Cancer genome medicine or precision cancer medicine is to provide the optimal treatment based on genetic mutations in cancer tissue. This field holds the promise of personalized medical care that is appropriate to the genomic information of each patient’s cancer. Hopes are high that this could be “a dream cancer treatment.”
Cancer genome medicine is being promoted in developed countries around the world. On the other hand, challenges remain: there is a shortage of specialists with knowledge of advanced genome information, while selecting therapeutic agents is difficult.
Fujitsu is advancing the “Healthy Living” initiative to work towards a world that enriches the life experience of everyone and continues to expand their potential.
https://corporate-blog.global.fujitsu.com/fgb/2022-06-24/01/
HONG KONG, August 3, 2022 – After achieving historical FY21/22 fiscal year results, Lenovo has been ranked #171 on FORTUNE’s annual Global 500 List and in the top 20 (#14) of all Technology sector companies cited in the List. This is Lenovo’s best performance on record among technology companies, moving up one spot from the previous year.
The differences between a SAN & NAS
A storage area network and network attached storage both provide data storage across a network to deliver either file or block storage. SAN vs NAS are two completely different types of storage.
SAN storage is a block-level storage protocol. Blocks are presented to the application or operating system as LUNs (logical unit numbers, these are provided by the SAN storage and connect to the server via a HBA (host bus adapter). The data blocks appear as locally attached storage (DAS), when in reality the storage resides on the SAN. SAN storage uses either fibre channel or iSCSI to create the SAN and this is normally a separate dedicated network.
NAS storage provides a centralised file sharing area for storing files. The NAS has an operating system that uses variants of Linux or Windows Storage Server and this integrates directly with LDAP or Active Directory to allow designated users to store and access files across the network.
A SAN normally has multiple storage arrays, servers and network switches connected to the same network.
SAN vs NAS Performance
The debate regarding SAN vs NAS continues to be discussed. In most data centres today running 32Gb/s Fibre Channel the SAN would win. If a business starts to deploy 100Gb/s Ethernet then you could argue the NAS would win, but remember you can also have an iSCSI SAN which would in effect be faster than the NAS over the same network.
SAN storage is faster than NAS due to the lower processing overhead the fibre channel and iSCSI protocols use, this enables almost wire speed to transmit data across the SAN. Both systems can have HDD’s, NVMe & SSD drives internally, but performance will be greater across a SAN.
SAN storage connectivity
Connecting SAN storage to your storage area network will utilise one or more of the following:
8/16/32/64Gb/s Fibre channel = FC SAN
1/10/25/100Gb/s Ethernet = iSCSI SAN
A SAN normally has multiple redundant switches connected to redundant storage arrays, from these arrays the storage is carved up and served out as data volumes. These volumes could provide storage for virtualisation, local disk storage to servers attached to the SAN or provides disk storage to backup appliances where block storage is a key requirement.
NAS storage connectivity
Connecting NAS storage to the network normally uses Ethernet and these are the normal network connections.
- 1/10/25/100Gb/s Ethernet
- 10/25/100Gb/s FCoE
A NAS normally connects to one or two network switches. The NAS storage is then carved up into volumes, these volumes are then used to provide files and folders to be accessed across the network as CIFS/SMB/NFS shares to which users map to their desktops.
How do SAN vs NAS storage differ?
SAN – Storage Area Network
NAS – Network Attached Storage
A NAS has an operating system, CPU, memory, data storage, network connections; SAN storage on the other hand has a CPU, memory, data storage, network connections and an embedded operating system for storage management. SAN storage will not allow you to add extra functionality i.e. photo sharing app. SAN storage is more secure than NAS storage as the embedded operating system cannot be changed or modified.
Normally fibre channel is a point-2-point protocol, this means the LUN can only be seen by the server connected host, although there is software available to share LUNs with multiple hosts and this is normally used in post-production to share large files across the network, but lock files when they are being accessed.
A NAS on the other hand by default shares all the available volumes across the network to any user who has file/folder permissions.
Which should I choose?
In the SAN vs NAS debate, ultimately it boils down to your budget and requirements.
