This guest blog was contributed by Ken Claffey, CEO, VDURA
For many data managers, performance and ROI are the top metrics, followed closely by high data availability in their storage and high-performance computing (HPC) systems. However, availability without strong data durability, data managers are putting their ROI at risk, throwing money down the drain and potentially damaging end-user satisfaction.
While data durability and data availability are frequently packaged and measured together as one metric by HPC suppliers, there is a significant distinction between the two and should not be taken as one. Read on, and you may discover that your system is lacking in one or both areas.
For clarity: availability ensures data can be reliably accessed, day or night, but availability is interdependent on durability to be truly effective. Durability ensures data is protected from loss or corruption during an outage or system failure; in other words, your data will be there when the system is restored!
In a common scenario, system managers rightfully consider system downtime when their system encounters a setback — how long it will last and how much it will cost them. However, they may accept some data loss as they believe this is natural for HPC environments. This is false, and end-users are catching on and are no longer accepting lost data.
This is why durability needs to be in the conversation early, alongside performance speeds and uptime ratings, to ensure full ROI and system efficiency.
How to Choose a Data Platform
When data system managers set out to find a vendor and data partner, their requirements typically focus on performance, uptime, and cost. It’s not hard to see why: headlines and news stories touting success and innovation achieved through high speeds and consistent availability create pressure to keep pace with the competition. This emphasis on speed and data availability makes it easy to believe these metrics should take priority when creating an HPC architecture.
While performance gains and consistent uptime are impressive, they come with hidden costs and can drag down ROI if durability is overlooked. A system that prioritizes availability ensures that data is always accessible, often through high uptime and failover strategies. However, if this system lacks durability, the data may not be protected against loss or corruption. In such cases, while users and applications can access data continuously, there is no guarantee that the data is accurate, complete, or recoverable after an outage or failure.
Consider the financial and reputational consequences a company might endure if it loses crucial data due to inadequate durability measures. In the modern era of AI and extensive CPU clusters, data loss can translate to losses of millions or even billions of dollars. The investment in running projects that take days to complete is significant, and the loss of output data can be financially devastating.
Unlike the earlier days of HPC, where data loss was more tolerable and storage was often regarded as temporary, today’s users expect stringent service level agreements (SLAs) akin to those provided by public cloud services. They demand their data be there when they need it, regardless of any challenges faced by system administrators. Because of this, HPC providers need to adjust to changing durability demands or fall behind the competition.
How to Achieve High Data Durability
To ensure high data durability, organizations should look to vendors with service-level agreements that demonstrate proven durability strategies in degrees of 9’s, just as availability is shown.
These practices include regularly scheduled backups, both on-site and off-site, which provide multiple layers of protection. Off-site backups, including cloud storage solutions, ensure that data remains safe even in the event of a site-specific disaster. Employing redundant storage systems, such as RAID, can significantly enhance data resilience by providing real-time duplication and error correction.
If you are struggling to find a vendor or solution that delivers top performance along with both availability and durability ratings that meet your criteria, it is time to reevaluate your priorities and assess your specific project requirements. Decide whether data availability and data durability are more important to you than speed.
Consider the nature of your operations. Are you a data center operator with thousands of end users accessing their data at any given time? In this scenario, high availability is crucial for your bottom line and your customers’ needs. However, without high durability, the integrity of the data you provide is at risk, which could undermine customer trust and lead to significant financial losses.
Alternatively, are you an academic researcher leading a team of students processing petabytes of data? Here, both performance and durability are vital. You need to run simulations quickly while ensuring that none of your valuable data is lost, as durability is essential for the integrity of your research. High availability without durability would mean fast access to potentially unreliable data, which could invalidate your findings.
In both cases, high availability and high durability must go hand in hand. The specific needs of your project should guide your choice of data storage solutions, ensuring that your system is not only fast and accessible but also reliable and resilient. By balancing performance with robust data availability and durability, you can make informed decisions that align with your goals and operational requirements.
