Protocols: SMB3

Feature-rich, user-friendly file sharing protocol used in nearly every business with Windows PCs on hand.

Intro 

The Server Message Block (SMB) protocol is a versatile network file-sharing protocol used extensively for server communication, printers, and storage within the Microsoft ecosystem. It’s an evolving protocol utilized in various scenarios, including Microsoft Hyper-V and SQL Server, simplifying storage provisioning in such use cases. 

Problem 

When High Availability (HA) is needed for a File Server, one of the biggest challenges companies face is the complexity and high expenses associated with implementing HA SMB shares. Typically, HA SMB requires shared storage solutions such as SAN (iSCSI/FC) or shared JBOD setups, which are expensive and complex to manage. 

An alternative approach is hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI), which can mitigate some of the complexity by using a combination of local storage and Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct (S2D). However, this approach reduces the solution’s ROI since S2D requires expensive Windows Server Datacenter licenses. Additionally, S2D has strict hardware configuration requirements, and optimal configurations consist of 4 or more cluster nodes, further driving up costs.  

Solution  

StarWind’s implementation of HA for SMB File Server reduces capital and operational expenses and eliminates complexity. There is no longer a need for shared storage like SAN or JBOD, as StarWind leverages existing hardware with maximum efficiency. 

With StarWind’s shared-nothing approach, hardware is utilized very effectively, allowing the cluster footprint to be reduced to as few as 2 nodes. Additionally, StarWind’s HCI setup significantly improves ROI, as it does not require a Datacenter License for full-blown high availability. Despite the compact 2-node cluster size, StarWind ensures high redundancy and blazing-fast performance by utilizing the state-of-the-art NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF) protocol.  

Conclusion 

StarWind leverages the SMB3 protocol to provide a straightforward, user-friendly, scalable, and highly available storage platform. It optimizes CapEx, delivering excellent performance and increasing ROI through efficient hardware utilization.