In the past, data recovery required careful monitoring of data recency (Recovery Point Objective: RPO) and operational downtime (Recovery Time Objective: RTO). Today, these limitations are resolved with Hitachi Vantara’s Global-Active Device (GAD) technology, achieving zero RPO and RTO. Built into the G, F, E, and 5000 Series under the Virtual Storage Platform (VSP) product line, GAD represents a leap forward in data protection and availability.
What is Global-Active Device (GAD)?
GAD is a feature within Hitachi VSP storage systems that enables the creation of virtual storage machines, allowing data to be mirrored across two VSP arrays to appear as a single storage array for a host server or cluster. This setup enables primary and secondary storage systems to work seamlessly, using the same LDEV identifiers for synchronized volumes, making both volumes appear as one and ensuring they receive identical data.
With each write operation replicated across paired volumes, GAD ensures data is always in sync, delivering zero RPO and RTO in the event of storage or site failure. GAD supports distances up to 500 kilometers, ideal for non-disruptive, high-availability operations, disaster recovery, and quick data center migrations. Storage balancing and maintenance operations can also be performed seamlessly without impacting data availability.
Advantages of Global-Active Device (GAD):
ROI (Return on Investment): VSP systems can virtualize external storage, allowing you to repurpose existing third-party storage without adding capacity. All VSP models, from mid-range to high-end enterprise, are GAD-enabled, reducing the need for extra management solutions and host software.
Simplicity: GAD is part of the Hitachi Storage Virtualization Operating System RF (SVOS RF), requiring no additional hardware or software on the host server.
Scalability: Hitachi GAD provides true active-active data processing across storage arrays, unlike other solutions where only one array is active while the other remains on standby. Each VSP storage controller is active-active, outperforming competing active/passive setups.
Key GAD Use Cases for Hitachi Vantara Storage:
Fault-Tolerant Storage Infrastructure: In the event of a site failure, the GAD paired volume on an alternate site continues I/O operations, maintaining server access to data.
Failover Clustering without Storage Impact: For server clusters using GAD, failover and failback are managed by cluster software without suspending storage or re-synchronizing data.
Server Load Balancing without Storage Impact: If the primary site has high I/O load, GAD allows seamless migration of virtual machines (VMs) to a secondary site without storage reconfiguration since both volumes hold identical data.
For those interested in a live GAD demonstration using Hitachi Vantara storage solutions, Stream offers expert consultations. Exclusive Offer: The first five contacts will receive a free system consultation and assessment, valued at 50,000 THB, from our Stream and Hitachi Vantara specialists.
เขียนและเรียบเรียงโดย Wanit Treeranurat
