IT/Datacenter & Super Computing News - Page 21

The latest and most important IT/Datacenter & Super Computing news - Page 21.

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SMART Storage Systems introduces 1.8" SAS Optimus SSD

Paul Alcorn | Feb 20, 2013 2:02 PM CST

SMART has announced the new 1.8" SAS Enterprise-Class Optimus SSD. This SAS SSD features random speeds of 100,000 read IOPS and 45,000 write IOPS. Sequential read and write speeds are 500MB/s.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this SSD is the intended market. This small form factor SSD is designed for blade servers, caching and other high-density computing environments, which typically have space constraints. Providing smaller robust solutions will address the needs of this market segment. Another impressive feature is the density, with this SSD coming in capacities of 200GB and 400GB.

The new Optimus 1.8" SAS SSD leverages the Guardianâ„¢ Technology Platform to provide the endurance and feature set required for enterprise environments. A comprehensive suite of proprietary features, the Guardian Technology Platform is comprised of FlashGuardâ„¢, EverGuardâ„¢, and DataGuardâ„¢ technologies. FlashGuard, an innovative combination of Aggregated Flash Management and Advanced Signal Processing technologies, enables commercial MLC Flash to achieve higher endurance levels, making it suitable for the enterprise environment.

Continue reading: SMART Storage Systems introduces 1.8" SAS Optimus SSD (full post)

HGST introduces 1.2TB Ultrastar C10K1200 10,000 RPM Enterprise HDD

Paul Alcorn | Jan 29, 2013 8:06 AM CST

HGST, formerly Hitachi and now a Western Digital company, announced today the new C10K1200 10K RPM enterprise HDD. This HDD sets itself apart from the crowd by becoming the highest capacity 10K HDD in a 2.5" form factor to spin at 10,000 RPM.

Featuring 1.2TB of capacity, this new HDD is designed for the increasing demands for more storage capacity in the datacenter. This capacity extension to the product line utilizes a SAS 6GB/s interface and 64MB of cache buffer for optimized read/write response time. The 10K rotational speed also provides the power for these drives inclusion in high performance computing environments.

The increase in capacity ushers in higher density servers, blades and network storage arrays. By packing more data in less space, users will save in floorspace, cooling and power. These factors are ongoing costs that can add up to cost much more than the device over the course of its lifetime, so any increase in density is always welcome.

Continue reading: HGST introduces 1.2TB Ultrastar C10K1200 10,000 RPM Enterprise HDD (full post)

Micron announces new P400m 25nm MLC enterprise SSD

Paul Alcorn | Jan 22, 2013 8:36 AM CST

Today Micron is unveiling their new P400m SSD. This SSD is designed for data center servers and storage platforms and increases Microns impressive enterprise SSD portfolio. This 25nm MLC NAND SSD provides surprising endurance from standard MLC, with up to 10 full drive writes per day for five years.

This provides an overall endurance of up to 7PB of lifetime data written to the drive depending upon the capacity utilized. Micron is backing up this endurance promise with a five-year warranty for this new product. The P400m is geared for a multitude of applications including Cloud, VDI, bootstorm management, social media and logging applications.

This terrific endurance is due to Microns implementation of their proprietary XPERT (eXtended Performance and Enhanced Reliability Technology) drive management. This suite of highly optimized firmware algorithms and hardware enhancements increase the endurance of MLC NAND and provides full data path protection. As part of their approach Micron utilizes the same RAIN (Redundant Array of Independent NAND) technology that we have seen utilized in their P320h PCIe SSD. Additional facets of the XPERT approach include Adaptive Read Management/Optimize Read (ARM/OR) and DataSAFE technology.

Continue reading: Micron announces new P400m 25nm MLC enterprise SSD (full post)

OWC announces Mercury Viper 3.5-inch 6G SSD and Jupiter mini-SAS DAS/SAN

Paul Alcorn | Jan 21, 2013 7:57 AM CST

OWC has announced their newest SSD in their venerable Mercury line, the OWC Mercury Viper SSD. This 3.5" behemoth sports impressive specifications of up to 600MB/s. This SSD bucks the current 2.5" trend by going with the 3.5" form factor, relegating it to desktop and server applications.

The truly impressive 600MB/s in sequential throughput will place this SSD firmly at the top of the SSD heap, with no other single SSD on the market able to match this top speed. 600MB/s is bumping up against the limits of the 6GB/s interface, and further numbers, such as random performance, will be released in the coming weeks. This large form factor also allows for huge capacity, with the range starting out at 240GB and topping out at a massive 2TB. This large capacity will be well suited to professional usage models.

OWC is also announcing the Jupiter mini-SAS DAS/SAN Scalable Storage Solution, which would be a great pairing with the above mentioned Mercury Viper. This series of enterprise class storage solutions continues OWCs expansion into the enterprise space. The series consist of JBOD and expansion racks, PCIe HBA cards and switches. The attraction of using the mini-SAS specification lies in its high performance, up to 48GB/s, and its relatively low cost when compared to competing fibre channel solutions.

Continue reading: OWC announces Mercury Viper 3.5-inch 6G SSD and Jupiter mini-SAS DAS/SAN (full post)

Plextor unveils new M5 Pro Extreme and next-gen form factor (NGFF) SSD's

Paul Alcorn | Jan 11, 2013 4:28 PM CST

CES 2013 - At CES 2013 Plextor revealed the new M5 Pro Extreme SSD, this SSD features new TSOP Toshiba Toggle NAND, providing higher performance in the 19nm SSD category.

