How Many IOPS is Enough

There are lots of SSDs on the market today offering IOPS (I/Os Per Second) performance in the thousands to hundreds of thousands, with indications that future models will offer speeds in the million-IOPS range. Meanwhile HDDs support from tens to hundreds of IOPS, depending on spindle speed and interface. Not every application can use the extreme performance of high-end SSDs, and some may not benefit from high IOPS at all. Since performance is tied to cost, users can save money if they understand how many IOPS the system really needs. This presentation will examine what makes an application require high IOPS and will profile applications according to their needs.

Learning Objectives

Learn what IOP load is required for various common enterprise applications through examples and survey results.
Find out what the proper combination of HDDs and SSDS can satisfy IOP requirements for commone enterprise activities.
See some examples of how users have combined HDDs and flash memory to achieve cost effective solutions that meet their application requirements.