When disk drives or servers fail, redundant arrays of independent disks (RAID) can keep systems up and running by switching over to backup copies. And with the rise of Big Data, cloud computing and realtime streaming, this has become more important than ever. RAID systems have stepped up to meet that demand with the added bonus of enhancing the performance of parallel software frameworks like Apache Hadoop.
A key player in this storage virtualization revolution is Intel, which boosted its support of RAID technologies with three new high-performance RAID storage solutions: Intel RAID SSD Cache, Intel RAID High Availability and Intel RAID RS3.
Just as parallel processors distribute the processing workload across multicore central processing units (CPUs), RAID distributes the data storage workload across multiple physical storage units–usually hard disk drives (HDDs), or, for faster throughput, among flash-based solid-state drives (SSDs), or a mixture of the both HDDs and SSDs. Intel manages mixed HDD and SSD arrays with its Rapid Storage Technology (RST), which uses RAID controllers to automatically keep frequently used data in SSDs while maintaining direct user access to the entire HDD array with Intel’s Smart Response Technology (SRT).
To boost performance of both serial and parallel workloads as much as 10 times, Intel’s RAID SSD Cache enhances access to systems that already have significant investments in direct-attached storage (DAS) units using HDDs, SSDs or both. The Intel RAID SSD Cache accelerates by bringing the data closer to where it is being processed, thereby relieving input/output (I/O) bottlenecks. Powered by LSI’s Nytro technology, the intelligent caching system offloads the CPU from SSD management tasks, allowing it to concentrate on executing application software. The Intel RAID SSD Cache card also frees up two server drive slots by offering an integrated boot function.
For small to medium businesses (SMBs) Intel’s RAID High Availability cards, powered by LSI Syncro, deliver maximum application uptime, along with redundant, sharable, scalable DAS. Microsoft Windows Server 2012 compatible, Intel’s RAID High Availability controller provides automatic failover switching to redundant storage to prevent outages and maximize application availability. Failover clusters can also be created by combining two RAID High Availability controllers with two servers–both controllers sharing storage in the dual server, either configured as a single cluster-in-a-box (CiB) or as just a bunch of drives (JBOD).
Businesses aiming to accelerate their most critical applications can use Intel’s RAID RS3, which offers the latest 12-gigabits per second speed of the newest 3.0 version of SAS (serial attached SCSI). When combined with Intel’s SSDs, Intel’s RAID RS3 can accelerate applications in web and cloud-based data-centers with up to one million input/output operations per second (IOPS). Streaming applications are also accelerated by providing over 6,000 megabits per second throughput using Intel’s RAID RS3. Also, existing DAS performance can be improved by coupling 12-gigabits per second SAS with existing 6-gigabits per second drive arrays. Intel’s RAID RS3 is backward compatible with both 6-gigabits per second and 3-gigabits per second SAS, offering up to twice the point-to-point bandwidth using SAS 3.0 frame buffering.