Dot Hill: Ultra56 AssuredSAN Hybrid Storage Array

Dot Hill Systems Corp. unveiled the Ultra56 AssuredSAN, a hybrid flash storage array based on an high density chassis that supports both NEBS Level 3 carrier and MIL-STD government requirements and up to 1.34PB of raw capacity.

The Ultra56 AssuredSAN includes the same dual active, redundant 4004 controllers as other Dot Hill storage arrays, affording up to 6,400MB/s of sustained read performance and complete meta-data compatibility within the Dot Hill family of storage solutions. It is an high density storage product that meets the demanding requirements of telecommunications carriers, service providers and tactically deployed government installations.

The Ultra56 is suited for environments requiring reliability and density as well as applications ranging from big data, cloud, HPC to wireless and cellular infrastructure. Built to carrier grade specifications, the Ultra56 is tested and compliant with the stringent NEBS Level 3 shock and vibration requirements and is available with both AC and -48V DC power options.

The Ultra56 is available with RealStor 2.0 application workload-aware intelligence software, which maximizes performance and simplifies management of hybrid storage arrays. Incorporating AssuredSAN 4004 storage controllers, it delivers proven 99.999% data availability and features platinum-rated power supplies. The hybrid flash arrays support any combination of SSDs and HDD drives to suit application needs. With HDDs of 6TB in capacity, up to 336TB raw capacity per chassis can be achieved. Three Ultra56 expansion enclosures can be added for a total of 1.34PB of storage within a single array. Performance is with sustained reads of up to 6,400MB/s, large block writes of up to 5,300MB/s writes, and small block random reads of up to 100,000 IO/s from HDDs or SSDs. All devices are hot-swappable and the system is designed with two front removable device drawers for easy service and maintenance.

“Enhancing our portfolio of ‘Ultra’ solutions and leveraging our Ultra48 design for small form factor drives, we’ve designed a unique chassis for large form factor devices with the Ultra56,” said Bill Wuertz, SVP products and solutions, Dot Hill. “With all the requisite features, as well as outstanding performance and high capacity, the Ultra56 is well-suited for our growing base of vertical market and service provider customers. This solution, which includes RealStor 2.0 application workload-aware intelligence, provides Dot Hill partners with a differentiated offering for HPC and ruggedized applications.“

“The extreme density, reliability, and simply elegant serviceability of the Ultra56 make it a great solution for telcos, service providers, and government organizations with massive storage requirements and throughput-hungry application workloads,” said Brian Garrett, VP ESG lab, Enterprise Strategy Group. “The super-sized capacity of the Ultra56 hardware platform, combined with the simply smart intelligence of RealStor 2.0 software, is ideally suited to ride the next wave of data-intensive workloads including cloud, big data, and the internet of things.“

Ultra56 Architecture and Solutions
Ultra56 systems provide up to 1.34PB of total capacity when expanded with up to three Ultra56 JBODs. They leverage the AssuredSAN architecture which features hot swappable drives, power supplies, fans and controllers. Unique to the Ultra56 are two front-facing drawers for easy access to and replacement of devices. The drawers themselves are warm swappable components of the systems. The Ultra56 is also backed by a 37-month ‘bumper to bumper’ warranty that covers all hardware components including interface transceivers.

A hybrid configuration leveraging RealStor 2.0 with the Ultra48 for SSDs or small form factor drives for metadata, and the Ultra56 for high-capacity storage fits many customer scenarios, delivering both performance and capacity.

Ultra56 FC/iSCSI and SAS arrays are shipping through select OEMs and will be available through authorized Dot Hill partners in January, 2015, with prices starting around $70,000 for a 336TB capacity solution in 4U rack space. The RealStor 2.0 base license is included standard with all Ultra56 models. The RealTier autonomic real-time tiering feature is available via a licensing key and upgrade charge.