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Tiers are groups of node pools combined into a logical superset to optimize data storage, according to OneFS platform type, as illustrated in Figure 8. For example, similar “archive” node pools are often consolidated into a single tier. This tier could incorporate different styles of archive node pools into a single, logical container. For example, PowerScale A300 with 12 TB SATA drives and PowerScale A3000 with 16 TB SATA drives. This capability is a significant benefit. It allows customers who consistently purchase the highest capacity nodes available to consolidate various node styles within a single group, or tier, and manage them as one logical group.
SmartPools users typically deploy two to four tiers. The fastest tier often contains all-flash nodes for the most performance-demanding portions of a workflow, and the lowest, capacity-biased tier typically consists of high-capacity SATA drive nodes.