Hitachi Unified Storage and Hitachi NAS Platform gateway systems provide all the storage features required to support a wide range of VDI deployments for VMware Horizon View, Citrix XenDesktop and other industry-leading VDI solutions. For more information on Hitachi Unified Storage and Hitachi NAS Platform 4000 series please visit: http://www.hds.com/products/file-and-content/network-attached-storage/?WT.ac=us_mg_pro_hnasp

1. Accelerate the Return on Your Virtual Desktop
Infrastructure Investment
Achieving a successful virtual desktop infrastructure
(VDI) deployment depends on several factors. From the
user perspective, desktop performance and reliability are
critical. From an IT perspective, operational efficiency, ease
of management, and price performance top the list. VDI
workloads create I/O bottlenecks, placing a heavy burden
on storage resources. Meeting stringent VDI requirements
calls for storage solutions uniquely designed and optimized
for VDI workloads and environments.
Realize the Value of Desktop Virtualization
With Hitachi Unified Storage and Hitachi NAS Platform
SOLUTIONPROFILE
Virtual desktop infrastructure allows users to access
desktop services from central IT resources without
requiring a PC for running locally provisioned applica-
tions. The proliferation of VDI solutions has provided
solid information on what makes a successful VDI
deployment. With storage as a top consideration for
VDI success, IT organizations are looking for ways to
manage the virtualized desktop environment, improve
availability and data protection, and deliver virtualized
desktops for business continuity and mobility.1
However, VDI operations require an enormous amount
of I/O transactions, which severely tax traditional stor-
age architectures. In fact, storage can be the limiting
factor in achieving the desired VDI performance, scal-
ability and efficiency. Hitachi network attached storage
(NAS) systems offer high-performance, reliable and
cost-effective access to corporate information from
any device, anytime from anywhere.

2. SOLUTION PROFILE
Hitachi NAS Platform
systems, with unique
hardware accelerated
architecture, allow you
to quickly deploy a
VDI-optimized storage
solution that delivers the
highest performance,
scalability and value.
These solutions deliver:
■■ Richer user experience. Extend a high-
performance desktop experience and
application flexibility to users while enabling
IT to respond faster to changing business
needs.
■■ Resilient data management. Centralize
user data and persona management to
improve backup and disaster recovery,
making it easier to meet regulatory com-
pliance and security requirements.
■■ Agility. Expand and scale through a
centrally managed and monitored stor-
age ecosystem while easily provisioning
resources and creating new virtual desk-
top sessions.
■■ Lower capital expenditure (capex).
Lower total cost of storage ownership
by reducing capex and freeing up IT to
address problems more efficiently.
Leveraging decades of expertise in creating
high-performance storage solutions, Hitachi
delivers file server technology specifically
designed to meet the needs of a wide spec-
trum of VDI environments. Instead of storage
becoming an obstacle, Hitachi storage
solutions ensure that storage is the engine
that accelerates VDI performance, scalability
and value. You gain a centralized storage
resource that simplifies storage manage-
ment and virtual desktop creation, all with a
high-definition user experience. At the same
time your solution meets critical availability,
efficiency and data protection mandates.
Hitachi Data Systems
Meets the VDI Performance
Challenge
You need a way to realize the most
value from your VDI investment. Hitachi
Unified Storage (HUS) and Hitachi NAS
Platform (HNAS) gateways create a
high-performance architecture that com-
bines advanced data management with
an integrated storage ecosystem. These
Hitachi NAS Platform systems operate in
combination with the Hitachi Data Systems
comprehensive technology framework.
These integrated components deliver
an optimized storage solution that effi-
ciently addresses stringent VDI storage
requirements.
The Hitachi NAS Platform architecture offers
a well-integrated, high-performance, scalable
network storage system that helps solve VDI
performance and management concerns.
Using a hardware-accelerated “hybrid core”
architecture and object-based file system,
storage arrays within HUS or HNAS offload
VDI tasks such as virus scanning, cloning
and boot storms, reducing overhead on the
back-end storage system and freeing up
critical I/O. Hitachi NAS Platform also pro-
vides a native system-based file clone utility,
which clones a virtual machine (VM) or VDI
instance without adding I/O or increasing
storage needs. This utility makes it easy to
deploy hundreds or even thousands of virtual
desktops in minutes, instead of hours, or
even days. At the same time, the utility pro-
vides desktop users the performance they
demand, with the availability they require.
With Hitachi NAS Platform you achieve
higher performance and lower total cost of
ownership for VMware Horizon View, Citrix
XenDesktop and other industry-leading VDI
solutions.
VDI Workloads Demand
Unique Storage Requirements
VDI requirements are often more stringent
than other applications because users
have set expectations for desktop applica-
tion performance. VDI is unique because
system requirements vary greatly between
peak-workload (boot, log-in and virus
scan storms) and steady-state workload.
