCVMM supports live migrations, quick-
interface card teams comprised of separate cluster role-based storage migrations and straightforward automation
virtual LANs. capabilities leveraging Windows PowerShell. It enables
performance and resource optimization of virtual machines
The majority of IBM XIV Storage System volumes are allocated triggered by SCOM alerts, which contribute to greater VM
for virtual machine CSV use. In order to eliminate storage control and efficiency. PRO Packs, such as the IBM PRO
array–related “hot spots,” XIV volumes (LUNs) are automatically Pack, allow automated VM cluster migrations in response to
spread across every disk inside the XIV storage array. The XIV defined SCOM triggers that can resolve problematic
LUN is then defined by single LUN-to-CSV mapping via the resource states or balance critical workloads across cluster
easy-to-use XIV GUI. In other words, each individual XIV LUN hosts. Part of the same family, SCVMM tightly integrates
represents a single CSV. CSVs are concurrently visible to all with SCOM and substantially enhances private cloud
cluster nodes and store the virtual machine configuration and management and monitoring.
3

4. IBM Systems and Technology Group System Storage
Solution Brief
Microsoft System Center Operations IBM System x3650 M3
Manager 2007 R2 At the core of the IBM PCO solution, IBM System x servers
SCOM provides centralized administration from a single deliver the performance and reliability required for
GUI, and provides multilayer monitoring of health, virtualizing business-critical applications in Hyper-V cloud
performance and availability of private cloud environments— environments. To provide the expected virtualization
across hardware, hypervisors, operating systems and even performance to handle any Microsoft production
applications. The IBM Hardware Management Pack is environment, IBM System x3650 M3 servers can be equipped
available to add IBM-specific monitoring and information to with up to two Intel 6-core processors for a total of
SCOM. Operations Manager primarily caters to Windows- 12 processing cores and up to 288 GB of memory. Hot-
based monitoring but also supports heterogeneous swappable power supplies and fans as well as remote
environments for customers who want to build non-Windows management via keyboard, video and mouse, which enables
virtual machines. Additionally, SCOM 2007 R2 also offers continuous remote management capabilities, help solidify
uncomplicated reporting and authoring capabilities to track the dependability IBM customers have grown accustomed
performance against private cloud service-level agreements. to with System x servers.
Through the Microsoft Self-Service Portal, administrators
actually define many of the service-level resources and By virtualizing with Microsoft Hyper-V technology on IBM
complete the private cloud management layer. System x3650 M3 servers (Figure 2), businesses reduce
physical server sprawl, data center footprints, power
Microsoft SCVMM Self-Service Portal 2.0 consumption and total cost of ownership (TCO). Virtualizing
SCVMM Self-Service Portal 2.0 is the primary customer the server environment also results in lower server
web-based interface for dynamic virtual machine administrative overhead, giving IT administrators the
management. It is a free, partner-extensible software package capability to manage more systems than with exclusively
that allows service providers to dynamically pool, allocate and physical environments. Highly available critical applications
manage data center resources. Private cloud administrators residing on clustered host servers can be managed with
sell virtual resource services to customers seeking to reduce greater flexibility and minimal downtime due to the Hyper-V
IT costs. Budget-oriented organizations can purchase virtual premier migration features. Perform live migrations during
infrastructure resources made up of server, storage, and physical server maintenance windows to prevent production
networking hardware that is managed and hosted by private downtime by simply failing over virtual machines. Continuous
cloud service providers. This increases IT flexibility for those operation is accomplished by transferring VM memory pages
customers that benefit from an automated, user-friendly web between servers across the network while VMs are still
portal. SCVMM Self-Service Portal 2.0 easily supports cloud running. The final transition occurs within the TCP/IP
customer solutions by providing metering, billing and timeout window, resulting in zero client downtime. Realize
reporting. SCVMM Self-Service Portal 2.0 is also tightly greater IT flexibility by using virtualization to streamline the
integrated with the System Center family of products, and deployment and upgrade processes for both physical and
simplifies service provider billable unit mappings for server, virtual machines.
storage and networking hardware resources.
