Introduction

The XtremIO Storage Array is an all-flash system, based on a scale-out architecture. The system uses building blocks, called X-Bricks, which can be clustered together, as shown in Figure 2.

The system operation is controlled via a stand-alone dedicated Linux-based server, called the XtremIO Management Server (XMS). Each XtremIO cluster requires its own XMS host, which can be either a physical or a virtual server. The array continues operating if it is disconnected from the XMS, but cannot be configured or monitored.

XtremIO's array architecture is specifically designed to deliver the full performance potential of flash, while linearly scaling all resources such as CPU, RAM, SSDs, and host ports in a balanced manner. This allows the array to achieve any desired performance level, while maintaining consistency of performance that is critical to predictable application behavior.

The XtremIO Storage Array provides a very high level of performance that is consistent over time, system conditions and access patterns. It is designed for high granularity true random I/O.

The cluster's performance level is not affected by its capacity utilization level, number of volumes, or aging effects. Moreover, performance is not based on a "shared cache" architecture and therefore it is not affected by the dataset size or data access pattern.

Due to its content-aware storage architecture, XtremIO provides:

• Even distribution of data blocks, inherently leading to maximum performance and
• minimal flash wear
• Even distribution of metadata
• No data or metadata hotspots
• Easy setup and no tuning
• Advanced storage functionality, including Inline Data Deduplication and Compression, thin provisioning, advanced data protection (XDP), snapshots, and more