A SAN requires a totally separate dedicated network, although iSCSI will operate over an existing Ethernet network, it is recommended that it also resides on a dedicated network.
Whereas a NAS will happily sit on your network and provide local shared files and folders for users.
If you want performance and the most secure infrastructure, then choose a SAN. In the end it is horses for course NAS for file and SAN for block.
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Lenovo ThinkAgile HX
Lenovo and Nutanix have partnered to deliver the Lenovo ThinkAgile HX series of Nutanix nodes or appliances, a best-in-class hyperconverged infrastructure solution with Nutanix’s Acropolis industry-leading software preloaded on Lenovo award winning server platforms.
Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series are fully validated and certified Nutanix nodes and appliances running the Nutanix Acropolis software. They are designed for easy deployment and manageability in scale-out clusters with a choice of models and configurations to suit a wide variety of workloads and applications. The components of your hyperconverged solution are certified right down to the firmware on the drives and HBAs, to eliminate worries that firmware upgrades might break compliance. Pre-validated software updates delivered on a predictable schedule enable you to benefit from continuous innovation available from Nutanix.
Running Nutanix Acropolis software the Lenovo ThinkAgile HX provides the ability to build and manage scale-out clusters through a single interface. Achieve even simpler IT operations by using Nutanix Prism for one-click provisioning, insights, and firmware updates. Lenovo XClarity, a fast and intuitive resource management tool, can be used in concert with Prism.
Nutanix Licensing
Lenovo ThinkAgile HX appliances include a bundled Life of Device license, which remains with the appliance for its lifetime. For customers who prefer to provide their own Nutanix software licenses, Lenovo offers another choice: the ThinkAgile HX Certified Node, which includes:
- Fully validated and integrated hardware and firmware, certified with Nutanix software
- Preloaded Nutanix software for ready deployment, Nutanix term license obtained separately
- Flexibility to bring your own Nutanix term-based license, transferable to other HX certified nodes
- Flexibility to provide your own deployment services or optionally use Lenovo Deployment Services
Simple Ordering Process
Lenovo has designed, tested, and validated ThinkAgile HX certified nodes and appliances to provide the solutions quickly and easily you need, with the confidence required, to exceed the stringent requirements of today’s IT. The result is that you can quickly deploy a robust, high-performance HCI solution and rapidly solve your IT challenges.
Lenovo ThinkAgile HX are built with certified hardware components streamlining the ordering process for validated configurations, that allow businesses to deploy solutions quickly and easily, all based on Lenovo ThinkSystem award winning server hardware.
Get up and running quickly with purpose-built Nutanix Acropolis integrated systems from ourselves a fully accredited and certified Lenovo DCG partner. The systems come fully ready to run and offer consistent, end-to-end customer support no matter whom you call.
Lenovo ThinkAgile HX certified nodes or appliances are available in multiple form factors 1U, 2U or 4U, with either 1 or 4 nodes per chassis.
Key Benefits
- Simplicity : Lenovo XClarity extension integrates with Windows Admin Center from Microsoft, providing a unified single-pane-of-glass simple management experience across infrastructure, virtual machines, software, and hardware.
- Flexibility : Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Nodes offer a wide range of processor, memory, and storage options to provide the maximum flexibility for customizing your infrastructure.
- Faster time to value : In traditional IT, a solution is designed, tested, implemented, and maintained requiring significant time and energy. With HCI, this burden has been transferred to the solution provider. Nutanix helps to solve the Hyperconverged Infrastructure challenges by choosing Lenovo ThinkAgile HX thus ensuring a robust and viable platform.
Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Advantages
Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Certified Nodes are designed for deploying industry-leading Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI) software from Nutanix on Lenovo enterprise platforms that feature the second generation of the Intel Xeon Processor Scalable family (Xeon SP Gen 2) or AMD EPYC processors. They deliver fully validated and integrated Lenovo hardware and firmware that is certified with Nutanix software and preloaded with the Nutanix AHV hypervisor. Nutanix offers a unique, software-defined approach to hyper convergence, leveraging the hypervisor to deliver compute, storage, and management in a tightly integrated software stack.
