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On August 23, 2004
an article in PhysOrg.com
discussed the end of HP's Alpha Processors, the last one, clocking at
1.3GHz is being released this month. The article reviewed the triumphs and
demise of this once ground-breaking server architecture.
This raises
the question...
What do you do if you need more than 1.3GHz
Alpha performance today - but have critical applications stranded on Alpha
and not enough time or budget to migrate to other - equally uncertain
architectures?
This is where solid state disks come into their own.
Most commercial applications can get a x2 or x3 server speedup by
judicious use of fast solid state disk storage in the right place. That means
you can extend the operational life of obsolete server architectures for
several years.
And when you do eventually migrate the business
application to something else - then you can redeploy the solid state disk too -
as they are operating system agnostic and have a long operating life.
SSDs
are a great solution for HP users who don't want to spend more money with HP
after being left high and dry, but who don't want to take the risk of Sun
Microsystems' HP Away Program either. Especially since Sun doesn't seem to have
a credible roadmap for SPARC or Linux.
SSDs can be bought from server
neutral vendors who will be able to help you now - whatever your
migration strategy.
|
| |
| . |
| Are MLC SSDs Safe
in Enterprise Apps? |
This is a follow up article to the
popular
SSD Myths and
Legends which in
2007
demolished the myth that flash memory wear-out (a comfort blanket beloved
by many
RAM SSD makers at the
time) precluded the use of
SLC flash in heavy
duty datacenters.
Are MLC SSDs Safe? - has also become a classic
and very popular article. It looks at the risks posed by MLC Nand Flash SSDs
which - having hatched from their breeeding ground as
chip modules in
cellphones - have morphed and crept into
hard disk form
factors. In a notebook
(where you aren't aiming for a 99.999% quality data experience) MLC SSDs can
be a good thing. But in the datacenter?
First published in
2008 it has
been extensively updated in 2010 - to answer common reader questions - and
because the risks from newer MLC flash are even greater than they were when the
article originally appeared.
It starts down a familiar lane but
includes many technology twists. You'll realize that patching the hole in the
bottom of the leaking data bucket isn't much good - if the whole bucket can
tip over and splash your data beyond
ECC limits due
to factors which no SSD
controller guarantees to protect you from. That's because there's a lot
more to MLC data integrity risk than endurance! |
 |
Knowing what these risks are can help you
decide if your enterprise app is inside or outside the vulnerable to data
loss zone.
...read the
article | | | | |
Case Study:-
Utah
State University Selects Solid State SCSI Disk Technology from BiTMICRO to
Accelerate Access to User Information
|
Editor:- August 18, 2004 - BiTMICRO Networks
today announced at HP World 2004 the successful integration of its
E-Disk solid state flash disk drive within Utah State University's
enterprise e-mail application.
Utah State University maintains a VMS cluster composed of four
machines. Used as a central computing resource by administrative and academic
users within the university's data network, the cluster is powered by OpenVMS,
an advanced operating system that operates on the VAX and Alpha architectures.
Data storage is provided by an HP StorageWorks Modular Smart Array 1000, a 2 Gb
Fibre Channel to Ultra SCSI storage system for entry-level to midrange SAN
applications.
The VMS Cluster is utilized by almost 25,000 users, composed
of students, faculty and administrative personnel of Utah State, to access their
email accounts. Due to the growing number of online users, users started to
notice degradation in response time. Utah State looked around for a solution and
decided to install a 3.5" E-Disk SCSI Wide flash disk to the HP MSA1000.
After the installation, users immediately noticed a significant
improvement in access time. It plugged in directly just like a regular hard
disk drive and was recognized and configured just as easily.
"We looked around for a suitable storage solution and found few
that fit into our existing IT infrastructure. Our tests show that the E-Disk
offered speeds four times faster than an older RAM disk and about 15x
faster than magnetic disk drives. Speed and cost are our primary concerns, and
we're happy to note that BiTMICRO's E-Disk flash drive is a worthwhile
investment given its outstanding performance," states Kim Marshall,
Director, Network and Computing Services of Utah State.
...BiTMICRO profile,
...HP World 2004,
Solid state disks |
|
|
...Later:-
in November 2005, I asked BiTMICRO if they could give our readers an idea
of how much the above system cost (in Q405 pricing). They helpfully said that
the product supplied was a 10GB
3.5" E-Disk (SCSI)
for which the OEM Pricing is about $2,999. | | | |
| ......................................................................................................................... |
| SSD Pricing -
where does all the money go? |
| SSDs are among the most
expensive computer hardware products you will ever buy and comprehending the
factors which determine SSD costs is often a confusing and irritating
process... |
 |
...which is not made any
easier when market prices for apparently identical capacity SSDs can vary more
than 100x to 1!
Why is that? ...read the article to
find out | | | | |
