SYSTEMS

Panasas, Inc., today announced a strategic relationship with Verari Systems, Inc. to deliver comprehensive cluster solutions to a broad range of high-performance computing environments. Verari Systems will co-brand and sell the Panasas ActiveScale Storage Cluster in conjunction with the company's platform-independent blade computing systems. This worldwide distribution agreement brings together two of the leading players in the Linux cluster market to provide customers in markets such as oil and gas exploration, government science and media/entertainment with a turnkey high performance Linux cluster solution that is easy to deploy and scale. "Verari Systems has established itself as a market leader in delivering Linux clusters. Panasas will provide a powerful new component to Verari Systems' solutions -- one that enables their customers to maximize the benefits of Linux clusters by breaking down the bottleneck created by legacy network storage technologies," said Victor Perez, president and CEO of Panasas. "By greatly improving the overall performance and simplifying the management of Linux clusters, Panasas is helping customers leverage this powerful high-performance computing platform to create a competitive advantage and improve their bottom line." The Panasas Storage Cluster, optimized specifically for Linux cluster environments, represents a major evolution in networked storage. The Panasas ActiveScale File System heralds a next-generation, object-based storage architecture to deliver unmatched scalability and throughput. The Panasas ActiveScale File System dynamically distributes file activity across multiple Panasas StorageBlades, eliminating the inherent performance and capacity bottlenecks of today's monolithic file systems. The integrated HW/SW solution balances network I/O, cache memory and compute power to optimally manage file system activity. The comprehensive nature of the solution eliminates the time-consuming and often frustrating task of layering software on top of existing hardware. One company already benefiting from a Panasas/Verari Systems implementation is TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company (TGS), a leader in the oil and gas industry that specializes in the planning, acquisition, processing, interpretation and marketing of non-exclusive seismic surveys worldwide. TGS Imaging, a division of TGS, transitioned from proprietary UNIX-based servers and a Fibre Channel storage area network to a Linux cluster developed by Verari Systems and powered by Panasas high-performance network-attached storage. "The combined solution from Verari Systems and Panasas improved performance and overall manageability of our data storage environment at a portion of the cost of our existing technology," said Tony Katz, IT manager at TGS Imaging. "Together these two companies helped us maximize the benefits of migrating to a Linux cluster." Verari Systems' flagship BladeRack cluster series delivers the industry's fastest standards-based computing solution with the lowest possible total cost of ownership in the densest form factor possible. The system's patented Vertical Cooling Technology ensures that high performance blade clusters are bathed in cool air, ensuring the cluster's longevity. The BladeRack features an unparalleled dense rack architecture, delivering the most computing power per square foot in the HPC industry. The architecture allows for up to 176 processors in 88 dual processor nodes while still allowing abundant room for networking and switches. The BladeRack is extremely customizable with the option of different combinations of processors and speeds. This versatility creates incredible investment protection. "Our two companies have a clear, shared vision of the promise of high-performance Linux clusters," said David Driggers, co-founder and CEO of Verari Systems. "Panasas brings an award-winning product with exceptional customer results to our arsenal. Working together, our customers will achieve business results much more quickly, with a demonstrable ROI."