Solidfire is a fast, solid, multi-purpose block array - great at what it is, but know what it isn't
Pros
- All-flash performance is very good, particularly on read-intensive workloads
- Performance scales linearly by adding new nodes
- Guaranteed QOS policies offer both a minimum IOPS and maximum IOPS with burst capabability, so its not just capping the upper limit of a workload
- Encryption at rest is integrated into the array platform
- Grid architecture ensures that ability to perform rolling upgrades online without severely impairing performance
- VVOL capabilities with the array allow granular control and visibility of the workloads
Cons
- Block-only storage platform
- Latency is higher than expected on write-intensive workloads (making it less effective for log applications and video)
- UI and marketing inconsistencies make it hard to know how close you are to your maximum performance - all IOPS in UI are reported in actual IOPS whereas the ratings and marketing all use 4K IOPS - users must manually equate actual Average IO size and IOPS to the 4K representation
- Solidfire's excellent support is being merged with NetApp's support and seems to be harder to navigate and receive the traditional high-quality support
- ActiveIQ portal is good for longer term views of the array, but it is sub-par compared to competitors like HPE's Infosight
- VVOL visibility in the UI is constrained - you can dig into details on a single volume but you are unable to compare performance of multiple volumes
Return on Investment
- Largely allowed us to install and not have to manage the array (set it and forget it) - the array calls home and reports into Active IQ and Solidfire auto-generates cases based on events and is proactive in handling issues.
- Use of VVOL with the array has reduced the number of management points, but has introduced a new possibility of problems due to the VASA provider and vCenter dependency for VVOLs - it is something to be aware of if you choose to use VVOLs versus VMFS with vSphere. Use of VMFS and traditional LUNs bring less benefits, so there is a trade-off.
- The first major software upgrade hit a bug specific to our vSphere configuration which causes a major outage. The advertised behavior is a non-disruptive upgrade process and maintenance process. Maintenance has been nondisruptive during a hardware failure (node replacement) and during a drive replacement.
- Software updates to the array are guided by Solidfire and largely white-glove, handled by their support.
Alternatives Considered
HP 3PAR StoreServ Flash Storage, Dell EMC Unity, Tegile, IBM XIV, NetApp EF-Series All Flash Arrays and NetApp FAS series
Other Software Used
vSphere with Operations Management (VSOM), NAKIVO Backup & Replication, EMC VNX, Windows Server