RamSan-440 highlights:

• 4.5 Gigabytes per Second
• 600,000 IOPS
• Up to 512 GB Storage
• 350-SEC Restore/Backup
• Fibre Channel or Infiniband

Installation and Management

TMS’ numerous customers have seen real world increases from 2x to 25x simply by installing a single RamSan. The RamSan440 can accelerate numerous applications across industries. It is best known for drastic performance gains in OLTP, batch processing, and other intensive operations. The RamSan plugs into servers or fabrics through basic Fibre Channel. It appears simply as a very, very fast disk to the network, able to act as any disk or storage system might.

Highly Reliable Storage

There is no tradeoff in reliability for performance. The RamSan 440 includes RAIDed RAM boards for primary storage, hot swappable power supplies, and three independent internal batteries (N+1) to ensure that no power loss or power supply failure will stop the RamSan from performing its internal backup procedures to RAID protected Flash memory modules. Redundant cooling fans and redundant data ports are also part of the sophisticated design.

The RamSan-440 protects both the primary storage (RAM) and the backup storage media (Flash) by using RAIDed configurations. The RamSan 440 protects the primary RAM storage media with RAIDed RAM-boards. As part of the RAID protection for each bank of memory there is one set of memory cards that store parity data.

The RamSan 440 protects the Flash storage media with RAIDed Flash memory modules. If a Flash memory module fails, a parity module will provide data protection. The Flash memory modules are used when the RamSan loses power; the data residing on the RAM is transferred to the Flash memory so that data is not lost. By using RAIDed Flash memory modules, the data is protected from a Flash module failure during a power loss.
The RamSan 440 takes reliability even further by implementing IBM Chipkill technology. Standard error correcting code (ECC) implementations correct single-bit data errors in memory chips but cannot correct the multi-bit errors that can result in data integrity issues. Chipkill technology allows a memory system to correct a multi-bit failure up to and including a total chip failure. Combining Chipkill and RAIDed memory boards brings unprecedented memory protection for a SSD. The RamSan 440 has 648GBs of raw memory capacity that is presented as 512 GBs of usable capacity after these protection levels. All solid state disks can correct a single bit error before sending data to the server as a part of their ECC protection.

Soft Error Scrubbing

The RamSan 440, however, goes a step further by scrubbing; re-writing the corrected data to memory and then verifying the re-write to determine if a memory chip has a failure (a hard error) or if radiation transients caused the single bit error (a soft error). Systems that do not scrub single bit memory errors will either a) report errors to a system log that will eventually encourage replacement of a memory board or b) hide these errors, thus leaving a potentially unsafe memory board in the system. Research on this topic suggests that 90% of single bit errors are soft errors. In these cases, the RamSan-440 will correct the error through the scrubbing process and prevent unnecessary downtime to replace the memory board.

Interoperability

The RamSan-440 is designed to look like a disk to the network. Therefore, it is highly interoperable and works in virtually any enterprise environment. It is installed in numerous environments, including Apple OS X, AIX, Solaris, Linux, and Windows. Hardware from Fibre Channel and InfiniBand vendors including Cisco, Emulex, Brocade, McData, Mellanox, QLogic, LSI Logic, and ATTO easily interoperates with the RamSan

Active Backup and Chipkill Technology:

The Newest Innovations in SSD  Exclusive to the RamSan is Active Backup™ software. Other SSDs and cache system can only "destage" data from RAM to backup disks once power is already lost. This means that data is never backed up during normal operation and the time-to-complete-backup after power loss is unacceptably long. A RamSan-300 with Active Backup can continuously backup data on RAM to the internal backup hard disks without impacting performance. This means in an emergency situation, data is anywhere from 60-100% on the backup hard drives already.

BRONZE WARRANTY
Equipment purchased from Reactive Data LTD (Reactive) is warranted for 1 year from the date of shipment. The warranty includes return-to-factory service for equipment that does not meet its published specification during normal operation. Damage due to external causes including, but not limited to abuse, misuse, electrical power problems or any usage not in accordance with specifications and instructions automatically voids the warranty. REACTIVE ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY EXPENSES OR DAMAGES INCLUDING LOST REVENUE INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY AS A RESULT OF DEFECTIVE TMS EQUIPMENT, OR FOR ANY EXPENSES INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY WHILE THE EQUIPMENT IS BEING REPAIRED AT THE REACTIVE FACTORY.

