Seagate Expands Collaboration With Supermicro

Seagate Technology plc announced, in conjunction with Super Micro Computer, Inc., the tested and preconfigured SQL server reference architecture for data warehouse deployments, as part of Microsoft’s SQL Server 2014 Fast Track program.

The reference design addresses the need to convert data into actionable information while it is still valuable. This configuration also eases the validation process of deployments with a key goal in its development being the removal of the upfront testing and unknowns in the build out of an optimized system.

“As part of our strategy and commitment to engage with ecosystem vendors to jointly bring optimized and turn-key solutions to market, we’re excited to be working closely with industry leaders Microsoft and Supermicro to provide enhanced performance and efficiency to our customers,” said Manish Muthal, VP strategy, planning and architecture, Seagate electronic solutions. “This reference design strives for the best balance of all components-CPU, memory, storage-to achieve the optimal performance for a wide range of identified workloads. Balance leads to greater efficiency by fitting the specific needs of a task to a known performance level so remaining resources can be reallocated to other needs.“

SQL Server 2014 Fast Track is a program to develop reference architectures to give medium to large data warehouses a step-by-step guide to building out a data warehouse using well-tuned hardware. The goal of reference architectures is to achieve performance at a cost-effective price for rapid deployment. The Fast Track reference design is meant to scale and grow while maintaining a common experience across the data warehouse.

“Our efforts are targeted at supporting organizations that seek to optimally deploy SQL Server 2014 flawlessly in their data center,” said Tiffany Wissner, senior director product marketing, data platform, Microsoft. “We’re proud to work with companies such as Seagate and Supermicro who continue to innovate and deliver highly reliable and high performance Microsoft Fast Track Data Warehouse designs. With this solution, companies will be able to more efficiently support real time reporting and streaming data, which are now the norm for business expectations and productivity. “

Predicting the performance capabilities of a collection of components can be difficult and a reference architecture helps to eliminate any uncertainty in determining the right mix of components to best suit the specific needs of a data warehouse. This reference design utilizes the Seagate Nytro Flash Accelerator Card, Supermicro’s SuperServer SYS-4048B-TRFT system and SQL Server 2014 Enterprise Edition to deliver an optimized solution for quick and trusted deployment.

“Supermicro’s high-performance 4U 4-way SYS-4048B-TRFT SuperServer, optimized for IO-intensive environments, enables rapid, efficient deployment of Microsoft’s SQL Server 2014 Fast Track Data Warehouse,” said Don Clegg, VP marketing and business development, Supermicro. “Our Microsoft certified solution comes preconfigured with quad Intel Xeon E7 processors, Seagate Nytro Flash Accelerator cards, memory, storage and SQL Server 2014 installed and validated. With this turnkey solution, organizations can focus efforts on more strategic decision making activities around data analytics and business intelligence to accelerate growth.“