This summer I made the decision to leave my previous employer and join another vendor in the All Flash Array space - a company called Kaminario. A lot of people have been in touch to ask me about this, so I thought I'd answer the question here... Why Kaminario? To answer the question, we first need to … Continue reading Why Kaminario?
Tag: flash memory
All Flash Arrays: SSD-based versus Ground-Up Design
In recent articles in this series I've been looking at the architectural choices for building All Flash Arrays (AFAs). I surmised that there are three main approaches: Hybrid Flash Arrays SSD-based All Flash Arrays Ground-Up All Flash Arrays (which from here on I'll refer to as Custom Flash Module arrays or CFM arrays) I've already blown metaphorical raspberries at … Continue reading All Flash Arrays: SSD-based versus Ground-Up Design
All Flash Arrays: Where’s My Capacity? Effective, Usable and Raw Explained
What's the most important attribute to consider when you want to buy a new storage system? More critical than performance, more interesting than power and cooling requirements, maybe even more important than price? Whether it's an enterprise-class All Flash Array, a new drive for your laptop or just a USB flash key, the first question … Continue reading All Flash Arrays: Where’s My Capacity? Effective, Usable and Raw Explained
All Flash Arrays: Can’t I Just Stick Some SSDs In My Disk Array?
In the previous post of this series I outlined three basic categories of All Flash Array (AFA): the hybrid AFA, the SSD-based AFA and the ground-up AFA. This post addresses the first one and is therefore aimed at answering one of the questions I hear most often: why can't I just stick a bunch of SSDs … Continue reading All Flash Arrays: Can’t I Just Stick Some SSDs In My Disk Array?
All Flash Arrays: What Is An AFA?
For the last couple of years I've been writing a series of blog posts introducing the concepts of flash-memory and solid state storage to those who aren't part of the storage industry. I've covered storage fundamentals, some of what I consider to be the enduring myths of storage, a section of unashamed disk-bashing and then … Continue reading All Flash Arrays: What Is An AFA?
Understanding Flash: Summary – NAND Flash Is A Royal Pain In The …
NAND flash is a genuinely difficult storage medium – it wears out, has slow erases, and requires complex management. This article summarises the Understanding Flash series and explains why architecture is what separates great all-flash arrays from merely fast ones.
Paris Oracle Meetup (Jeudi 26 Mars 2015 @ 7pm)
A quick post to say that this week, on Thursday 26th, I will be giving a talk (in English!) on the subject of Flash for DBAs (and architects, designers, developers, managers etc) at the Paris Oracle Meetup: Flash for DBAs: A new technology is sweeping the world of storage. Flash, a type of non-volatile memory, is … Continue reading Paris Oracle Meetup (Jeudi 26 Mars 2015 @ 7pm)
Postcards from Storageland: Three Years At Violin
A few weeks ago, in what seems to be a truly modern phenomenon, I became aware that it was my third anniversary of joining Violin after I noticed a number of people congratulating me on LinkedIn. In many ways it feels like I've already been here for a lifetime, but it was only twelve months ago … Continue reading Postcards from Storageland: Three Years At Violin
Understanding Flash: Fabrication, Shrinkage and the Next Big Thing
NAND flash manufacturers have been shrinking transistors for decades, but 2D planar NAND is hitting its physical limits. This article explains process geometries, 3D NAND as the answer, and why new memory technologies face a billion-dollar barrier to market.
Understanding Flash: Floating Gates and Wear
NAND flash wears out because repeated program and erase operations degrade the oxide layer in floating gate transistors. This article explains how flash cells store data and why wear affects SLC, MLC and TLC differently.
flashdba 