Maintaining a high level of performance for
all workloads is vital to realizing maximum
VDI value. In many instances, the success
of VDI implementations is dependent upon
users “opting-in” to use VDI instead of a
physical desktop.
Similar to server virtualization, managing the
VDI storage infrastructure presents several
challenges. For example, desktop virtual-
ization and physical resource sharing by the
hypervisor increases demand on the stor-
age environment. With multiple independent
virtualized desktop images running on a
single physical platform, storage must scale
with changing business needs. Virtualized
desktop images that migrate across physi-
cal servers, I/O storms and increased data
protection complexity contribute to VDI
management challenges. Organizations that
neglect the VDI storage infrastructure risk
diminished performance, longer response
time and higher expenses.
Meeting the stringent requirements of VDI
calls for an integrated, high-performance
solution. An effective solution must be opti-
mized from the storage architecture to the
storage management center.

3. Accelerate Performance
Innovative, flexible storage technology ensures
VDI applications deliver top performance.
■■ Enables extreme file system performance
without compromise through hardware
acceleration at the file share layer.
■■ Offloads I/O-intensive tasks to a dedi-
cated system and storage connection
so users meet their desktop experience
expectations.
■■ Reduces the impact of virus scanning,
cloning and boot storms on VDI
performance.
Extend Availability and Data Protection
Application-aware data protection helps
remove single points of failure and prevents
outages.
■■ Eliminate exposure to isolated failures
between the physical server and the
storage system.
■■ Node clustering, automatic failover and
snapshot copies replicate data for fast
disaster recovery.
■■ Multiple layers of storage virtualization
overcome complexities associated with
large-scale file system management
and data availability.
Scale Seamlessly
Quickly add new VDI users and easily inte-
grate employees from other departments
or acquired companies.
■■ Nondisruptively scale performance by
cloning new virtual desktops.
■■ Efficiently personalize virtual desktops
based on workload type and user
preferences.
■■ Achieve accelerated performance with
scalable architecture.
Simplify Storage Management
Gain a single point of storage administration
for VDI clients.
■■ Quickly and efficiently provision VDI envi-
ronments through integrated setup and
data movement capabilities for faster time
to value.
■■ Grow a complex storage environment
while freeing up IT resources.
■■ Reduce IT workload and operating
expenditure (opex) with centralized VDI
monitoring and management.
www.hds.com/innovate
Innovation is the engine of change, and
information is its fuel. Innovate intelligently
to lead your market, grow your company,
and change the world. Manage your
information with Hitachi Data Systems.
Table 1. Hitachi NAS PLATFORM: Optimized for VDI Workloads
Why Hitachi NAS Platform
for VDI?
VDI’s unique workload and lifecycle man-
agement tasks call for a storage solution
designed for intensive I/O operations. The
HUS and HNAS gateway architecture
is uniquely tailored for environments like
VDI that require high-performance, scal-
able storage to drive revenue, improve
efficiency and speed time-to-market.
Tightly integrated with Hitachi NAS Virtual
Infrastructure Integrator for rapid cloning,
and fast object-based replication, Hitachi
delivers the ultimate in VDI performance
and scalability.
High and Sustainable Performance
Hitachi NAS Platform and Hitachi NAS
Virtual Infrastructure Integrator software help
optimize VDI workloads and lifecycle man-
agement, delivering the optimal platform for
high and sustainable performance, high I/O
and data-intensive environments.
■■ Offloads I/O-intensive operations and
quickly clone space-efficient VMs with
95% less space in 99.9% less time.
■■ Delivers the highest level of IOPS per
server for high-throughput NAS and
iSCSI networking connectivity.
Scalability and Efficiency
Hitachi NAS Platform systems scale up to a
multinode cluster with I/O balancing occur-
ring automatically, simplifying administration
while delivering a high-performance VDI envi-
ronment that evolves as your needs change.
■■ Scale to 4 nodes in a single file storage
cluster to meet expanding demands
with enhanced access, capacity and
performance.
■■ Add storage to add new users, or to
consolidate disparate storage into a
single point of management, without
adding additional overhead or downtime.
■■ Support multiple file systems for a mas-
sive capacity of up to 16PB under a
single namespace.
