In the previous blog, Nutanix vs. SmartX, we compared Nutanix and SmartX solutions, storage architecture, and performance. As SmartX keeps innovating IT infrastructure solutions and offers SmartX Enterprise Cloud Platform (ECP), this article will provide updated information on what makes SmartX ECP a competitive alternative for Nutanix solutions, including product and performance comparisons, four migration approaches, and four customer use cases.

Comparison of Product Capabilities and Performance

Both SmartX and Nuatnix provide enterprise cloud platform solutions for enterprise users to modernize IT infrastructure. In terms of infrastructure components, both SmartX and Nutanix offer full-stack infrastructure including computing, storage (distributed block and file), management, network & security (distributed firewall, LB, VPC, network visualization), Kubernetes engine, data protection, Active-Active, etc. SmartX ECP also supports mainstream servers including Nutanix OEM appliances, which allows users to continue using existing servers and save hardware investment.

Comparison of Key Component: Virtualization

Both SmartX and Nutanix offer native hypervisors – ELF and AHV – which are developed based on KVM. Therefore, ELF and AHV show similar performance while ELF provides more enhanced features tailored for enterprise users. 

Comparison of Key Component: Storage

Currently, distributed storage architecture is divided into two categories: those based on Ceph, an open-source technology, and those based on independently developed technologies. Nutanix and SmartX both have independently developed storage architectures based on GFS (Google File System). 

For a detailed comparison between Nutanix and SmartX storage architecture, please refer to our previous Nutanix vs. SmartX blog. One change to SmartX storage architecture is its cache tier division, which makes ZBS’ caching and I/O path different from Nutanix AOS. To learn more, please refer to: Understanding the Upgraded Storage Tiering Model of SmartX ECP.

Comparison of Performance

Different storage designs result in variations in storage performance. We conducted the benchmark performance test (using FIO) and Oracle performance test on SmartX ECP (SMTX OS 6.0) and Nutanix HCI (AOS 6.5). The following examinations were based on the same physical devices and environments. SmartX ECP was tested in one volume while Nutanix AOS was tested in one or multiple volumes according to its best practice. 

Test Environment

Test #1 – Benchmark Performance

In the benchmark test, SmartX ECP outperformed Nutanix AOS except for the sequential read and mixed-read-write tests.

Test #2 – Oracle Performance

  • Data Import & Export

In database import and export scenarios, we used the SOE (Simple Order Entry) model to measure the time required for importing and exporting data of different volumes, with shorter times indicating better performance. Overall, the tests showed that SmartX ECP’s single-volume performance is significantly superior to Nutanix HCI’s single-volume and comparable to Nutanix-ASM (best-practice configuration). Additionally, in data export tests, SmartX ECP demonstrated markedly better performance than both Nutanix’s single volume and its best-practice configuration.

  • TPC-C (Transaction Processing Performance Council)

In the TPC-C test, we used Swingbench for stress testing, where higher TPS (Transactions Per Second) indicates better performance. The results showed that as concurrency increased, the average OPS (Operations Per Second) for both solutions rose significantly. Notably, the single-volume performance of SmartX ECP is markedly higher than Nutanix’s single-volume deployment and slightly superior to Nutanix-ASM’s performance.

  • Securities Order Insertion

The test was based on a stress testing script provided by a counter trading software, focusing on insert operations for the order table to simulate the scenario of orders being written to the database. Each script is committed after every 1,000 transactions and executed in a loop, with a total of 30 PDC scripts running simultaneously for 2 minutes. The test used COUNT(*) to measure the amount of data inserted per second, with higher values indicating better performance. From the results, it can be observed that after 80 seconds, Nutanix AOS experienced multiple instances of performance nearly bottoming out, whereas SmartX ECP demonstrated more stable and consistent performance throughout the test.

We further extracted the raw data and excluded the 10 highest and 10 lowest values. The average performance for both systems was then calculated. The overall single-volume performance of SmartX ECP surpasses that of Nutanix single-volume deployment (with a performance improvement of over 60%) and the best-practice configuration (with a performance improvement of approximately 5%).

Conclusion

Given the technical optimizations of ZBS, SmartX ECP delivers superior performance in database scenarios; SmartX ECP achieves optimal performance with a single-volume deployment, whereas Nutanix HCI requires multi-volume configurations and relies on system or application-level parallel scheduling to provide comparable performance. 

Migrate from Nutanix to SmartX

Replacing Nutanix with SmartX can be a breeze! We offer four solutions for migrating virtual machines from Nutanix to SMTX OS clusters, tailored to different deployment environments and replacement objectives to meet various user needs:

  1. Replace Nutanix AOS while retaining VMware virtualization.
  2. Replace both VMware virtualization and Nutanix AOS.
  3. Replace both Nutanix AHV and AOS.
  4. Replace Hyper-V/XenServer virtualization and Nutanix AOS.

We provide independently developed migration tools – SMTX Migration Tool and SMTX CloudMove – to help enterprise customers easily migrate virtual machines from VMware vSphere or Nutanix AHV to ELF virtualization platform.

