VMware Cloud Foundation is built on VMware’s leading hyperconverged architecture, VMware vSAN™, with all-flash performance and enterprise-class storage services including deduplication, compression and erasure coding. vSAN implements hyperconverged storage architecture, by delivering an elastic storage and simplifying the storage management. VMware Cloud Foundation™ accelerates infrastructure provisioning with full stack consisting of compute, storage, networking, and management. Through automatic and reliable deployment of multiple workload domains, it increases admin productivity while reducing overall TCO to deliver a faster path to a hybrid cloud.
VMware Cloud Foundation on Dell EMC VxRail™ builds upon native VxRail and Cloud Foundation capabilities with unique integration features jointly engineered between Dell EMC and VMware that simplify, streamline, and automate the operations of your entire SDDC from Day 0 through Day 2 operations. The full stack integration with Cloud Foundation on VxRail allows both the HCI infrastructure layer and VMware cloud software stack lifecycle to be managed as one, complete, automated, turnkey hybrid cloud experience greatly reducing risk and increasing IT operational efficiency. This solution also allows it to perform cloud operations through a familiar set of tools, offering a consistent experience, with a single vendor support relationship and consistent SLAs across all your cloud workloads, public and private cloud, as well as edge deployments.
In this solution, we validated Microsoft SQL Server running on VMware Cloud Foundation powered by Dell EMC VxRail. We deployed the entire test environment with agility by using Dell EMC VxRail and VMware SDDC Manager and validated SQL Server scalable performance with different VM configuration and database size. The test result showcased a near-linear scalability for SQL Server TPS against the virtual user count increasement under a TPC-E like benchmark, and we evaluated the maximum TPS achieved with 30 millisecond transactional response time.
Here are top 5 benefits of deploying SQL Server in a VMware Cloud Foundation and VxRail environment:
- Rapid deployment and configuration: Native VxRail deployment process of HCI infrastructure and SDDC Manager Orchestration in single deployment workflow of vCenter, NSX and vRealize Suite above the ESXi and vSAN layers of VxRail.
- High Performance & Scalable Hyperconverged Storage: Ensure consistent performance and predictable scalability for mission-critical SQL Server OLTP workloads, which makes instance design and database sizing easier for SQL Server administrators.
- Automated Lifecycle Management: Minimize SQL Server workload impact and downtime during necessary patching and upgrading of the full private cloud stack using automated and self-managed services within the workload domain.
- End-to-End Security: Enhance compute, network and storage security with vSphere, NSX and vSAN technologies such as vSphere vMotion encryption, micro-segmentation, and data-at-rest storage encryption for SQL Server virtual machines. VxRail has security built in at every level of the integrated technology stack.
- Simple Path to Hybrid Cloud: Connect private and public cloud seamlessly and empower SQL Server compatibility of heterogeneous and distributed datasets with features such as Stretch Database and PolyBase.
For more details, please refer to the following link:
Solution Overview: https://storagehub.vmware.com/t/vmware-vsan/microsoft-sql-server-on-dell-emc-vxrail-1/
Reference Architecture: https://storagehub.vmware.com/t/vmware-vsan/microsoft-sql-server-on-vmware-cloud-foundation-on-dell-emc-vxrail/
