Texas Memory Systems Adds Redundant RAM To Reliability Features Of The Worlds Fastest Storage

Texas Memory Systems, makers of the Worlds Fastest Storage, announced the availability of redundant RAM (RAID-ed memory) technology for its RamSan-325 solid state disk systems. The IBM Chipkill -based technology, helps Texas Memory Systems protect database and other business critical applications from serious multi-bit errors that can cause data corruption and unscheduled system downtime.

Standard error correcting code (ECC) implementations correct single-bit errors but cannot correct the multi-bit errors that can result in data integrity issues. Chipkill technology is an order of magnitude more reliable because it allows a memory system to correct a multi-bit failure up to and including a total chip failure. As implemented on the RamSan-325 solid state disk, Chipkill works hand-in-hand with the existing ECC to provide this data protection.

Although multi-bit data errors are extremely rare, an organizations most critical data is often stored on a solid state disk, said Woody Hutsell, Executive Vice President at Texas Memory Systems. Because a solid state disk facilitates more concurrent database users and greatly accelerated transaction processing, the impact of a multi-bit error could be significant. Thats why Texas Memory Systems goes the extra mile to build the most reliable solid state systems available on the market.

In addition to Chipkill, the RamSan-325 high-availability architecture includes redundant and hot swappable power supplies, redundant batteries to provide power in the event external power is lost, and a four disk RAID with hot swappable backup hard disk drives that stores data that is flushed from memory. Texas Memory Systems' unique Active Backup feature allows users to simultaneously benefit from the solid state drive's superior performance and the hard disk drives' persistence by constantly backing up memory to the internal RAID without affecting application performance.

The RamSan-325 non-volatile solid state disk can accelerate I/O intensive applications such as databases up to 2500% by delivering random data at sustained rates exceeding 1.5 gigabytes per second. Applications that benefit include OLTP (online transaction processing), OLAP (online analytical processing), modeling, and data acquisition. Typical RamSan users include corporations in the financial, telecom, broadcasting, and e-commerce sectors as well as government, military, and research organizations.