Breakthrough Energy Efficieny
Today’s tough economic climate and volatile energy costs demand an efficient storage infrastructure that is not only affordable to purchase, but more importantly, is inexpensive to own, operate, and expand over time. Nimbus H-class storage systems stand apart from alternatives by consuming 70% less power per usable terabyte at 40% lower cost per usable terabyte than clustered storage arrays. This is achieved by design: H-class systems are expanded by attaching fully-redundant storage expansion modules, or SEMs, via the built-in SAS expansion links. Since SEMs leverage the ample bandwidth, processing, and cache of the H-class subsystem, SEMs have 80% fewer components than clustered storage arrays.
Actual Power Meter Reading of Nimbus SM120
Up to 90% Power Savings
The Nimbus SM120, a 2U 12-bay SEM enclosure supporting any mixture of SATA, SAS, and SSD drives, draws less than 85 watts of power unpopulated, comparable to a household light bulb. Fully populated, the SM120 draws 19 watts per managed terabyte using SATA drives, compared to 80 watts per managed terabyte with competing clustered arrays. Using SSD flash drives, power consumption drops to less than 8 watts per managed terabyte, a 90% savings compared to clustered arrays. Since 80% fewer components also generate much less heat, fan speed and BTU requirements are reduced, further lowering operating costs.
30% Lower Operating Temperature
Reduced heat and power consumption also directly translate into improved system reliability. With fewer components, the ambient temperature inside Nimbus SEMs is 12 degrees Celsius less than clustered storage arrays, a 30% reduction. Lower temperatures keep vital drives well within ideal operating temperatures, and the reduced vibration from slower spinning fans further improves reliability.
80% Less Cabling
The Nimbus design is also more datacenter-friendly, requiring 80% less cabling than clustered storage arrays, improving airflow. While clustered arrays require six Ethernet cables to be routed to the central SAN or LAN switch, Nimbus expansion modules simply connect to adjacent modules or H-class subsystems using half-meter SAS cables, simplifying the datacenter. |
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| Key Features |
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| • Up to 90% power savings |
| • 30% lower operating temperature |
| • 80% less cabling with SAS than GbE |
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