Future Server and Storage Technology

Brian Minick, Infrastructure Design Leader - GE

High Performance Computing

Current Architecture

NAS Storage

                                 

                          

Client Two Racks of Clustered Server

The Challenge

Funding Secured To Create Next Gen Storage and Server Platforms

Brick and Mortar Manufacturing Business

New storage platform requirements– Cost Cost Cost– Data center space– Power restrictions– Improve storage performance

The New Technology

Clustered Storage– Storage and processing in each unit– Units are aware of each other and cluster

together– Disk allocation works like your hard drive

Standard NAS– Processing and storage are separate– Processing units do not cluster– Disks are partitioned in to LUNs, LUNs are

combined to create volumes, files systems are created out of volumes, directories are within file systems

Which Way To Go?

The Results

Clustered Storage– Job scheduling time improves by 80%– Job processing time improves by 40%– Maintenance costs are reduced by 20%– Data center space reduced by 10% – Power consumption remains the same– 20% Maintenance reduction allows your

team to meet cost out target – you get $2,000 recognition award and a promotion

The Results

Standard NAS– Job scheduling time improves by 5%– Job processing time improves by 2%– Maintenance costs are remain the same– Data center space remains the same– Power consumption remains the same– Project is a success, life goes on as usual

The Challenge

Funding Secured To Create Next Gen Storage and Server Platforms

Brick and Mortar Manufacturing Business

New server platform requirements– Cost Cost Cost– Data center space– Power restrictions

The New Technology

Blade Servers– Large reduction in power consumption – Reduced heat generation– Proprietary– Cheaper than rack after purchasing 8 or 10

blades

Standard Rack Servers– Small reduction in power consumption – Same heat generation

Which Way To Go?

The Results

Blade Servers– Power consumption reduced from 260 amps to 60– Heat generation reduced by 15%– Total environment cost down 10%– Server backplane created spanning tree issues on

data center network resulting in complete center outage

– Customers are leaving our site– Layoffs are eminent

The Results

Standard Rack Servers– Power consumption reduced from 260 amps to 220– Same heat generation– Total environment cost remains the same– Server backplane created spanning tree issues on

data center network resulting in complete center outage

– Project is a success, life goes on as usual

Next Generation Web Server

Current Architecture

Internet

Load Balancer Server Farm NAS Storage

The Challenge

Current server platform is discontinued by vendor

Online research firm

New server platform requirements– Cost Cost Cost– Data center space– Power restrictions

The New Technology

Multi-Core– Two 1.0Ghz 8 core processors (off chip floating point)– 8 GB Ram– 292 GB Internal Disk– Two PCI-x and two PCIe slots

Next Gen Single Core– Two 1.5Ghz single core processors– 8 GB Ram– 292 GB Internal Disk– Two PCI-x and two PCIe slots

Which Way To Go?

The Results

Multi-Core– Two for one server swap out

• Maintenance costs lowered by 50%• Lowered power consumption by 70%• Data center space reduced by 50%

– More throughput, but each transaction is slower• Transactions previously over 20 seconds are noticeably

slower• Customers are leaving our site• Layoffs are eminent

The Results

Next Gen Single Core– One for one server swap out

• Maintenance costs lowered by the same• Lowered power consumption by 20%• Data center space remains the same

– Same throughput, but each transaction is faster• Transactions previously over 20 seconds are noticeably

faster• New customers are coming to the site• Profit sharing checks are especially good this year

What’s the Point

• Know when to take technology swings– Technology decisions have business impact– Technology decisions impact careers

• Technology means different things for different businesses– Core product is IT– Core product relies on IT– IT is a productivity tool

• Successful technologist know how to walk the line between “technology for technology sake” and “technology for business sake”