RAID Inc. Unveils X2-IB Layered Storage Solution

RAID Inc. announced the X2-IB, a new innovation in storage systems that revolutionizes the traditional SAN storage paradigm. This InfiniBand layered storage solution, designed for the most demanding high performance computing environments, is the first product to utilize RAID’s unique Layered Storage Model. RAID will be demonstrating the performance of its base system at SC08.

The X2-IB is capable of sustaining 80 to 160GB/sec on both reads and writes. In addition, the system can scale to over 1500 hard drives and utilize 128GB of cache. The uniqueness of the X2-IB is not limited to its performance, as only this solution provides the latest technology in assuring data integrity (SATA Guard), self-healing, energy conservation (with technology more versatile than MAID) and a complete suite of optional enterprise storage services.

"We specifically designed the X2-IB to further enable InfiniBand clusters to interact with the Fibre Channel storage, creating a significant increase in speed and flexibility," said Bob Picardi, COO of RAID Inc. RAID Inc.’s new X2-IB product uses a unique Layered Storage Model that is based on the OSI model of networking. Each layer within the storage infrastructure describes a discrete set of components that are interconnected via InfiniBand and Fibre Channel.

The X2-IB layers are comprised of the following:

• Data Presentation Layer – The data presentation layer describes the place where users interact with the data as it is presented.
• Data Transport Layer – The data transport layer provides the interaction between traditional Fibre Channel storage and the InfiniBand interconnect. It is a highly customized and proprietary combination of hardware and software that allows the incredible speed and flexibility of the X2-IB layered system.
• Data Storage Layer – The data storage layer represents traditional SAN storage and is the ultimate repository for the data.
• InfiniBand Switches – These are high performance switches that provide bandwidth that scales up to 40GB/sec.

The X2-IB is capable of sustaining 160GB per second and the modular design can be customized to your specific environment. The base system starts at 48 drives and scales in 2U twelve-drive increments.

Base System Specifications

• Data presentation layer is customizable to handle a parallel file system, enterprise NAS, or SAN
• One data transport module expandable to 4 per system

One data storage node consists of:

• 8 GB of cache scalable to 32GB
• 8 Fibre Channel host ports scalable to 16 Fibre Channel host ports
• 48 drives scalable to 384 HDD in 2U 12 drive building blocks

Crossbar Architecture for System Interconnect
Each data storage node can be interconnected with up to three other nodes by utilizing high-speed crossbar technology resulting in a maximum configuration of 128GB of cache and either 64 Fibre Channel ports with 768 drives for maximum performance or 32 Fibre Channel ports with 1,536 drives for maximum capacity. The high-speed crossbar switch architecture enables true multi-node operation, with performance scaling linearly with capacity. Every aspect of the system can be managed through a common software package for ease of maintenance in a busy data center.

"We are pleased to be part of RAID Inc.’s expanding suite of storage solutions for the high performance computing, government, research and corporate markets," said Karen Dutch, vice president of Advanced Storage Products and NEC Corporation of America. "Our D8 Series Enterprise Modular Storage product forms the basis for the data storage layer in X2-IB and supports its outstanding ability to provide enterprise performance, connectivity, capacity and availability."