The third generation Pure Storage all-NVMe FlashArray//X with optional Optane caching is now generally available.
FlashArray//X R3 is a go-faster piece of kit and features;
- Xeon SP (Cascade Lake) processor support,
- Support for NVMe-oF across the range and Storage Class Memory (called DirectMemory) with the //70 and //90 models. This enables FlashArray to provide latency as low as 150µs, while a Pure blog claims it provides “as low as 100µs latency.”
- New 1TB NVMe DirectFlash Modules; Pure’s proprietary flash drives, accompanying the existing 4.5TB, 9TB and 18TB units,
- A general performance increase of up to 25 per cent over the second generation FlashArray//X,
- Up to 50 per cent performance improvement over FlashArray//M R2,
- SAP HANA OLAP with NSE (Native Storage Extension) performance increases up to 50 per cent over the previous generation //X non-disruptively, with no migration required,
- MySQL testing yielded up to 50 per cent more transactions/sec (tps) at 35 per cent lower latency compared to using directly-attached drives,
- PostgreSQL testing yielded up to 20 per cent more tps at 12 percent lower latency compared to using directly-attached drives.
Pure announced in September last year it was adding Optane caching to the FlashArray//X.
You can download and read a FlashArray//X R3 datasheet to find out more.
Pure said the //X R3 hardware is optimised for the next generation of Purity//FA operating software version 6, but did not furnish details. We understand the system will take advantage of technology gained through the 2019 Compuverde acquisition to provide support for block and file access.,
The Pure blog states: “If you’re nearing your three-year renewal, you can non-disruptively upgrade your 2017 FlashArray controllers. With the //X R3 upgrade, you’ll experience zero downtime and get up to 50 per cent greater performance compared to the 2017 platform.” That’s worth having.
