Post on 27-Dec-2018
©2018 VIRTUSTREAM, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. WWW.VIRTUSTREAM.COM
Whitepaper
Virtustream and Atos: Utilizing Bullion Servers and the BullSequana S Series for Large Scale SAP HANA® Deployments
Virtustream, a Dell Technologies business, leverages Atos to deliver bullion and BullSequana S, the most powerful and flexible x86 servers in the world, for large scale SAP HANA systems. When the customer requirements dictate an SAP® certified HANA solution with more than 6TB of RAM, Virtustream implements these servers to provide the flexibility, scalability, security and reliability needed to successfully run a mission-critical SAP HANA system.Atos and Virtustream are no strangers to SAP HANA
solutions, in particular the use of SAP HANA for large scale
enterprises running in a cloud environment. As a core
piece of both Virtustream’s and Atos’ growth strategy,
SAP HANA is a key factor for both company’s present day
ambitions and will be instrumental to their future.
As part of Dell Technologies, Virtustream predominantly
uses Dell servers as part of its platform. However,
Virtustream uses bullion and BullSequana S servers for
solutions such as large, scalable HANA systems which
require an increased memory capacity for the in-memory
database (more than 6TB of RAM) for SAP
HANA deployments.
Deployed across existing Virtustream data centers
with several HANA clients already in production,
bullion servers from Atos are tested and validated
within Virtustream’s framework and xStream® Cloud
Management Platform to support large scale SAP
HANA systems.
Complementary to bullion, Atos’ BullSequana S series is
the only enterprise server with availability to leverage up
to 32 CPUs and expansion up to 32 GPUs. This technology
enables the GPUs to crunch through demanding cognitive
workloads while the CPUs handle traditional business
processing and managing. The BullSequana S series
specializes in powering Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
enabling businesses to rely on data and AI technologies
to adapt and tackle problems with new,
efficient solutions.
Along with their Virtustream partnership, Atos is a global
strategic partner with Dell EMC and Dell Technologies.
In partnership with Atos, Dell Technologies occasionally
implements bullion and BullSequana S servers in other
parts of its business to support specific needs not
available within the current Dell product line.
Virtustream and Atos
Enterprises that run large SAP HANA systems on bullion
or BullSequana S servers in the cloud with Virtustream
and Atos have selected a brand and platform which
can serve SAP HANA’s strategic demands. By offering a
highly scalable platform, enterprises can be assured that
their SAP HANA cloud environment can keep up with the
pace of their demands and growth while running on SAP
certified hardware.
SAP HANA is a key component in Atos’ future plans,
featured as one of their four key pillars for ambition and
growth. By working with Atos, Virtustream leverages the
advantage of working with a globally recognized SAP
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HANA certified partner. Atos has over 11,000 SAP experts
in 42 countries, supporting 1.4 million end users and
managing 130,000 servers in over 100 data centers. In
pursuit of growth on a large scale, Atos is heavily focused
on increasing S/4HANA implementations, SAP HANA
migrations, SAP HANA operations and bullion for SAP
HANA. Additionally, they aim to advance their already
existing SAP expertise and customer base while further
leveraging their competence in HANA Cloud Platform and
innovative solutions.
Virtustream’s SAP migration and deployment knowledge,
in conjunction with Atos’ renowned benefits, provides a
market leading strategic wherewithal that delivers the
deep knowledge base needed to successfully deliver
an SAP HANA cloud migration or implementation. With
deep expertise in SAP, Virtustream delivered the first
production SAP customer in a multi-tenant cloud and
the first production SAP ERP Central Component (ECC)
running on HANA in the cloud. With over 1000 SAP
instance migrations to Virtustream Enterprise Cloud,
Virtustream provides complete SAP portfolio coverage.
As one of the select SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud (HEC)
premium suppliers, Virtustream offers a wide variety
of certifications, including SAP certification for hosting
services, HANA operations and cloud services.
What are Bullion and BullSequana S Servers?