Customer Stories

So far, more than 50 enterprise customers in FSI, healthcare, manufacturing, etc., have leveraged SmartX ECP to replace Nutanix HCI or take it over to support newly launched and future business services, benefiting from more reliable local support services and superior IT infrastructure capabilities.

An Insurance Company: Use Existing Nutanix Appliance to Deploy SMTX OS Clusters and Migrate Hundreds of VMs via SMTX Migration Tool

Faced with a series of adjustments from Nutanix towards mainland China, a leading insurance institution is processing a complete replacement of Nutanix HCI (integrated with VMware virtualization) with SmartX ECP (using native virtualization ELF).

Given SmartX ECP’s wide hardware compatibility, the institution reused its existing Nutanix appliances to build the new SMTX OS cluster, reducing hardware investment. Besides, using the SMTX Migration Tool, the user decided to migrate over 800 VMs supporting business applications and Dev/Test from the Nutanix HCI cluster to the SmartX ELF virtualization platform in two phases. 

As of now, the first migration phase has been completed, involving the successful transfer of over 200 business VMs and 300 Dev/Test VMs. The remaining migration tasks are progressing on schedule. The institution is highly satisfied with SMTX Migration Tool’s efficiency, ease of use, and stability. The migrated VMs have been running stably in SMTX OS clusters for nearly six months, providing robust and high-performance support for both business systems and Dev/Test environments.

To learn more: Migrating VMs from VMware to Alternative Hypervisor: An Ultimate Guide

An Asset Management Company: Migrate 40+ VMs using SMTX CloudMove against Nutanix HCI Failures

An asset management company originally utilized Nutanix AHV + AOS to support its production business systems. However, after Nutanix HCI’s warranty expired, the whole cluster suddenly experienced severe failures.

  • All VM lifecycle maintenance operations became unusable. Once a VM was powered off, it could no longer be restarted.
  • Essential functions such as powering on/off VMs, modifying configurations, adding or deleting VMs, VM migration, HA, and host maintenance mode were all rendered inoperative.
  • For VMs that remained powered on, their data could only be migrated by copying from business applications. This process was complex and time-consuming.
  • VMs that were already powered off could not be migrated at all, leaving their data and operations stranded.

Faced with these challenges, the user sought assistance from SmartX engineers. Given the extensive O&M experience and deep technical expertise, the SmartX team provided a comprehensive solution; they not only helped the user quickly migrate running VMs from Nutanix to the SmartX ELF virtualization platform using SMTX CloudMove but also located the raw storage data of powered-off virtual machines. SmartX engineers can directly copy raw VM data from the underlying storage, convert data format, and restore the business systems on SmartX ECP clusters. From identifying the failure causes to delivering a solution, the SmartX team completed the entire process in less than two days. 

Currently, the company has successfully migrated over 40 VMs hosting their business systems to the SmartX ECP cluster (powered by native hypervisor ELF) using SMTX CloudMove. The entire project, from migration to switchover verification, was completed within a single day.

Zheshang Securities: An Ex-User of VMware and Nutanix HCI Embraces SmartX ECP

Zheshang Securities originally used Nutanix HCI (with VMware virtualization) to modernize IT infrastructure. However, considering Nutanix’s service adjustments within mainland China, the company decided against expanding its existing Nutanix cluster. Instead, they aimed to meet future business requirements by adopting an alternative solution with equal capabilities but lower TCO. As a result, they conducted a systematic evaluation of various enterprise cloud solutions.

In particular, in Hundsun’s trading-order-simulated test, the database performance and stability based on SmartX EPC were comparable to that in the Nutanix HCI and vSAN environments. As a result, Zheshang Securities eventually chose SmartX ECP as a successor of Nuatnix HCI, supporting multiple Dev/Test and production services including online transactions, customer relationship management (CRM), accounting, AI-powered customer service, online account opening, bond duration management, etc.

Currently, after multiple expansions, Zheshang Securities has deployed 100+ SmartX ECP nodes across two data centers. These nodes support various trading business systems, internet business systems, and GPU resource pools, improving IT infrastructure capabilities and cost efficiency.

More information: Zheshang Securities: An Ex-User of VMware and Nutanix HCI Embraces SmartX HCI.

A Military Hospital: Replacing Nuatnix HCI with SmartX ECP for Timely Support Services

For IT infrastructure modernization, a top-tier military hospital conducted a comprehensive evaluation of mainstream enterprise cloud solutions. Among these solutions, Nutanix HCI and SmartX ECP stood out in performance and functionality. Ultimately, the hospital chose Nutanix HCI combined with VMware virtualization to host intranet application systems.

However, after using Nutanix HCI, the hospital began experiencing delays in Nutanix’s support services, making it challenging to receive adequate O&M assistance. With Nutanix HCI’s warranty approaching expiration, the hospital decided to replace Nutanix HCI with SmartX ECP, paired with its native hypervisor ELF, to host part of intranet application systems and newly launched outpatient service systems. For the VMs running intranet applications, the hospital used SMTX Migration Tool for cross-platform migration in a simple and efficient manner.

Currently, the SmartX ECP cluster has been running stably for several months. The hospital is highly satisfied with the overall performance and functionality of SmartX ECP and plans to expand it in the future to support more healthcare systems.

For more information about SmartX ECP, please visit our website.

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