Nimbus Data Systems announced the general availability of its second generation S-Class series of flash memory storage systems. The new line, which retains the S-Class designation, is three times faster than the original launched in 2010. In addition, the new S-Class adds support for Fibre Channel and Infiniband networking natively, in addition to the existing 10 Gigabit Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet support, making the new S-Class the most versatile network flash memory systems on the market today.

3x More Performance

The new S-Class incorporates Nimbus' latest Enterprise Flash Modules, which take advantage of 6 Gbps SAS connectivity and a new higher-performance flash management processor. Advanced wear-leveling algorithms maximize flash durability in non-stop mission-critical installations. The new S-Class also features a new non-blocking internal midplane capable of providing full line-rate 6 Gbps performance to every flash module simultaneously. This architecture is vastly superior to expander-based systems, which funnel IO into fewer lanes, limiting performance. Finally, the new S-Class ups the number of processor cores, from 8 to 12, to enable even faster deduplication and other data management services.

Fibre Channel and Infiniband Connectivity

In response to customer demand, Nimbus broadened the networking capability of the S-Class by adding native Fibre Channel and Infiniband connectivity options. The new Fibre Channel IO module provides dual 8 Gbps ports with SFP+ optics and up to 4 IO modules can be added to the S-Class for a total of eight Fibre Channel ports. The new Infiniband module provides dual QDR 40 Gbps ports accommodating QSFP style cabling, and up to 4 IO modules are supported for a total of eight Infiniband ports. Both the Fibre Channel and Infiniband connectivity are backward compatible to prior speed generations, including 2 and 4 Gbps FC and 20 Gbps DDR Infiniband.

The Industry's Most Versatile Flash Memory Systems

With support for Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel and Infiniband, the Nimbus S-Class provides the industry's broadest range of network connectivity options. Furthermore, Nimbus HALO operating system, the software that powers the S-Class, features iSCSI, FC, SRP, NFS, and CIFS protocol support simultaneously, enabling complete unified SAN and NAS provisioning from one easy to use system. Multipathing and clustering is supported, perfect for virtualization deployments and scale-out databases. The new connectivity also broadens the appeal of S-Class Flash Memory Storage into new markets, including high-performance computing (HPC), financial services, and research institutions where low-latency networking is vital.

"Increasingly, IT managers are looking to flash memory storage systems for the most demanding applications to boost performance and speed up data access," said Jeff Janukowicz, research manager for Solid State Storage at IDC. "Network-based flash memory systems, such as Nimbus Data Systems second generation S-Class, that provide performance and reliability with data management services and versatile connectivity options are well positioned to capitalize on the tremendous demand forecast for solid state storage."

Availability and Pricing

The Nimbus S-Class is available immediately in three capacity models: 2.5 TB, 5.0 TB, and 10.0 TB. The systems have a starting price of $24,995, $49,995, and $99,995 respectively.