Features - Enterprise Data Insights:
SSD: SOLUTION FOR I/O BOTTLENECKS
By Stephen Schwarz, Product Manager, MTI Technology Corp
Because of the enormous volume of data now stored across the typical
enterprise, computer and storage systems must be carefully chosen for their
ability to power the most demanding applications, especially those that suffer
from I/O bottlenecks. The solution lies in solid state disk (SSD) technology,
which provides application performance and data access at up to 100 times
greater speeds than conventional disk drive approaches. SSD technology used
to be cost-prohibitive, but with the decline in memory prices and development
of Fibre Channel-connected SSDs, it's now a workable solution for today's I/O
bottlenecks. Here are some examples of the many applications SSD can
benefit.
E-mail
E-mail systems have a highly random I/O pattern that's ideal for SSD, which
allows them to process significantly more transactions while greatly improving
cost-performance ratios. SSD technology eliminates the mechanical latency of
traditional "rotating platter" disks, thus increasing overall system
performance and extending the life of existing hardware. By placing files
that are constantly being used by the e-mail servers -- message queues, temp
files, etc. -- on SSD, companies can dramatically improve performance in such
transaction-intensive e-mail functions as message relay, message store and
directory services.
Online Transaction Processing
Most database I/O traffic is caused by a small percentage of the data.
Transferring to SSD just a few database files -- e.g., redo/transaction logs
and rollback segments -- can immediately improve performance by a factor of
hundreds. SSDs have no moving parts, so they experience no mechanical delays
when accessing data. This allows instantaneous access to random data without
the seek time or latency associated with database, system and RAID caches; the
data is always in SSD, providing a 100% hit rate and predictable performance.
If an application makes money based on how many transactions can be processed
in a minute, SSD will improve profitability.
Data Warehousing
Typically, data warehouses import massive amounts of data at night, resulting
in a write-intensive I/O pattern. Traditional RAID cache pools provide little
relief since the cache is saturated quickly, and Oracle-based data warehouse
loads are often slowed by the numerous redo log switches/archives. Daytime
processing, however, is usually read-intensive and highly random. By
targeting two separate I/O areas with SSDs, data warehouse performance
improves dramatically.
Backup
With batch process runs and data warehouse loads becoming increasingly larger,
nighttime backup windows are constantly shrinking -- forcing companies to
invest in faster backup units, snapshot technology or data replication
products to get the data to tape faster or just have a copy that can be backed
up in the allotted time. Implementing SSD to alleviate I/O bottlenecks
significantly speeds nighttime processing and increases the backup window.
This extends the life of existing tape technology, servers and storage;
eliminates the need for faster backup units and costly snapshot/replication
solutions; and increases maintenance windows.
In short, applications that suffers from I/O bottlenecks can all benefit from
SSD technology. Moreover, by being a shared resource on the storage area
network, it can work for multiple applications, ensuring rapid
return-on-investment for the SSD purchase.
Contact: Richard Stehr, AccessMillennium3, Long Beach, CA, 562-597-8086x305,
richard@access-pr.com.
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