10 Gigabit Ethernet High-bandwidth Frontend
Nimbus H-class systems feature quad 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports, providing more than 13 times the bandwidth of competing Gigabit Ethernet-based systems. This substantial boost in bandwidth maximizes application performance and increases the system’s load potential, allowing IT administrators to consolidate more virtual machines and server applications while delivering exceptional performance.
Ideal: End-to-end 10 GbE Storage Infrastructure
Eliminating Oversubscription in Virtualized Environments
Storage bandwidth and latency become even more critical in virtualized environments. Whereas VMware and Xen servers are often loaded with CPUs and DRAM, the storage link is often overlooked, reducing performance and limiting the effectiveness of virtualization deployments. In virtualized environments, IO is also consolidated, so latency becomes a critical factor in determining application performance. Nimbus H-class systems powered by 10 Gigabit Ethernet eliminate oversubscription, enabling greater consolidation for greater IT savings. By using multiple independent SAS links rather than Gigabit Ethernet for connecting expansion storage, H-class systems offload storage traffic from the LAN for optimal performance.
Unacceptable: Oversubscribed GbE-based Storage
Avoid a Costly and Disruptive Forklift Later
Even if moving to 10 Gigabit Ethernet on your servers is not possible today, Nimbus H-class systems are wise long-term investments. 10 GbE will be preinstalled on servers from all major vendors in 2009, and deployment of 10 GbE networks will reach $4 billion by 2010 according to Dell ‘Oro Group. Meanwhile, existing Gigabit Ethernet arrays on the market are not upgradeable, guaranteeing that a forklift upgrade of the entire storage infrastructure would be needed very soon. To accommodate environments without 10 GbE today, Nimbus offers two options. An optional switch module available from Nimbus converts the quad 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports into 48 Gigabit Ethernet ports, providing all the network connectivity needed for GbE hosts. Or, select the affordable Nimbus RH100 model, which uses quad GbE ports instead of 10 GbE, with easy upgradability to 10 GbE when you are ready. This approach protects your storage investment for years to come without a budget-breaking rip-and-replace later.
Thinking Ahead: 10 GbE Storage with GbE/10GbE Switch and GbE Hosts
10 GbE Ports Does Not Mean True 10 GbE Storage
Of course, a storage system will only perform as well as its weakest link. If a storage system has 10 GbE ports, but lacks sufficient processing or bandwidth, no amount of 10 GbE ports will make the storage run at 10 GbE speeds. With 8 processor cores, dual packet processing engines, 140 Gbps of internal bandwidth, up to 24 GB of cache, and up to six 12 Gbps SAS expansion ports, Nimbus systems have the end-to-end architecture necessary to deliver true 10 GbE storage that competing products lack.
Fully-redundant Hardware
All H-class systems feature fully redundant components. The dual power supplies are redundant and hot-swappable. Up to ten redundant hot-swap fans provide variable speed cooling. Dual 10 GbE controllers provide load-balanced and failover-ready network connectivity. The Nimbus VH630 and MH860 models, featuring independent Director Nodes (or head units), can be configured as a no-single-point-of-failure (NSPOF) cluster for mission-critical environments. The swappable boot flash features dual boot images to provide an additional layer of redundancy.
Redundant Hot-swap Components in H-class and SM120
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| Key Features |
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| • 10x the bandwidth of Gigabit Ethernet |
| • 300 ns latency for superior IO performance |
| • Avoid oversubscription in virtualized setups |
| • Can use GbE/10 GbE switch as interim solution |
| • Full fault-tolerance with user-accessible FRUs |
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