All Lenovo solutions https://www.lenovofiles.com/3dtours/products/
Lenovo ThinkAgile MX for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI
Lenovo ThinkAgile VX VMware vSAN certified nodes
Servers for a Data Driven World
The new Fujitsu RX2540 M6 is designed to be a high performance, small footprint server. It supports dual sockets providing the ideal balance of density and scalability using the new EDSFF drives. Processing power is handled by the new 3rd Generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors with up to 40 cores per CPU all housed in a dense 1U form factor.
Fujitsu RX2540 M6 Specification Overview
The Fujitsu RX2540 M6 supports up to 64 EDSFF drives of 4TB providing 256TB of RAW storage space, alternatively you can choose 24x 2.5″ SAS/SATA/NVMe drives of up to 30.72TB capacity or 12x 3.5″ SAS/SATA of up to 144TB capacity.
With a choice of 1 or 2 processors from Intel® Xeon® Silver 43xx processor / Intel® Xeon® Gold 53xx processor / Intel® Xeon® Gold 63xx processor / Intel® Xeon® Platinum 83xx processor.
With up to 8TB of memory using up to 32 (16 DIMMs per CPU, 8 channels with 2 slots per channel) of DDR4 3200MHz memory or up to 12TB using Intel® Optane™ persistent memory.
Visit our web page for more details: fujitsu-primergy-rx2540-m6
Servers for a Data Driven World
The new Fujitsu RX2530 M6 is designed to be a high performance, small footprint server. It supports dual sockets providing the ideal balance of density and scalability using the new EDSFF drives. Processing power is handled by the new 3rd Generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors with up to 40 cores per CPU all housed in a dense 1U form factor.
Fujitsu RX2530 M6 Specification Overview
The Fujitsu RX2530 M6 supports up to 32 EDSFF drives of 4TB providing 128TB of RAW storage space, alternatively you can choose 10x 2.5″ SAS/SATA/NVMe drives of up to 15.36TB capacity or 4x 3.5″ SAS/SATA of up to 12TB capacity.
With a choice of 1 or 2 processors from Intel® Xeon® Silver 43xx processor / Intel® Xeon® Gold 53xx processor / Intel® Xeon® Gold 63xx processor / Intel® Xeon® Platinum 83xx processor.
With up to 4TB of memory using up to 32 (16 DIMMs per CPU, 8 channels with 2 slots per channel) of DDR4 3200MHz memory or up to 10TB using Intel® Optane™ persistent memory.
Visit our web page for more details: https://www.data-storage.uk/fujitsu-rx2530-m6-server/
DWPD (Drive Writes Per Day) Explained
SSD drives are all made using NAND flash and they are priced according to the number of DWPD Drive Writes Per Day. So, a consumer SSD would have far lower DWPD than an enterprise drive. DWPD is based on the number of cells used to hold a single bit of data.
Most of today’s storage arrays use Non-volatile NAND flash memory which is supplied as SSD drives. There are now four types of NAND and these are single-level cell (SLC), multi-level cell (MLC), triple-level cell (TLC) and quad-level cell (TLC) technology.
- SLC stores one-bit-per cell has longer endurance but is significantly costlier to produce with higher capacities. Enterprise Class – 25 DWPD
- MLCuses two bits per cell, the most common type of SSD used by the flash storage vendors – Enterprise Class – 10 DWPD
- TLC TLC uses three bits per cell. These flash technologies have lower endurance, but hold larger capacities and can be produced at lower costs. Consumer Class – 3 DWPD
- QLC uses four bits per cell. These flash technologies have the lowest endurance, highest capacities and lowest cost. Consumer Class – 1 DWPD
Example
We require 10TB’s of flash storage.
1TB MLC-10-DWPD with 5-year warranty – £500 per drive = £10,000
500GB TLC-3-DWPD with 3-year warranty – £150 per drive = £3,000
10 x 1TB x 10 x 5 x 365 = 182.5 PB’s can be written to the flash
20 x 500GB x 3 x 3 x 365 = 32.85 PB’s can be written to the flash
As you can see from the example both provide the ability to write a considerable amount of data during the lifetime of the SSD and effectively you could buy 3x more flash for the same money using TLC on the understanding that after 3 years it will be worn out.