In late 2014, Atos acquired the French-owned IT service
provider called Bull Group, well-known for their high
performance computing, high-end servers, appliances
and mainframes. With this acquisition, Atos consolidated
cloud, cybersecurity and big data services under the Bull
brand, including the bullion servers.
Bullion and BullSequana S are the most tenable servers
on the x86 market, providing extreme scalability and
power when compared to the other market leading x86
servers. Certified for up to 16TB and 16 CPUs for large
scale SAP HANA systems, bullion provides the size and
availability needed to assure a successful infrastructure.
For generic purposes outside of SAP HANA, the bullion
server can also reach up to 24TB and the BullSequana
server up to 48TB memory.
When looking at the other servers of this magnitude on
the current market today, bullion stands out as one of
the clear front runners. For SAP HANA, Atos’ server is
one of few vendors worldwide that is SAP certified for
a 16-CPU/16TB system. As the best scalable SAP HANA
platform on the market today, bullion is the only hardware
provider able to grow from an XS offering (256GB) to an
XXL offering (48TB on BullSequana) using the exact same
server technology, meaning there is no ‘rip and
replace’ needed.
Bullion and BullSequana S servers have the DNA of
mainframe and scientific computing rolled into one
server. Bullion was the only European brand server
named in Gartner’s Magical Quadrant (MQ) for modular
servers. Available via global and local resellers worldwide,
bullion was recognized in the Gartner MQ as giving Atos
the ability to “leverage the fast-growing market for SAP
HANA and target other high-end x86 server requirements
beyond the scope of most other vendors.”1 The bullion
and BullSequana S for SAP HANA appliance are delivered
as a pre-integrated system of server and storage, offering
Red Hat or Suse for SAP HANA and SAP HANA software
pre-installed in their current versions.
Flexible Deployments with Bullion/BullSequana S and SAP HANA
Flexibility lies at the foundation of both Atos and
Virtustream. Large scale SAP HANA offerings using bullion
and BullSequana S servers provide flexible deployment
modes for SAP HANA including appliance mode and
Tailored Datacenter Integration (TDI) mode.
TDI is a supported SAP program that enables re-use of
existing data center components, including storage and
networks. Most notably, this is done to optimize the total
cost of ownership (TCO) of SAP HANA implementations
and to ensure continuing return on investment. TDI mode
also allows the flexibility to use any storage technology
certified by SAP in its TDI program.
Appliance mode provides a fully managed, dedicated
environment, while delivering pre-integrated hardware,
storage and software for fast deployment, high
performance levels and a single support model.
1 Butler, Andrew, George J. Weiss, Kiyomi Yamada, Hiroko Aoyama.
“Magic Quadrant for Modular Servers”. Gartner. May 23rd, 2016.
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Each bullion and BullSequana S server can be composed
of one or more modules. Modules can be added and
mixed in different SAP HANA server configurations,
allowing enterprises and cloud service providers like
Virtustream to re-use and protect their investment while
gaining a flexible and elastic SAP HANA platform.
Virtustream’s deployment
flexibility, when paired with
bullion servers, enables
enterprises to not only
run SAP HANA in a fully
off-premises cloud with
Virtustream Enterprise
Cloud, but save money
while doing so. Virtustream’s
patented MicroVM (µVM)
technology is a fine-grained
unit of measure designed to
meter and predict actual cloud consumption to enable
pricing flexibility. This grants enterprises a pay-as-you-go
payment structure that charges for only what
they consume.
This technology measures four dimensions of resource
consumption at the hypervisor level simultaneously,
which are then used to calculate the total MicroVM
consumption. These dimensions are:
∙ CPU Cycles in increments of 200MHz
∙ RAM in increments of 768MB
∙ Storage I/O in increments of 40 IOPS
∙ Network Bandwidth in increments of 2 Mbps
By eliminating waste with a pay-as-you-consume model,
MicroVM aggregation optimizes cloud cost by 10-40%
and improves an enterprise’s cost transparency.2
The partnership between Virtustream and Atos combines
adaptive bullion servers for large scale SAP HANA
systems with a true consumption-based pricing model
that simplifies cloud resource planning and eliminates
predefined virtual machine sizes. By presenting this
combination, an enterprise can feel comfortable trusting
the future of their SAP HANA platform in the hands of
a fully off-premises cloud with Virtustream Enterprise
Cloud while having certainty that the SAP certified
bullion servers they are running on can implement both
appliance and TDI mode.
