Nimble – a fresh approach to storage | Nimble CS-Series | EMC Isilon | Scale-Out Storage

Nimble CS-Series Models and Features

Nimble Storage CS-Series arrays are available in three configurations. Each provides primary storage, plus capacity for 60-90 days of backup. The primary/backup split is flexible and fully configurable.

Technical Highlights	Descriptions
Data Integrity	Dual-parity RAID (RAID6) without a performance penalty and with fast rebuilds Block checksums Block self-description for protection against misdirected reads/writes Background RAID scrubs Mirrored NVRAM
High Availability	Hot-swappable controllers with automated and transparent controller failover Redundant, hot-swappable components such as fans and power supplies Hot-swappable disk drives and flash SSDs
Built-in Features	Thin provisioning Zero-copy clones Universal compression Thin snapshots WAN-efficient replication
Backup/DR	Stores 30-90 days compressed primary data snapshots Stores 30-90 days replicated snapshots to offsite DR
Application Integration	Block size matched to application block size Built-in application profiles VSS and VMware integrated snapshots and replication vCenter plug-ins VAAI, SRM integrations Oracle integration
Security	Initiator group-based ACL CHAP Authentication
Management Interfaces	SNMP, SSH, HTTP, Web (SSL), Serial Console
Proactive Wellness	SMART monitoring for all drives Frequent heartbeats monitored by Nimble Support Real-time email alerts Configurable, secure remote access
Support	Auto-support (email home) 24 x 7 technical support
Hardware Chassis	3U
Dimensions	5.2”H x 17.2”W x 26.5”D
Weight	76 lbs.
Power Requirement	500W
Environmental	Operating temperature 10 – 35º C (50 – 95º F) Non-operating temperature 0 – 40º C (32 – 110º F) Operating humidity 8 – 90% Non-operating humidity 5 – 95%

 

 Technical Specification 

	CS210	CS220 / CS220G	CS240 / CS240G	CS260 / CS260G
Raw Disk Capacity	8TB	12TB	24TB	36TB
Effective Disk Capacity (assuming 50% compression)	8TiB	16TiB	32TiB	48TiB
Raw Flash Cache	160GB	320GB	640GB	1.2TB
Effective Flash Cache (assuming 50% compression)	320GB	640GB	1.3 TB	2.4TB
Memory	24GB	24GB	24GB	24GB
Network Connections	4 x 1GbE per controller	CS220: 6 x 1GbE per controllerCS220G: 2 x 10GbE + 2 x 1GbE per controller	CS240: 6 x 1GbE per controllerCS240G: 2 x 10GbE + 2 x 1GbE per controller	CS260: 6 x 1GbE per controllerCS260G: 2 x 10GbE + 2 x 1GbE per controller
High Availability	Dual, hot-swappable controllers and power supplies with mirrored NVRAM.
Application Integration	Nimble Protection Manager (VSS- and VMware-integrated snapshots and replication), VSS/VDS Hardware providers, vCenter plug-in, application performance profiles.
Included Capabilities	iSCSI, high-performance dual-parity RAID, inline compression, thin provisioning, efficient snapshots and replication, in­stant restore, cloning, data protection policies, comprehensive checksums, proactive data scrubbing, autosupport (email home), hardware monitoring, scale-out ready.
Dimensions	3U (5.2”H x 17.2”W x 25.5”D)
Weight	76 lbs
Power Requirement	500W

 

CASL Architecture

Introducing CASL™ Architecture

Nimble Storage CASL ArchitectureCS-Series iSCSI arrays are built on Nimble’s breakthrough Cache Accelerated Sequen­tial Layout (CASL™) architecture. Here’s how CASL works:

• Inline Compression: Unlike existing architectures that store data as fixed-size blocks, Nimble CASL stores data as variable-size blocks, enabling real-time 2-4x data com­pression with no added latency.

• Optimised Data Layout: A copy of active “hot” data is held in flash memory, enabling fast reads, while all data is stored in cost-effective, high-capacity disk. Data is laid out sequentially, enabling fast writes to flash and disk.

• Intelligent Index: CASL’s intelligent index automatically tracks hot data blocks and instantly responds to workload changes.

• Instant, Integrated Backups: 60-90 days of compressed, incremental, snapshots are captured on high-capacity disk at pre-con­figured intervals. The snapshots are highly space efficient, and have zero performance impact on application performance, allowing frequent recovery points.

• Efficient Offsite Replication: Compressed block level changes are copied to a remote Nimble array for cost-effective disaster recovery.

Nimble Protection Manager

All Nimble Storage arrays ship with built-in Nimble Protection Manager (NPM). NPM manages application-consistent backups for all application data residing on Nimble arrays, plus VM system-consistent backups and replicas for virtualized environments.

With NPM, pre-existing data protection policies (such as snapshot and replication schedules, retention goals, and cross-volume consistency) can be assigned to groups of data sets, and new policies can be easily created. NPM coordinates with an application to quiesce I/O, ensuring that the snapshot does not capture any in-progress writes. NPM uses Protection Set schedules to synchronize the snapshot with the application or virtual machine, enabling the application to immediately use the backup data without performing any extra recovery steps.

Backup integrity is automatically confirmed using database verification tools at pre-configured schedules. Data can be instantly restored from any available backup by selecting it from the management user interface, speeding up and simplifying application recovery. And for testing and development, a snapshot can be cloned instantly and used to verify an application’s compatibility with the system or to use with a new application.