What we don’t show is the drive performance which is always faster using fewer cells.
MLC – So for every write operation we need to perform 2 erases passes and 2 writes one for each bit
TLC – So for every write operation we need to perform 3 erases passes and 3 writes one for each bit
Wear Levelling
Flash stores data by using an electrical current to etch into Silicon a data bit and this causes Wear Levelling, whereby after so many program erase/write cycles the Flash wears out and this could be 10,000, 100,00 or 1,000,000 writes depending on the type of Flash Storage used. Manufacturers overcome this problem in many ways by using sophisticated algorithms to work out how many times each cell has been used and then automatically re-map those blocks to another portion of Flash Storage or by over-provisioning, this sets aside extra physical flash capacity for background operations, resulting in better write performance and higher endurance.
There are three types of Wear Levelling:
- No Wear Levelling – Nothing is done with the cells and it wears out
- Dynamic Wear Levelling – Data is written evenly across the whole of the Flash
- Static Wear Levelling – Works out how many times a cell has been written and dynamically moves it.
Higher Capacity SSD
To achieve higher capacity SSD drives the silicon die uses a much smaller process maybe 20nm or even lower. For SSD drives this is not so good, sure we pack far higher cells within a given area but the size of transistors and gates within the silicon are much closer together and will not provide the endurance levels a 30nm SSD with a smaller capacity can endure.
Summary
Flash storage arrays can provide far higher performance than a comparably priced disk sub-system. Where flash pricing differs is how you intend to use it. If your application uses a lot of writes then you should consider SLC or MLC storage, if your application is an even split of reads/writes then MLC or TLC can be considered.
In essence, it is all down to workload, if you get this right then you could save a considerable sum of money, whilst the flash storage is delivering the performance you need!
If you would like to know more, please call us on 01256 331614 or email solutions@data-storage.uk
Lenovo P920 ThinkStation – Advanced Graphic Workstation
Customise a Lenovo ThinkStation P920 for the performance you need, including the most I/O supporting up to 3x NVIDIA® Quadro® GP100 GPUs. Superior design features on this top-of-the-line workhorse include Flex Trays that hold up to two drives per bay for total versatility and patented Tri-Channel Cooling for enhanced reliability. Ideal for the highest-performance workflows including rendering, simulation, visualisation, deep learning and artificial intelligence across industries.
Lenovo ThinkStation P920 Features
Power to burn
The Lenovo ThinkStation P920 boasts the unbeatable performance the latest Intel® Xeon® processors and NVIDIA® Quadro® GP100 and P6000 GPUs — an industry exclusive. That means it has the power and speed to handle your workload with ease — including the toughest ISV-certified applications.
Faster memory, bigger storage
New, faster 2666 Mhz DDR4 memory — up to 2 TB — has more bandwidth and capacity than the previous generation, for a quicker response. And bigger, faster storage options include an onboard, RAID-capable M.2 PCIe solution, the capacity to handle up to 60 TB of HDD storage, and support for up to 12 drives. That means the P920 can handle even the most demanding workloads.
Unparalleled versatility
The Lenovo ThinkStation P920 features a superior modular design, including Flex Trays that hold up to two drives per bay. Configure only the components you need for the ultimate in usability and savings.
Built to last
Patented Tri-Channel Cooling ensures each component receives cool air, using a unique air baffle. The ThinkStation P920 uses fewer fans and stays cooler than the competition, so it continues to run for less downtime and a bigger bottom line.
Easy to enhance
Intuitive red touch points guide you to quick and easy component changes — even to the motherboard and swappable power supply — without having to use a single tool. And best-of-breed cable management means no wires or plugs, and superior serviceability.
How can we help?
As a fully accredited Lenovo partner we can provide support, configuration advice and evaluation systems for you to test in your environment.
Lenovo ThinkStation P920 DataSheet Aug 2017
All Flash or Hybrid Storage Array
Speed, flexibility and capacity
Designed for I/O intensive applications, the Lenovo ThinkSystem DS6200 SAN array offers breakthrough performance and scale at best-in-class pricing, along with 99.999 percent availability.
