IBM claims 'Quicksilver' flash sets data-speed record
Summary
A project under development from IBM is setting new records for data-transfer speeds using solid-state technology with one million input/outputs per second.
Topics
IBM has said its 'Project Quicksilver' is setting new records for data-transfer speeds on solid-state technology, with its tests showing a disk-storage solution hitting one million input/outputs per second (IOPS). The research project, under way at IBM's Hursley Lab in Hampshire and the Almaden Research Center in California, uses flash solid-state drives (SSDs) coupled with scalable storage virtualization technology. IBM claims to have achieved a sustained rate of over a million IOPS with a response time of under one millisecond (ms). The company believes this gives Quicksilver an improvement in performance of 250 percent, with "less than a fifth the response time" of existing disk-based storage. For good measure, IBM said, it takes up one-fifth of the space of equivalent conventional drives and uses "only 55 percent of the power and cooling". While the claims for performance increases are large, IBM has not provided evidence from independent research to back it up at this stage, as this is a research project. But the company said it has been running the technology under test with select IBM BladeCenter customers. Andy Monshaw, general manager for IBM system storage, said that IBM "is integrating this technology with systems and applications so that companies can achieve real business value from solid-state disk". In a statement, he described Quicksilver as "a significant step forward in this comprehensive systems strategy". Monshaw went on to say that the strategy is not about replacing today's hard-disk drive, but that the main emphasis is to show IBM's technical superiority over the competition. It is about "having a complete, end-to-end systems approach — and that's not something EMC, HP or Sun can match," he said.
Talkback Most Recent of 4 Talkback(s)
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That's great but...
To me, a SysAdmin,servers are servers. It's great to hear IBM working on overcoming one of the biggest bottlenecks in the industry. However whereas the last statement say's, "That's something EMC,HP and Sun just can't match", The biggest reason I cannot stand working on IBM servers over HP is IBM's lackluster Director software. Us SysAdmins use Systems management software to monitor, troubleshoot, upgrade and reboot servers. HP's ILO2 with Insight Manager is something IBM "Just can't match".
ibanez19981st Sep 2008 -
'Quicksilver' flash
I rather expect that when and if we do see "Quicksilver" on the market, it will be used in laptops and very small package electronics. It will, no doubt, begin as a high dollar product. Thus, will be used in products where light weight, low power consumption and high durability are at a premium.
Sagax-1st Sep 2008 -
RE: IBM claims 'Quicksilver' flash sets data-speed record
So you posit that a new technology will be used in smaller devices with lower power drain expectations - and a high out-of-gate price premium.
Way to take a chance, you really jumped out on some limbs, there.
ringgold@...2nd Sep 2008 -
Best product to date.
Sounds great, but the product cycle won't kick into effect for quite a while. When it does and this becomes the industry standard, it will be great.
I've puchased many Super Talent Pico-C 8gb flash drives recently. The last one (gold edition) from E-Wiz for $35.00 w/free shipping.
They are one piece and about the size of a stick of trident chewing gum and have never let me down with Windows or Linux systems. They always come right up.
And as an added bonus, they are completely waterproof.
They are much better than other ones I have purchased in the past.
Joe.Smetona2nd Sep 2008
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