SGI announced the introduction of the SGI InfiniteStorage (IS) 5500, a next generation storage platform. Built with an innovative modular design for extreme density and scalability, the IS5500 offers exceptional performance for high-bandwidth and high-IOPS applications with enterprise-class reliability.

The IS5500 is built upon proven architecture pioneered in the SGI InfiniteStorage 5000 and previous generations of high-performance RAID arrays, and leverages the rich ecosystem of SGI storage software solutions. The performance and modular versatility of the IS5500 make it ideal for big-bandwidth applications, such as full-motion video, data analytics, and VMWare and HyperV environments, as well as Lustre implementations and high performance computing (HPC).

Storage platforms in today's IT environments need to reliably house data and have the modular flexibility and performance choices to tightly match application and solutions' needs. To enable the maximum flexibility for a wide range of applications, the IS5500 can intermix multiple drive types and enclosure densities in a single, scalable system. As a result, the IS5500 can be configured as a multi-tier solution for exceptional per-drive performance from fewer drives, and can also match customers' data and usage patterns to the best-suited drive type.

"The IS5500 takes flexibility and reliability to the next level," said Jose Reinoso, vice president of storage engineering at SGI. "The ability to precisely configure the system to a customer's requirements means that they get what they need in the most cost-efficient configuration. In this way, the IS5500 can be tailored to a wide range of specific application requirements."

Designed from the ground up for data reliability, the IS5500 features fully redundant I/O paths with automated failover, dual-active, hot-swappable controllers and components, mirrored data cache with battery backup that is de-staged to flash, and hardware-based RAID 6 for maximum performance. These features make the IS5500 ideal for mission-critical data environments.

The IS5500 is available in three enclosure densities, including 12, 24 and a maximum 4U 60-drive high-density enclosure. Each enclosure can house dual controllers, or can be configured as an expansion unit to mix and match 2.5" and 3.5" drives in a variety of performance and capacity choices for SSD, 15K SAS, 10K SAS and near-line SAS. With support for self-encrypting drives and the T10-PI data integrity standard, the IS5500 is ready for any storage situation.

"Products like the IS5500 are designed to address end users' demand for energy efficiency, performance and data reliability in a highly tunable package," said Natalya Yezhkova, research director, Storage Systems at IDC. "Storage systems such as this can adapt to different application environments, which broadens the overall target market and use cases for these systems."

Availability and Pricing

The SGI InfiniteStorage 5500 will be available in July 2011. Pricing is available upon request.