The white paper Tiered Storage and Sun Java System Messaging Server explains how using production products, such as Sun Communications Suite software, the Solaris ZFS file system, and a Sun Storage array, can cut user mailbox storage costs for service providers by half, while performance (measured by messages per second) can be increased by more than 50 percent in environments with millions of users.

Extensive load testing demonstrates that an easily replicated, highly modular single-rack solution consisting of a Sun StorageTek storage array, Java System Messaging Server, and Solaris ZFS file system, can be provisioned so as to meet service level requirements for millions of users at dramatically lower costs.

The white paper notes that the Java System Messaging Server’s messaging store handily exceeds performance requirements, doing so while simultaneously protecting user data through hourly snapshots and backups that are completed within 12-hour windows. The overall design provides a foundation to further reduce costs by leveraging new products and technologies from Sun and other industry providers.

The Java System Messaging Server message store configuration employs the Solaris ZFS file system and Sun storage array to provide a highly available storage environment that increases performance by 50 percent over previous implementations, while at the same time reducing cost per gigabyte by the same number.

A dedicated data store, the message store in the Sun Java System Messaging Server enables the delivery, retrieval, and manipulation of Internet mail messages. It works with Post Office Protocol Version 3 (POP3) and Internet Messaging Access Protocol 4 (IMAP4) client access servers to provide flexible and easy access to messaging. Connected to a Web mail server, it also provides messaging capabilities to Sun Convergence and Sun Java System Communications Express (also part of the Java Communications Suite) in a Web browser.

The white paper concludes that, while the Java System Messaging Server has successfully met its goals of a 50-percent reduction in storage costs and a 50-percent improvement in messages-per-second throughput, there is significant room for improvement.

Much of this belief relies on the Solaris ZFS file system. Among its many capabilities, ZFS can transparently optimize the use of different types of storage devices. This has been demonstrated here—both SATA and FC drives are used in a solution that is less expensive and more performant. Solid-state drives (SSDs) based on flash technology are now coming to market. While these drives are more expensive per gigabyte, they offer tens or hundreds of times the IOPS performance of even the fastest hard disk drives. SSDs offer the potential to raise the performance level even more, while simultaneously lowering the overall cost of deploying a large messaging store.

More Information

ZFS Learning Center

Sun Java Messaging Server

Sun Java Communications Suite

Software Media Kits and Trial Licenses for Tiered Storage Manager 6.1 [...read more...]

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