Comment by HP CTO

Question

What do you think of this comment made by the HP CTO at the end of the storagemojo article?

Last but not least LeftHand runs on open x86 enterprise class storage server platforms, from blades to rack servers. This makes the adoption of new hardware technology like 10 Gig, Nehalem processors, PCI Express RAID controllers and faster memory much easier. EqualLogic is tied to a proprietary Broadcom MIPS processor chipset that significantly underperforms the latest x86 server hardware, which is why EqualLogic is taking forever to deliver 10 Gig. Could EQL move to x86? This would require a complete firmware re-write, because their cache mirroring firmware is tied to the Broadcom hardware.

DELL-Dylan L · Answer

@ s1xth - Actually, it’s incorrect. In fact, Dell’s EqualLogic platform already adopted an additional processor earlier this year. By the same token, RISC processors have served our customers very well and continue to do so. Customers with hundreds of terabytes of EqualLogic storage are running new EqualLogic firmware on arrays with either processor – the previous chip or the new one – all in the same pool with great success.

We could move the EqualLogic platform to x86, but believe our current approach delivers the best value and performance for SAN solutions to our customers. We are not tied to any particular processor ‘religion’.

Ultimately, IT organizations care about actual storage performance not theories of component performance. The proof is in the pudding. Size, test and verify to get the performance you need for your applications.

GlennGrab · Answer

I guess HP is going to stop selling the EVA and XP(made by HDS) then, since they aren't based on x86 hardware. Then again, their Enterprise Class Storage Portfolio website puts the XP and EVA platforms front and center: http://h18006.www1.hp.com/storage/enterprisestorage.html

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Comment by HP CTO

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