This presentation discussed persistent storage options for Docker containers using VMware technologies: - VMware has released a vSphere driver for Flocker to enable migration of containers and their data volumes between ESXi hosts while preserving data on VMware vSphere and Virtual SAN storage. - VMware's vSphere Integrated Containers and Photon Platform provide unified hybrid platforms for running containers with persistence and leveraging existing VMware infrastructure investments. - Future developments may include a distributed file system for cloud-native applications to provide high availability, scalability and access control across multiple backend storage clusters.

1. Containers without Compromise:
Persistent Storage for Docker Containers with VMware
Vivek Saraswat, VMware, Inc
CNA5860
#CNA5860

2. • This presentation may contain product features that are currently under development.
• This overview of new technology represents no commitment from VMware to deliver these
features in any generally available product.
• Features are subject to change, and must not be included in contracts, purchase orders, or
sales agreements of any kind.
• Technical feasibility and market demand will affect final delivery.
• Pricing and packaging for any new technologies or features discussed or presented have not
been determined.
Disclaimer
CONFIDENTIAL 2

3. Agenda
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1 Intro to Cloud-Native Applications
2 Containers 101
3 Persistent Data in Containers
4 VMware Solutions for Cloud-Native Storage
5 Looking Towards the Future

4. What are Cloud-Native Applications?
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Developer access via APIs
Microservices, not
monolithic stacks
Continuous integration
and deployment
App-defined Availability
Built for scale
Decoupled from
infrastructure
Application

5. Hardware
OS Kernel
OS File system
Userspace
Container
Appprocess
Appprocess
Appprocess
Appprocess
Appprocess
Container
Appprocess
Appprocess
Linux Containers
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• App-level Isolation
– Isolation at individual kernel
subsystem level (e.g. filesystem,
CPU resources, etc.)
– User-level process (LXC,
libcontainer) orchestrates these
subsystems to create a container
• Existed for Many Years
– Solaris Zones, FreeBSD Jails, etc.
• Why?
– Process isolation
– Reproducible environment
– Enables management at scale

6. is a “Shipping Container” for Code
Frictionless deployment and
maximum portability
On developer laptop:
Then on server:
That’s it!!
A natural fit for 3rd Platform,
12 factor, microservices
It makes DevOps much much easier
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Developers because …
~# docker build my_app
~# docker push my_app
~#
~# docker pull my_app
~# docker run my_app
~#

7. Containers Are Stateless “Cattle”
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Source: “CERN Data Centre Evolution”
http://www.slideshare.net/gmccance/cern-data-centre-evolution

8. But…What about Your Data?
• If you start a new container, you might lose
all the data from the old one!
• “Stateful” data needs to be accessed and
protected separately
• Original model: Persist stateful data to
noncontainerized managed storage
• But, problems arise:
– No local control over storage management
– Latency/access issues
– Issues at scale
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9. Containerized Storage Apps are Rapidly Increasing
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Thousands of DB apps
Millions of downloads

10. Bring in the Container Data Volumes!
• Usage
– Contains persistent data for local containers
– Appears as directory within host file system
(e.g. “docker run –v /mount/mydata/”)
– Can store on external storage and
mount/unmount from a host
• Benefits
– Manage and preserve your stateful data
– Utilize storage platform data services
Volumes open up new possibilities
for containerized applications!
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Host
Container
Storage Platform
Container
Data
Volumes

11. Container Storage Use Cases
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Unshared Volumes Shared Volumes Persist to External Storage
Use Case: Running container-
based SQL or noSQL DB
Use Case: Sharing a set of tools or
content across app instances
Use Case: Object store for
retention/archival, DBaaS for
config/transactions
Host
C C
Storage Platform
Host
C C
Host
C C
Host
C C
Storage Platform
Host
C C
Host
C C
Cloud
Storage
API API

12. Containerized Storage in Practice
• Application composed of series of
loosely coupled microservices
– Scheduled by an application orchestrator
(e.g. Kubernetes, Mesos)
– Microservices coordinate via REST API
• Each microservice consists of multiple
stateless and stateful containers
– API frontend container
– Database engine container
– Actual data is persisted to a container
data volume (supported by
external storage)
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Application
Orchestrator
Microservice 1
API
Front-End
Database
Engine
Data Volume
Microservice 2
API
Front-End
Database
Engine
Data Volume
Microservice 2
API
Front-End
Database
Engine
Data Volume

13. Container Volumes and Virtual Disks: Look Familiar?
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14. Announcing vSphere Driver for Flocker 1.0!
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15. Luke Marsden, CTO

