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EMC tosses platters out of VNX for flash

10 times faster than all-disk cousin

EMC is offering as standard an all-flash VNX array, saying it's 10 times faster than its all-disk equivalent. It is also offering a higher bandwidth option for a couple of its VNXs.

The all-flash standard VNX5500-F configuration has been designed for five "9s" availability. It can house a maximum of 250 drives with the base configuration starting at 25 drives. Both 100GB and 200GB 6GB/sec SAS solid state drives (SSDs) are supported, providing a "maximum of 50TB of raw flash capacity (46.6TB formatted). The full hardware spec is here [PDF].

It delivers file (NAS) functionality via one to three X-blade data movers and block (iSCSI, FCoE and FIbre Channel) access through dual storage processors. EMC says the VNX5500-F has ten times the performance of an all-disk VNX5500 at an 80 per cent lower cost/transaction.

EMC has also introduced a high-bandwidth option for VNX7500 and 5500 products, involving an extra four ports of 6GB/sec, 4-lane SAS for disk connections between drive shelves and the VNX controller. With this option a dual-controller, single-rack VNX7500 can deliver data at 14GB/sec, and a VNX5500 can pump it out at 6.5GB/sec, 50 per cent more than previously. EMC suggests the high-bandwidth option be considered for data warehousing, high-end video production, and seismic data processing apps.

Other VNX news:

  • 3TB, 10K nearline SAS disk drives are now supported in the VNX line.
  • There is a dense 4U drive enclosure holding 60 drives.
  • VNX racks with 3TB drives and this enclosure can store 1.6PB.

The VNX is a solidly attractive dual controller array and it just became even more attractive. We understand, by the way, that EMC's CLARiiON arrays will be end-of-life'd in January 2012. VNX has replaced them. ®

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