X-IO Intelligent Storage Element (ISE) – Product Brief

The X-IO Intelligent Storage Element (ISE) is a storage module that is connected to a storage application typically through a switch over Fibre Channel. There is also a RESTful API called CorteX for communication from a “cloud” application. As a storage module, called a storage “system” (formerly called storage blades) by X-IO, there is a pair of internal Management Reliability Controllers (MRC) to perform the communication and reliability functions of the ISE. Each ISE can be seen as a sealed package with storage devices, MRCs, cache with batteries or super-capacitors and power and cooling units.

Storage volumes are presented from the ISE with storage services that currently include RAID protection, thin provisioning, quality of service, data-at-rest encryption and optional synchronous mirroring. Management of device errors and failures are handled within the ISE unit itself. The Intelligent Storage Elements systems are currently available in the following 40-drive all-HDD, hybrid and all-flash configurations:

• ISE 100 Series G3 – all HDDs, 38.4TB and 57.6TB capacities (raw), up to 2500 IOPS, 1GB/s bandwidth
• ISE 200 Series G3 – all HDDs, 28.8TB, 38.4TB and 57.6TB capacities (raw), up to 15,000 IOPS, 2GB/s bandwidth
• ISE 700 Series G3 – hybrid (HDD and flash), 21.6TB, 28.8TB, 43.2TB capacities (raw), up to 120,000 IOPS, 2GB/s bandwidth
• ISE 800 Series G3 – all-flash, 6.4TB, 25.6TB, 51.2TB capacities (raw), up to 400,000 IOPS, 5GB/s bandwidth

The storage system is meant to be used in an active-active configuration with the ability to automatically failover. X-IO offers a preconfigured rack of 10 ISEs called the Station X. Station X provides Fibre Channel attachment through a rack mounted switch. Major operating systems and hypervisors are supported.