Resilient User Persona Management
Hitachi NAS Platform system performance
and resilience enables rich and reliable
user persona experience. A user persona
VDI Requirement NAS Feature Benefits
High-performance during
I/O storms (boot, login)
Read cache, flash and Hitachi
NAS Virtual Infrastructure
Integrator
Provides high-performance
access to cached boot image
even during I/O storms
Sustainable performance Hybrid core architecture and
CPU cycle offload
Accelerates response time
Scalable and efficient Hybrid-core architecture Helps meet growing VDI
deployment requirements while
maintaining efficient storage
utilization
User persona
management
Hitachi NAS Virtual
Infrastructure Integrator
Provides storage-efficient
backup and reliable disaster
recovery of CIFS-hosted
personal data
Data Protection
(snapshots, replication,
deduplication)
Hitachi NAS Platform object-
based replication
Creates multiple data protection
points for each VDI instance

4. © Hitachi Data Systems Corporation 2013. All rights reserved. HITACHI is a trademark or registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. Innovate With Information is a trademark or registered
trademark of Hitachi Data Systems Corporation. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks, service marks, and
company names are properties of their respective owners.
Notice: This document is for informational purposes only, and does not set forth any warranty, expressed or implied, concerning any equipment or service offered or to be offered by
Hitachi Data Systems Corporation.
SP-152-A DG July 2013
Corporate Headquarters
2845 Lafayette Street
Santa Clara, CA 96050-2639 USA
www.HDS.com
Regional Contact Information
Americas: +1 408 970 1000 or info@hds.com
Europe, Middle East and Africa: +44 (0) 1753 618000 or info.emea@hds.com
Asia Pacific: +852 3189 7900 or hds.marketing.apac@hds.com
is the user’s personal settings, pictures,
Microsoft®
Word documents, Internet favor-
ites and more, which load each time that
user logs into their virtual desktop. Hitachi
NAS Platform user persona management
preserves user profiles and dynamically
synchronizes them with a remote profile
repository. It downloads only the files that
Microsoft Windows®
requires at login, such
as user registry files. When the user or appli-
cation opens other files from the desktop
profile folder, these files are copied from the
stored user persona.
■■ Fast access to user personal information
with the hybrid-core architecture and
CPU off-loading.
■■ Automatic storage tiering of personal
information to the most high-performing
and cost-effective disks.
■■ Reliable backup and recovery of per-
sonal SMB-hosted user data in the event
of a disaster or a catastrophic event
with Hitachi NAS Virtual Infrastructure
Integrator.
Intelligent Data Management
Using the right disk for the right data is
often a manual task. Hitachi NAS Platform
systems simplify this effort through intelli-
gent, automatic file tiering that extends to
I/O-intensive metadata operations.
■■ Mixes high-performance disks with lower
cost disks while still achieving the same
high performance.
■■ Separates metadata from user data,
efficiently and seamlessly to enhance
performance
■■ Places metadata on the highest per-
forming storage tier, and user data on
the slower, less expensive tier, improving
system performance at lower cost.
Application-Aware Data Protection
With thousands of virtual desktops running
simultaneously, the risk of losing critical data
is a constant concern. Hitachi NAS Platform
“object-based” replication creates object-
based, space-efficient snapshots of VDI
sessions usable as recovery points for fast
restoration (see Figure 1).
■■ Improve performance by 2 to 3 times,
while boosting incremental replication up
to 25 times.
■■ Object replication enables fast failover
in the event of a disaster, eliminating
duplicate hardware at both ends.
■■ Seamless integration with VMware
vCenter provides quick and efficient data
management for virtual server and VDI
environments.
Addresses Network Storage
Requirements
Hitachi Unified Storage and Hitachi NAS
Platform gateway systems, including HNAS
4100 high-end and the midrange HNAS
4060 and HNAS 4080, provide a flexible,
powerful set of solutions for your VDI needs.
All Hitachi NAS Platform systems deploy the
industry-leading file system, Hitachi NAS
Virtual Infrastructure Integrator, file cloning,
and fast object-based replication to deliver a
VDI-optimized storage ecosystem. These solu-
tions support a full range of IT requirements,
price points, applications and user loads.
Summary
Hitachi Unified Storage and Hitachi NAS
Platform gateway systems provide all the
storage features required to support a wide
range of VDI deployments for VMware
Horizon View, Citrix XenDesktop and other
industry-leading VDI solutions. The offloading
of critical VDI functions, massive scalability
and clustering are all reasons why Hitachi
NAS Platform technology provides an opti-
mal solution for VDI. You gain peace of mind
that you can support thousands of VDI desk-
tops from one high-performance, centrally
managed, and scalable storage system.
By addressing the most demanding vir-
tualized desktop and storage challenges,
Hitachi Data Systems high-performance
storage solutions address extensive data
growth and highly transactional, I/O-
intensive VDI applications. Choosing the
right storage system is the most critical
design decision to help guarantee a VDI
deployment’s success.
■■ Tailored for VDI workloads.
■■ Massive scalability.
■■ Continuous availability.
■■ Centralized management.
■■ Unified, VDI-optimized
storage.
Figure 1. Hitachi NAS Platform object-based
replication ensures greater performance and
capacity efficiency.
1
Gartner, “How to Select the Right Storage for Hosted Virtual Desktops,” 11 December 2012