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PANTA Systems Introduces PANTAmatrix Server Platform for Enterprise Computing
Data-Intensive Applications Benefit from High-Bandwidth, Low-Latency Connectivity
Santa Clara, Calif., Oct. 19, 2006 — PANTA Systems, an emerging leader in enterprise computing technology, today introduced its new PANTAmatrix?platform, the first x86-based computer system that matches and exceeds expensive, proprietary systems in data handling ability. Supporting up to 12GB/second bandwidth per compute node and 800MB/second per storage module, PANTAmatrix has the scalability and dynamic configurability for the most demanding data intensive and latency sensitive applications. PANTAmatrix is used by leading organizations in financial services, government, telecommunications, and manufacturing.
The astronomical growth in data volumes has caused data handling - moving data into and out of increasingly powerful multi-core processors - to become a significant new server chokepoint. Traditional servers do not deliver the quantum data handling improvements that are demanded by the increased volumes. The PANTAmatrix platform solves this fundamental problem by providing record-setting I/O performance while taking full advantage of industry standard technologies.
"Organizations need to process and move ever increasing amounts of data in ever shorter amounts of time," said Fred van den Bosch, PANTA Systems president and chief executive officer. "We have taken an innovative approach to architecting servers that makes PANTAmatrix the platform of choice for data intensive applications."
"Our objectives are to remove I/O bottlenecks and improve hardware utilization rates dramatically," said Tung Nguyen, PANTA Systems founder and chief technical officer. "We want to help our customers streamline their data centers by precluding the need for proprietary equipment, cost, and complexity."
PANTAmatrix is targeted at the x86-based server market, which will drive over $30 billion in annual spending over the next five years, according to IDC's Quarterly Server Forecast Q2 2006. "PANTA Systems is a new player in a growing market," said John Humphreys, program director, Enterprise Computing, at IDC. "The high I/O and data processing capacity of their PANTAmatrix platform can accelerate the replacement of proprietary systems."
Designed for Scalable Connectivity and Lowest Latency
PANTAmatrix employs an integrated InfiniBand fabric to interconnect compute nodes with its shared I/O infrastructure. To support even the most demanding applications PANTAmatrix can scale to as many as six InfiniBand planes. The shared I/O infrastructure seamlessly connects the compute nodes to PANTA's InfiniBand-attached storage modules, and Fibre Channel and Ethernet networks. PANTA's low-overhead protocol implementation assures lowest latency, while at the same time minimizing processor overhead and maximizing application performance.
The PANTAmatrix shared I/O subsystem allows processing and data handling to be scaled independently, avoiding bottlenecks and optimizing data flow. The resulting balanced design and flexibility make PANTAmatrix ideal for data-intensive and latency-sensitive applications, including databases, real time analytics, biometrics, and technical computing. In addition, making I/O resources available across all servers reduces equipment and cabling costs while improving reliability.
The PANTAmatrix platform combines pacesetting standards such as PCI-Express, InfiniBand, HyperTransport, and AMD Opteron processors with unique data handling software and hardware. The standards-based approach allows PANTAmatrix to fit seamlessly in existing data center infrastructures and support industry standard operating systems, including the leading Linux distributions and Windows.
PANTAmatrix incorporates an array of modules which can be aggregated as a system is scaled out, depending on application requirements. An 8U enclosure carries two interconnect modules and up to eight compute modules. Compute modules accommodate up to four AMD Opteron dual-core processors, 64GB memory and 6GB/second of I/O interconnect; larger servers can be dynamically configured to use two compute modules connected via HyperTransport. Graphics acceleration modules contain two NVIDIA graphics processors, and connect to a compute module via HyperTransport.
The PANTAmatrix storage module with storage agent software provides a high performance, low cost storage solution. The modules have three terabytes of RAID-5 capacity in a 3U enclosure, and can sustain up to 800 megabytes per second I/O rates. Availability features include redundant I/O paths and hot-swappable drives, plus redundant, hot-swappable fans and power. The storage agent software simplifies management and provisioning, and reduces processor overhead.
The PANTAmatrix System Manager software reduces the administration costs burdening enterprise data centers. Compute modules are automatically discovered when inserted, and restart of servers will automatically use spare compute modules, retaining the original I/O configuration. Servers can be instantly cloned for rapid provisioning. Industry standard interfaces allow for simple integration with existing data center management infrastructures.
The compact, power efficient blade design allows a single data center rack to support up to 128 dual-core processors and two terabytes of memory. Cabling requirements are minimal because modules connect through a system backplane via HyperTransport and InfiniBand. Servers can be dynamically configured with up to eight dual-core processors, 128GB memory, 12GB/second interconnect and unlimited virtual I/O connections.
Pricing and Availability
The PANTAmatrix platform is available now with prices beginning at $50,000.
About PANTA Systems
Based in Santa Clara, California, PANTA Systems was founded in 2002 to deliver a new class of system capabilities that maximize performance and reduce costs using industry-standard technologies. The company's PANTAmatrix platform delivers industry leading performance with a modular, flexible, scalable architecture that can handle the enormous data handling challenges of the 21st century. Customers include Telcordia, CSC-DICE, and Stanford. For more information visit www.pantasys.com.
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