Chelsio T7 DPU Furthers Expansive Ethernet Storage Networking

Chelsio Communications, Inc. announced a set of storage demonstrations which showcase how the latest-gen T7 DPU enables optimal storage and flexibility, performance and ROI for the latest-gen NVMe/TCP JBOF storage platforms, including support for NVMe Controller Memory Buffer (CMB) for efficient peer-to-peer data transfers with the latest-gen of enterprise SSDs, optimizing system performance.

T7 DPU block diagram
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“We are excited to support the latest generation of all-flash JBOF platforms,” said Kianoosh Naghshineh, CEO. “The T7 DPU solution integrates a compelling feature set and hardware accelerations with all the essential elements required to build efficient NVMe JBOFs without requiring a separate CPU, simplifying design and helping maximize high-performance storage resource utilization. The advanced NVMe/TCP, NVMe-oF, and iSCSI protocol acceleration offered by T7 offloads unleash extreme storage performance with near-zero CPU utilization, improving data center operators’ TCO.“

The 1st demonstration highlights the company’s T7’s functionality as a JBOF utilizing the T7 Emulation platform alongside an ASMedia Technology Inc.’ PCIe Switch and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’ SSD. It showcases an innovative setup where an iSCSI and NVMe/TCP target are directly configured on the T7’s ARM system, effectively bypassing the need for a traditional server. This configuration allows the Initiator to connect to the target through the T7’s Ethernet ports, enabling direct access to the SSD’s capabilities.

The 2nd demonstration illustrates the T7’s effectiveness as a JBOF, employing the T7 Emulation platform integrated with the Celestica, Inc.’ Nebula G2 storage expansion system and a Micron Technology, Inc.’ SSD. It features a setup where an iSCSI target is expertly configured on the T7 ARM system, sidestepping the traditional server. This arrangement allows the initiator to connect to the target through the T7’s Ethernet ports, granting direct and efficient access to the SSD’s capabilities.

“Enterprises require flash SSD storage platforms capable of delivering maximum I/O performance, density, scalable, flexible connectivity, power, and cost efficiency,” said Greg Schulz, Server StorageIO. “The Chelsio T7 DPU is a key server storage I/O performance enabler for high-density NVMe storage solutions, enabling hyperscale and enterprise customers to do more work and be more productive while being cost-effective.“

Resources:
NVMe/TCP & iSCSI JBOF Using Chelsio T7, ASMedia PCIe Switch and Samsung SSD (technical Report)
iSCSI JBOF Using Chelsio T7, Celestica Nebula G2 and Micron SSD (technical Report)
Video: iSCSI JBOF Demonstration on T7 Emulation Platform    
T7 Unified Wire product brief