Enterprise-grade cache. Built for flash.

Why Cache?

A software cache is a critical component of many software infrastructures, especially in Enterprise 2.0 organizations. Unfortunately, traditional caching solutions, such as the open source Memcached protocol, are loosely coupled and lack flash optimization.

Cache checklist:

• High Speed
• High Density
• High Capacity
• Scalable
• Cost-Effective

Why Membrain?

Schooner Membrain is a caching solution that uses flash to increase the density of cache. Compared to competitors, Membrain delivers game-changing improvements in:

• Performance
• Scalability
• Availability
• Power & Space utilization

By leveraging flash to increase cache density, Membrain powers server consolidation, lowering power and space utilization resulting in dramatically lower total cost of ownership (TCO).

Membrain Overview

Data center architectures based on servers with large DRAM caches and hard drive storage are highly inefficient. Flash memory offers the potential for order of magnitude improvements in data center performance, power consumption, and space usage. However, realizing this potential requires balanced system architecture, not just assembling locally optimized pieces. To create effectively balanced flash-based systems, software must be optimized for flash memory and for processor core scaling, with high levels of parallelism, granular concurrency control, intelligent memory hierarchy management, and specific consistency, balancing, and fault management algorithms tailored to flash characteristics.

Membrain Architecture

Hardware Platform

Membrain runs standard x86 servers with flash memory.

The Schooner Operating Environment (SOE)

The SOE unlocks the full potential of the hardware by optimizing the utilization of all the available physical resources across a broad spectrum of workloads.

Memcached Client/Server Protocol

The SOE protocol layer accepts Memcached commands and is a fully Memcapable 100%-compatible implementation of the standard Memcached client/server protocol

Data Fabric

The data fabric layer implements the fundamental algorithms necessary to optimize system balance, performance, power efficiency, and availability. The data fabric functions include transparent, highly optimized data replication and failover

Flash Management

The flash management layer provides space and persistence management across the parallel flash devices. The flash management subsystem optimizes data placement and replacement across the parallel flash devices.

Flash and Network Management

The flash and network management layer provides highly parallel, reliable flash-access and network-messaging facilities, optimized to exploit the full I/O capacity of the flash and networking hardware for high performance and highly available caching services.

Key Capabilities

Using Flash Memory to Increase Capacity, Reduce Power, and Provide Persistence

Schooner’s highly parallel, optimized flash-memory subsystem increases Memcached capacity by an order of magnitude over a traditional Memcached server.

Using Replication and Automated Failover for HA and Disaster Recovery

Membrain supports the creation of multiple virtual storage domains called “containers” to provide fine-grained control over cached resources. Containers provide isolation and policy control, yet efficiently share processor, DRAM, and flash resources. Containers can be configured in eviction or store mode as well as persistent or non-persistent mode.

Using Backup and Restore to Protect Against Data Corruption or Loss

Membrain supports full and incremental backup and restore of persistent containers to hard disk drives.

Using Containers to Manage Consolidation

Membrain supports the creation of multiple virtual storage domains called “containers”, providing fine-grained control over cached and stored resources.

Using Cloning to Rapidly Deploy and Warm Identical Membrain Nodes

Cloning is an efficient way of warming a Memcached server in an installation where multiple servers hold the same data.

Using Administrative Services to Deploy, Management, and Scale

Membrain includes an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) that allows all aspects of Memcached/NoSQL cluster configuration and maintenance to be performed.

Network Configuration

Memcached installations use a wide variety of network configurations.

Enhanced Memcached Statistics

Membrain provides visibility into the state of Memcached/NoSQL servers, including statistics on: DRAM and flash space utilization, DRAM and flash access and miss rates, DRAM and flash eviction rates, etc.