Scale Computing

Inc.

Founded in 2007, Scale Computing develops scale-out Clustered IT infrastructure products for small to medium-sized organisations based on its patented ICOS (Intelligent Clustered Operating System) Technology.

Since launching its initial scale-out storage solution in 2009, Scale has grown to over 1,000 deployments. Scale is currently expanding its footprint throughout the datacenter with what analysts are calling the industry's first hyperconverged architecture, HC3. Scales HC3 semlessly integrates storage, servers and virtualisation into a scalable, turnkey infrastructure that's as easy to manage as a single server. Designed specifically for IT gerneralists, HC3 is ideal for those who have not yet adopted virtualization due to cost and complexity, enabling them to run highly available applications.

The Easiest, Most Affordable Virtualization System
Built Specifically for Midsize Companies

Scale Computing develops converged virtualization and storage systems for small and medium-sized enterprises. These systems enable IT professionals to virtualize environments on a converged scale-out architecture that delivers shared storage benefits without a SAN and with performance that stays one step ahead of demands.

HC3 systems are comprised of HC3 nodes that provide both compute and storage resources. However, it is possible to create a cluster that includes nodes that provide storage only resources without the ability to run VMs directly. 

The Scale Computing HC3 system is designed to deliver the benefits of virtualization without the need for a NAS or SAN storage layer. An HC3 system contains server virtualization software on every node with access to a single pool of storage that spans multiple HC3 nodes, but always looks like local storage to the hypervisor on each HC3 node.

"10x Easier at 1/4 the Cost." - Taneja Group

The Scale Computing HC3 system is designed to deliver the benefits of virtualization without the need for a NAS or SAN storage layer. A HC3 system contains server virtualization software on every node with access to a single pool of storage that spans multiple HC3 nodes, but always looks like local storage to the hypervisor on each HC3 node. HC3 pools compute resources such as CPUs and memory and automatically starts workloads on the node with the most available resources. This clustered architecture provides both the fault tolerance and scalability needed for a high availability environment and dramatically simplifies management of the environment.

"Scale HC³ is a perfect fit. HC³ simplifies server and storage virtualization and management. This gives technology directors time to focus on what's really important."

HC3 Product Configurations

A Scale Computing HC3 system is comprised of at least three nodes for an entry-level configuration, or four nodes for the standard scale-out configuration. For greatest availability and future scalability, we recommend starting with the 4-node starter system, which allows the system to be configured in a balanced symmetrical mode (mirrored node pairs) and expanded in balanced pairs. Clusters of six or eight nodes may also be installed initially.

HC3 systems are available with nodes of different storage types, capacities and networking options. Building the optimal system requires determining the number and type of nodes that provide the resources required for your expected workload needs, both during normal operation and degraded operation (for example, if one node were to fail or be offline).

The first step is to profile the virtual machines you plan to run and their resource requirements. Create a list of the virtual machines (VMs) you plan to run and the approximate compute resources each may require (VM Memory, CPU cores, network resources, storage capacity and I/O). Your Scale HC3 reseller partner or Scale systems engineer can also help you estimate or measure this information from your existing workloads.

The guidelines in the configurations below apply to the most common VM profiles which assume an average VM with 2.5GB RAM, two virtual CPU cores, and around 50-100 IOPs per VM. Some workloads like email or databases may exceed that average, while others will fall below that average.

The Starter Cluster line of products provides enterprise-class, truly clustered storage features at a fraction of the price of comparable solutions. IT managers are able to build out storage clusters, starting with just 6 terabytes (raw) up to the multiple petabyte range on a single file system using commodity hardware. One hundred percent channel, Scale’s Generation 3.0 storage solution is protocol and density agnostic.


Scale Computing Series

Storage nodes are available in two basic performance configurations, each with multiple capacity choices. Explore the types of hardware used in various storage nodes and find the storage cluster that fits your needs. When needs change, storage nodes of any series and capacity. 
 

All Purpose SAN/NAS (S Series)

Product	RAW Capacity
S1 Starter Cluster	6 TB
S1 Expansion Storage Nodes	2 TB
S2 Starter Cluster	12 TB
S2 Expansion Storage Nodes	4 TB
S4 Starter Cluster	24 TB
S4 Expansion Storage Nodes	8TB

Scale Computing's S-series line of storage products is the storage workhorse for the mid-market. It's perfect for the vast majority of SMB uses cases such as archiving, virtualization, virtual desktops, disk-based backup, and even some database loads.

 

With 210 MB of throughput on a three-node cluster, the S-series gives you the speed and performance you need. Our most flexible product line offers multi ple storage node capacities. If you are looking to maximize storage capacity at the lowest price, use the highest capacity starter cluster that meets your needs and add expansion storage nodes now or later to meet your capacity needs and growth.

 

 

 

Product	RAW Capacity	Cache
M1 Starter Cluster	6 TB	36 GB
M1 Expansion Storage Nodes	2 TB	12 GB
M2 Starter Cluster	12 TB	36 GB
M2 Expansion Storage Nodes	4 TB	12 GB
M4 Starter Cluster	24 TB	36 GB
M4 Expansion Storage Nodes	8 TB	12 GB
M12x Starter Cluster	7.2 TB (SAS)	36 GB
M12x Expansion Storage Nodes	2.4 TB (SAS)	12 GB
R1 Starter Cluster	6 TB	12 GB
R1 Expansion Storage Nodes	2 TB	4 GB
R2 Starter Cluster	12 TB	12 GB

Performance and Database (M Series)
The M-Series is an example of a performance driven configuration. For this three node cluster example, we chose to add 6 TB usable with 36 GB of RAM (12) SATA drives, and (12) GbE ports. This configuration maximizes the full potential of our Intelligent Pre-Fetch technology. ICOS sees the data you request, determines what data you may need and caches that. With 36 GB of available cache to use Intelligent Pre-Fetch boost the net performance of this configuration higher than normally achieved with SATA drives. The M-Series would be a perfect solution if you want SAS performance, but not the SAS price.
 

 

 

 

Every Scale storage cluster is powered by ICOS™ Technology: an advanced storage operating system combining powerful features with intelligence that makes storage easy-to-manage, even for novices.

Many companies are turning to unified storage to improve utilization and simplify management. With a unified storage system from Scale Computing, improved management and utilization are joined by reduced cost and better control of storage. These benefits are possible because of the scale-out architecture that allows performance and capacity of the storage to grow together.

Start serving data in minutes, while directing powerful features like thin provisioning, snapshots, replication, and caching—all from a highly intuitive interface