Fenaco replaces infrastructure and relies on Flash
The agricultural cooperative fenaco has been successfully running a number of core applications on IBM Power Systems and the IBM i operating system for many years. These include SAP. The existing infrastructure has now been consolidated in collaboration with Sharp DX and enhanced with flash storage.
Initial situation
For Flagfood, a robust IT infrastructure for office automation and a stable ERP system are indispensable for trading in raw materials. For many of fenaco’s business units, high system availability is absolutely essential. This is true, for example, for the meat-processing specialist Ernst Sutter AG and one of the leading beverage producers, RAMSEIER Suisse AG. For these organizations, it is essential that the IT infrastructure be available at all times. Especially the ERP system. Not least for this reason, fenaco has relied on the highly stable “Power i” platform—among other solutions—for the operation of critical applications for several years. Despite virtualization technologies, separate projects had led to fenaco operating multiple IBM Power Systems at its Winterthur and Sursee locations, each with numerous directly attached disk expansion units. In collaboration with Sharp DX, the fenaco IT team explored ways to optimize power consumption, cooling, rack space, and maintenance—while maintaining at least the same level of availability and performance.
Solution
During a detailed design and planning phase, specialists from fenaco and Sharp DX defined the project implementation. Particular attention was paid to the seamless migration of applications operating 24/7 within the few annual maintenance windows. The design phase was followed by implementation: The six existing Power Systems at the Winterthur and Sursee locations were replaced with a new Power and storage infrastructure. New IBM Power S824 systems featuring POWER8 processor technology were implemented at the Winterthur and Sursee locations. The Power System in Sursee was designated as a disaster recovery system. The IBM i licenses, reduced as a result of the consolidation, were transferred to the new systems. The existing high-availability software, Vision iTera, was adapted accordingly. The Power Systems now access external IBM V9000 storage systems via a 16Gb FC SAN. This micro-latency flash system combines maximum performance with functionality. One of these features is “Real-Time Compression.” This integrated software currently reduces the data volume of all partitions at fenaco by approximately 70%. Thanks to the use of flash technology, the number of conventional disks was reduced from over 200 to two dozen flash modules.
Advantages & future
- Increased overall system performance with reduced rack space: > 75%
Reduced energy consumption: approx. 35 kW ongoing or approx. 300,000 kWh per year - Return on investment: approx. 1 year
- Simplified operations for the fenaco IT team
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