Gridstore is a leader in optimized storage solutions for Windows servers and Hyper-V, using patented server-side Virtual Controller technology to deliver custom storage that adapts to application needs. They have partnered with Virident to enhance performance for Microsoft Hyper-V through the integration of Virident FlashMAX II, addressing issues like the 'I/O blender effect' by optimizing traffic for individual virtual machines. This scalable solution allows enterprises to expand their storage capabilities efficiently, with strong customer adoption since its general availability in November 2013.

1. ©2013, Virident Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved | www.virident.com
About Gridstore
Gridstore is the leader in optimized storage for Windows Servers
and Hyper-V that accelerates application/On I/O. Unlike traditional,
one-size-fits-all storage systems that result in wasted storage
resources and compromised application performance, Gridstore
uses patented Server-Side Virtual Contoller™ technology (SVCT)
to deliver custom-fit storage that self-optimizes to each application
Gridstore and Virident | HGST
Gridstore Chooses Virident FlashMAX II to Increase Performance
in Microsoft Hyper-V Environments
or VM across both virtual and physical environments in mid-
sized enterprises. By combining SVCT with grid architecture,
Gridstore delivers the first end-to-end storage QoS to ensure
the performance of your most important app or VM is never
compromised. Gridstore allows you to pay-as-you-scale to meet
your specific needs. The solution grows more powerful as it grows
larger, simply by adding storage nodes. See more at: http://www.
gridstore.com/company/#sthash.POggIA6v.dpuf
Highly Random I/O Highly Random I/O
All Servers Bottleneck
The Challenge
The Gridstore technology is truly unique. One of the challenges
with Hyper-V is that while an individual VM has optimized I/O, as
more VMs are added per server, each VM’s I/O is multiplexed with
other VMs’ I/O, creating what Gridstore calls the “I/O blender.” This
means that multiple I/O patterns from different VMs are mixed
together at the time of writing to storage. Gridstore technology
alleviates the “I/O blender effect,” delivering optimized traffic for
each separate virtual machine. This is done with a combination of
software and hardware.
Gridstore makes two different models of its Grid Building Blocks—
intelligent storage nodes built on x86 hardware that pair with the
company’s SVCT software.
Conroller
Capacity
The C-Class targets capacity storage and streaming applications,
while the H-Class is targeted toward I/O-intensive applications.
As the company was designing the H-Class, it became apparent
that PCIe Flash coupled with caching would address the random I/
O and I/O-intensive nature of Microsoft’s Hyper-V virtualization.
Vice President of Engineering Mark Herbert and his team
specifically needed flexibility to support a wide range of different
workloads and were looking for a combination of hardware and
software that could support write-back caching. They selected
FlashSoft for caching and then reviewed several different hardware
vendors, including LSI, Fusion-I/O, Sandisk and Intel. With
Gridstore’s focus on Microsoft, Fusion-I/O bowed out early on.

2. ©2013, Virident Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved | www.virident.com
Mark’s team ran more than 15 different tests, including I/Ometer,
SQL10 and JetStress2010 for Microsoft Exchange. Initially, the
team ran into problems with the Virident technology, but when the
Virident team—along with FlashSoft—got together, they quickly
resolved the issue by changing some of the cache parameters. The
final result was that Virident performed well across all different
tests and was selected as the technology for integration with the
H-Class.
Gridstore selected the Virident FlashMAX II 550GB based upon
performance and capacity. This device is a half-length, half-height
PCIe card that takes just 1 PCIe slot in the Gridstore building block,
leaving room for either Quad 1GbE or Dual 10GbE network cards.
Combining the Gridstore Server-Side Virtual Controller
Technology (vC) with the scale-out Grid Building Blocks eliminates
the I/O bottleneck and optimizes performance in a way that has
previously not been possible.
As more enterprises adopt Hyper-V, the acceptance of Gridstore
technology is surging. Every beta customer ended up purchasing
the solution, and several have placed additional orders for storage
nodes to scale out their infrastructures. Gridstore became
generally available on November 1, 2013.
“We’re pleased with the all-around performance of the Virident
technology,” said Vice President of Engineering Mark Herbert.
“We ran many different types of tests and found that the Virident
FlashMAX II addressed our use cases and fit our price/performance
profile.”
“Virident is excited to partner with Gridstore, “ remarked Brent
Vorous, sales director for Virident Systems. “The Gridstore
technology and unique scale-out approach is ideal for Microsoft
Hyper-V customers. We see many opportunities to work together to
address this rapidly growing opportunity.”
Optimized I/O OptimizedI/O
All VMs Have Optimized I/O
Conroller
Capacity with
FlashMAX II
Gridstore Building Block