Why do I need a MegaRam accelerator?

MegaRam solid state disk accelerators provide the easiest and fastest way of removing I/O bottlenecks and increasing system performance. These performance-enhancing peripherals are non-mechanical, non-rotating storage devices that utilize a DRAM architecture for storage rather than magnetic disks. With no latencies associated with head positioning or seek times, the resulting read/write operations are hundreds of times faster than conventional rotating disks.  In fact, no other peripheral storage device is faster.

How do I use the MegaRam with my system?

MegaRam solid state disk (SSD) accelerators work with existing storage systems to remove the performance imbalance between the high speed of the CPU and the relatively slow speed of the disks storage.

On average, over 50% of I/O traffic is caused by just 5% of the system data. By moving only the heavily accessed “hot” files onto the MegaRam accelerator, read/write operations are performed at memory speed. Common hot files include temp, log, and swap files; tables and indices; and login information. The CPU, now unhampered by slow disk response, can run applications much faster. Results can be seen immediately in better terminal response times, faster queries, and quicker completion of batch jobs. We guarantee it.  

Are they easy to install?

MegaRam systems connect to servers like conventional disks. They use industry-standard cabling and install without any modification or addition to the computer’s operating system. They can also be mirrored, striped, and configured in volumes. Systems are usually installed and running in less than one hour.

MegaRam accelerators have been used in thousands of applications in virtually all business sectors. Applications include:  

e-Commerce	Billing Systems
Defense Systems	Online Transactions
e-mail Servers	Telecommunications
Delivery/Logistics	Reservation Systems
Relational Databases	Process Control
Financial Trading	Banking
Toll Collection	Insurance

What are Imperial’s Advantages?

Connectivity  (Multi-porting)
All of Imperial’s products with the exception of the smallest models, the MegaRam-35 and MegaRam-200F, can have multiple independent ports. Some models are available with up to 16 ports and offer both SCSI and native Fibre Channel interfaces.  This permits the devices to be connected to multiple computers and allows for future growth and transition into a SAN (Storage Area Network).

Flexibility
MegaRam solid state accelerators can be installed on any computer system with a SCSI or Fibre Channel interface. The devices can support different hardware platforms simultaneously without the need for special drivers or changes to the host’s operating system. Imperial's products offer the widest range of features and capacities available, including Ultra160 SCSI and 2Gbps Fibre.

Redundancy/High Availability
Imperial’s products are available with redundant hot-swap power supplies and batteries, redundant hot-swap fans, dual AC inputs, and hot-swap backup disks.

Data Integrity
Even though errors are rare, Imperial has designed proprietary error detection and correction circuitry EDAC into every unit. This powerful feature automatically corrects errors as large as six full bytes, making it many times more powerful than traditional methods of error detection such as parity or Hamming codes.

All MegaRam accelerators also offer complete data protection with an Internal Disk and Battery Unit (IDBU).  If power to the system is removed, all data is written to an internal disk, allowing the device to wait indefinitely for power restoration. When power returns, the unit automatically transfers the data back into the solid state memory.  

Investment Protection
Imperial’s products offer a subtle but important additional benefit—retained value. Unlike servers which are usually replaced every 3-5 years, these systems will often last 10-15 years. Many systems have been continuously operating for 12 years or more. The extended product life and resulting long-term amortization possibilities make these products an excellent value proposition.

Upgrade Paths
By design, the products from Imperial use common sub-assemblies that allow users to upgrade the system as needed. Adding storage capacity, switching to newer high-performance interfaces, and increasing the number of ports are all examples of upgrades that can be performed on-site, postponing a larger investment. Read more about it in our MegaTrade program.