The National Archives of Estonia ensures the secure and reliable storage of its historical records by deploying a 2-node high availability cluster with StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN)
July 09, 2024
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CHALLENGE
Before deploying StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN), the National Archives of Estonia grappled with an outdated IT infrastructure, relying on a traditional storage array, Dell EMC AX4-5F, along with redundant Fiber Channel (FC) switches and Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) with VMware ESXi serving as the hypervisor. The existing setup lacked scalability and high availability (HA) and was prone to single points of failure (SPOF), hindering operations critical for preserving Estonia’s cultural heritage.
Acquiring new traditional storage solutions seemed financially burdensome. The Archives sought a cost-effective yet robust solution to address its challenges. StarWind VSAN creates a highly available environment with just a two-node setup. Similar solutions usually require three nodes minimum. The resulting infrastructure works as expected and we are satisfied with it.
Mart Vernik, IT Administrator
SOLUTION
The National Archives of Estonia chose StarWind VSAN as it allowed to create a 2-node HA cluster, unlike other solutions requiring a minimum of three nodes. StarWind VSAN replaced the outdated system, reduced complexity, and enhanced efficiency and reliability. The resulting infrastructure met all requirements, providing the necessary scalability and HA crucial for safeguarding Estonia’s historical records.
The Archives acknowledged considerable savings after implementing the StarWind solution. Looking ahead, it expressed interest in exploring additional solutions from StarWind beyond VSAN.
