Written by Shanky Chandra Gowri - Product Marketing Manager for EqualLogic

The EqualLogic Host Software Product portfolio consists of the following products:

• Host Integration Tools for Microsoft (HIT/Microsoft)
• Host Integration Tools for VMware (HIT/VMware)
• Host Integration Tools for Linux (HIT/Linux) and
• SAN Headquarters (SAN HQ)

The Host Integration Tools tightly integrate the EqualLogic PS Series array with host operating platforms and host applications to benefit customers with comprehensive data protection, integrated operations, optimized performance and streamlined management.

SAN HQ enables centralized monitoring and analysis of multiple EqualLogic groups thereby helping improve performance and effective allocation of group resources.

The newest releases of the EqualLogic Host Software, in beta now and planned for release this year, include HIT/Microsoft v4.0, HIT/VMware v3.1 and SAN HQ v2.2.

HIT/Microsoft 4.0 enhances the customer usability experience with new features including centralized data protection and more efficient management of multiple Microsoft hosts and VMs. Enhanced Clustered Shared Volume (CSV) support is designed to streamline data protection for CSVs and improve capacity utilization. 

Feature enhancements over the previous release HIT/Microsoft 3.5 include the following:

• HIT Groups enable centralized data protection to backup and protect multiple Microsoft hosts from a single central host for reduced time, steps and management overhead.
• Enhanced Clustered Shared Volume (CSV) Support helps protect all virtual machines on a CSV with a single snapshot and quick restore of the entire CSV for improved performance and space utilization
• Richer usability and functional experience with the new UI framework including a new dashboard view of storage and applications
• Remote Installation & Upgrade Capability enables easy and fast deployment and upgrade of HIT/Microsoft on all hosts in a data center
• Enhanced PowerShell Tools streamline management of EqualLogic arrays, replicas and iSCSI connections

HIT/VMware 3.1 provides customers with enhanced storage visibility and datastore management as well as improved performance and availability through tight integration with VMware vSphere® 5.0, vSphere Storage APIs (VASA) and vSphere Storage Dynamic Resource Scheduling (DRS) and VMware vCenter SRM 5.

Feature enhancements over the previous release HIT/VMware 3.0 include the following:

• Support for VMware vSphere 5.0
• Advanced Integration with vSphere Storage APIs (VASA) and vSphere Storage Dynamic Resource Scheduling (DRS) provide end-to-end EqualLogic storage visibility to VMware customers helping them better allocate and manage storage for optimal performance
• Enhanced datastore management at a cluster level helps reduce time and space utilization. The advanced access control management feature helps customers in better securing the data.
• Support for Enhanced Thin Provisioning awareness with VMware® mitigates risk of potential data loss when a machine runs out of thin provisioned disk space and facilitates graceful data recovery
• EqualLogic Storage Replication Adaptor for VMware SRM (SRA/SRM) v2.0 –VMware SRM 5.0 supports automated failback from disaster and leverages EqualLogic SAN-based replication making failback rapid, reliable and affordable.

SAN HQ 2.2 enables multi-site support for consolidated view of data centers distributed across different geographies and provides ongoing, realistic, real-time diagnostic information to enable customers to optimize and tune your system for performance and efficiency.

Feature enhancements over the previous release SAN HQ 2.1 include the following:

• Multi-site support provides consolidated view of EqualLogic groups in multiple data centers distributed across different geographical sites.
• Group Diagnostics report helps IT Managers quickly identify non-recommended setups of the EqualLogic SAN and detect potential problems with the groups.
• RAID Evaluator helps determine the right RAID policy to use for optimal IOPS in the customer environment.
• Normalized view reporting (95th percentile reporting) helps customers with a more realistic look at their normal operation.
• Live View helps customers diagnose or analyze a situation in a small duration.
• Support for EqualLogic PS Series Firmware v5.1 features including Audit logs and Data Center Bridging (DCB) Configuration

For video overview of these new features, visit us at Dell TechCenter.

You can follow me on twitter at @ShankyAtDell.