The Sun Flash Accelerator F20 PCIe Card is a Flash PCIe card with an integrated disk controller that increases server storage I/O and application performance. Ideal for boosting performance of data intensive server scale-out architectures where application response times are business critical, this solution also saves disk slots and HBA costs.

Targeted at I/O intensive applications, such as databases with 4K block aligned workloads, the Sun Flash Accelerator delivers the I/O performance equaling that of up to 300 disk drives, Sun reports. The integrated disk controller allows support and management of the entire Hybrid Storage Pool consisting of both Flash memory and disk drives.

Features

• 96GB solid-state SLC Flash capacity

• Over 100K read and 84K write IOPS (4K) Performance

• Enterprise-grade SLC solid-state NAND technology provides high reliability and write endurance. Each Flash module includes sophisticated error correction, wear-leveling, bad block-mapping, and extra (25%) internal capacity for reliability and longevity.

• Integrated SAS controller supporting up to 8 internal disk drives, which saves HBA PCIe slots and costs

• Low-Profile 3/4 length PCIe card capable of fitting most servers and their PCIe slots

• Integrated super capacitor-based write persistency and date integrity protection for the highest level of data integrity with write-through protection in case of unexpected power loss.

• On-board Flash Module (four total) offers over 2 million hours MTBF reliability, exceeding that of enterprise disk drives.

• Fully compatible with existing drivers and operating environments, it emulates standard but extremely fast disk drives (four Flash drives in total) and emulates a standard SAS HBA disk controller (for up to eight internal HDDs connects)

The Sun Flash Accelerator F20 PCIe Card supports up to 8 internal SAS/SATA disk drives (2 x 4-wide internal SAS connectors).

Supported Platforms

Currently only qualified Sun servers are supported. Sun reports that there are no non-Sun servers being qualified or tested at this time.

Platforms supporting the X-Option (XTA-FAS-S3IE96GB) configurations, include:

• Sun Fire X4270 Servers
• Sun SPARC Enterprise T5120 Server
• Sun SPARC Enterprise T5140 Server
• Sun SPARC Enterprise T5220 Server
• Sun SPARC Enterprise T5240 Server
• Sun SPARC Enterprise T5440 Server

ATO support is to be determined at a later date as is HDD support and other Sun servers support. Please refer to Sun server support for the most current Sun Flash Accelerator F20 support and supported configuration information.

Supported Operating Systems

• Solaris
• Open Solaris
• Windows
• Red Hat Linux

Warranty

The F20 Flash Card will inherit the support contract of the server it is installed into. At a minimum it carries the standard X-Option warranty, which is a one-year, part exchange/return to Sun.

The life expectancy of the super capacitors is heavily influenced by temperature. According to Sun, at normal operating temperatures, the life expectancy of the super capacitors is greater than 3 years, but can be reduced with high temperatures. Sun recommends as a best practice to insert the F20 Flash Card into a PCIe slot with maximum air flow for coolest operating temperatures and away from heat generating components, like power supplies.

Sun Flash Accelerator F20 ESM Monitoring Utility for Solaris 1.0

The Sun Flash Accelerator F20 ESM Monitoring Utility checks the onboard Energy Storage Module (ESM) weekly, and indicates when to replace the ESM as it reaches its lifetime threshold. Replacement of the ESM ensures continued optimal performance while accessing the FMods on the Sun Flash Accelerator F20 PCIe Card. This utility is available from the Sun Download Center.

More Information

Sun Flash Accelerator F20 PCIe Card Product Page

Vdbench Test Results for Sun Flash Accelerator F20 PCIe Card [...read more...]

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