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HighPoint’s Groundbreaking Gen5 Switching Architecture Elevates NVMe Storage to New Heights
HighPoint has long been recognized for its industry-first NVMe AICs and Adapters, delivering dedicated x16 PCIe bandwidth and up to sixteen independent device channels. Powered by the industry’s fastest and most reliable PCIe Switching Architecture, HighPoint NVMe solutions deliver unmatched efficiency, flexibility and reliability across a diverse range of x86 and ARM computing environments and storage infrastructure for today’s most data-intensive workflows.
Building on this storied legacy, HighPoint has re-engineered its Gen5 NVMe hardware Architecture to incorporate the latest breakthroughs in PCIe Switching technology. To meet the diverse needs of these vertical applications, Gen5 Switching Architecture integrates advanced features, including reconfigurable downstream PCIe lane counts, support for industry-standard communication protocols, robust hardware-based data security, real-time storage health monitoring, and a Field Replaceable Unit (FRU) module, empowering customers platforms with seamless deployment, enterprise reliability, and optimal serviceability.
Capable of delivering an astounding 12 million random IOPS, 60GB/s of real-world transfer speed, and supporting up to 32 NVMe devices via a single PCIe slot, HighPoint’s Rocket 7600 and 1600 product lines are the industry’s de facto PCIe Gen5 NVMe adapter solutions, and have redefined storage performance and scalability for industrial data center and edge computing platforms.
Understanding HighPoint PCIe Switch Architecture
HighPoint’s PCIe Switching Architecture has established new benchmarks for NVMe storage and connectivity, delivering industry leading performance, reliability and scalability. The innovative hardware architecture resides in the core of each HighPoint NVMe solution and leverages Broadcom’s industry-leading x48 lane PCIe Switch ICs to maximize transfer throughput, minimize latency and enhance signal quality.
The ICs provide each solution with x48 internal lanes; x16 lanes of dedicated bandwidth to the upstream port (connection to the host platform), and x32 lanes of downstream bandwidth to the device ports (or drive bays, in the case of our enclosures). The 16 to 32 ratio is ideal, and the reason why HighPoint products consistently deliver benchmark transfer performance for any given PCIe generation – it enables each solution to fully utilize x16 lanes of host bandwidth (maximum possible per slot) while distributing x4 lanes to each hosted NVMe device (maximum possible per SSD).
PCIe Gen5
NVMe Adapter Architecture
The PEX 89048 Switch IC enables Rocket 7600 and Rocket 1600 series solutions to allocate x16 lanes of dedicated upstream bandwidth (the PCIe connection to the motherboard). The remaining 32 lanes are equally distributed to the downstream ports; this means x8 lanes to each of the Adapter’s four MCIO 8i ports.
PCIe 2nd-Gen Gen4 NVMe Adapter Architecture
Rocket 752x and Rocket 152x series 2nd-Gen Gen4 NVMe Adapters utilize a re-engineered Gen4 Switching Architecture, similar to our Gen5 product lines, and leverage Broadcom’s PEX 88048 Switch IC.
Advanced Features for Gen5 and 2nd-Gen Gen4 Solutions
Of particular note, the downstream bandwidth allocated by our PCIe Gen5 and 2nd-Gen Gen4 AICs and Adapters is configurable via customizable firmware, and enables customers to optimize the solution to maximize device connectivity or transfer performance. This provides unparallelled levels of flexibility and enabling a single PCIe device to accommodate various storage infrastructure and workloads.
The new architecture is capable of dynamically allocated bus bandwidth in real time based on the loaded firmware to ensure hosted storage devices keep pace with the target application. For example, if the adapter has been configured to support 32 devices, the PCIe switch will reshuffle the bifurcation setting from x4 lanes to x1 lanes per NVMe device.
Scale up to 32 Devices: While each solution has a fixed number of device ports, these values do not reflect the total number of NVMe devices each product can host. Customizable firmware packages enable our PCIe Gen5 and 2nd-gen Gen4 NVMe Adapters to support as many as 32 devices via backplane connectivity. This feature enables customers to tailor solutions for workflows that favor raw storage capacity over transfer speed; that’s translates into nearly 4 Petabytes of potential storage capacity, as today’s largest drives are now 122TB in size!
