SGI Rolls Out x86-Based Storage Array
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SGI's InfiniteStorage Server 3500 is a proprietary system designed for enterprise environments in which data and computing need to be tightly coupled, such as video surveillance, data warehousing and object storage for Lustre environments.
High-performance computing specialist SGI,
which is becoming a more competitive player in the enterprise data storage and
virtualization sectors, April 13 introduced an integrated x86-class storage
array for new-generation data centers.
The reconstituted SGI, which in February bought
the assets of bankrupt Copan Systems, represents the combination of
Rackable and the original Silicon Graphics and continues to make inroads into
the high-end scientific computing market.
But not everything the company makes is for elite computing needs.
SGI's new InfiniteStorage Server 3500 is a
proprietary system designed for enterprise environments in which data and
compute need to be tightly coupled, such as video surveillance,
data warehousing and object storage for Lustre environments.
Naturally, the new array is designed to work hand-in-hand with SGI's
Altix ICE (Intelligent Computing Environment) cluster servers. However, it can
also be used with other brands of servers because it includes a choice of
infrastructure connectivity, including Ethernet, InfiniBand and 10 Gigabit
Ethernet.
The array also comes bundled with SGI's
home-developed XFS file system.
ISS3500 comes in a 4U (7-inch) chassis with 36 drive bays for 3.5-inch SATA
(Serial ATA), SAS and SSD drives. It can pack up to 72TB of into a single system, the company said. The ISS3500 also includes high-availability features as standard,
including redundant power supplies and a redundant, hot-pluggable cooling
system.
ISS3500 is installed with Intel's dual-socket processors for 64-bit performance.
The array offers a choice of several standard storage protocols,
including iSER, iSCSI, NFS [Network File
System] and CIFS [Common Internet File System].
For management, the ISS3500 uses SGI's
InfiniteStorage software suite, which includes its Data Migration Facility used
to virtualize multiple disk types in one system, SGI
said.
The ISS3500 is available immediately, SGI
said, and pricing information will be provided upon request. Go here for more information.
Chris Preimesberger was named Editor-in-Chief of Features & Analysis at eWEEK in November 2011. Previously he served eWEEK as Senior Writer, covering a range of IT sectors that include data center systems, cloud computing, storage, virtualization, green IT, e-discovery and IT governance. His blog, Storage Station, is considered a go-to information source. Chris won a national Folio Award for magazine writing in November 2011 for a cover story on Salesforce.com and CEO-founder Marc Benioff, and he has served as a judge for the SIIA Codie Awards since 2005. In previous IT journalism, Chris was a founding editor of both IT Manager's Journal and DevX.com and was managing editor of Software Development magazine. His diverse resume also includes: sportswriter for the Los Angeles Daily News, covering NCAA and NBA basketball, television critic for the Palo Alto Times Tribune, and Sports Information Director at Stanford University. He has served as a correspondent for The Associated Press, covering Stanford and NCAA tournament basketball, since 1983. He has covered a number of major events, including the 1984 Democratic National Convention, a Presidential press conference at the White House in 1993, the Emmy Awards (three times), two Rose Bowls, the Fiesta Bowl, several NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments, a Formula One Grand Prix auto race, a heavyweight boxing championship bout (Ali vs. Spinks, 1978), and the 1985 Super Bowl. A 1975 graduate of Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., Chris has won more than a dozen regional and national awards for his work. He and his wife, Rebecca, have four children and reside in Redwood City, Calif.Follow on Twitter: editingwhiz
