STORAGE

In response to the increasing adoption of clustered file systems in the datacenter, Scali today announced an enhanced version of its Scali Manage and Scali MPI Connect suites with added storage management functionality. The new version will allow enterprise and research environments that utilize clustered file systems for data storage to integrate storage management with their overall cluster management. This new version (4.4) also includes additional cluster availability and reliability features. "Many organizations have recognized the capital and operational cost savings associated with using clustered server solutions in their datacenters. As this trend continues, more users will look for storage solutions that can keep pace with those clusters," said John Humphreys, Research Manager at analyst firm, IDC. "We see the market for clustered solutions moving from compute intensive applications to data intensive applications and supporting clustered file systems, in conjunction with the overall management of a clustered environment, as the logical next step." Using and managing clustered file systems is particularly important in industries where the volume of data being analyzed is very large. Examples include seismic processing where run times have been reduced by days, automotive design where large cluster installations have seen considerable throughput improvements, and financial services where writing large volumes of data quickly and consistently enhanced compliance capabilities. With this new option, Scali Manage/Storage, Scali provides a complete cluster management solution that now includes the installation and configuration of a clustered file system within a cluster. The solution tests functionality and performance of the file system after installation to validate correct deployment. This approach of linking installation with validation streamlines the deployment process while improving the handling of any fault. Once installed, Scali Manage can continue to monitor the storage nodes as part of the cluster environment enabling the use of monitors and alarms to assure the nodes are functioning correctly. "We are excited about Scali's new release. Scali continues to drive functionality and ease of use for the Linux datacenter and high performance computing environments," said Dan Cox, Manager Linux Cluster Programs, Industry Standard Server Group, HP. "Scali is one of our strategic partners and we see significant value in offering a single point of management for storage and compute nodes. This feature set will enhance our joint partner driven programs." In addition to the new storage related functionality, version 4.4 includes a number of other significant features for the core Scali Manage and Scali MPI Connect software. Scali Manage now offers improved scalability and usability of the monitoring capabilities often used for capacity planning. These improvements enable customers to tune parameters for capturing historical data to match their requirements. The new version also features improved monitoring capabilities with the addition of predefined alarms based on best practice experience, simplifying alarm setup and accuracy. Scali MPI Connect features improved application and network reliability for long MPI jobs. Applications using MPI Connect can now automatically failover from a high speed interconnect to an Ethernet interface. With this option, large jobs can continue to completion even if the high speed network fails, greatly reducing reliability concerns. Scali continues to form strategic partnerships introducing increased levels of support within the hardware and software industries. Version 4.4 will be verified across a range of multi-platform clusters from IBM, HP, Dell, Sun and SGI, a recently announced partner. Blade servers from HP and Dell will also support the Scali Manage and Scali MPI Connect Software. Growing support from software providers is also significant with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 now being verified for Scali software across all architectures. The growth in hardware and software support greatly benefits customers, allowing them to better manage their increasingly complex heterogeneous computing environments. "As organizations worldwide continue to move to large cluster installations, we'll continue to develop solutions that smooth the installation, operation and management of these clusters," said Hakon Bugge, Chief Technology Officer and founder at Scali. "Our enhanced solution brings an unprecedented level of scalability, functionality and reliability to our customers for easier management of complex cluster and grid environments."