SSD

Seagate SSD JIT

November 5, 2009 – 11:20 am

ibm pc 2In 1980, many said that IBM was missing the boat in the nascent personal computing market.  The Apple II was selling like hotcakes. Even Radio Shack was beating them with the TRS-80.

A year later IBM unveiled the IBM PC.  With it, IBM redefined personal computers and changed the trajectory of one of the most significant markets in history.  From then on, very few would consider IBM late to the party; rather, they were right on time.

Fast forward to 2009

Seagate is not the first vendor to enter the SSD market, much to the chagrin of many who thought they were missing the boat.  Now that Seagate has announced their first SSD product, some analysts see their entry as just what this young market needs:

“It’s great for Seagate to be getting involved and great for the NAND side to see someone of Seagate’s knowledge moving into that area.”              – Bob Merritt, Convergent Semiconductors

Coincidentally, reports out this week show evidence that the SSD market is not as far along as previously thought. 

Time will tell if Seagate’s timing in the SSD market pays off for Seagate like the Personal Computer did for IBM.  That said, it’s encouraging to see external affirmation for a similar approach to this significant change in the storage device industry. 

 

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SSD from Seagate

October 28, 2009 – 1:58 pm

 SSDs are making their way into the market as Seagate, the storage leader began shipping SSDs last month to enterprise OEM customers who are reporting favorable early results with their testing.
 
Targeted at the broad volume server market (including the popular blade servers), the initial product offers a SATA interface, and in the future we’ll deliver additional interfaces and performance options based on our customer requirements .
 
With 30 years of experience in enterprise data center storage solutions, Seagate is well-positioned to offer quality, enterprise-class offerings for SSDs as we have for HDDs.
For more on the SSD technology,  explore JDEC, the leading developer of standards for the solid-state industry.   For more on Seagate’s announcement, see the earnings call transcript  and the Xbit Labs article on the announcement.
By Barbara Craig | Also posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments (0)

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 Companies, Storage Systems | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Disk drives prove to be greener than SSDs in servers

June 24, 2009 – 7:47 am

ideas-intl

 

Ideas International compared a disk-based server to an SSD-based server using the new Storage Performance Council’s SPC-1/E efficiency benchmark for some very interesting results. 

The disk-based server used 300 GB Seagate Savvio 10K drives.  The SSD server was an IBM model using 69 GB solid state devices.

Summary:

  • Cost/IOPS: about the same
  • Cost/gigabyte: disk-based server wins
  • Gigabytes/Watt: disk-based server wins
  • IOPS/Watt: SSD-based server wins

An interesting observation from SearchStorage on this test: the SSD-based server used about the same power (within 3%) whether operating or idling.  The disk-based system used 78% at idle compare to its peak power usage.

By Pete Steege | Also posted in 10K/15K RPM, Servers, reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)

The SSD conundrum: technology vs. product

June 11, 2009 – 8:02 am

The Storage Advisor at Adaptec summarizes the conundrum the SSD market faces today. SSD is a great technology, but not yet a mature product.

There’s a huge difference between these two things. When it comes to technology, SSD is a rock star.  Who wouldn’t want what it offers in speed, power and size?

But technology, no matter how awe-inspiring and saliva-generating it is, can’t make up for product immaturity. Those who are experienced in using storage in substantial endeavors understand this.  It’s surprising that so many vendors and users are missing this distinction when it comes to SSD.

The storage device industry is rapidly moving to make SSD into an IT-ready product, one that matches the compatibilty, standards and capabilities of today’s disk drives.

In the meantime, confuse technology and product at your own risk.

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

Seagate speaks out on SSDs

May 15, 2009 – 9:52 am

rich-vigneslrIn an interview with BSN, Seagate’s SSD guru Rich Vignes provided the latest on Seagate’s SSD plans.

Highlights:

  • Seagate hasn’t missed the SSD market window, and will enter with more than a “me too” product
  • Enterprise SSD requirements go beyond what today’s SSD products are offering
  • Seagate will leverage its disk drive IP to get to market quicker with a better solution
  • Seagate will start with SLC, but MLC is the likely long-term technology winner in the market, once it is enterprise-ready
  • Seagate drives will start at 2.5″; SAS and/or SATA are being considered as interfaces
  • SSDs are a complement to disk drives, not a direct market replacement
By Pete Steege | Also posted in Trends | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)

Look before you leap into SSD

April 9, 2009 – 4:46 am
photo courtesy of Canadian Veggie on Flickr

Source: Canadian Veggie on Flickr

SSD is a hot topic for enterprise storage, with announcements of SSD options from numerous storage vendors.

Despite the hype and headlines, there is open debate in the industry whether or not SSD is ready for the enterprise. The advice from many storage experts is “look before you leap”.

“You need a reason to go to it”

Beth Pariseau at SearchStorage says the SSD tone at Storage Networking World this week is cautious. Users are evaluating, but still sorting through how to deploy cost effectively. She quotes John Fagg, manager of storage services at the University of Utah Hospital:

“You need a reason to go to it. We’re usually bleeding edge on a lot of stuff, but on this one, we’re sitting back and waiting.”

TechCrunchIT says that a lack of standards is preventing SSD adoption.

Enterprise storage is so much more than the media choice. It’s about reliability, compatibility and apples-to-apples metrics on performance, endurance, etc. Not to mention a very high level of pre- and post- support.

The good news is that the broader storage industry, including Seagate, is actively working to define and deliver enterprise-worthy SSD solutions.

So get out there and start experimenting with SSDs today while you plan for the time when they’re ready to deploy.

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