Flash-based storage vendor Pure Storage is focusing on firms utilizing disk-based mass storage market with a brand new mannequin of blade server, dubbed FlashBlade E, that gives lower cost factors for petabyte-scale programs because of a tweak to the corporate’s FlashBlade structure.
Pure Storage’s current FlashBlade S system is designed for efficiency – every blade within the 5U chassis of the system has built-in compute and networking, that are interconnected and mixed right into a single namespace for ease of use. (A number of chassis may be linked collectively and can work equally by way of an exterior material module, or XFM.)
That’s nice for high-performance computing (HPC) and different purposes that want notably excessive efficiency, however Pure Storage desires to carry its all-flash strategy to the world of unstructured storage, the place spinning discs are nonetheless broadly used.
FlashBlade E introduces all-storage chassis
To that finish, FlashBlade E introduces all-storage chassis — whereas the system nonetheless requires the usage of a compute/storage unit for administration, less-expensive storage-only models may be added to the rack for denser storage at a lower cost level.
“So, as we evolve, the mixture of head chassis and enlargement chassis may change relying on the density of the flash modules,” stated Pure Storage vp of product administration Ravjiev Rajavisreddy. “The density of disks is so much decrease than what we’re in a position to supply.”
The fundamental FlashBlade E system consists of one EC chassis (which mixes compute and storage) and one storage-only EX chassis, in addition to two XFM modules. Every chassis takes up 5U of rack area, whereas every XFM takes up one, with as much as 16x100GbE connectivity. Such a system supplies 4 petabytes of space for storing, which may be expanded with extra chassis, to drive the fundamental $0.20 per gigabyte value decrease. (Therefore, the bottom system prices round $800,000.)
Pure Storage couldn’t verify exact prices for every extra EX module, and stated that the product can be priced on an all-in foundation, with prospects offering their specific storage wants, reasonably than merely shopping for a given variety of EC or EX chassis a la carte.
“Now we have a sizing instrument the place you enter the storage you want and we determine what number of management chassis you want,” Rajavisreddy stated.
Extra particulars on pricing can be out there in mid-to-late March, he famous, and FlashBlade E is ready to achieve normal availability by the tip of April.
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