SAP HANA TDI Phase 5
While appliance mode and TDI mode are both valid
deployments, SAP recently introduced HANA TDI Phase
5, the next evolution in the HANA platform. Phase 5
introduced two important changes to the HANA TDI
deployment approach that are key for enterprises to
understand prior to launch or cloud migration.
Prior to Phase 5, the type and number of the processors
required for an SAP HANA deployment were determined
by the total size of HANA memory. Hardware partners
of SAP certified their systems using a fixed core-to-
memory ratio, limiting the amount of flexibility provided
to enterprises and cloud service providers. However,
with the introduction of TDI Phase 5, the type and
number of processors required are now determined by
the specific customer workload. This specific, workload-
driven HANA system sizing enables enterprises to modify
their configurations to their exact workload needs and
optimize the number of cores needed to run their SAP
HANA applications.
Besides system sizing based on an enterprise’s exact
workload, support has also been extended for Intel E7
CPU processors. Previously, an enterprise’s choices were
limited to HANA systems with prearranged processor
types and a fixed number of cores and memory sizes.
With TDI Phase 5 in place, the flexibility that enterprises
and cloud service providers have with their HANA
system sizes, processor types, and number of cores has
increased, enabling them to use a wide range of CPUs
that could improve processing power and potentially
lower costs.
Using TDI deployment mode can provide a higher level of
flexibility and potential price reduction. Before deploying
as either appliance mode or TDI mode, enterprises
should evaluate how TDI Phase 5 can benefit their
enterprise-centric needs.
Scalability with Bullion/BullSequana S and SAP HANA
When it comes to scalability, bullion and BullSequana S
servers’ unique aspects enable different levels of scale-
up, scale-down infrastructure. Bullion and BullSequana
S servers have a modular stacking approach to simply
2 “The Virtustream µVM. Measurably Different. Measurably Better.”
Accessed April 6th, 2018. https://www.virtustream.com/pdfs/
VTS_MicroVM_infographic_final_3.pdf
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increase and decrease the infrastructure scale. This
up- and down-scaling supports using the same hardware
and same parts used in the previous structure. With
the bullion and BullSequana S server, enterprises and
cloud service providers avoid the typical ‘rip and replace’
approach of the existing server structure when the time
comes to scale-up to large sized configurations.
‘Rip and replace’ scale-up
operations are not only
complex, but can also be
costly, difficult, and time
consuming for both the
enterprise and the cloud
service provider. With bullion
and BullSequana S servers,
this complexity is simplified
tremendously with the
ability to scale in steps of 2
CPUs that provides a better,
more flexible growth plan for the future. By delivering an
optimized operation with one technology for all sizes, the
SAP HANA expansion of a company is no longer limited by
the infrastructure used to house its data.
For memory and I/O elements, enterprises and cloud
service providers can ‘hot add’ capacity quickly and easily
with Bull’s patented blade system. With this system,
enterprises and cloud service providers always have a
suitable configuration while managing costs by investing
gradually as business needs grow. This means providing
lowered handling time and system risk when involving
changing configurations and maintenance support.
When implementing bullion’s scalability in a cloud
environment, Virtustream presents the ability to run more
virtual machines (VMs) per rack compared to traditional
hardware (depending on workloads). This means
immediate cost savings and a lower carbon footprint for
enterprises rolling out large scale SAP HANA systems
in the cloud. Virtustream’s cloud based infrastructure
also enables companies to scale up and down as is
needed, presenting the ability to scale-up resources
during intensive development and scale-down when that
development ends.
One of the main concerns enterprises have with in-
house SAP HANA deployments is that it’s memory based,
meaning that in the first implementation phase they must
determine their memory and footprint requirements.
