WD ME200 Product Manual
PRODUCT MANUAL
Ultrastar® DC ME200 Memory Extension Drive
Revision History
Revision Date Description Reference
1.0 January 10, 2019 Initial release
2.0 March 22, 2019 Added best practices for benchmarking and
3.0 May 07, 2019 Update to links within Sections 2.3, 2.4, and 8.1.
enhanced troubleshooting.
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Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 7
NSTALLING ULTRASTAR MEMORY DRIVE ............................................................................. 8
2. I
2.1 Operating System Prerequisites .................................................................................................... 8
2.2 Preloaded Software ........................................................................................................................ 8
2.3 Installing Ultrastar Memory Tools .................................................................................................. 9
2.4 Update Ultrastar Memory Software..............................................................................................10
2.5 BIOS Configuration..........................................................................................................................11
2.5.1 Configure Boot Device............................................................................................................11
2.5.2 Configuring BIOS to Support Intel® Virtualization Technology......................................... 12
3. ULTRASTAR MEMORY DRIVE BOOT, SETTINGS AND DIAGNOSTICS MENU ..............................14
3.1 Boot Process ................................................................................................................................... 14
3.2 Guest OS ......................................................................................................................................... 16
3.3 System Settings and Diagnostics ................................................................................................. 18
4. HARDWARE CONFIGURATION ........................................................................................... 27
4.1 Recommended Configuration.......................................................................................................27
4.2 DRAM to Ultrastar Memory Drive Ratio ........................................................................................27
5. WORKLOADS PERFORMANCE & OPTIMIZATIONS ................................................................30
5.1 Target Workloads for Ultrastar Memory ..................................................................................... 30
5.1.1 Workloads That Do Not Benefit From Ultrastar Memory Drive........................................... 31
5.2 Optimized Workload Settings....................................................................................................... 31
5.2.1 Operating System................................................................................................................... 31
5.2.2 Memory Settings and Memory Allocators........................................................................... 32
5.2.3 Application Settings.............................................................................................................. 32
6. BENCHMARKING METHODOLOGY AND PERFORMANCE COLLECTION .................................... 33
6.1 Benchmarking Methodology .........................................................................................................33
6.2 Expected Results and Demonstrated Value ............................................................................... 34
6.3 Performance Data Collection ....................................................................................................... 34
6.4 Out-of-the-Box Large Memory Benchmark ................................................................................. 36
7. TROUBLESHOOTING ......................................................................................................... 37
7.1 Ultrastar Memory Drive Fails to Start............................................................................................37
7.1.1 Common Installation Error Codes..........................................................................................37
7.2 Collecting Information for Escalating to Support ...................................................................... 38
8. RELOAD THE ULTRASTAR MEMORY DRIVE SOFTWARE ........................................................ 39
8.1 Reload to Ultrastar Memory Device............................................................................................. 39
8.2 Installing Ultrastar Memory Drive Software to a Different Bootable Media.............................. 41
9. SPECIFICATIONS .............................................................................................................. 43
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List of Figures
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1-1 Block Diagram of the Ultrastar Memory Drive.............................................................................7
Figure 2-1 Preloaded Software ..................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 2-2 Installing Ultrastar Memory Tools ............................................................................................. 9
Figure 2-3 Change Boot Order / Priorities..................................................................................................11
Figure 2-4 Intel Virtualization Technology Configuration ......................................................................... 12
Figure 2-5 Intel Virtualization Technology for Direct I/O Configuration................................................. 13
Figure 3-1 First Screen ................................................................................................................................. 14
Figure 3-2 Ultrastar Memory Drive Boot.................................................................................................... 14
Figure 3-3 Configuration Display................................................................................................................ 15
Figure 3-4 Guest OS Loads ......................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 3-5 Performance Data Collection ....................................................................................................16
Figure 3-6 Software Installer........................................................................................................................ 16
Figure 3-7 Software Installer ........................................................................................................................ 17
Figure 3-8 Systems Settings and Diagnostics (1) ......................................................................................18
Figure 3-9 Systems Settings and Diagnostics (2) ...................................................................................... 19
Figure 3-10 Systems Settings and Diagnostics (3).................................................................................... 20
Figure 3-11 Unify Remote Memory Domains ............................................................................................... 21
Figure 3-12 Expand Local Memory Domains............................................................................................... 21
