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Accelerating Microsoft Exchange
Servers with I/O Caching
QLogic FabricCache Caching Technology Designed for
High-Performance Microsoft Exchange Servers
Key Findings
The QLogic® FabricCache™ 10000 Series 8Gb Fibre Channel Adapter enhances transaction and latency performance for Microsoft®
Exchange Servers by optimizing random read-intensive workloads that are inherent in Exchange and e-mail applications. The QLogic
10000 Series technology is implemented as a PCIe®-based intelligent I/O device that provides integrated Fibre Channel storage network
connectivity, flash memory caching, and embedded processing. The 10000 Series technology makes caching I/O data from Exchange
entirely transparent to the host.
QLogic’s caching technology in the QLogic 10000 Series Fibre Channel Adapter enhances Microsoft Exchange with:
• Increased transactional IOPS by up to 400 percent
• Decreased Exchange I/O read latency by up to 80 percent
• Overall improved performance in the Exchange environment
Executive Summary
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Increased demands on the Microsoft Exchange Server make it critical
to optimize its I/O performance in the SAN. The QLogic 10000 Series
8Gb Fibre Channel Adapter meets that need for high performance. By
implementing a unique I/O caching architecture with Fibre Channel
connectivity, the 10000 Series Adapter significantly increases the
performance of transactional I/O (IOPS) and I/O read latency for
large Exchange data volumes. This combined approach of enterprise
server I/O with server-based I/O caching using flash memory delivers
dramatic and smoothly scalable application performance.
E-mail has grown to be one of the most important communication and
collaboration applications for worldwide businesses. According to a
report from The Radicati Group1, Microsoft Exchange Server will have
1 The Radicati Group, Inc. study, Microsoft Exchange Server and Outlook Market Analysis 2010–2014
Server-Side Storage Acceleration
Storage I/O is the primary performance bottleneck for data-intensive
applications such as Microsoft Exchange Server. Processor and memory
performance have grown in-step with Moore’s Law—that is, getting faster
and smaller—while storage performance has lagged far behind. Over the
past two decades, delivering performance from data storage has become
the bane of the applications administrators, and recent challenges are
poised to severely constrain the capabilities of the infrastructure in the face
of increasing virtualization, consolidation, and user loads.
a total installed base that is expected to reach 470 million by 2014,
with an average annual growth rate of 12 percent. This expanding
penetration of Exchange makes it imperative that the user remains
unaffected by increased server loads. Exchange IOPS and latency
relate directly to the usability of Exchange and user e-mail systems, as
well as the number of mailboxes that can be hosted on a server.
To help IT decision-makers make the best, most-informed adapter
choice, QLogic has assessed performance benchmarks that show the
I/O performance and scalability advantages of the QLogic 10000 Series
8Gb Fibre Channel Adapter. This white paper examines the advantages
provided by QLogic’s technology in the 10000 Series Adapter, and
gives guidance for making informed decisions when considering the
value of flash memory to enhance server performance.
limitations of solutions that require separate, server-based storage
management software and OS filter drivers.
For optimal Microsoft Exchange performance, maximized transactional I/O
speed and minimized I/O latency indicate a peak-performing Exchange and
e-mail system. By optimizing these performance values, the platform can
absorb additional users, thereby reducing server, management, and overall
infrastructure costs. The key benefits identified in this paper are the QLogic
10000 Series Adapter improvements of Exchange Server performance that
reduce overall costs.
A new class of server-side storage acceleration is the latest innovation in
the market addressing this performance disparity. The idea is simple: fast,
reliable, solid-state flash memory connected to the server brings faster
Exchange data access to the server’s CPU. Flash memory is highly available
in the market and promises to perform much faster than any rotational disk
under typical small, highly random, I/O enterprise workloads.
The QLogic 10000 Series Adapter from QLogic provides I/O acceleration
across the storage area network for Exchange servers. The 10000 Series
Adapter is a PCIe-based I/O device that provides the integrated storage
network (Fibre Channel) connectivity, I/O caching technology, integrated
flash memory, and embedded processing that are required to make
management and caching tasks transparent to the host server. The QLogic
patent-pending FabricCache solution delivers the application performance
acceleration benefits of transparent, server-based cache, without the
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Exchange Server Benchmark Using Microsoft Jetstress
Microsoft provides the Jetstress 2010 tool for simulating Microsoft
Exchange Server 2010 database I/O load and for validating hardware
deployments against design targets. In this paper, Jetstress was used to
simulate Exchange 2010 against both non-cached and cached I/O data
implementations with the QLogic 10000 8Gb Fibre Channel Adapter.
Test Setup
The test setup was configured with an Intel® Xeon® server connected to
an HP® Enterprise Virtual Array (EVA) storage through the QLogic 10000
Adapter and QLogic 5800V/5802V Fibre Channel Switch. Jetstress runs
were executed with cache levels varying in size from zero to 100 percent of
the actual Exchange database size.
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Figure 1 shows the basic setup for the Exchange test.
Figure 1. Exchange Test Setup
Test Hardware and Software
Table 1 lists the hardware and Table 2 lists the software used for Exchange
Server testing.