Return to Factory
During the period that the equipment is covered by warranty, defective equipment can be returned to the factory for repair or replacement. The customer is responsible for shipping the equipment back to the factory, together with a detailed description of the nature of the problem and the tests used to determine the failure. Reactive will take all reasonable steps to repair or, at the discretion of Reactive, replace the faulty equipment within ten working days of receipt. The customer is responsible for shipping the repaired or replaced equipment back. In an emergency, special arrangements may be negotiated subject to the availability of Reactive resources and components.

Telephone and Software Support
Telephone support is available for a period of five years after purchase, during normal Reactive business hours. Firmware and software upgrades will be available at no cost.

Repairs/Returns
Prior to returning any product, Reactive must first authorise and issue a Return Material Authorization (RMA) number. Any item returned without an RMA number is subject to refusal. Freight collect or COD returns will be refused. To receive an RMA number, contact Reactive. When contacting Reactive Customer Service please have the Reactive part number, the serial number and a detailed description of the problem. All returned goods must be shipped freight prepaid in the original boxes and packing materials, with the Reactive RMA number prominently displayed on the outside of each shipping container. Once the RMA has been issued, the items must be returned to Reactive within thirty (30) days, or else the RMA will be cancelled.

SILVER WARRANTY - Advanced Parts Replacement
Reactive Data LTD Silver Warranty may be purchased which provides all of the features of the Bronze plan. In addition, for one to three years (customer option), Reactive will ship a new replacement part to the install site for delivery the next business day if, in the judgment of Reactive, an issue as described by the customer is the result of a defective part. Reactive must be notified by 2:00 p.m. GMT in order to guarantee next day shipping. The customer is responsible for shipping the defective part back to the factory no later than ten days after receipt of the replacement hardware. If Reactive has not received the defective hardware after this time, the customer will be charged the full price of the replacement hardware. The customer is responsible for shipping costs. Silver warranty option must be purchased at time of equipment purchase, and does not extend the basic warranty by default.

GOLD WARRANTY - On-site Repair - Business Hours
Reactive Data LTD Gold Warranty may be purchased which provides all of the features of the Silver and Bronze plans. Additionally, in the event of a hardware failure, customer should call a special 800 number for 24/7 technical support 365 days a year to receive technical assistance from Reactives technical support staff. Gold Warranty also provides, when necessary, on-site service at the customer location Monday through Friday between the customer location hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. On-site service is only applicable to non-user replaceable components; on-site service does not cover software related issues. Customer must purchase a spares kit for items that will be maintained under the Gold Warranty.

PLATINUM WARRANTY - On-site Repair - 24/7
Reactive Data LTD Platinum Warranty may be purchased for the United States and most Western European countries* which includes all of the coverage in the Silver and Bronze plans plus the added protection of on-site four (4) hour response, when necessary, at the customer location seven (7) days a week. As with the Gold Warranty, customer is provided a special 800 number for 24/7 technical support 365 days a year. In the event of a failure, customer should call to receive immediate technical assistance from Reactives technical support line. On-site service is only applicable to non-user replaceable components; on-site service does not cover software related issues. Customer must purchase a spares kit for items that will be maintained under the Platinum Warranty.

* Please contact Reactive for details on coverage areas.

OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY
Faulty equipment may be returned to the factory for repair up to five years after purchase with appropriate RMA. The customer is responsible for shipping the equipment back to the factory, together with a detailed description of the nature of the problem and the tests used to determine the failure. Reactive will take all reasonable steps to repair or, at the discretion of Reactive, replace the faulty equipment within thirty working days of receipt. Customer will be charged current list prices for replacement components. The customer is responsible for shipping the repaired or replaced equipment back. In an emergency, special arrangements may be negotiated subject to the availability of Reactive resources and components. Subject to availability, Reactive field service personnel will perform troubleshooting of equipment.