Exanodes for Microsoft Windows is a pure software solution that allows users to create an iSCSI clustered storage system using fully commoditized x86 servers. Exanodes aggregates and virtualizes disks and arrays directly attached to, or embedded in, storage servers to create a shared pool of storage accessible via the Seanodes' iSCSI clustered target.
Exanodes creates disk arrays (disk groups) from disks belonging to cluster nodes. Within disk groups, Exanodes creates volumes. As many volumes can be created, resized or removed from the disk groups within the limit of the aggregated disk size.
The internal storage is clustered, allowing the user to share data among clusters’ nodes using a reliable, high-performance method.
With Exanodes for Windows, the volumes built on the storage pool are presented as iSCSI targets to be accessed by application servers over the network. Volumes can also be presented as block devices that can be formatted and mounted locally.
Exanodes is non-intrusive - it uses less than 5% of the CPU - and is easily implemented alongside other storage solutions. Its integration is quick and easy, and in no way affects your existing environment.
Exanodes provides logical volumes (LUNs) by aggregating the internal disks of commoditized x86 servers. The servers are pooled in a cluster defined by the user. A virtual storage is built using the cluster’s disks. Any external nodes can access the virtual storage by connected to any nodes of the cluster using iSCSI. Servers can be added/removed online.
Exanodes is designed to take advantage of the hardware resources in the cluster and use them in parallel, providing high performance and scalability.
With Exanodes, any computing server is also a storage server. The processing of inputs / outputs is done simultaneously on a large number of servers. The application therefore benefits from cluster parallelism for computing as well as storage throughput.
With Exanodes, by simply adding a node to a cluster you increase both your computing and storage performance.
Exanodes allows you to combine and use all types of storage devices accessible in block mode. (i.e. SATA or SCSI disks, software and hardware RAIDs, etc.)
To increase data availability, Exanodes provides a RAIN storage system (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Nodes). As every byte of information is replicated on another distinct node, if a node fails Exanodes’ RAIN system is able to carry on as normal with request processing, and both applications and users continue to have smooth uninterrupted access to their data.
Exanodes can virtualize any internal RAID on the clusters’ nodes. By combining the protection of internal RAIDs with the protection offered by RAIN, Exanodes provides highly reliable storage which can withstand numerous disk failures.
Exanodes stands out in the crowd of high-performance storage solutions because it is simple to set up, maintain and administer on a day-to-day basis. It simplifies several aspects of application management such as the redevelopment of applications designed for an SMP architecture into cluster-type applications.
Shared Storage System - Exanodes for Windows is based on Seanodes' Shared Internal Storage (SIS) architecture that can transforms underutilized disks of fully commoditized servers into a new type of SAN by aggregating them into a virtualized and shared storage pool, providing massive capacity and performance scalability. For example, using Exanodes: • the applications can be executed on any node within the cluster and their data can be easily accessed. • applications are truly mobile within a cluster because the data no longer has to be loaded to the nodes where the applications are being executed. • computing results are accessible from any node, removing the need to stage out the results after the computing phase.
Compliance with Standards - Exanodes has an exceptionally rich compatibility matrix. Exanodes supports • all major high performance networks - Infiniband, Gigabit Ethernet, SCI... • all types of block devices – disk partitions or whole disks, PATA, SATA, SCSI, JBOD, hardware RAID, software RAID, RAM...
Simplified Administration - Exanodes provides all the advantages of a storage system shared by the nodes of a cluster. Data management is thereby simplified. Moreover, Exanodes can be managed trough a very intuitive Graphic User Interface (Plug-in) and a Command Line Interface.
Exanodes for Windows eliminates the need to buy expensive additional proprietary SAN hardware. The end users can choose the hardware that best fits their business needs: disk technology (SATA, SSD or SAS); network interfaces (1GB or 10G0 Ethernet).
Drastic Reduction in External Storage Needs (SAN or NAS) - Exanodes drastically reduces acquisition costs of a storage infrastructure. Indeed, external storage needs (SAN or NAS) are greatly reduced or even eliminated.
Reduction in Operating Costs - The simplicity of the Exanodes solution (eg. integration and day-to-day management) means an increase in the amount of storage and computing nodes that can be managed by one person.
