Hardware Configurations
Enterprise solutions available in integrated, dual node shared nothing, scale out, and high availability (HA) configurations.
Available Hardware Configurations
Single plug & play box to disaggregated enterprise infrastructure with no single point of failure
Integrated Appliances
Fully integrated appliances with built in controller, RAID, & storage drives – plug & play
Dual Node Shared Nothing
Twin clustered appliances with automated failover & failback – less IT staff intervention, more availability
Scale Out
Start with 3x performance & storage – increase performance & storage in multiples, grow without limits
High Availability (HA)
Disaggregated modular infrastructure with no single point of failure – individually increase performance & storage, no forklift upgrades
Integrated Appliances
Single box – plug & play
Integrated appliance configuration consists of a single chassis that houses: storage (or HCI) controller, high performance RAID controller, and storage drives. The integrated appliance is available in tower and 2U, 3U, and 4U rackmounts.
Available integrated appliance models vary depending on the solution & series.
To learn more about the scalability of integrated appliances, click here.
Dual Node Shared Nothing
Twin clustered appliances – built to ensure high availability
The dual node shared nothing configuration consists of two integrated appliances clustered together with advanced software-defined networking. Each appliance has built-in storage controller, RAID controller, and storage drives.
The clustering leverages automated failover and failback to make sure your operations are always running. In the event of a disaster, or scheduled maintenance, your end users experience little to no disruption and downtime.
The dual node shared nothing supports all available integrated appliance models. Supported models may vary depending on the solution and appliance series.
Scale Out
3x performance & storage capacity – virtually limitless scalability
Scale out configuration starts with three integrated appliance nodes and supports the ability to scale out to virtually unlimited number of nodes. With three appliances, the system starts with 3x performance and storage capacity; best fit for enterprise-scale workloads.
Each appliance in the scale out configuration houses storage (or HCI) controller, RAID controller, and storage drives.
Scale out configuration supports the same appliance models as the integrated appliance. Supported models vary depending on solution and appliance series.
High Availability (HA)
Disaggregated & modular infrastructure with no single point of failure
The high availability (HA) configuration consists of three (or more) chassis:
- Two storage (or HCI) controllers
- One (or more) HA RAID expansion array(s)
- Optional storage expansion units (EBODs)
The dual controllers provide 2x performance, prevent bottlenecks and enable you to scale performance individually by adding more controllers.
The RAID array houses dual active/active RAID controllers with automated failover. In the event of a RAID controller failure, the appliance automatically switches to the secondary RAID controller ensuring continuity and preventing disruption.
The disaggregated infrastructure also facilitates maintenance – components are easier to replace and do not require forklift upgrades.
To learn more about the scalability of HA appliances, click here.
We can recommend which configuration works best for your needs
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a storage controller?
Storage controller houses the processor(s) and dedicated NVMe SSDs where the storage OS runs. It acts as the management layer for the entire system.
What is an HCI controller?
An HCI controller, similar to storage controllers, houses processor(s) and dedicated NVMe SSDs and act as the management layer for the system. The difference is that HCI controller also supports hypervisors (VMware, Hyper-V, etc.).
The storage OS and hypervisor are deployed on dedicated flash drives – they operate faster and do not consume any resources from the storage stack.
What is a RAID controller?
The RAID controller supports high IOPS and delivers fault-tolerance in the event of hard drive failure.
The supported RAID level and corresponding number of tolerable failed drives depend on the solution, appliance series, model, and available storage space.
For details, contact us.
What is an HA RAID expansion array?
HA RAID expansion array chassis house dual active/active RAID controllers and enterprise SAS drives and SSDs (or both).
The HA RAID expansion array are an integral component of the HA configuration.
What is an EBOD?
EBOD stands for “Expandable Bunch of Drives”.
EBODs can be connected to integrated, dual node shared nothing, scale out, and HA configuration to increase storage capacity (scale up).
EBODs are available with support for 12, 24, 36, 44, and 60 drives in 2U to 4U rackmounts.
The supported number of drives (and EBODs) vary depending on solution and appliance series. For details, contact us.