Companies

Avere is Compellent for NAS

August 3, 2009 – 8:10 am

avere1The ever-informative Chris Mellor profiled the 2008 storage startup Avere.  Founded by ex-Spinnaker, ex-NetApp execs, their technology applies the same automatic tiering concepts that Compellent has exploited, but for files instead of blocks.

Avere’s approach, like Compellent’s, may be the early killer app for SSD.  Because they can easily add just a little, users get access to the powerful value of solid state storage without as much pain from the still-high cost of SSD.

These companies will fare even better once SSD’s durability and reliability become more mature. 

Seagate is on track to release its first SSD later this year.

By Pete Steege | Also posted in SSD, Storage Systems | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

HP goes all in for SAS

July 16, 2009 – 8:29 am

hp-logoBeth Pariseau reported on two big storage announcements from HP:

  1.  HP will move its entire storage line to six Gbps small form factor SAS, starting with the D2000 in the fall.  That’s two valuable transitions in one: moving from 4Gbps FC to 6 Gbps SAS, and moving from 3.5″ drives to 2.5″ drives.
  2. All HP Proliant servers will now support 15K, 10K and 7200 rpm SAS drives. That’s pure SAS from head to toe.

HP has been a strong SAS proponent in servers for years.  Bringing 7200 rpm high capacity SAS drives into the mix is a big deal, because it reduces the cost/capacity for servers while preserving the full enterprise-class advantage set that SAS brings to the table.   

No wonder IDC sees a bright future for SAS.

By Pete Steege | Also posted in 10K/15K RPM, 7200 rpm, SAS, Servers, Storage Systems | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

HP blades: what’s good for servers is good for storage

June 25, 2009 – 1:41 pm

hp-logoChris Mellor at The Register heard from Gary Veale, HP’s new StorageWorks EMEA VP on HP’s storage future – and it looks a lot like HP’s current servers.

Veale says HP will decouple storage management, processors and storage with a modular blade approach.  Processor blades can be  a place to innovate around deduplication, virtualization, etc. while storage blades are designed to cram the most storage into the most efficient package. 

Dedicated storage blades will free HP to more rapidly grow their capacity and efficiency.  A singular focus on storage, unencumbered by the processing and management considerations that are important, but now delegated further up the chain.

Keep your eyes on 2.5″ drives

Chris goes on to speculate that HP might create tiers of storage blades, with 2.5″ drives in some for performance and 3.5″ drives in others for capacity. 

Maybe.  But 2.5″ drives - like Seagate’s Constellation enterprise 7200 rpm drive - are 500GB and growing.  Soon 2.5″ drives will deliver more capacity in a blade than 3.5″ drives can.  Moreover, 2.5″ product offerings have broadened to include 15K, 10K and 7200 RPM performance classes.  Everyproduct you can get in a 3.5″ form factor, you can now get in 2.5″.

Keep your eyes on 2.5″ drives as it becomes the common standard for storage across the industry. It’s only a matter of time.

By Pete Steege | Also posted in 7200 rpm, Servers, Storage Systems | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

HP servers and storage: an interview with Jimmy Daley

May 20, 2009 – 2:30 pm

 

Jimmy Daley and I talked server storage the other day.  Jimmy’s the Server Options guy at HP, kind of a front-row seat for what’s happening on the storage front for servers.

Some highlights:

  • Server trends are particularly ”storage-friendly” these days.
  • Virtualization is driving a significant increase in server storage capacity.
  • Drive count per server is increasing as well.
  • Customers are segmenting their data more frequently between performance and bulk storage.
  • The economic downturn has lowered unit sales, but also accelerated technology adoption (virtualization, for example).
  • 2.5″ disk drives played a key role in HP’s move to blade servers – for space and power.
  • There will be continued focus on power reduction in the server market, including but going beyond more power-efficient drives.

Questions for Jimmy?

By Pete Steege | Also posted in Servers, Trends | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

How Compellent succeeds

March 12, 2009 – 6:25 am

I sat down with Bruce Kornfeld, Marketing VP at Compellent this week. In my last visit to Compellent I learned how their solution ticked. This time we went beyond products and talked about Compellent’s secret sauce.

It’s refreshing to hear a storage technology company say that their happy customers are the secret to their success, as much or more than their technology. It’s common sense, but unusual nonetheless.

Bruce also covered Compellent’s perspective on SSD and how their solution is technologically unique in a crowded field.

I’d love to hear from any Compellent users out there. Please comment below.

By Pete Steege | Also posted in Data Center, Green IT, SSD | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)