Nimbus E-Class SSD Multiprotocol System

Nimbus Data Systems, Inc. unveiled the E-Class Flash Memory System, a fully-redundant multiprotocol solid state storage system.



With record-setting capacity and power, cooling and rack space efficiency, the E-Class outperforms and costs less to operate than conventional disk arrays while providing the high-availability, scalability and cost reduction that enterprises and cloud providers demand.

Highlights of the new E-Class include:

• First multiprotocol solid state system with no single point of failure and enterprise-grade flash
• Scalable solid state storage system, supporting 500 TB as one logical pool
• High density primary storage system, eclipsing 15K RPM disk arrays by over 3x
• Low energy consumption for a primary storage system, consuming as little as 5 watts per TB
• Data management software and unified storage without licensing fees

"The Nimbus E-Class sets a new standard for solid state storage scalability and operating cost economics," stated Benjamin S. Woo, program vice president, worldwide storage systems at IDC. "Large enterprises and cloud providers must consider the significant infrastructure consolidation possible with all-flash storage systems. By providing both innovative hardware and comprehensive software, Nimbus is well-positioned to not only capitalize on the need for high-performance systems but also the significantly greater trend towards primary storage based exclusively on solid state technology."

No Single Point of Failure
Complementing Nimbus‚ existing S-Class flash systems, the E-Class elevates Nimbus‚ multiprotocol solid state storage platform to meet the needs of the most rigorous IT environments. With no-single-point-of-failure, the Nimbus E-Class is for applications such as enterprise-wide server virtualization, Web infrastructure, database clusters, VDI, and HPC.

It consists of a pair of redundant controllers and up to 24 solid state storage enclosures. Each E-Class controller supports up to four active-active IO modules including 10GbE, FC, and IB. Nimbus software automatically detects controller and path failures, providing non-disruptive failover. The E-Class also supports online software updates and online capacity expansion. With RAID protection and hot-swappable flash, power, and cooling modules, components can be replaced without downtime.

Scalable Flash Memory System
Scaling from 10 TB to 500 TB with one point of management and one unified storage pool, the Nimbus E-Class is one of the highest capacity flash storage system. Nimbus achieved this capacity through both hardware and software innovation. It features Nimbus‚ third-generation enterprise flash modules, packing twice as much enterprise-grade flash memory as before. File system aggregates the capacity across all the enclosures. From one interface, users can provision capacity using FC, iSCSI, NFS, CIFS, or SRP (SCSI RDMA Protocol), providing unified block (SAN) and file (NAS) storage in one system. All storage is thin-provisioned, maximizing utilization and simplifying storage capacity planning.

Efficient Primary Storage System
Requiring as little as 5 watts of power per terabyte, the E-Class also sets a record for efficiency, delivering a low power consumption for a primary storage system. Whereas conventional disk arrays consume 25 watts or more of power per terabyte, the E-Class consumes 80% less, reducing energy costs, cutting power and cooling capital expenditures, and improving overall datacenter reliability.

Highest Density Primary Storage System
SSD storage enclosures pack 20 TB of enterprise-grade flash memory in a 2U of rackspace. This system density enables up to 440 TB of solid state storage in a single industry-standard rack, delivering the same capacity that would otherwise take more than three racks of 15K RPM disks. In IO/s, it delivers in one rack the equivalent of 14 racks of 15K RPM disks. These gains in rack density complement existing server, desktop and IO virtualization initiatives to maximize datacenter utilization and reduce OpEx.

Affordable and Software Complete
The E-Class is powered by Nimbus HALO storage operating system, an unified SAN and NAS software stack proven at over 200 customer installations. With snapshots, replication, deduplication, and encryption at no additional cost, it helps customers escape excessive licensing fees and avoid external appliances or gateways that increase cost and complexity. Despite being based entirely on enterprise-grade flash memory, the E-Class is affordable, matching the per terabyte net acquisition cost of 15K RPM disk arrays without relying on data reduction.

"Unveiling the E-Class is a watershed event for both Nimbus and the rapidly-growing solid state industry," stated Thomas Isakovich, founder and CEO of Nimbus Data Systems. "Customers are not satisfied with hybrid storage arrays or proprietary tiered systems that offer only modest performance gains, do not improve efficiency, and lock-in customers to one vendor for all of their storage capacity. With the Nimbus E-Class, the ultimate goal can be achieved: a best-in-class all-flash primary storage infrastructure that helps our customers leapfrog the competition in both IT performance and profitability."

Availability and Pricing
The Nimbus E-Class is available, with a 10 TB dual-controller configuration starting at $149,995. The HALO storage operating system is included in the system price.