16. The Problem ClusterHQ’s Flocker Solves
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17. ClusterHQ Flocker Data Volume Migration (before)
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18. ClusterHQ Flocker Data Volume Migration (after)
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19. • Integrate “upwards” to Orchestration Frameworks
– Docker Swarm and Compose via Flocker Docker Plugin
– Mesosphere/Marathon
– Kubernetes (coming later), CoreOS
• Integrate “downwards” to storage vendors
– vSphere driver enables awesome coverage
– Growing ClusterHQ partner network
– Also support OpenStack Cinder
– Integrate with public cloud storage backends
• Add depth of storage capabilities
– Make data portable: enable migration of data volumes between clouds,
different stages of software development lifecycle
– Enable snapshotting, cloning, backup/restore, HA, DR…
Get in touch! clusterhq.com/contact @clusterhq
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ClusterHQ Flocker Roadmap
ClusterHQ

20. vSphere Driver for Flocker Details
• Run containerized stateful apps on your current vSphere deployment using open-source
Flocker software
• Move containers + data volumes from one ESX VM to another
• Compatible with ALL vSphere storage (VSAN, VVOL, VMFS, NFS)
• Straightforward install/configure/deploy process
• Free!
• Available at https://github.com/vmware/vsphere-flocker-driver
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21. Native Docker on vSphere
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21
ESX VM2
Container
DB App
ESX VM1
Container
DB App
VMDK1
+ Container Volume
VMDK2
ESX VM2
Container
DB App
ESX VM1
Container
DB App
vSphere + Flocker
Move
Container
Move
Container
VMDK1 VMDK2Container Volume
VMDK
When container moves, data volume stays
on host VMDK. Database starts on new
VM without any of its data.
Data Volume stored on separate VMDK.
When container moves, VMDK moves with
it. Database keeps its data!

22. vSphere Flocker Demo
22

23. VMware Virtual SAN 6.1
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Radically Simple Hyperconverged Storage for VMs
vSphere + Virtual SAN
…
• Software-defined storage optimized for
VMs
• Hypervisor-converged architecture
• Runs on any standard x86 server
• Pools HDD/SSD into a shared datastore
• Delivers enterprise-level scalability and
performance
• Managed through per-VM storage policies
• Deeply integrated with the VMware stack
Overview
Hard disksSSD
Hard disks
SSD
Hard disks
SSD
Virtual SAN Datastore

24. But Don’t Take Our Word for It…
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“ClusterHQ and VMware supported our
evaluation of Flocker with vSphere and
Virtual SAN, providing us building blocks
for container persistence in our Docker-
based PaaS.”

25. CONFIDENTIAL 25

26. Unified Hybrid Platform
vSphere Integrated Containers
• Give developers the flexibility, portability and
speed containers deliver
• Leverage existing investments in VMware
infrastructure, people, processes and
management tools
• DRS, vMotion, HA/DR
• Storage and Network Integration (VSAN
and NSX)
• Apply same isolation, data persistence,
networking, management and robust service
levels you have today
• No rebuilding or re-architecture required
• Full compatibility with broad ecosystem of
existing tools
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NSX
VSAN
vRealize
vSphere
vSphere Integrated Containers
(Instant Clone, Project Bonneville, Photon OS)

27. Cloud-Native Platform
VMware Photon Platform
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Photon Controller
Photon Machine
Photon Platform
Host controller & scheduler:
High scale distributed control plane,
includes Lightwave
Compute host:
Lightweight hypervisor, based on ESX
Includes Photon OS
Deep integration with modern, open
source frameworks & app platforms

28. Looking Towards the Future of Storage
• Distributed infrastructure
– Global management
– Automation friendly
• Scalable troubleshooting
– Decentralized analytics
– Information gathering, processing,
prediction
• IT-friendly GUI, scripting
– Infrastructure operations
• Dev-friendly APIs, CLI
– Application integration
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Physical Servers
Infrastructures
Pools of Resources
Virtual SAN Datastore
Magnetic
Devices
Flash
Devices
Magnetic
Devices
Flash
Devices
Storage Abstraction
Distributed storage
platform
storageinfrastructure
management
distributedmonitoringUI/APIs

29. VDI files
A Distributed File System for Cloud-Native Apps
• Hyper-converged scale-out file system
• Relies on Object Storage backend
– Hardware management
– Resource provisioning, discovery
– Distributed parallel data path
– High availability
• Backend: VSAN, others…
– Can span multiple backend “clusters”
• Design Requirements
– POSIX file system
– Cloud scale: files, clients, clones
– Per file / directory access control
– O(1) snapshot / clone creation
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Distributed storage management service
VSAN (Object) store VSAN (Object) store
Distributed File system
NoSQL

30. Distributed File System Demo
30

31. What’s Now?
• vSphere driver for Flocker 1.0 available now for free at:
https://github.com/vmware/vsphere-flocker-driver
• Extending functionality for VMware-based container data volumes
• Storage integration with vSphere Integrated Containers
• Storage integration with Photon Platform
Follow along on Twitter: @theVSaraswat
CONFIDENTIAL 31
What’s Next?

34. Containers without Compromise:
Persistent Storage for Docker Containers with VMware
Vivek Saraswat, VMware, Inc
CNA5860
#CNA5860