Figure 3-13 Hardware Tab ........................................................................................................................... 22
Figure 3-14 Boot Tab.................................................................................................................................... 23
Figure 3-15 Diagnostics Tab........................................................................................................................ 24
Figure 3-16 Review Diagnostic Test ........................................................................................................... 25
Figure 3-17 Diagnostics Results .................................................................................................................. 25
Figure 3-18 TFTP Option.............................................................................................................................. 26
Figure 5-1 Performance Data Collection .................................................................................................... 32
Figure 5-2 Performance Data Collection ................................................................................................... 32
Figure 6-1 Figure 1 Type .............................................................................................................................. 34
Figure 6-2 Performance Data Collection ................................................................................................... 35
Figure 6-3 Performance Data Collection ................................................................................................... 35
Figure 6-4 Figure 1 Type.............................................................................................................................. 36
Figure 8-1 Software Installer ...................................................................................................................... 40
Figure 8-2 Software Installer ...................................................................................................................... 42
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List of Tables
LIST OF TABLES
Table 4-1 Performance-optimized Software-defined Memory (SDM) Capacity ..................................... 28
Table 4-2 Maximum Software-defined Memory (SDM) capacity for Ultrastar Memory ......................... 29
Table 5-1 Workloads and Applications ...................................................................................................... 30
Table 7-1 Common Installation Error Codes...............................................................................................37
Table 7-2 Workloads and Applications...................................................................................................... 38
Table 9-1 Specifications............................................................................................................................... 43
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
The Ultrastar® DC ME200 Memory Extension Drive can be used to immediately scale existing
system memory, promote server consolidation, and reduce the complexity of splitting large
multi-TB data sets across multiple servers. The Ultrastar memory drive drives applications
with large amounts of system memory at a fraction of the cost of DRAM by combining
Ultrastar NVMe™ SSDs with Western Digital memory extension technology. Advanced
software algorithms work to maintain DRAM-like performance across a variety of applications,
especially targeting highly parallel workloads with high numbers of transactions. Once
installed, the solution is transparent, requiring no changes to the existing OS and applications.
This document provides details for users and administrators on the design, installation,
features, and specifications of Ultrastar memory drives.
As shown in Figure 1-1, the Ultrastar memory drive executes directly on the hardware, below
the operating system, and creates a hybrid system memory from DRAM and NVM. This hybrid
system memory operates transparently as volatile system memory, as if it were all DRAM.
Figure 1-1. Block Diagram of the Ultrastar Memory Drive
Introduction
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Installing Ultrastar Memory Drive
2.0 INSTALLING ULTRASTAR MEMORY DRIVE
2.1 Operating System Prerequisites
Linux
See Release Notes for supported Linux distributions.
Ultrastar memory drives also supports Open Source hypervisors such as KVM, as
2.2 Preloaded Software
The Ultrastar memory drive is a bootable device, shipped with preloaded software to
create software-defined memory. Booting a system directly from the Ultrastar
memory drive requires the system to support a UEFI boot.
To setup the system from a different local bootable flash media, or if the system does
not support UEFI boot, refer to Chapter 8 - Reload the Ultrastar memory Software.
If the preloaded software on the Ultrastar memory drive is accidentally deleted or
corrupted, refer to Chapter 8 - Reload the Ultrastar Memory Software.
®
x86 64 bit, kernel versions 2.6.32 or higher.
shipped with the major Linux distributions.
Figure 2-1. Preloaded Software
Installing the Ultrastar memory drive is as simple as physically connecting the
Ultrastar memory device to the right slot within the system (refer to the system’s
manual for information on connecting NVMe devices to it).
For optimal performance, it is highly recommended to install at least one
Ultrastar memory drive per processor.
Configure the system’s BIOS to boot from one of the Ultrastar memory
devices installed. Once setup is complete and changes, reboot the system.
NOTE: It is recommended to install a supported Linux OS; if Linux OS is preinstalled, continue with the boot process. Once prompted, select the device onto
which the OS is installed as the boot device.
While it is recommended to have Linux OS pre-installed before installation, users
may opt to install Linux OS before or after installing the Ultrastar memory drive.
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Installing Ultrastar Memory Drive
2.3 Installing Ultrastar Memory Tools
If installing a system for purposes other than production use, such as software
development, performance tuning, or quality assurance, it is recommended for users
to also install the Ultrastar memory tools as it can provide valuable system
information.
The software installer can be obtained from the download section of the product
support page:
https://www.westerndigital.com/support/wdc/data-center-drives/ssd/ultrastar-dc-me200
NOTE: The Ultrastar memory tools are installed by default within /usr/local/
{bin,etc}.
Figure 2-2. Installing Ultrastar Memory Tools
#./wmem_installer-8.6.2535.77.sh in -t
Preparing installer...
Please take a moment to read the below
================================================================================
Welcome to WDC Ultrastar DC ME200 memory version 8.6.2535.77 !
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------* By installing and/or using this software you acknowledge that you have read and
agreed to the agreement published at
https://www.get-wmen.com/EULA
* Parts if this program, as provided in binary form, include open source code under
one or more open source licenses. For further details and notices please see
https://www.scalemp.com/opensource.
================================================================================
Type “accept” to accept the terms and conditions above: accept
Terms and conditions accepted.
Installing WDC Ultrastar DC ME200 memory tools...
