VersaCache™ CX8000

VersaCache as a SAN Cache

As a SAN cache, VersaCache improves application performance by automatically caching all blocks of data going to and from any Fibre Channel attached storage, including RAID arrays and JBOD. Installation is transparent - simply attach it between servers and storage and it automatically caches all host accessed data dramatically improving application performance by reducing access time to the storage. Its predictive caching is designed to improve both read and write performance by increasing the chance that read data will be in the cache when needed, and through buffered destaging of write data. The system’s caching algorithms are built into firmware and are designed to overcome the high overhead associated with slow read/write performance across a large segment of data. Caching methods supported include write-through, write-back, and read-ahead. The caching methods are user configurable per subsystem or per LUN.

VersaCache as a File Cache

VersaCache’s high-performance, solid state disk architecture is ideal for storing performance-demanding data and accelerating application performance. VersaCache is able to support dozens of servers while providing up to a 500x reduction in I/O response time when compared with the best mechanical disks. Reduced I/O response times translate to higher I/O rates and increased accessibility to critical data and hot files.

VersaCache appears as a Fibre Channel compatible disk to the host server(s) facilitating plug-and-play installation. The unit is compatible and interoperable with virtually every host operating system including IBM AIX, Sun Solaris, HP-UX, Linux, Windows, and Apple OS X. It is also fully tested and compatible with Fibre Channel host bus adapters and switches from QLogic, Emulex, LSI Logic, Cambex, Brocade, Cisco, and McData.

When the appropriate ‘hot’ files are placed on the appliance, VersaCache can accelerate numerous applications across many industries. Real-world application performance improvements of up to 25-times can be achieved by VersaCache users when running on-line transaction processing (OLTP), batch processing, e-mail, database, and other I/O and bandwidth-intensive operations.

Performance

VersaCache’s state-of-the-art architecture and DDR RAM memory are optimized for I/O intensive applications. Built for speed, VersaCache is capable of delivering up to 400,000 I/Os per second (IOPS).

Each VersaCache subsystem supports up to 8 high-speed 4Gb/s Fibre Channel ports. All ports can serve data simultaneously without any performance degradation.

RAS Features

To ensure the highest level of reliability, all critical components within the VersaCache subsystem are redundant. In addition, power supplies and back-up disk drives are hot-swappable.

Internal memory used for data storage is protected by ECC memory error correction which corrects single-bit data errors in the memory chips.

Host-based failover software is available to provide full data availability in the event of an HBA, cable, switch, or other storage path failure in high-availability configurations.

Manageability

VersaCache can be monitored, managed and configured remotely and locally via an intuitive browser interface.

Protecting your IT Investment

By accelerating application performance through intelligent caching, VersaCache increases the useful life of existing server and storage infrastructures.

In many instances, IT organizations have been forced to deploy additional server and storage resources to achieve acceptable application response times. Deploying VersaCache in a storage network environment dramatically increases the number of simultaneous users that can access mission-critical data without experiencing unacceptable wait times.

In addition, customers can fully utilize their existing disk storage capacities without application performance degradation. Striping data over many disk drives to boost performance is no longer necessary - a method that often left up to 50% of the disk storage capacity unused.