AEWIN

High Availability 2U2N Storage Server

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Background
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, data availability and reliability are critical to enterprises. High-availability storage solutions are required to handle mission-critical workloads with minimal downtime. AEWIN, a provider of high-performance, reliable server, and networking solutions, introduces the 2U2N storage server, designed to offer exceptional high availability (HA) solutions.

What is a 2U2N Storage Server?
A 2U2N storage server is a 2U rackmount server that provides two independent server nodes within a single chassis. This architecture is specifically designed for high availability and fault tolerance, ensuring continuous operations even during component failures. Each node can operate independently, providing redundancy and scalability without compromising on performance or efficiency.

Key Features of AEWIN’s High Availability 2U2N Storage Server

  • Dual Node Architecture: The dual node setup in a single chassis allows for seamless failover between nodes and the horizontal placement enable optimized thermal dissipation to allow CPU running with high TDP. In the event of a node failure, the secondary node allows replication of data via Non-Transparent Bridge (NTB) with high speed PCIe Gen5 to interconnect the two nodes, ensuring uninterrupted service.
  • Hot-swappable Drives and Redundant Power Supplies: AEWIN’s 2U2N storage server features hot-swappable drive bays with dual port and redundant power supplies, making it easier to maintain and upgrade without affecting the operational status. This setup reduces downtime and enhances serviceability, which is crucial for maintaining uptime and availability.
  • High-Performance Processor Options: Each node can be equipped with server-grade processors such as Intel Xeon 6 in AEWIN’s 2U2N storage server, providing robust computational power for demanding workloads. The server’s ability to support the latest CPU architecture ensures its ability to handle data-intensive applications such as AI, ML, and real-time analytics.
  • Enhanced Storage Capabilities: The server supports high speed dual port NVMe SSDs, offering high IOPS and low latency. With up to 24x storage drives, it is suitable for use cases such as big data, cloud storage, and media streaming.
  • Advanced Networking for Seamless Data Flow: With the support of high-speed networking options such as up to 200G per port, AEWIN’s 2U2N storage server ensures fast and reliable data transmission with PCIe Gen5 features. The server can also be customized with advanced NICs featuring accelerator engines for crypto and bypass functions to optimize performance and security.
  • Accelerator for AI: The support of PCIe Gen5 makes the system able to offer dual-width PCIe x16 slots to support GPU/FPGA cards. It is beneficial for use cases requiring high-speed data processing and achieve intelligent data analytics with AI and ML workloads.
  • Firmware Management: The AEWIN 2U2N server highlights mutual monitoring and failover between its two nodes. With IPMI support and built-in BMC, each node actively checks the other’s heartbeat. If a heartbeat fails to respond within a specified timeframe, the affected node’s BMC will be reset automatically. Multiple resets trigger a System Event Log (SEL) entry to indicate a potential issue. This inter-node monitoring ensures high availability and reliable failover, minimizing downtime.

Benefits of Deploying a 2U2N Storage Server in High Availability Configurations

  • Fault Tolerance and Resilience: The dual node configuration provides redundancy at the hardware level, significantly reducing the risk of downtime. It is essential for businesses that cannot afford interruptions in service.
  • Scalability: Each node operates independently, allowing organizations to scale compute and storage resources according to their needs without disrupting the existing setup.
  • Cost Efficiency: By consolidating two nodes into a single chassis, the 2U2N server minimizes the physical footprint in the data center, reducing cooling and power costs.
  • Versatile Application Support: From data analytics and financial services to media content delivery, the versatility of AEWIN’s 2U2N storage server makes it suitable for a broad range of applications.

Hardware Specification Comparison of HA Storage Server

We compared 2U2N high availability servers in the market and the above is the comparison table of each specification. The benefits of AEWIN HA Storage servers are listed below.

  • High Performance: AEWIN HA Server is powered by the latest Intel Xeon 6 processor which supports the best performance of computing superior to the others. The computing power of single Intel Xeon 6 CPU is over the sum of two 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors. It provides better system integration and reduces the size and cost of the system.
  • Best TCO: In addition to the cost savings achieved through the powerful computing capabilities of Intel Xeon 6 CPUs, AEWIN leverages the rich PCIe lanes available in these processors to create a system that supports 24 dual-port NVMe SSDs and a PCIe x16 Non-Transparent Bridge. This design avoids the need for expensive PCIe switches, which competing products require to achieve similar functionality.
  • Excellent Scalability: AEWIN HA Server supports PCIe 5.0 x 16 FHFL slots which has four times the speed of PCIe 3.0 that company B supports and has greater flexibility for the selection of the expansion cards compared to company A which only supports half height cards. In addition, AEWIN offers optional dual width FHFL slots to enhance the scalability for AI workloads.
  • Most Compact Size: While supporting the excellent expandability, AEWIN designed the system as compact as possible to meet the market demand for deployment. It has the most compact size with shorter length and depth compared to the one from company A and is much shorter than the one from company B (750mm vs 911mm).

Summary
AEWIN’s high availability 2U2N high availability storage server is a robust and versatile solution designed to accomplish mission-critical workloads with minimal downtime and the best TCO. Featuring efficient redundancy, excellent scalability, and high performance, AEWIN solution stands out as a premier choice for enterprises looking for optimized solutions of data infrastructure.