The easy-to-use management interface makes complex administrative storage tasks simple, including setup in less than 15 minutes with the Rapid Deployment Wizard. The same interface is used across the DS Series family allowing for flexible IT administration.
The Lenovo ThinkSystem DS6200 offers connectivity choices and impressive storage capacities. Choose between 12Gb SAS, 8/16Gb Fibre Channel (FC), or 1/10Gb iSCSI to integrate into your existing network. The DS6200 can hold up to 24x 2.5-inch HDDs and SSDs internally, and supports up to 240 drives total. Both LFF and SFF enclosures are supported in the same array and up to nine expansion units can be added to the DS6200 for greater capacity to provide a balance of performance and capacity.
For ultimate flexibility, the DS Series supports replication between its new 12Gb platform and first generation S Series systems. This enables you to move your high-performance workloads to the faster-performing DS Series and redeploy the older models as data lakes or replication targets.
Lenovo ThinkSystem DS6200 Features Highlights
- First-to-market midrange performance SAN at entry-level pricing
- Rapid Data Placement Engine provides accelerated performance and 99.999 percent availability, for “always on” data access
- Superior cost/GB without compromising performance
- Simple storage management for fast setup and easy administration with the Rapid Deployment Wizard
- NEBS-compliant and ruggedized components maximize uptime
- Supercapacitor backup provides longer duration and less servicing than battery, for greater uptime
- Other key features include Rapid RAID Rebuild, Rapid Tiering, asynchronous replication, multiprotocol support, Active/Active controllers, and Lenovo XClarity integration
Uncompromising performance
The Lenovo ThinkSystem DS6200 delivers higher IOPS and low latency through the Rapid Data Placement Engine, at a fraction of the cost of competing solutions. Designed for speed within a cost-optimized architecture, the DS6200 delivers superior cost/GB without compromising performance. It’s equipped with storage tiering, high availability, thin provisioning, and other enterprise-class features. This provides your business with a solid foundation to grow, while delivering the best price for performance in its class.
- 375,000 IOPS
- SAS, iSCSI, FC, Hybrid
- Up to 240 2.5″ SFF/3.5″ LFF
You no longer need to decide between faster access to information and lowering the cost of your IT infrastructure. The Lenovo ThinkSystem DS6200 allows you to save money while maintaining operational excellence.
How can we help?
As a fully accredited Lenovo partner we can provide support, configuration advice and evaluation systems for you to test in your environment. If you would like to know more please phone us on 01256 331614 or complete our online form.
Lenovo ThinkSystem DS6200 Datasheet
Lenovo ThinkSystem Servers: 88 Performance World Records
Lenovo ThinkSystem Servers are the first range of servers designed by Lenovo. The new range of ThinkSystem Servers have been completely redesigned so you now have common components across the range i.e. power supplies, drives, trays etc. In the past each IBM/Lenovo server had different drive part numbers for the same drive! By introducing common parts across the entire range now makes support and maintenance far easier with less complexity.
The Lenovo ThinkSystem servers currently hold 88 Performance World Records as of November 8, 2017. These World Records are in the areas of Business Processing, Big Data Analytics, Infrastructure Virtualization, Server Side Java and General and Technical Computing.
46 of these are new #1 benchmarks and 42 are maintained as #1 benchmarks.
These world-record benchmark results with the ThinkSystem SR950 and SR650 rack servers, shown below, as well as the ThinkSystem SD530 dense server, SR630 and SR850 rack servers, and the SN550 blade server. All ThinkSystem servers are based on the Intel Xeon Scalable Family of processors.
Business Processing
The ThinkSystem SR950 and SR650 have five world record benchmarks for Business Processing.
TPC-E benchmarks
The Lenovo results:
- Overall Performance and 4-Socket Price/Performance – Two world recordsThe Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 delivered the best performance result ever (all servers) and the best ever 4P price/performance TPC-E benchmark result.
