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HP pings out a super souped-up all-flash StoreServ system

Hybrid flash/disk system, fatter SSDs, federated systems and replication

Gen 5 ASIC

Both StoreServ 20K produces use a new fifth-generation Thin Express ASIC, providing more performance, scalability and efficiency, including hardware-accelerated deduplication. It features a 3PAR Persistent Checksum facility to ensure end-to-end data integrity.

In more detail this ASIC features:

  • A fourfold improvement in bandwidth
  • 256 bit SHA (deduplication) engine
  • T10 PI (Protection Information)
  • XOR acceleration
  • Zero detection
  • Write cache mirroring
  • Enables the 8-node mesh-active cluster

The two new arrays also “support unified block and file workloads as well as object access for cloud-developed application consolidation.”

HP is introducing 3.84TB cMLC flash drives, claiming them to be the industry’s largest capacity solid state drive in a tier-1 all-flash array. They “bring down the cost of all-flash storage to $1.50 per usable gigabyte, approaching that of 10K RPM SAS hard disk drives.”

These double the capacity of the 1.92TB SSDs introduced in July last year, which have a 1.6TB nominal capacity that includes a degree of over-provisioning. HP recovers some of the over-provisioned capacity through an adaptive Sparing technology. On that basis these 3.84TB drives are nominally 3.2TB SSDs.

HP claims its flash arrays have storage density that is over eight times that of major flash array competitors*.

Federated systems

StoreServ 20K arrays can be federated with up to 60PB of aggregate usable capacity. A federated set up can deliver, HP claims, more than 10 million IOPS and 300GB/sec of bandwidth, implying four 20Ks federated together

A 3PAR Peer Motion feature is needed for this federation, and it supports non-disruptive, bi-directional data movement between federation members.

Workloads can be moved dynamically between federation members to rebalance storage resources for, HP suggests, "cost and performance optimisation, rapid response to new business opportunities, and simple technology refreshes."

The recommended federation member link is 16Gbit/s Fibre Channel.

A federation of four 20000 systems can also have an additional four external non-HP systems, comprised of EMC Clariion, VNX, VMAX; HDS TagmaStore NSC, TagmaStore UPS, UPS V, USP VM and VSP, in a one-way data import relationship

New software

HP is unveiling flash-optimised software to provide end-to-end availability and non-disruptive workload balancing.

  • 3PAR Remote Copy support for asynch replication “eliminates the overhead of synchronous replication while providing a near-exact data copy with recovery point objectives (RPOs) measured in seconds.
  • For zero-RPO needs HP has the Alcatel-Lucent 1830 Photonic Services Switch. Combined with the Remote Copy software, it provides synchronous replication over an up to 130 kilometre fibre link, with in-flight encryption provided as well.
  • Remote Copy is integrated with HP’s StoreOnce Recovery Manager Central (RMC) software. It enables app-managed snapshots on StoreServ arrays with automatic data movement to StoreOnce. This is said to be 17 times faster than traditional backup with almost 5 times faster restore. StoreOnce RMC supports replication of app-managed snapshots between 3PAR arrays.
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