Presentation Transcript

1. Flash 101 An introduction to the IBM FlashSystem family for IBM Storage Sellers
2. Agenda Why now? What is flash? Different types of flash Does quality matter? When to flash Application sweet spots IBM’s flash-friendly offerings – aka SOSWOS Flash value proposition
3. Technology adoption lifecycle model
4. Why now? In the past 10 years: CPU speed increased roughly 8-10x DRAM speed increased roughly7-9x Network speed increased roughly 100x Bus speed increased roughly 20x Disk speed increased only1.2x Improving storage improves the entire infrastructure
5. Ratio of spinning disk I/O performance to capacity 1000 100 <=7200 RPM 10 Sustained HDD I/O Rates per GByte 15K RPM 1 10K RPM Desktop 5400 and 7200 RPM 0.1 3TB SATA 0.01 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 Year
6. I/O with disk Issue I/O request (~ 100 μs) Wait for I/O to be serviced (~ 5,000 μs) Process I/O (~ 100 μs) Time to process 1 I/O request = 100 μs + 5,000 μs+ 100 μs= 5,200 μs CPU utilization = Wait time / Processing time = 200 / 5,200 = ~4% ~100µs CPU state ~100µs Time Processing ~5000 µs Waiting 1 I/O request
7. I/O with flash Issue I/O request (~ 100 μs) Wait for I/O to be serviced (~ 200μs) Process I/O (~ 100 μs) Time to process 1 I/O request = 100 μs + 200μs+ 100 μs= 400 μs CPU utilization = Wait time / Processing time = 200 / 400= ~50% Speed application response up to 12X by only changing storage latency! ~100µs CPU state ~100µs Processing Time ~200 µs Waiting 1 I/O request
8. What is flash? Flash is constantly powered, nonvolatile memory that can be erased and reprogrammed Name comes from the technique that erases a section of memory cells in one action or "flash” Used to store data in consumer electronics Cell phones Tablets Newer laptops
9. Different types of flash Most solid state storage (SSS) products are based on NAND flash, though there are a few other types, like RAM. NAND flash is generally used in enterprise SSS products. It is nonvolatile. RAM-based SSS, in contrast, is volatile, requiring constant power to retain the data it holds. These devices typically incorporate nonvolatile storage to back up the volatile RAM. There are a few DRAM SSS devices on the market, but they are becoming fewer. Flash-based solid state drives store data in single-level (SLC) or multilevel (MLC)  memory cells. USB drives are almost always MLC based.
10. Flash type matters. Choose based on workload profile. The number of P/E cycles a given device can sustain varies with the technology. Consumer-grade flash is MLC. Enterprise-grade MLC (or eMLC) offers a 10x improvement over MLC. SLC offers a 33x improvement over MLC. eMLC flash media will handle workload profiles that most enterprise applications require. IBM’s Variable Stripe RAID™ technology lengthens system life by improving both eMLC and SLC endurance. SLC versus MLC
11. When to flash Consolidate application hardware and licensing End-user experience is critical to business performance I/O per GB exceeds disk economics Cost savings against developer time Increase scale of performance and minimize administration Consolidate power and “rack estate”
12. OLTP databases Financial, gaming, real-time billing, trading, real-time monitoring, query acceleration (DB2/Oracle), etc. Analytical applications (OLAP) Business intelligence, batch processing, ERP systems, reporting, massive data feeds, etc. Virtual Infrastructures VDI, consolidated virtual infrastructures, user profiles, etc. HPC/computational applications Simulation, modeling, rendering, FS metadata, scratch space, video on demand, thread efficiency, etc. Cloud-scale Infrastructures On-demand computing, content distribution, web, caching, metadata, GPFS, active file management, etc. Flash application sweet spots: Do more, faster! E-Commerce HPC Telecom Financial Government
13. Flash-friendly offerings
14. Flash is not a panacea Does not cure all ills Spinning disks still make sense in certain situations CPU-bound applications Larger active capacities with high growth rates where I/O density is satisfied by spinning disks “Cooler” data—80/20 rule
15. Flash value proposition Business impact Improve application efficiency Unlock scale of business processes Provide best end-user experience (improve customer, employee satisfaction) Create competitive advantage by increasing the pace of business Financial impact Maximize CPU efficiency by driving up utilization Reduce application licensing cost by reducing number of cores required Reduce database licensing cost by reducing number of cores required Extend useful life of existing storage assets (right tool for the job) Major power, cooling, and “rack estate“ savings (TCO) System life expectancy greater than 5 years Operational impact (time) Decrease time to operation results (gets it done faster) Free up DB admins, system admins, and storage admins to work on other, higher value business needs
16. Opportunity cost of time? Flash gives every user and application back time Time is measured microseconds, not milliseconds
17. Parting thought “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.” Benjamin Franklin