4

5. IBM Systems and Technology Group System Storage
Solution Brief
In addition, experience a greater return on investment (ROI) optimizes performance and integrates seamlessly with cloud
and a lower TCO from reduced hardware requirements technologies to give you the agility needed to handle growth
by maximizing resource utilization of all physical server while helping ensure high availability and data protection.
investments. Benefit by optimizing infrastructure to simplify
and standardize IT administration and curb labor costs. The XIV data protection design incorporates active-active N+1
Also realize reduced downtime costs by easily moving and redundancy of all data modules, disk drives, interconnect
balancing workloads across different resources. Improve switches and UPS units, and offers multipath FC and iSCSI
operational agility and flexibility in managing maintenance host connectivity. Three UPS units protect all disks, cache and
schedules when responding to today’s dynamic IT demands. electronics with redundant power supplies and fans, which help
to further promote impressive hardware and software reliability
with enterprise-class availability. The XIV also employs a
predetermined data distribution model that helps ensure fast
recovery from failures by anticipating and predicting failures
through proactive error and pre-failure detection, and
employing corrective healing before failures occur.
From a storage administrator’s perspective, XIV has earned a
reputation for being one of the most user-friendly storage
arrays available. The XIV storage array incorporates a
management architecture that allows XIV storage to grow
or change without a need for hot spot administration and
Figure 2: IBM System x3650 M3 planning. Combining the no-hot-spot management feature
with the XIV family’s ability to self-heal and automatically
IBM XIV and XIV Gen3 Storage Systems load balance server workloads minimizes the need for storage
IBM XIV Storage Systems are excellent choices for administration time and skills.
Microsoft virtualized cloud environments. The IBM XIV
family of arrays was built to provide easy-to-use, enterprise- In addition to the high availability and reliability features,
class storage, offering IBM CE installation and maintenance, the XIV family offers performance characteristics to meet
phone home, synchronous and asynchronous mirroring, demanding cloud-based workloads. The 15-module XIV
snapshots, thin provisioning, performance reporting and 2810/2812-A14 distributed architecture provides a combined
redundant hardware components. The IBM XIV total of up to 240 GB of cache and individual modules
complements IBM System x3650 M3 servers and the powered by quad-core Intel Xeon processors; similarly, the
Brocade converged networking infrastructure in an end-to- new XIV Gen3 model provides even higher performance with
end Microsoft Private Cloud Fast Track solution by up to 360 GB of cache. Six dedicated host interface modules
delivering proven disk storage, starting as small as six ensure optimal, pseudo-balanced data distribution among all
modules and 27 TB (usable) and scaling to 15 modules and 180 1 TB or 2 TB Serial ATA (SATA) disks to eliminate hot
over 243 TB (usable). IBM XIV eliminates the complexity of spots. This data distribution feature has become increasingly
managing enterprise storage, never compromising important due to the larger LUNs used by multiple virtual
performance or reliability, while offering incredibly low machines typically deployed in cloud environments. Since every
TCO. Its grid architecture delivers virtual storage that LUN has access to all operating spindles, all the time, the chance
of bottlenecking on the storage is greatly reduced when
compared to traditional architectural approaches using RAID
sets and hot spares.
5

6. IBM Systems and Technology Group System Storage
Solution Brief
This unique grid architecture helps provide the following key • With the XIV family’s “one price for all features” pricing
benefits: model, there are no hidden costs for multipath software or
replication features—specifically, every XIV includes the
• Continuous, predictable high performance without following with purchase: snapshot capability, thin provisioning,
traditional complex tuning requirements asynchronous and synchronous data replication, advanced
• 4 Gb FC and 1 Gb iSCSI host connectivity management, performance reporting, monitoring and alerting,
• No single point of failure and full support of Microsoft technologies including
• Industry-leading rebuild times in the event of disk or module GeoClustering, Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS)
failures (less than 60 minutes for 2 TB drives) and MPIO.
