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The PowerStore storage platform is designed to include native integration with Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) drives and Intel Optane Storage Class Memory. The complete list of supported drives also includes serial-attached SCSI (SAS) Solid State Disks (SSDs). The table below compares the full set of drive type characteristics that are available for PowerStore T.
Drive type |
Benefits |
Intel Optane Storage Class Memory |
Exceptionally low read latency Maintains low read latency under heavy write workloads |
NVMe SSD |
Low read latency Higher operations per second |
SAS SSD |
Balanced performance and capacity |
SAS SSD drives use the legacy SCSI command set protocol. This command set worked well with traditional hard drives; however, as technology advanced, the protocol became inefficient for faster I/O processing and was surpassed by newer protocols with less overhead.
Still, SAS SSD drives can deliver cost-effective performance for many applications at a lower cost per GB than NVMe SSD and Optane storage class memory (SCM) drives. Consider using SAS SSD drives for database environments where performance is not a priority and for customers who would benefit from greater total available capacity in a limited data center space. Customers can use SAS SSD drives only with the expansion enclosures.
NVMe SSD drives can deliver higher data transfer rates than either Serial AT Attachment (SATA) or SAS interfaces because NVMe offers more available channels (lanes) through which data can flow. NVMe uses the PCIe bus and an optimized protocol that reduces overhead, further boosting performance, compared to older technologies. Optimizations in the NVMe protocol include deep I/O queues and support for 64 K commands per queue.
SSDs based on NVMe are more responsive for heavy workloads and less prone to performance degradation due to large numbers of I/O requests. These factors are often an important benefit for database workloads where both high Input Output Operations per Second (IOPS) requirements and increased bandwidth-demand scenarios need consistent low-latency response.
Organizations are increasingly choosing NVMe SSD as the most cost-effective storage for high-performance database platforms and similar business critical applications. Consider the benefits of using NVMe SSDs for production databases where enterprise performance is critical.
Intel Optane SCM is a new class of memory that brings storage performance closer to DRAM memory speeds. DRAM is still many times faster, but the benefit of SCM memory is its persistence. SCM memory can be used as storage to provide a faster tier of performance. With SCM memory, read latencies are low and are less impacted by writes to the storage.
SCM memory is best positioned for production and real-time analytics that require the best possible performance. If you select SCM drives, they cannot be mixed with NVMe SSD or SAS SSD drives. Each PowerStore 1000T and 3000T appliance can accommodate 6 to 23 SCM drives.