Evaluate Windows New Resource Sharing Tool SMB 3.0

The core of the resource sharing protocol SMB 3.0 is to allow connections to file sharing and printers. However, the latest version included in Windows Server 2012 provides enhanced functions for resource sharing, which will have a huge impact on Hyper-V administrators.

SMB 3.0 does not deviate from the basic architecture: the Windows Administrator enters \ Servername \ Sharename to access remote files located on another server or workstation. SMB 3.0 still allows file access, but it provides resource sharing in a new multi-channel and multi-thread mode, faster access, more reliable throughput, and encryption. This change enables users to access larger files in real time and quickly.

However, if the architecture cannot meet your business needs and service level requirements, it will lead to performance bottlenecks. However, when designing the Hyper-V architecture, evaluate the business requirements and service level requirements first, use the new SMB 3.0 protocol, and then deploy the service in the test environment, you will avoid potential performance bottlenecks.

What are the expectations of SMB 3.0?

Using the remote cluster sharing with SMB 3.0 protocol will create a high-speed, line-level data channel and storage connection, which is similar to the transmission channel built using iSCSI or fiber network. In Windows Server 2012, the third option for remote file access creates a simple way to design Hyper-V Virtual Machine storage. It enables Hyper-V hosts running on Windows Server 2012 to establish connections with SMB shared on Windows Server 2012 Server or cluster Server. Cluster nodes may use iSCSI or fiber channel as backup storage. The benefit of using this configuration is that multiple Hyper-V virtual machines in the same shared cluster have high-speed bandwidth connections.

Design infrastructure around Resource Sharing Protocols

To store Hyper-v vm storage, You need to configure files and snapshots in the remote shared path using SMB 3.0, and you must run Hyper-V on Windows Server 2012. The remote shared path must also run Windows Server 2012. According to Microsoft's official statement, the Code cannot be transplanted to versions earlier than Windows Server 2012.

SMB settings

How to Design Hyper-V infrastructure around remote shared Hyper-v vm storage depends on your storage I/O requirements and workload features. Hyper-V infrastructure may only include servers with local storage configured on a single server. Or it may be more complex. It is composed of multiple node clusters with multiple high-bandwidth network interfaces. Your requirements for storage I/O, redundancy, and budget will have an important impact on the final design.

Use SMB 3.0 in the test environment

For a test environment that does not require high availability and limited functionality, you only need one Hyper-V host and a second server with some local storage. For example, two desktops or two low-end servers with a single 1 GB Ethernet connection can be used in the test environment. However, to use SMB 3.0, the machines used in the test environment must be able to run Windows Server 2012.

You may expand the test environment and use multiple independent Hyper-V test hosts to enhance the processing capability. These Hyper-V test hosts all point to a Windows Server 2012 Server. This reduces the number of distributed storage/wasted local storage, and simplifies the process of configuring additional transmission technologies, such as iSCSI or fiber channel, for each Hyper-V host. This configuration will enable single point of failure in remote storage, but it can reduce costs and provide a very simple architecture.

Once SMB 3.0 is evaluated in the test environment, you only need a few steps to bring your infrastructure into production readiness. In the second part of this series, we will continue to describe the configuration process.