3PAR (NYSE Arca: PAR), the leading global provider of utility storage, introduced today the 3PAR InServ T400 and T800 Storage Servers, built on a third-generation 3PAR InSpire Architecture that features the 3PAR Gen3 ASIC with integrated fat-to-thin processing. With the delivery of the new T-Class arrays, 3PAR has become the first storage vor to incorporate efficient, silicon-based thin technologies into tem hardware. The InServ T800 also sets a new Storage Performance Council Benchmark 1 (SPC-1) record, doubling the performance of the previous generation of InServ arrays to become the fastest single-tem storage array according to published results on file with the Storage Performance Council (SPC).
“Enterprise data centre managers continually seek to decrease complexity and increase utilisation. To this, virtualisation technologies such as thin provisioning are fast becoming 'must have' features to realise greater efficiencies in the virtualised data centre,” said Brad Nisbet, Research Manager, Storage Systems at IDC. “As a leader in bringing software-based thin provisioning to the -tems market, 3PAR's endeavour to build thin technologies into hardware is a logical progression that will increase the efficiencies of enterprise organisations.”
Thin Built In design
The 3PAR Gen3 ASICs within the T-Class arrays feature a Thin Built In design to increase capacity utilisation while maintaining high service levels. This design incorporates detection of allocated but unused capacity (“zero-detection” capability) into the 3PAR Gen3 ASIC to offer a silicon-based mechanism for fat-to-thin volume conversions. These fat-to-thin volume conversions are intended to boost capacity utilisation by removing allocated but unused space from traditional volumes. 3PAR is the first in the industry to commercially ship storage tems with fat-to-thin capability designed into the hardware architecture of its arrays.
The Thin Built In architecture of the T-Class arrays was designed to preserve service levels and prevent disruption to production workloads during migration of “fat” volumes from other storage platforms to new “thin” volumes on the InServ. When fat-to-thin volume conversions take place in specialised silicon, controller CPU and memory resources are not diverted away from application workloads. This averts the negative performance impact of a software-based fat-to-thin implementation.
InServ T-Class arrays featuring the 3PAR Gen3 ASIC with the Thin Built In design are available today. 3PAR is developing additional software functionality to make fat-to-thin volume conversions, which are not currently supported in software, possible on the T-Class arrays with the next release of the 3PAR InForm Operating System.
Enhanced Performance
3PAR designed the InServ family of arrays to deliver high levels of performance and consolidation simply and affordably, so that customers don't have to overprovision capacity or resort to complex administration to increase performance and improve utilisation. To demonstrate the power of the new InServ T-Class, 3PAR has posted record-setting SPC-1 results in which the 3PAR InServ T800 achieved a total of 224 989.65 SPC-1 IOPS, an SPC-1 Price-Performance of $9.30/SPC-1 IOPS, and a total ASU capacity of 77 824GB using a data protection level of mirrored. With these results, the InServ T-Class more than doubles the performance of the InServ S-Class to become the fastest single-tem storage array as measured by SPC-1 results on file with the SPC.
The SPC (www.storageperformance.org) is a vor-neutral standards body focused on the storage industry. SPC benchmark results such as the SPC-1 are intended to provide a source of comparative storage performance information that is objective, relevant, and verifiable. SPC benchmarks are designed to be vor and platform independent and are applicable across a broad range of storage configurations and topologies. Any vor may sponsor and publish an SPC benchmark result provided their tested configuration satisfies the requirements of the appropriate SPC benchmark specification. The SPC-1 benchmark uses a single workload designed to demonstrate the performance of a storage subtem while performing the typical functions of business-critical applications.
An IBM System p5 595 server was used to drive the SPC-1 benchmark load to the 3PAR TClass. “The IBM System p5 595 provides exceptional scalability, making it superb to drive a high- storage benchmark,” said Scott Handy, VP of Worldwide Strategy, IBM Power Systems. “The combination of IBM Power Systems with the 3PAR T-Class enables customers to meet the performance demands of their mission-critical UNIX applications.
“With more than 1.6 million jobs and 23 million unique visitors to our site each month, performance is critical to our business, but so is simplicity and ease of use,” said Ali Shahzad, Storage Architect at CareerBuilder.com, the largest online job site in the United States. “The 3PAR T-Class offers the kind of performance we require, right out of the box.”
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