VXM: Violin Switched Memory
On my first day of SC07, I found myself a bit overwhelmed at the number of supercomputer demonstrations taking place at the convention. But among the myriad of racks and monitors I discovered something that was never before seen. One of the first booth visits was with Violin Memory, which offered a very unique Enterprise class memory appliance. Boasting a 1.7 GBps bandwidth over 504 GB of total RAM (see below), I couldn't help myself but to take a few pictures for our readers. Look a little closer, and you might be impressed to see the numerous VIMMs populating the Violin 1010 appliance.
Violin Switched Memory (VXM) is a radical, patent-pending, redesign of memory systems for large dataset applications. Instead of the traditional bus topology, a switched network topology is used. The switched topology provides the following benefits:
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Scale: A single memory controller supports 4000 or more memory devices.
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Latency: The latency through a switched network is similar or better than a repeated bus network.
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Bandwidth: The sustained bandwidth of the network is high for both random and linear accesses.
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Fault Tolerance: The network copes with one or more module losses without loss of data and application interruption.
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Power: The heat and power per Gigabyte required is 75+% lower than a repeated bus network.
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Flexibility: The switched network supports memories of different sizes, speeds and types within the same system.
The topology developed for VXM is unique and based on 3-port switches in each of the Violin Intelligent Memory Modules (VIMMs). Each VIMM has a Violin Buffer (VB) device which both implements the 3-port switch and also provides local memory controller functions, which are specifically related to the type of memory being used (e.g. RAS/CAS refresh commands). The central memory controller provides higher level functions such as the mapping of logical address space to the specific physical VIMMs and memory devices.
Applications with large data sets and demanding performance requirements need solutions which provide either more memory or accelerate their storage I/O (Input/Output). Violin has addressed this need with Violin Switched Memory (VXM) technology, designed specifically for these applications. VXM scales memory systems both in capacity as well as performance. Violin's scalable memory products include:
Memory Appliances: These appliances integrate large amounts of DRAM and/or Flash into a high performing and robust system which supports Scalable Memory, High Performance Storage or both. The Violin 1010, shown below, is the first Memory Appliance.
Violin Intelligent Memory Modules (VIMMs): These intelligent memory modules contain memory as well as an intelligent controller with integrated VXM switch. The 6 GB DRAM module, shown below, is the first VIMM introduced.
About the company: Violin Memory, Inc.
Violin Memory, Inc. is the leading innovator in scalable memory appliances and technology. With support for both DRAM and Flash, highly scalable capacity and extreme data reliability, Violin Memory products deliver outstanding performance for large dataset applications that demand very high IOPS and low latency. Founded in 2005, Violin Memory is headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey. For more information on Violin Memory products please contact Violin or call 1-888-984-6546.
Violin 1010 VIMM
Violin Memory has launched the industry's first terabyte-scale Memory Appliance, the Violin 1010. Memory Appliances are flexible and scalable memory systems that can be used as either Extended Memory or High Performance Storage. The Violin 1010 connects to a server and provides almost 10 times the capacity of memory per rack and per Watt. A single rack of Violin 1010 can support 10 Terabyte of DRAM at less than 1W per Gigabyte! The 90% power savings per Gigabyte is important for the green data center.
The Violin 1010 is based on Violin Switched Memory (VXM) technology. VXM solves the key problems of scalable memory, including power efficiency and reliability. VXM also has in-built support for other memory types, including NAND Flash. The applications that benefit are those that process large datasets such as image, video, web content or scientific data. Today, systems are built with performance-limiting disk arrays or power-inefficient clustered servers. The Violin 1010 provides a third alternative; place the dataset in very fast and dense Memory Appliances.
The Violin 1010 is the industry's first Memory Appliance, capable of supporting both Scalable Memory (DRAM) or High Performance Storage (NAND Flash) or a mixture of the two. The first release of the Violin 1010 supports 504GB of DRAM in a 2U chassis. Violin Switched Memory (VXM) technology provides the Violin 1010 with the following significant benefits:
The Violin 1010 Memory Appliance is designed for high density, performance and reliability and includes the following system components:
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Memory Controller with RAID
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PCI Express interface (4x & 8x interfaces)
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84 VIMMS
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Slide-mounted Chassis with Cable Management
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Dual Feed 12V Power
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Redundant Fans and Temperature Monitoring
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Server resident Driver
Violin Intelligent Memory Modules (VIMMs) are a blend of Violin Intelligence and DIMM economics. A Memory Appliance can be configured with as many VIMMs as required. A full complement of VIMMS within a system provides the maximum performance and fault tolerance. Each VIMM consist of three primary components:
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Memory: The VIMM will contain many memory devices. In the first VIMM, 54 DRAM devices each of 1 Gigabit are used to support 6 Gigabyte of DRAM with ECC.
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Violin Intelligence: The Violin Buffer provides intelligence including the 3 port switch, memory and power management and ECC logic.
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Memory Module Packaging: The VIMMs use a DDR2 module package with 5.25" long connectors and 240 pins. The modules are 2.75" tall to maximize memory density in a 2U chassis.
The second release of VIMMs will be based on NAND Flash and provide very high density and persistent storage. The 64 Gigabyte VIMMs planned would support a 5 Terabyte Violin 1010. The Violin 1010 and the associated Violin Intelligent Memory Modules (VIMMs) are now available. A 120 Gigabyte DRAM Starter Kit is available for less than $50K.
Violin Starter Kits
Violin DRAM starter kits simplify the process of evaluating the Violin 1010 with any application. The starter kit includes everything needed to connect a server to a 120 Gigabyte Violin 1010 system. The Violin DRAM starter kit is available for under $50,000 and includes the following:
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Violin 1010
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20 x 6 Gigabyte VIMMs
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1200W power supply and rack-mount kit
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Low profile (2U) PCIe x4 HIB
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Driver software (Linux RHEL, SUSE Linux Enterprise)
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PCIe External Cable (3m)
If you would like to test drive a Violin DRAM Starter Kit, please contact Violin.
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