NextIO SSD Array With Fusion-io Technology

NextIO announced the vSTOR S100, the first flash storage array designed to consolidate and dynamically reallocate Tier 0 storage across servers. Utilizing ioMemory from Fusion-io, the vSTOR S100 achieves a capacity of five Terabytes (TB) and over 1.7M IOPS performance, delivering the industry’s best flash performance at a price per capacity that is 50 percent less than similar solutions.

vSTOR S100 achieves this in under 300 watts, which is also lower than competing solutions when measured in watts/TB. The vSTOR S100 is being launched concurrently this week at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas NV, and at the Storage Networking World (SNW) show in Orlando FL.

NextIO’s vSTOR S100 adaptive application accelerator represents a paradigm shift in the functionality and design of flash storage arrays. By utilizing NextIO’s vConnect’ I/O virtualization switching technology, vSTOR can dynamically reallocate flash storage between servers, eliminating the over-provisioning of Tier 0 storage that occurs with dedicated flash cards or existing flash arrays. This capability allows users to optimize their Tier 0 storage expenditures while providing large amounts of on-demand high-speed flash when applications need it, enabling customers to use flash application acceleration where it was previously cost-prohibitive. By accelerating applications on existing servers, vSTOR S100 also eliminates the need for system administrators to spread applications over multiple servers, which typically results in over-provisioning of both servers and the storage attached to the servers.

IT managers today commonly attempt to improve application performance by over-provisioning, where applications are divided between multiple servers and storage arrays. "Over-provisioning of the server results in more complex server farms and infrastructure," said Deni Connor, founder and principal analyst, Storage Strategies NOW. "Using large numbers of high-performance, short-stroked drives to achieve the best possible storage performance results in very expensive, highly over-provisioned storage arrays. Virtualized storage solutions are the answer to a physically efficient data center that can run multiple applications with fewer servers, while reducing total cost of ownership."

The NextIO vSTOR S100 is well suited
for applications requiring high-speed storage,
including:

• Database applications: vSTOR S100 considerably improves application performance for rack and blade servers running the most common database and email applications.
• Microsoft Exchange: It has always been possible to improve the performance of Microsoft Exchange by using solid state technology. The vSTOR S100 now makes it economical to do so, and simplifies storage allocation across a cluster of Exchange servers.
• High-Performance Computing (HPC) applications: Runtimes for HPC cluster applications are highly dependent on the performance of storage array that they attach to. NextIO’s vSTOR S100 low latency, high IOPS and high bandwidth allows these applications to achieve optimum performance.
• Game hosting and video on demand: By nearly eliminating storage latency, vSTOR S100 improves the customer experience while reducing power, equipment and management costs.

In addition to NextIO’s vConnect technology, vSTOR S100 also supports many other industry firsts. The use of high-performance PCI-Express connections to servers allows vSTOR S100 to achieve significantly higher host connection bandwidth than flash arrays using Fibre Channel or Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) host interfaces. NextIO’s vSTOR S100 is also the only flash array that utilizes widely-available, industry-standard flash media (PCI-Express flash storage cards). This approach ensures best-of-breed performance and features, while eliminating the proprietary media lock-in that characterizes other flash arrays.

"Companies are looking for an effective way to increase application performance without breaking the bank. NextIO’s vSTOR S100 provides them with just that," said Tyler Smith, vice president of strategic alliances for Fusion-io. "Anyone can now leverage NextIO’s Fusion-powered vSTOR S100 to create their own custom, high-performance appliance rather than purchasing proprietary appliances from a handful of solid-state appliance vendors."

"Enterprise and vertical application users have embraced the idea of flash storage to accelerate their businesses, but are then disappointed by the cost of purchasing and managing Tier 0 storage," said Mike Heumann, Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, NextIO. "By allowing users to dynamically reallocate Tier 0 storage with the vSTOR S100 and its vConnect architecture, NextIO hopes to establish a new standard for flash array price-performance. NextIO delivers these benefits and more to customers with vSTOR S100."