Nimbus Data Launches Powerful New Flash Memory Arrays to Enable Future-proof Ultra-efficient Data Centers

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Aug. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nimbus Data Systems, Inc., the leader in Sustainable Storage®, today introduced its Gemini flash memory arrays, setting new industry standards in solid state resiliency, performance, and data center efficiency. In unveiling this new platform, Nimbus debuts several patent-pending design achievements in hardware and software that offer compelling operational and economic advantages for virtualization, database, and cloud initiatives:

• 10 year endurance that supports up to 1 PB of weekly data writes without performance loss
• No-single-point-of-failure with hot-swap redundant controllers and self-healing flash drives
• Patent-pending Parallel Memory Architecture capable of 12 GBps and over 1 million IOps
• Software-configurable ports to support the highest Ethernet, Infiniband, and Fibre Channel speeds
• Up to 48 TB of flash capacity in 2U, achieving 1 PB and 20 million IOps per rack

"The new Gemini flash memory array from Nimbus certainly sets a high bar in terms of completeness and vision for flash storage arrays," stated Mark Peters, senior analyst at ESG. "Gemini stands out from the crowd with its architecture designed from the ground up and seamless multiprotocol versatility. The flexibility, performance and efficiency needs of contemporary and future applications will increasingly require data centers to deploy capabilities inherent in designs such as those demonstrated by Nimbus."

The new Gemini system meets the rigorous availability and performance requirements of server virtualization, databases, VDI, and IO-intensive data processing applications. The fully-redundant "hot-swap everything" design offers dual controllers, non-disruptive software updates, and intuitive lights-out management in one system – no bulky external controllers, gateways, or cabling required. Unlike IO-bound off-the-shelf servers and disk arrays that fail to harness the performance potential of solid state technology, Gemini offers 6x more bandwidth through a non-blocking design. This Parallel Memory Architecture (PMA) enables all flash drives to operate at full speed in unison, providing superior scalability for virtualized infrastructures that depend on low-latency, high throughput storage.

Gemini supports all major storage networking technologies at their fastest available data rates, including Ethernet (1/10/40 GbE), Infiniband (20/40/56 Gb), and Fibre Channel (4/8/16 Gb). Gemini's ports are also software-programmable, switching instantly from Ethernet to Infiniband or from Fibre Channel to Ethernet simply by changing transceivers. This dual-personality capability offers flexibility should storage networking requirements change in the future. All major block and file storage protocols are supported in-the-box, including iSCSI, FCP, SRP, NFS, and SMB, giving customers choice and the investment protection to adapt to changing needs effortlessly.

To enable service providers to defer data center capital expenditures, Gemini packs 8x more capacity per rack than 15K RPM disk arrays, without resorting to cumbersome top-loading designs that complicate field service. Gemini also utilizes a fraction of the power and generates significantly less heat than 15K RPM disk arrays, slashing power and rackspace costs by 85%. Delivering up to 20 million IOps in one rack, Gemini flash memory arrays enable a 30:1 consolidation in rackspace on a performance basis, giving customers a powerful weapon against unrelenting data growth.

Gemini incorporates Nimbus' new Flash Lifecycle Management technology, which builds on over two years of production deployments of Nimbus solutions at some of the most demanding Global 5000 customers. Wear-leveling is performed system-wide, not just at the drive level, eliminating hot-spots and delivering consistent performance. This technology enables Gemini flash arrays to deliver up to 10 years of endurance, surpassing disk arrays in reliability. An intuitive graphical dashboard displays real-time and historical flash utilization, offering customers unique insight into the health of the storage infrastructure.

Gemini flash memory arrays feature Nimbus' HALO software stack, a total system management solution offering thin provisioning, deduplication, replication, snapshot, and encryption capabilities. Included without any licensing fees, HALO is easy to use, enabling complete system setup in minutes.

"The ground-breaking advances in Gemini are the culmination of two years of nonstop hardware and software engineering and extensive feedback from our loyal customer base," stated Thomas Isakovich, CEO and founder of Nimbus Data. "We believe that we have set the new standard in flash memory storage, enabling efficiency and performance that unequivocally redefine data center infrastructure."

Gemini flash memory arrays are available in single and dual-controller configurations with either 4 x QSFP ports per controller (for Ethernet and Infiniband) or 4 x SFP+ ports per controller (for Ethernet and Fibre Channel). Capacity ranges from 6 to 48 TB per 2U system, before data reduction. The new Gemini flash memory arrays will be generally available in Q4 2012.

About Nimbus Data Systems

Nimbus develops award-winning Sustainable Storage® systems, the most intelligent, efficient and fault-tolerant solid state storage platform engineered for server and desktop virtualization, databases, HPC, and next-generation cloud infrastructure. Combining low-latency flash memory hardware, comprehensive data management and protection software, and highly-scalable multiprotocol storage features, Nimbus systems deliver dramatically greater performance at a significantly lower operating cost than conventional disk-based primary storage arrays, all at a comparable acquisition cost. For more information, visit www.nimbusdata.com, or follow Nimbus at twitter.com/nimbusdata.

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SOURCE Nimbus Data Systems, Inc.