Storage arrays.
So after trying several different brands of storage, I have fallen in love with 3par. It does what it does better than most other arrays. While the EMC guys try to convince me that using commodity x86 processors make there storage simpler with less overhead, I am convinced that the dedicated Asic used by 3par is a better method of attacking the problem. The 3par asic brings the efficiency of doing a few things very well, while the x86 does everything somewhat ok. When it comes to crunch time, I would rather trust the dedicated asic. For the same reason EMC promotes their system, simplicity.
I shouldn't bang on EMC, they do what they do at a low price and compete ok with most other vendors in the legacy storage space. I would like EMC to publish a valid spc-1 number. Its just a generic measure of how well there storage does throughput and iops. If they would publish numbers, I could find a niche for them. Previously on EMC disk or DBAs would constantly complain, we would run iozone and tell them they are getting what they paid for. We never maxed the HBA channels, I assumed that was normal.
With 3par we have found databases don't wait on disk they are bound up on the system side.
No, I am not paid by 3par. But once in a great while you find a product you really believe in. In the storage world 3par is it.
So after trying several different brands of storage, I have fallen in love with 3par. It does what it does better than most other arrays. While the EMC guys try to convince me that using commodity x86 processors make there storage simpler with less overhead, I am convinced that the dedicated Asic used by 3par is a better method of attacking the problem. The 3par asic brings the efficiency of doing a few things very well, while the x86 does everything somewhat ok. When it comes to crunch time, I would rather trust the dedicated asic. For the same reason EMC promotes their system, simplicity.
I shouldn't bang on EMC, they do what they do at a low price and compete ok with most other vendors in the legacy storage space. I would like EMC to publish a valid spc-1 number. Its just a generic measure of how well there storage does throughput and iops. If they would publish numbers, I could find a niche for them. Previously on EMC disk or DBAs would constantly complain, we would run iozone and tell them they are getting what they paid for. We never maxed the HBA channels, I assumed that was normal.
With 3par we have found databases don't wait on disk they are bound up on the system side.
No, I am not paid by 3par. But once in a great while you find a product you really believe in. In the storage world 3par is it.
posted by Jerry Gallagher at 12:54 PM
2 Comments:
Jerry, I agree with you and I like your description of the ASIC advantage. 3PAR nails many things well, including Thin Provisioning and Performance. Another capability that is over looked is Virtual Domains.
[URL=http://www.storage-switzerland.com/Articles/Entries/2008/3/13_Virtual_Storage’s_Next_Step_-_Introducing_Virtual_Domains.html]Virtual Domains Article[/URL]
I agree with you and I like your description of the ASIC advantage. 3PAR nails many things well, including Thin Provisioning and Performance. Another capability that is over looked is Virtual Domains.
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