Table 1. Hardware Used for Exchange Jetstress Testing
Hardware Description
Host Server Dual 6-core Intel Xeon CPU
E5-2640 at 2.50GHz, 24 logical
processors, 32GB RAM
Host Bus Adapter QLogic FabricCache 10000 Series
8Gb Fibre Channel Adapter
Quantity of Host Bus Adapters
per Host
Fabric Switch
Storage Array HP EVA 6300
Drive Speed 10K
Quantity of Drives on Array 24
LUN Size
RAID Type RAID 5
1
5800V/5802V 8Gbps Fibre
QLogic
Channel Switch
100GB × 7
Table 2. Software Used for Exchange Jetstress Testing
Software Description
Operating System Windows Server 2008 R2
Exchange Performance
Validation Tool
Exchange 2010 System
Simulation ESE.dll File
Quantity of Mailboxes 1,000
Mailbox Size 200MB
Database Size 200GB
Exchange Jetstress 2010
64-bit version 14.01.0225.017
14.01.0218.012 (Microsoft
Exchange Server 2010 SP1)
Exchange Performance Results Using Jetstress
The tests demonstrate that, at various levels of LUN caching in the 10000
Series Adapter, caching delivers as much as a 400 percent increase in
the number of IOPS and an 80 percent reduction in I/O latency. These
performance improvements are directly related to caching data closer to
the Exchange Server processor, which eliminates Fibre Channel transit time
over the SAN. Table 3 shows these results.
Table 3. Jetstress Data for Increasing Cache Sizes in the 10000 Series Adapter
Cache Size
Criteria
Exchange I/O
Read Latency
(ms)
Exchange
Transactions
(IOPS)
Latency
Reduction
IOPS Increase 0% 72% 91% 116% 199% 399%
No
Cache
4.724 2.648 2.484 2.021 1.558 0.922
1056 1819 2017 2277 3154 5270
0% (44%) (47%) (57%) (67%) (80%)
25% 30% 50% 75% 100%
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Figure 2 shows the total Exchange transactional IOPS as measured by the
Jetstress test. With no cache enabled in the QLogic 10000 Series Adapter,
Jetstress measured 1056 transactional IOPS. In this case, all I/O traffic
makes the round trip from the server to the SAN storage array. At
100 percent cache, the cache size is equal to the LUN size in this test. The
measured IOPS of 5,270 has increased by nearly 400 percent.
Figure 2: Exchange Transactional IOPS Measured by Jetstress
at Varying Cache Levels
Figure 3 shows the Exchange I/O read latency as measured by Jetstress.
With no cache enabled in the QLogic 10000, Jetstress measured the
latency at 4.724ms. As with transactional IOPS, all I/O traffic makes the
round trip from server to the SAN storage array. At 100 percent cache, the
latency fell to 0.922ms, an 80 percent reduction in this test.
Summary and Conclusion
QLogic continues to be the industry leader in delivering high-performance
I/O solutions to data center customers. The IOPS and latency of the QLogic
10000 Series 8Gb Fibre Channel Adapter is best-in-class and provides
an unprecedented high level of performance, superior scalability, and
enhanced reliability that exceeds the requirements for next-generation
Exchange environments. The unique caching solution of the 10000 Series
Adapter has the increased performance needed to meet the escalating
requirements of Microsoft Exchange Server. The results of the benchmark
tests demonstrate the I/O performance and scalability advantages of the
QLogic 10000 Series Adapter to Exchange Server performance, which
results in overall reduced total cost of ownership (TCO).
Because Microsoft Exchange is one of the most prevalent, business-critical
applications in enterprises, administrators go to great lengths to ensure
optimal performance. Administrators consider scalability and performance
as major factors when they work to improve Exchange performance. The
QLogic 10000 Series Adapter provides the technology to improve the
scalability and performance superiority of Exchange, which makes it the
right choice for Exchange administrators.
Exchange environments are carefully designed to cater to varying and
unpredictable loads. As heavier demands occur in the data centers, the
SAN must meet minimum business requirements for higher performance.
QLogic 10000 Series Adapter supports the required performance
scalability—400 percent increased IOPS and 80 percent reduced latency—
which makes a positive impact on an organization’s bottom line. The
QLogic FabricCache 10000 Series 8Gb Fibre Channel Adapter with built-in
I/O caching is designed to meet the ever-increasing needs of Microsoft
Exchange platforms.
Figure 3: Exchange I/O Read Latency Measured by Jetstress
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at Varying Cache Levels
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Disclaimer
Reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the validity and accuracy of these performance tests. QLogic Corporation is not liable for any error
in this published white paper or the results thereof. Variation in results may be a result of change in configuration or in the environment. QLogic
specifically disclaims any warranty, expressed or implied, relating to the test results and their accuracy, analysis, completeness or quality.
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© 2013 QLogic Corporation. Specifications are subject to change without notice. All rights reserved worldwide. QLogic, the QLogic logo, and FabricCache are trademarks or registered trademarks of QLogic Corporation. HP is a registered trademark of Hewlett-Packard Company. Intel is
a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Xeon is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Information supplied by
QLogic Corporation is believed to be accurate and reliable. QLogic Corporation assumes no responsibility for any errors in this brochure. QLogic Corporation reserves the right, without notice, to make changes in product design or specifications.
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