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We created a failover cluster with high performance at low cost using StarWind Virtual SAN
January 29, 2021

We created a failover cluster with high performance at low cost using StarWind Virtual SAN

Maxim Poberezhnyy | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with StarWind Virtual SAN

We used StarWind Virtual SAN as a department. Initially, we had not planned to use virtualization, but at some point we realized that it was necessary. We had no opportunity to install any shared storage and, in this case, StarWind Virtual SAN was perfect. We did not have any type of failover cluster. StarWind Virtual SAN for Hyper-V solves the problem without any kind of hardware lock-in and is a low-impact, easy-to-configure virtual SAN solution. This made it possible to create a failover cluster with high performance without significant costs.
  • StarWind Virtual SAN requires at least two 1 GbE networks. I think this is important since the alternatives that I considered required 10 GbE of network.
  • StarWind Virtual SAN does 2-way or 3-way replication. It fully replicates the cluster, which means that you can lose storage between the members (even cache one or two nodes of the cluster to handle the scenario). Requires nested resiliency to handle failure of multiple nodes. Since the storage is sustain node + disk failure in a 2-node fully replicated, the failure of single node + at least one (depends on RAID level) disk in an active node will not lead to any data loss.
  • StarWind Virtual SAN works on top of a hardware RAID or a software RAID. As an alternative to StarWind VSAN for Hyper-V, we considered Microsoft S2D, but we had to abandon it due to the fact that it does not support hardware RAID.
  • Usage of raw partitions instead of file containers.
  • StarWind Virtual SAN allowed significant savings on the purchase of additional equipment, such as additional switches and shared storage.
The support is great. Before buying StarWind Virtual SAN, I was provided with a trial version. Together with the support, I set up a test bench and checked that StarWind Virtual SAN is really suitable for my tasks. They answered all my questions and helped me set up production servers. I have not been using StarWind Virtual SAN for very long (less than six months) and have not encountered serious problems that would require contacting support. I sometimes write them for advice and they always answer me quickly and professionally.
I have not used any product like StarWind Virtual SAN before. Prior to the purchase, I considered the possibility of implementing Microsoft Storage Space Direct. However, in my case, this did not work, Microsoft Storage Space Direct does not support hardware RAID, only HBA, and required the purchase of additional switches.
I think that StarWind Virtual SAN is perfect for cases where it is not possible or expedient to buy/install shared storage, but at the same time you must ensure high availability of services.