FAQ: SSDs and Automated Data- Aware Tiering for Drobo B1200i What is the significance of SSD support and Automated Data- Aware Tiering? Solid state disk (SSD) support in the B1200i is the first and only totally automated way for small and medium businesses to affordably utilize SSDs to accelerate application performance. When you add SSDs to the B1200i, you enable Automated Data- Aware Tiering, which requires zero configuration and delivers immediate results. Customers do not need to provision, configure, tune, or manage their Drobo storage or their applications to realize the performance benefits. No IT or storage expertise is required. This game- changing innovation is a logical but revolutionary extension of Drobo BeyondRAID technology and design philosophy bringing sophisticated storage functionality through ease, automation, and affordability. Why do we say the Automated Data- Aware Tiering is game- changing? Automated Data- Aware Tiering has the following characteristics that comprise Drobo s competitive edge: Automated means that the B1200i can: o Auto- recognize the SSDs in the Drobo o Auto- add the SSDs to the storage pool o Create the transactional tier of storage (the rest of the pool is designed for bulk storage) o Auto- route I/O to the appropriate tier of storage Immediate means that SSDs can be added as easily as hard disk drives (HDDs) and provide an immediate performance boost Application- independent means that performance is increased for any application workload at the block level Affordable means that you can have >18 TBs of SSD- accelerated capacity for under $18K! FAQ: SSD and Automated Data- Aware Tiering for the Drobo B1200i Page 1
What performance boost can I expect to see? After adding SSDs to the Drobo B1200i, performance will increase: Over 2x transactional workload performance (IOPS) Up to 30% increase in streaming performance (MB/s) Almost 3x application scalability (Microsoft Exchange mailboxes) For a small increase in price, this technology delivers a significant increase in performance. Is SSD support available on any other Drobo for Business models? No, SSD support and Automated Data- Aware Tiering is available only on the B1200i at this time. Where can I find out more about how Automated Data- Aware Tiering works? Watch a video @ http://www.drobo.com/tiering Read the new white paper @ http://info.drobo.com/automated_tiering Participate in a Live Demo! @ http://www.drobo.com/live Visit the website @ http://www.drobo.com/tiering If I already have a B1200i, how can I get the new functionality? You can (and should!) update the firmware on your B1200i to get support for SSDs, which enables Automated Data- Aware Tiering. Click Check for Updates in Drobo Dashboard or download firmware version 1.1.x posted @ http://www.drobo.com/support/updates.php. Firmware version 1.1.x will be available at the end of April. Can I get performance enhancements by just downloading this firmware release? While this new firmware version will improve performance when only HDDs are used, to take advantage of Automated Data- Aware Tiering, you must also deploy 2 or 3 SSDs in your B1200i. What is the difference between using 2 or 3 SSDs? In order to support dual- disk redundancy (recommended configuration), use 3 SSDs. You can use 2 SSDs if the system is in single- disk redundancy mode. FAQ: SSD and Automated Data- Aware Tiering for the Drobo B1200i Page 2
Can I use more than 3 SSDs in my B1200i for even faster performance? You can use more than 3 SSDs in a Drobo B1200i, but at this point in time, the array is optimized when using 3 SSDs paired with HDDs. What drive bays should I use for my SSDs? Just like all Drobo arrays, it does not matter which drive bays you use. What brand/type of SSDs are supported? Similar to HDDs, there is a big difference between consumer and enterprise grade SSDs. Consider the following when selecting SSDs for your Drobo B1200i: SLC vs. MLC. Enterprise- grade SSDs used to be made exclusively of expensive SLC (single- level cell) flash, but many now use more cost- effective MLC (multi- level cell) flash. You can use either SLC or MLC as long as they are enterprise- grade