Toshiba introduces third generation of enterprise SAS SSDs

Toshiba Electronics Europe has announced its next generation of enterprise solid state drives (eSSDs) designed for applications ranging from email servers, database servers, and virtualized enterprise file servers, to primary storage in read, write or mixed workload environments.

The new PX04S line features high-endurance, mid-endurance, value-endurance and read-intensive models optimized for different applications and workloads. Equipped with dual-port 12.0 Gbit/s SAS interface, the PX04S Series achieves random read 4K sustained IOPS performance up to 270,000 – the highest for a 2.5-inch form factor SAS SSD – as well as impressive write IOPS of up to 125,000. This is Toshiba’s first 12.0 Gbit/s SAS SSD series to deliver 3.84TB[4] of operating capacity.

The high-endurance PX04SHB models are targeted at write-intensive virtualized data centres, big data analytics and high performance computing (HPC) workload applications requiring the highest levels of eSSD performance, reliability and endurance. The PX04SHB supports 25 complete drive writes per day (DWPD)[5] with a one hundred per cent random workload and is available in capacities from 200GB to 1.6TB.

The PX04SMB mid-endurance drives have been optimized for mixed-use in mission-critical hyperscale and virtualized environments such as online transaction processing (OLTP) and e-commerce. The drives provide very high levels of predictable performance for optimal system and application performance and support 10 DWPD with capacities of up to 3.2TB.

The PX04SVB value-endurance models are optimized for read-intensive server and storage applications that require a balance of reliability, capacity and endurance. Capable of three DWPD with capacities up to 3.84TB, the PX04SVB SSDs are suited for applications such as media streaming, data warehousing and web servers.

Targeted at read-intensive applications requiring one DWPD or less, the PX04SRB delivers features and performance suitable for a range of enterprise and web-based workloads such as video on demand (VOD) and data warehousing. The PX04SRB models are available in capacities up to 3.84TB.
The PX04S line is available in industry standard 2.5-inch/15mm form factor for alignment with enterprise server and storage arrays and are backed by Toshiba’s limited five-year warranty[6]. In addition to power-loss protection and full data path protection, each model is available as a self-encrypting drive (SED TCG compliance) with instant secure erase.

The PX04S Series features customer-tunable power and performance allowing optimization for power efficiency or maximum performance. The drives also support pin-3 power disable for improved enclosure services control over storage media.

Toshiba’s integrated SSD design and manufacturing capability ensure that key components of the SSD, including NAND flash, are designed by Toshiba, leveraging Toshiba’s vertical integration and leadership strengths in the growing SSD market. Component and design commonality also potentially reduces qualification time for Toshiba customers and reflects Toshiba’s collaborative approach to SSD design and manufacturing.

“This is our third generation of SAS SSDs and our second with 12.0 Gbit/s. The new PX04S series leverages years of Toshiba innovation and vertical integration. The result is an SSD architecture designed and optimized for the next-generation of virtualized enterprise and hyperscale data centres,” said Martin Larsson, Vice President of Toshiba Electronics Europe, Storage Products Division.

"Enterprise customers need storage solutions that are optimized for different applications and workloads,” said Jeff Janukowicz, Research Director for Solid State Drives and Enabling Technologies at IDC. "SAS SSDs, such as Toshiba’s PX04S Series, that provide the ability to manage power and performance allow customers to better manage their storage environment and deliver the flexibility to meet ever changing service-level agreements."

“Supermicro offers a broad range of SAS3 12Gbit/s optimized server and storage platforms and combined with Toshiba’s new 2.5-inch PX04S Series eSSDs, our customers benefit from the latest innovations in high performance storage,” said Don Clegg, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Supermicro. “Our latest 4U 90x top-load, hot-swap JBOD solution (SC946ED-R2KJBOD), when fully populated with Toshiba PX04S Series eSSDs, provides customers with high-performance, high-availability storage available for the most data-intensive, mission critical applications and workloads.“