Podcast #147: Inside HPE’s New Model for High-Performance Data Protection

In this week’s podcast, Brian journeyed to Raleigh to visit with HPE’s Chad Bowninger. Chad is Principal Product Manager for Solutions focused on HPE Alletra Storage MP X10000 and the new data protection accelerator node (DPAN).

This is a casual conversation despite the technical topic. Chad even brought in a sofa to make it even more friendly.

The discussion covers everything from the Alletra Storage MP B10000 and its progression to the MP X10000, to data protection and the data protection accelerator node.

The Storagereview team has been working with Chad on a deep dive into the HPE Alletra Storage MP X10000, and will go live on February 26. The review and podcast will give you a solid understanding of the MP X10000 and DPAN.

This podcast is only about 30 minutes long, but we broke it into five-minute segments to give you a chance to jump to topics of interest.

0:00–5:00: Alletra Storage MP X10000 as a Backup Target

• Introduction to X10000: Built from the ground up as HPE IP for unstructured data, positioned as the next chapter in the B10000 block platform.
• Platform Strategy: Shifting the X10000 from a primary storage role to a high-performance, all-flash backup target.
• AI Data Demands: AI pipelines and model training require a massive “workspace” and long-term data retention.
• High-Speed Connectivity: Current support for 100GbE with 200GbE certification underway to eliminate network bottlenecks.

5:00–10:00: Data Protection Accelerator (DPA) Architecture

• Efficiency over Raw Speed: The DPA node prioritizes effective capacity and operational value over raw IOPS.
• Catalyst Technology Integration: Leveraging StoreOnce Catalyst code to achieve deduplication ratios averaging 20:1.
• Offloading Heavy Lifting: DPA handles deduplication and encryption, streaming processed data directly to the X10000.
• Rapid Recovery Focus: Utilizing flash-to-flash architecture to accelerate rehydration and restore times significantly.
• Partner Ecosystem: Designed as a flexible target for existing software like Commvault and Veeam.

10:00–15:00: Linear Scaling and Performance Benchmarks

• Modular Growth: Each DPA node manages approximately 2PB, scaling compute and capacity independently.
• SLA-Driven Sizing: Adding multiple DPA nodes allows for parallel streaming to meet aggressive RTO/RPO targets.
• Ingest Performance: Quoted rates of 1.2PB per hour using a four-accelerator configuration.
• Market Differentiation: HPE identifies the DPA as a unique hardware-accelerated approach not currently seen in the market.

15:00–20:00: Portfolio Strategy and Data Value

• Enterprise Scale: Targeting multi-petabyte environments in banking, government, and large-scale commercial sectors.
• Futureproofing: Disaggregated architecture prevents forklift upgrades by allowing simple drive or node additions.
• Immutability and Security: Table-stakes features like immutability are built in to address ransomware concerns.
• Multi-Purpose Utility: The X10000 can simultaneously handle backup, AI pipelines, and data lakes.

20:00–28:00: Lab Validation and Business Impact

• Real-World Testing: Lab configurations utilize 30-host VMware clusters to validate performance at scale.
• Network Evolution: Bridging the gap between high-speed AI fabrics and traditionally slower backup networks.
• The “Unspoken Reality”: Addressing the common gap between official SLAs and actual, slower recovery capabilities.
• Economic Justification: Linking rapid restore performance directly to minimizing revenue loss during downtime.
• Predictable Forecasting: Linear scaling simplifies budget and capacity planning for growing organizations.