Proper SAP HANA sizing is mandatory. If sized too small,
enterprises risk needing more memory within a year
and being forced to move to another platform or server
model. The difficulties that come with forecasting an
enterprise’s HANA footprint can be a major problem for
large enterprises considering a SAP HANA deployment.
Companies need a machine which can meet system
requirements for several years and be able to follow the
growth of a user’s SAP HANA journey while providing
the scalability to accommodate changing
business requirements.
With Virtustream and Atos, enterprises have the elastic
scalability to buy what they need now, and then increase
the system as their enterprise grows. Through bullion
servers and the cloud scalability offered by running on the
Virtustream Enterprise Cloud, the need to determine what
an enterprise’s SAP HANA footprint will look like years in
the future becomes less daunting.
BullSequana S – The Next Generation
As a complement to bullion servers, Atos recently
released the BullSequana S series. The BullSequana S for
SAP HANA platform delivers unique flexibility, unmatched
scalability and best-in-class quality of service in the x86
world. Combined with expertise and value-added services
from Atos, BullSequana S forms an end-to-end solution
for successful SAP HANA deployments in even the most
critical environments, featuring Intel® Xeon®
Scalable processors.
The BullSequana S series is designed with the same goal
as Virtustream, to enable forward-thinking, data-driven
enterprises. Atos’ practical and industrialized approach
to effective innovation, coupled with Virtustream’s SAP
HANA expertise, ensures that the choices enterprises
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make will drive business value. In addition to a focus on
SAP and SAP HANA, the BullSequana S series specializes
in AI and machine learning, cybersecurity and hybrid
cloud services.
Enterprises who are looking
to rapidly advance their
digital transformation can
leverage BullSequana S as an
instrumental tool for powering
enterprise AI, enabling them
to keep up with the evolving AI
landscape while extracting more value from their Internet
of Things (IoT) and increasing the performance of
existing applications.
With a pre-integrated platform, BullSequana S, paired
with Virtustream’s innovative cloud technology, boosts
enterprises’ data analytics and data lake while allowing
them to fine tune the platform for their business
specific requirements and simplify the lifecycle of new
applications. For enterprises who are preparing for
the future of SAP HANA, BullSequana S provides the
possibility to side classical CPUs with GPUs for
later developments.
Scalability, Flexibility, Reliability
The BullSequana S series provides a perfect blend of
scalability, flexibility and reliability to give enterprises
the speed they need. When combined with Virtustream’s
enterprise-class security and compliance, enterprises get
a fully protected cloud environment, enabling them to be
comfortable working with their most confidential data.
Scalable by Design
Having a scalable solution is critical for
enterprises introducing a small scale
deployment with the opportunity to
branch out and expand as the company
grows. With a mixture of Virtustream’s
scalable cloud infrastructure and the
BullSequana S technology, enterprises
can leverage a scalable and open
platform to grow their digital business in
the Virtustream Enterprise Cloud.
BullSequana S can scale up to 32
CPUs, 48TB RAM and 32 GPUs, enabling
investment preservation while powering
the most demanding environments. With the addition of
Virtustream’s elastic scalability, enterprises are delivered
exceptional performance with unparalleled agility while
being able to scale-up and scale-down on demand.
Virtustream and Atos together provide the adaptability
to change quickly, delivering a secure solution that fits
an enterprise’s specific needs. The scalability, availability
and serviceability of BullSequana S make it the ideal
scale-up platform for large enterprise applications and
in-memory computing.
Flexible Architecture
BullSequana S is certified for SAP HANA, whether in
appliance mode for fast deployment, backed by central
support and agreed performance levels, or in TDI mode.
Based on a flexible architecture, the BullSequana S server
range consists of 5 complementary models, based on the
Intel® Xeon® Scalable processor.
When working with
Virtustream, BullSequana S
servers enable each model
to be smoothly upgraded
when needed, preserving
investments and applicative
environments. This, in besides
the option of re-using existing
environments, enables TCO
reduction for enterprises who
select Virtustream for their
SAP HANA deployment.
