Optimizing NetApp SnapMirror with BIG-IP WAN Optimization Module

SnapMirror

SnapMirror is NetApp’s replication software and is used to mirror data from one or more NetApp storage systems across the LAN or WAN. With storage deduplication and network compression, SnapMirror is at the leading edge of replication technology.

The amount of data that has to be transferred via SnapMirror to keep your replication site up to date is often just too much for the slower-speed connections typical in a WAN environment. While SnapMirror can be used locally, in a DR solution it is generally deployed to communicate over the WAN. This creates a bottleneck in the WAN that keeps your DR site from being up to date should it be needed.

BIG-IP WOM solves this problem by improving the throughput of the WAN connection. With compression and deduplication capabilities that are complementary to SnapMirror’s, BIG-IP WOM improves the rate at which that data is transferred and secures the connection between your DR site and your production data center. The net result is enhanced performance of SnapMirror replication over the WAN.

Solution

BIG-IP WOM enables customers to:

• Accelerate data replication across the WAN
• Mitigate the effects of latency
• Increase the distance from the data center to the DR site
• Guarantee bandwidth and prioritize replication transfer over the WAN
• Deduplicate packet data overlayed on NetApp SnapMirror’s optimizations of data at rest to reduce bandwidth required to transfer over the WAN