This new version of NAND will lead to a lower price point for end-users. The new firmware can also be used with older versions of the M5 Pro, so current owners of the M5 Pro will not be left out in the cold.

The M5 Pro Extreme features a Marvell 9187 controller which provides up to 540MB/s in sequential read and 470MB/s in sequential write speeds. Perhaps most impressive is the 100,000 random read IOPS and 88,000 random write IOPS.

Continue reading: Plextor unveils new M5 Pro Extreme and next-gen form factor (NGFF) SSD's (full post)

Micron displays world's first working DDR4 memory at CES 2013, videos here

Paul Alcorn | Jan 10, 2013 9:50 PM CST

CES 2013 - Micron today had the first working samples of DDR4 memory in action, putting on a demo that not only shows the new RAM working, but also being simultaneously tested by a Teledyne LeCroy analyzer.

The new DDR4 spec operates at voltages as low as 1.2V, which is roughly 20% lower than previous generations, and yet still manages to run twice as fast as DDR3. The stock timings for DDR4 will weigh in at a hefty 2133MHz, compared to the old DDR3 starting at 1066MHz. This will speed up users' applications, improve responsiveness, increase multi-tasking, handle data-intensive programs and overall increase the speed that the computer processes data.

This new DDR4 module looks like standard fare for a stick of RAM, but it packs a serious performance punch, with speeds expected to be much higher when overclocked at lower voltages.

Continue reading: Micron displays world's first working DDR4 memory at CES 2013, videos here (full post)

SMART Storage Systems gets SSDs rocking at CES 2013 with the NAND Band

Paul Alcorn | Jan 10, 2013 5:23 AM CST

CES 2013 - SMART Storage Systems introduced the new CloudSpeed Series of SSDs today which provide some great endurance with a very low price point, with enterprise class features at prices only slightly higher than consumer SSDs.

The two new SSDs are the CloudSpeed CS1000 and the CS1000E, which will both be available soon. The real story here is the shrink to 19nm MLC NAND and the high endurance that SMART Storage Systems has managed to pull from the NAND. In an effort to spread the word in a new and refreshing way, SMART Storage Systems CEO John Scaramuzzo formed the NAND Band.

In order to understand the need for new more powerful storage solutions we must take into account the data explosion that is currently taking place. As we can see from the graph above there is a shocking amount of data produced every day, and the data is only multiplying as users are becoming increasing mobile.

Continue reading: SMART Storage Systems gets SSDs rocking at CES 2013 with the NAND Band (full post)

IDT displays NVMe hardware

Paul Alcorn | Jan 8, 2013 6:35 AM CST

CES 2013 - IDT revealed new hardware today that is focused on impending NVMe products. IDT is leading the charge to provide controllers powering the first wave of NVMe equipped SSDs.

First up we noticed the IDT reference SSD board. This is a 2.5" form factor SSD which can be used in numerous applications. This reference board is provided as a template for resellers to manufacture and pattern their own devices after. This SSD will be used in enterprise applications, and actually connects via the PCIe interface.

We were allowed to pop off the cover of the SSD, and it is a very heavy milled chassis. There are also thermal pads that shed heat into the heavy milled chassis. The thickness of the case and the thermal pads point to a processor that while powerful, probably creates a bit of heat. Heat typically correlates directly to power draw, and unfortunately we do not have power draw figures for this controller.

Continue reading: IDT displays NVMe hardware (full post)

Microsoft looking to power data centers with sewage gas

Trace Hagan | Nov 20, 2012 12:15 AM CST

Microsoft is looking to capture the energy in the gas produced by sewage and harness that otherwise wasted energy for data centers. Microsoft has just gotten approval to test out a new modular data center that will be powered by a biogas fuel cell. The fuel cell will be situated at a sewage plant in Wyoming.

"A person is consuming data and that person's waste is going to power the data center," Microsoft data center researcher Sean Parker told Technology Review. "It's been a mind shift...when we smell that methane at a water treatment plant, we realize we're smelling energy."

Supposedly this isn't just some project designed to make Microsoft appear "green" to the public. They actually seem genuinely interested in being able to co-locate smaller data centers around sources of biogas. This means datacenters could find their way to your local sewage system, farm, or landfill.

Continue reading: Microsoft looking to power data centers with sewage gas (full post)

LSI AIS 2012 - LSI and Microsoft Collaboration on Windows Server 2012

Paul Alcorn | Nov 18, 2012 12:25 AM CST

LSI AIS 2012 - During the keynote address at the 2012 LSI Accelerating Innovation Summit (AIS) the head of the Windows Server 2012 program stepped on stage to say a few words about the extensive role that LSI played in helping to develop Windows Server 2012, in particular the High Availability segment.

LSI and Microsoft worked very closely during the development of Windows Server 2012. LSI's overwhelming presence in the datacenter helped Microsoft to understand the needs of customers and their most pressing issues, and together they came up with several initiatives to address storage-based challenges.

One of the most sought after attributes by customers are High Availability products. These are in essence 'always on' solutions, which will continue to function regardless of the situation. For instance, if a server were to fail another would have the ability to pick up its workload with absolutely no interruption of service. For these types of challenges to be addressed both servers have to share the same storage pool.

Continue reading: LSI AIS 2012 - LSI and Microsoft Collaboration on Windows Server 2012 (full post)