- 2-Socket Performance and Overall Price/Performance – Two world recordsThe Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 holds the best performance result ever on the 2P TPC-E performance and overall (all servers) price/performance benchmark result.
SAP Sales and Distribution (SAP SD) Benchmark
The Lenovo result:
- 4-Socket Performance – World Record on WindowsThe ThinkSystem SR950 delivered the best 4P performance result on Windows in the SAP Sales and Distribution Benchmark.
Big Data Analytics – 37 records
The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 and SR650 have has 37 world record Big Data Analytics benchmarks.
SAP HANA (BWoH)
The Lenovo result:
- 4-Socket Performance – Six world recordsThe Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 holds 6 performance world records with the 4 socket SAP HANA BWoH benchmark. This includes data load, query throughput and query runtime in two different data volumes.
STAC-M3 Shasta Suite
The Lenovo results:
- 4-Socket performance – 16 world recordsThe Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 holds 16 world records for the “big memory” STAC-M3 benchmark. This combines the SR950 new benchmark results and the ones previously published on July 11, 2017 that remain world records.
- 2-Socket performance – 15 world recordsThe Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 holds 15 performance world records with the Antuco suite of the STAC-M3 benchmark
Infrastructure Virtualization – 8 records
The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 and SR650 have eight world record Infrastructure Virtualization benchmarks.
SPECvirt_sc2013
- 8-Socket performance – Three world recordsThe Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 delivered world record performance, performance per watt and server performance per watt on the 8P SPECvirt_sc2013 benchmark.
- 4-Socket performance – Two world recordsThe Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 delivered two world record performance per watt and server performance per watt on the 4P SPECvirt_sc2013 benchmark.
- 2-Socket – Three world recordsThe Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 delivered world record performance and performance per watt and server performance per watt on the 2P SPECvirt_sc2013 benchmark.
Server-side Java – 19 records
The ThinkSystem SR650 and SR950 has set 19 World Records for the SPECjbb Server-side Java benchmark.
SPECjbb 2015
The Lenovo results:
- 8-Socket performance – Four world records The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 holds 4 world records for 8P performance results for the SPECjbb2015-MultiJVM and SPECjbb2015-Distributed benchmarks.
- 4-Socket performance – Five world records The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 holds 5 world records for 4P performance results for the SPECjbb2015-MultiJVM and SPECjbb2015-Distributed benchmarks.
- 2-Socket performance, Four world records The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 holds 4 world records for 2P performance results for the SPECjbb2015-MultiJVM and SPECjbb2015-Distributed benchmarks.
- 1-Socket performance, Six world records The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 set 6 world records for 1P performance results for the SPECjbb2015-MultiJVM and SPECjbb2015-Distributed benchmarks.
General Computing – 16 records
The ThinkSystem have set 16 new world records General Computing benchmarks.
SPEC CPU2006 and CPU2017
The Lenovo results:
- 8-Socket performance – Five world records (3x SPEC CPU2017, 2x SPEC CPU2006)The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 holds 8P world records for compute-intensive applications with the SPEC CPU benchmarks. This include SPECspeed2017_int_base, SPECspeed2017_fp_base, SPECrate2017_fp_base, SPECint_base _2006 and SPECfp_base2006
- 4-Socket performance – Two world records (SPEC CPU2017)The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR950 delivered two 4P world records for compute-intensive applications with the SPEC CPU2017 benchmark. This includes SPECint_rate_base2017 and SPECfp_rate_base2017.
- 2-Socket Performance – World record (SPEC CPU2017)The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR630 delivered a 2P world record for compute-intensive applications with the CPU2017, SPECspeed2017_fp_base benchmark.
- 1-Socket Performance – Four world records (3x SPEC CPU2017 and 1x CPU2006)The ThinkSystem SR650 and SR630 delivered four 1P world records for compute-intensive applications with the CPU2017 benchmark. This includes SPECrate2017_int_base, SPECint_rate_base2006, SPECspeed2017_int_base, SPECspeed2017_fp_base
How can we help?
As a fully accredited Lenovo partner we can provide support, configuration advice and evaluation systems for you to test in your environment. If you would like to know more please phone us on 01256 331614 or complete our online form.