DC Ultrastar DC ME200 memory tools requires SUID permission to run as
non-root user.
Allow WDC Ultrastar DC ME200 memory tools to be run by all users (recommended)?
[N/Y] Y
WDC Ultrastar DC ME200 memory tools installation is complete.
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Installing Ultrastar Memory Drive
2.4 Update Ultrastar Memory Software
A new software version of the Ultrastar memory drive is released periodically, which
can include bug fixes, new features, and performance enhancements.
The latest software revision is available at:
https://www.westerndigital.com/support/wdc/data-center-drives/ssd/ultrastar-dc-me200
To update to the latest software version, proceed with the following:
1. Before starting the update, verify the Ultrastar memory drive is operating and
supporting the installed OS.
2. Log into the system as root.
3. Download the latest software version to a directory on the target Linux
server.
4. Make the installer file executable:
# chmod +x wmem_installer-x.x.x.x.sh
5. Launch the installer with the update flag, and follow on-screen instructions.
# ./wmem_installer-x.x.x.x.sh up
Please take a moment to read the following:
================================================================================
...
6. Press the U key to start the update process.
Writing part 1 out of 7: 100%
Writing part 2 out of 7: 100%
Writing part 3 out of 7: 100%
Writing part 4 out of 7: 100%
Writing part 5 out of 7: 100%
Writing part 6 out of 7: 100%
Writing part 7 out of 7: 100%
WDC Ultrastar DC ME200 memory installation is complete.
Installing WDC Ultrastar DC ME200 memory tools...
WDC Ultrastar DC ME200 memory tools requires SUID permission to run as non-root
user.
Allow Ultrastar DC ME200 memory tools to be run by all users (recommended)
[N/Y]? Y
7. Reboot the system.
The new version of the Ultrastar memory software will load and made available upon
reboot of the system.
See Section 2.3 - Installing Ultrastar Memory Tools, for more information.
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Installing Ultrastar Memory Drive
2.5 BIOS Configuration
The BIOS menus of the servers onto which they are installed may differ from the ones
found below. Please verify the configuration of boot options in your systems’ BIOS
manual.
2.5.1 Configure Boot Device
1. Boot the machine and access the BIOS Setup Utility during system load.
2. Navigate via the Menu to (Advanced) Boot Options:
If the system is capable of booting directly from the NVMe (using UEFI), set
the Boot mode to UEFI.(See section 8.2 - Installing Ultrastar Memory Drive
Software to a Different Bootable Media).
In case the option of booting from the NVMe is not available, refer to the
Chapter 8 - Reload the Ultrastar Memory Software of this publication.
3. Save changes in BIOS configuration and reboot the system.
NOTE: To enable boot device selection, save the BIOS
configuration and reboot the system.
4. Re-enter the BIOS setup utility.
5. Navigate via the menu to Boot Options, then select Change Boot Order/
Priorities.
If the system is capable of booting directly from the NVMe (using UEFI), assign
to the UEFI Device and assign as the first/highest boot sequence priority.
In case the option of booting from the NVMe is not available, assign to the
USB Flash Drive highest boot sequence priority by moving it to the first
position on the list.
6. Select menu option Save & Exit and press Enter.
Figure 2-3. Change Boot Order / Priorities
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Installing Ultrastar Memory Drive
2.5.2 Configuring BIOS to Support Intel® Virtualization Technology
Note, in most systems this feature is a default setting.
To enable Intel Virtualization Technology (VT), navigate via the menu and
proceed with the following steps:
1. Select Advanced, then select Socket Configuration.
2. Click on Processor Configuration, and set Intel Virtualization Technology
to Enabled.
Figure 2-4. Intel Virtualization Technology Configuration
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Installing Ultrastar Memory Drive
To enable VT-D, navigate via the menu and proceed with the following steps:
1. Select Advanced, then select Socket Configuration.
2. Click on Integrated IO Configuration, and set Intel Virtualization Technology
for Direct I/O to Enabled.
Figure 2-5. Intel Virtualization Technology for Direct I/O Configuration
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Ultrastar Memory Drive Boot, Settings and Diagnostics Menu
3.0 ULTRASTAR MEMORY DRIVE BOOT, SETTINGS AND DIAGNOSTICS MENU
This chapter outlines the boot process of Ultrastar memory drives, as well as the
interactive user setting and diagnostics options available during the boot process.
It is important to note that for data centers in which KVM console access is not
available, the Ultrastar memory drive can be configured for those outputs and
controls to be available via Serial over LAN (SOL).
3.1 Boot Process
The following screens are displayed during the loading process, directly after the
Ultrastar memory drive system boot.
First visual the end-user sees after BIOS POST.
Figure 3-1. First Screen
Ultrastar memory drive boot start.
Figure 3-2. Ultrastar Memory Drive Boot
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