• Innovative snapshot functionality that includes snap-of-snap,
restore-of-snap and a nearly unlimited number of snapshots IBM Converged Switch B32
• Nondisruptive maintenance and upgrades The IBM Converged Switch B32 (Figure 3) enables access
• Per host/cluster QoS capability to prioritize workloads based to LAN and SAN environments over a common server
on business criticality connection by utilizing data center bridging (DCB) and
Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) protocols. The B32 uses
The newest model in the XIV family, the IBM XIV Storage full Fibre Channel Forwarding capabilities and connects to
System Gen3 storage array (model 2810/2812-114) contains servers via Brocade CNAs. The switch offers 24-10 Gbps
all the benefits of the XIV family plus the following DCB Ethernet ports that can transport both FCoE and
performance enhancements: regular Ethernet traffic. FCoE can be forwarded into an FC
SAN network through the eight 8 Gbps FC ports on the B32.
• Up to 4 times the throughput (10 GB/sec) of the previous
generation, improving performance for business intelligence, The consolidation of server SAN and LAN ports and
archiving and other I/O-intensive applications corresponding cables simplify configuration and cabling in
• Up to 3 times improved response time of the previous server cabinets and reduce acquisition costs. With fewer
generation, enabling faster transaction processing and greater components using power and cooling, organizations can save
scalability for online transaction processing, database and significant operating costs as well. For the IBM private cloud
email applications solution, 10 Gbps DCB Ethernet ports provide connectivity
• Power to serve even more applications from a single system between hosts and uplinks to the LAN aggregation layer and
with a substantial hardware upgrade that includes an to the IBM Ethernet Switch B24Y carrying iSCSI traffic. FC
InfiniBand interconnect, larger cache (up to 360 GB of ports are used to connect to the IBM XIV Storage System.
combined memory), faster SAS disk controllers and increased
processing power—plus, each Gen3 interface module delivers
8 Gb FC and 1 Gb iSCSI connectivity
• Option for future upgradeability to solid-state drive (SSD)
Caching for breakthrough SSD performance levels at a
fraction of typical SSD storage costs (planned availability for
Gen3 in the first half of 2012)
Figure 3: IBM Converged Switch B32
6

7. IBM Systems and Technology Group System Storage
Solution Brief
IBM Ethernet Switch B24Y IBM XIV storage, can provide up to 96 physical CPU cores, just
The IBM Ethernet Switch B24Y (Figure 4) is a high- over 2 TB of memory and up to 243 TB of usable disk space.
performance Ethernet/IP switch offering 24-1 GbE ports and The IBM Hardware Management Pack and PRO Pack, for
four 10 GbE ports versatile enough to be used for stacking, Microsoft System Center Operations Manager and System
uplinks or connectivity to end devices. Designed for wire-speed Center Virtual Machine Manager, provide valuable monitoring
and non-blocking performance, the B24Y with symmetric flow of cloud environments and identify and resolve potential issues
control capabilities is well suited for connecting servers to before they negatively impact business-critical application
storage in an iSCSI environment. Users can manage the device uptimes. In addition, you can streamline organizational processes
using an industry-standard command-line interface or through and costs by rapidly deploying, managing and recycling virtual
a web management GUI. machines using SCVMM while employing Microsoft Self-
Service Portal 2.0 to provide metering, billing and self-service
The IBM private cloud solution uses the B24Y to provide a provisioning to supported organizations.
secure, redundant back-end management network to the
attached hosts and Microsoft Active Directory servers as well For more information or to place an order, please contact
as iSCSI connectivity to the XIV storage. your IBM sales or business partner representative.