SSDs. Overprovisioned space. Writing to an SSD is a time- consuming task if data already exists in the flash. This is called a program/erase cycle. Also, cells in the flash can fail over time, creating the demand for new cells. These are two reasons why SSDs are overprovisioned and have more memory than what's presented to the system. That overprovisioned space is used to maintain high levels of performance and to replace cells that have failed. Enterprise- grade SSDs often have a higher level of overprovisioned space, increasing performance and extending the life of the SSD. SSD controller. The controller inside the drive is often different for enterprise and consumer- grade SSDs. Enterprise drives are tuned more for extended use to handle more write cycles and use reclamation features such as TRIM* and UNMAP to be alerted and data removal by the system to optimize capacity and performance. SATA vs. SAS. Similar to HDDs, SSD drives are available with SATA or SAS connectivity. The Drobo B1200i supports both SATA and SAS drives, but enterprise- grade SSDs are only available with SAS connectivity. For Drobo arrays for business, it is highly recommended that you use enterprise- grade SSDs and HDDs.. * In computing, TRIM and UNMAP commands allow systems to inform a solid- state drive (SSD) which blocks of data are no longer considered in use and can be wiped internally. FAQ: SSD and Automated Data- Aware Tiering for the Drobo B1200i Page 3
Can I purchase SSDs from Drobo? Yes, single 200GB SAS SSDs and 3- packs of the same drives will be available on the Drobo Store. Initially, the drive will be an OCZ Talos 200GB SSD. The price will be $999 for a single drive and $2999 for a 3- pack. If I purchase a Drobo B1200i from Drobo now, can I purchase a bundle with SSDs? Yes, before April 25, 2012 you can purchase these new offerings: Drobo B1200i with 18.6TB (SSD/HDD). 18.6TB Drobo 12- bay SAN storage array for business, iscsi with (9) 2TB SAS Drives and (3) 200GB SSDs - $17,999 MSRP 200GB SAS SSD Drive. 200GB enterprise SAS SSD drive for use in Drobo B1200i - $999 MSRP (Drobo Store only) 600GB SAS SSD Drive Pack. 3- pack 200GB enterprise SAS SSD drive for use in Drobo B1200i - $2999 (Drobo Store only) The new Drobo B1200i with OCZ SSDs will be available through Drobo s worldwide network of authorized distributors and resellers. Are SSDs more robust than HDDs, in other words, how long can I expect an SSD to last? Drobo has partnered with OCZ Technology Group, Inc. to supply OCZ Talos 3.50- inch SAS 6 Gb/s SSDs in 200GB capacities. These SSDs come with a 3- year warranty and mean time between failure (MRBF) is stated as 1 million hours. What if an SSD fails? If B1200i customers contact Drobo about a failed SSD, they will be properly routed to OCZ for support. They can also contact OCZ directly for support @ http://www.oczenterprise.com/contactsupport.html. FAQ: SSD and Automated Data- Aware Tiering for the Drobo B1200i Page 4
What other features are new in this release in addition to Automated Data- Aware Tiering? These additional features are new for B1200i in firmware version 1.1.x: Support for Microsoft Windows Clustering, including Hyper- V. Support for Microsoft Data Protection Manager 2010. Enhancements for better VMware vsphere 5 support. Localized for Korean and Traditional Chinese (Drobo Dashboard 2.2.x) Most SSDs are 2.5 in size. How do I use a 2.5 drive in a 3.5 B1200i drive bay? Drobo has tested a carrier solution made by Icy Dock to adapt SATA SSDs, called the MB982SP- 1S Full Metal 2.5" to 3.5" SATA HDD & SSD Converter. Find the converter @ http://www.icydock.com/goods.php?id=134. If I purchase an SSD that is on the compatibility list, what is the optimal capacity? The optimal SSD capacity in a Drobo B1200i is currently between 200GB and 300GB per drive. What is the DroboCare price for the B1200i offering that includes SSDs? DroboCare is priced the same for every Drobo B1200i, that is, $999 for one year and $2,499 for three years. This is an excellent value for a product as sophisticated as the Drobo B1200i with Automated Data- Aware Tiering. FAQ: SSD and Automated Data- Aware Tiering for the Drobo B1200i Page 5