Compared to classical environments, BullSequana S
provides up to 20% cost reduction for large cluster
virtualization and up to 30% price/performance gain
for small and medium SAP HANA landscapes.3 This cost
reduction and performance gain enables Virtustream to
deliver a deployment that fits an enterprise’s business
needs while reducing costs and providing the security
and compliance needed to run SAP HANA in a
cloud environment.
3 “x86 Enterprise Servers, “BullSequana S Series,” accessed April
6th, 2018. https://atos.net/en/products/enterprise-servers/
bullsequana-s
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Mainframe-class Reliability
When dealing with in-memory, reliability and resiliency
are essential to having a successful SAP HANA solution.
Virtustream’s ability to provide secure, reliable software
and services ensures that an enterprise’s sensitive
data is safe at all times, regardless of location. Besides
Virtustream’s security and compliance certifications,
BullSequana S supports memory failure protection
and PCIe components that can be hot-plugged or
hot-swapped to facilitate maintenance activities while
providing best-in-class high availability.
Bullion, BullSequana S, SAP HANA and Virtustream
Through the Atos/Virtustream partnership, enterprises
who run large scale SAP HANA systems gain all the
benefits of bullion servers or the BullSequana S series
while running in a flexible cloud deployment with the SAP
certified Virtustream Enterprise Cloud.
As a leading enterprise-class cloud solutions provider,
Virtustream is one of SAP’s few global partners to achieve
SAP HEC certification. Virtustream is a provider of secure,
highly-available, consumption-based cloud services for
SAP HANA solutions, enabling enterprises, government
agencies and service providers to safely move any
production and mission-critical application to the cloud.
When working in unison with Virtustream’s leading
expertise in HANA, bullion and BullSequana S servers
provide the capability to smoothly run SAP HANA systems
to provide a multitude of benefits for the enterprise. The
innovative stacking system, extreme scalability and raw
power make the bullion server the most tenable server
on the x86 market, opening up the capability to grow the
infrastructure alongside the enterprise. Certified for up to
16TB and 16 CPUs for large scale SAP HANA systems, the
bullion server provides large enterprises the ability to toss
out the idea of ‘rip and replace’ and focus on the future of
their SAP HANA system. And as a complement to bullion,
the BullSequana S series is the only enterprise server
with availability to leverage 2-32 CPUs and expansion up
to 32 GPUs.
Atos and Virtustream together present the flexibility,
scalability, security and reliability needed to successfully
run SAP HANA in a cloud-based environment.
Contact
For more information about Virtustream, please
contact us at info@virtustream.com or visit us at www.
virtustream.com.
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Virtustream, a Dell Technologies business, is the enterprise-class cloud service and
software provider trusted by enterprises worldwide to migrate and run their mission-
critical applications, such as SAP HANA, in the cloud. For enterprises, services
providers and government agencies, Virtustream’s xStream® Management Platform
and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) meet the security, compliance, performance,
efficiency and consumption-based billing requirements of complex production
applications in the cloud - whether private, public or hybrid.
Atos is a European IT services corporation headquartered in Bezons, France, with
offices worldwide. A global leader in digital transformation, Atos has approximately
100,000 employees in 72 countries and an annual revenue of around €12 billion. The
European number one in Big Data, Cybersecurity, High Performance Computing and
Digital Workplace, Atos provides Cloud services, Infrastructure & Data Management,
Business & Platform solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline,
the European leader in the payment industry. Atos is the Worldwide Information
Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the
brands Atos, Atos Consulting, Atos Worldgrid, Bull, Canopy, Unify and Worldline.
Bull, part of Atos, is the Atos brand for its technology products and software, which are
today distributed in over 50 countries worldwide. With a rich heritage of over 80 years
of technological innovation, 2000 patents and a 700 strong R&D team supported by the
Atos Scientific Community, it offers products and value-added software to assist clients
in their digital transformation, specifically in the areas of Big Data and Cybersecurity.
Bull is the European leader in HPC and its products include bullx, the energy-efficient
supercomputer; bullion, one of the most powerful x86 servers in the world developed
to meet the challenges of Big Data; Evidian, the software security solutions for identity
and access management; Trustway, the hardware security module and Hoox, the ultra-
secure smartphone.