The following IBM Business Partners can provide
integration and customization services for your IBM-based,
Microsoft Private Cloud or Hyper-V project:
Avanade Inc. (www.avanade.com):
Avanade provides business technology services and solutions
that connect insight, innovation and expertise in Microsoft
Figure 4: IBM Ethernet Switch B24Y
technologies to help customers improve performance,
productivity and sales for organizations in all industries.
Realizing value with the IBM Private Avanade has the expertise to automate IT operational
Cloud Offering processes in a Microsoft environment. Through automation,
Discover the true value delivered by IBM’s affordable and Avanade can help clients reduce their dependency on
innovative private cloud solutions for Microsoft environments manual tasks, reducing opportunity for error, and freeing IT
based on insight and proven experience gained from IBM’s operational staff to focus on higher-value activities.
diverse partner and customer relationships. IBM and its
business partners are committed to the tradition of providing The Avanade knowledge can help extend proactive (and
industry-leading server, storage and networking hardware and automated) management of supporting infrastructures,
virtualization services and solutions that improve high including network, storage, security and other components
availability, efficiency, ROI and satisfaction for the most that are core to delivering IT services. Avanade Cloud
demanding Microsoft IT environments. Services Manager helps provide a renewed and enhanced
perspective on IT Service management, extending across
The IBM Private Cloud Offering for Microsoft Private various Information Technology Infrastructure Library
Cloud Fast Track helps bring business to the next level of (ITIL) principles, including Incident Management,
virtualization. It successfully creates a capacity-on-demand Problem Management, Change Management and
environment that pools compute, storage and networking Configuration Management.
resources. Combine IBM System x servers, XIV storage systems
and Brocade networking with Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization For additional information, refer to www.avanade.com or send
to optimize utilization levels and maximize return on investment. an e-mail to Avanade directly at DataCenter@avanade.com
An 8-node cluster of IBM System x3650 M3 servers, backed by to get started.
7

8. For more information
Contact your IBM representative or visit: © Copyright IBM Corporation 2011
IBM Systems and Technology Group
IBM System x Servers: Dept. U2SA
ibm.com/systems/x 3039 Cornwallis Road
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
IBM Systems Storage: Produced in the United States of America
ibm.com/storage December 2011
All Rights Reserved
IBM XIV Storage Systems: For a copy of applicable product warranties, write to: Warranty
Information, P.O. Box 12195, RTP, NC 27709, Attn: Dept.
ibm.com/systems/storage/disk/xiv JDJA/B203. IBM makes no representation or warranty
regarding third-party products or services including those
IBM System Storage solutions for Microsoft Environments: designated as ServerProven® or ClusterProven®. Telephone
support may be subject to additional charges. For onsite labor,
ibm.com/systems/storage/solutions/isv/isv_microsoft.html IBM will attempt to diagnose and resolve the problem
remotely before sending a technician.
IBM Systems Networking:
IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com, ClusterProven, ServerProven,
ibm.com/systems/networking System x and XIV are trademarks of IBM Corporation in the
United States and/or other countries. If these and other IBM
trademarked terms are marked on their first occurrence in
IBM Configuration and Options Guide:
this information with a trademark symbol (® or ™), these
ibm.com/systems/x/hardware/configtools.html symbols indicate U.S. registered or common law trademarks
owned by IBM at the time this information was published.
Such trademarks may also be registered or common law
IBM ServerProven Program:
trademarks in other countries. For a list of additional IBM
ibm.com/systems/info/x86servers/serverproven/compat/us trademarks, please see ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml
InfiniBand is a trademark of InfiniBand Trade Association.
Technical Support:
ibm.com/server/support Intel, the Intel logo, Celeron, Itanium, Pentium, and Xeon are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or
its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
Other Technical Support Resources:
Microsoft, Windows, Windows Server, the Windows logo,
ibm.com/systems/support Hyper-V, and SQL Server are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
TPC Benchmark is a trademark of the Transaction Processing
Performance Council.
Other company, product and service names may be
trademarks or service marks of others.
Please Recycle
TSS03084-USEN-02