FIO needs to scale out & lower prices
They have great core tech and it seems their SW stack is getting in order and their Nexgen acquisition was a logical step but it did put them at odds with some pf their partners and they scale far better, let alone FIO's crazy pricing... even in high-end setups they seem to be limited - take their demo at SIGGRAPH, it sounded impressive (12GB/s for VFX stations) until you check the setup: ioControl hybrid array (policy-based caching already at work inside), fronted with EIGHT (8!!!) PCIe cards in a HP WS plus an external PCIe expansion case (presented as "server-side caching" aka ION Data Accelerator, I guess?) PLUS direct IB connection to ioFX cards in individual artist workstations...?
If the caching takes place automatically all along the way that's neat but the setup is still a mess, the array only goes to a pitiful 192TB (what's the recommended action beyond that, 'manual tiering' between more boxes?), the "server" config is essentially a hack and due to the very high FIO card count pricing likely to be through the roof (8 cards just in the "server", you kidding me?)
Biting the hand that feeds IT