Maximizing PCIe Lane Utilization for Real-World Deployment
In today’s data-intensive computing environments, the inherit flexibility, reliability and performance characteristics of a PCIe-based storage solution is of critical importance for real-world deployment.
HighPoint NVMe adapters are engineered to address these concerns, and leverage proven PCIe Switching Technology to elevate the reliability, transfer throughput and scalability of NVMe storage configurations to new heights.
Each HighPoint NVMe adapter provides x32 lanes of dedicated bandwidth for downstream port connectivity to ensure hosted NVMe devices operate at peak performance and efficiency. Our PCIe Gen5 and 2nd-gen Gen4 NVMe product series further capitalize on this design by offering Configurable Downstream Lane Counts.
Reconfigurable Downstream PCIe lane Counts enable the adapter to be custom-tailored to meet vertical industrial applications that demand maximum storage density. 32 x1 mode enables the solution to support up to 32 devices via a single PCIe slot when paired with storage backplanes.
Programmable Firmware: Configurable Downstream Lane Counts
HighPoint NVMe Adapters were engineered to excel in today’s data-driven Edge and Datacenter computing environments. Customized firmware updates provided by HighPoint enable customers to optimize storage infrastructure for such environments, and maximize device connectivity without compromising performance or reliability.
Configurable Downstream Lane Counts enables the x32 lanes of dedicated downstream bandwidth to be distributed in one of three ways:
8 x4 (eight channels, each with x4 lanes):
This is default lane allocation for all HighPoint NVMe Adapters. This mode maximizes a full x16 lanes of PCIe upstream bandwidth by allocating x4 lanes to each device channel/port, and can support up to 8x NVMe SSDs.
16 x2 (eight channels, each of which is assigned two logical pathways with x2 lanes):
This mode is a unique configuration that provides two separate logical paths, each using two PCIe lanes, to each SSD. While this does not change the physical connection (standard cabling can be used), it creates a logical separation that the host system will recognize as two distinct drives.
Note, this mode only applies to enterprise-class NVMe media, and not all models can support this feature. Please contact your drive vendor for more information.
32 x1 (32 device channels, each with x1 lanes):
This mode can be used to maximize device connectivity. It enables the adapter to support an astounding 32 NVMe devices (SSDs) via a single PCIe x16 slot! This mode requires that the Adapter interface with multiple storage backplanes. In the illustration show below, each of the eight SlimSAS/MCIO 8i ports is connected to a UBM backplane that is in turn hosting 8 NVMe SSDs (for a total of 32).
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Seamless Integration with Industry-Standard Computing Platforms and Storage Infrastructure
To ensure our NVMe storage and connectivity solutions are fully deployable in real-world datacenter and edge computing environments, we offer firmware customization services that enable clients to configure and scale storage infrastructure to support a wide range of data-intensive workloads. Facilitating seamless integration with industry-standard server and workstation chassis, HighPoint PCIe Gen5 and 2nd-gen Gen4 NVMe Adapters are compliant with industry standard backplane specifications including:
UBM (Universal Backplane Management): Ensures compatibility with modern storage enclosures and rackmount chassis using standardized management protocols.
VPP (Virtual Pin Port): Flexible support for high-density storage configurations in legacy computing environments.
Direct Cabling: Direct to NVMe device configurations for compact platforms and chassis with integrated 2.5” drive bays
Configurable support communication protocols or interfaces: SMBUS, I2C, BMC and MCTP
HighPoint’s PCIe Gen4 and 2nd-gen Gen4 NVMe Adapters support industry-standard communication protocols such as SMBus, I2C, and advanced Out-of-Band protocols such as MCTP and SMC, which enable customers to efficiently monitor and retrieve critical storage health status and activity data of hosted NVMe media. The real-time insights and streamlined communication enhance the overall reliability of the host platform, optimize transfer performance, and facilitate proactive management to meet the rigorous demands of modern enterprise storage environments.
Enhanced Manageability:
Remote Monitoring and Control: Enables remote monitoring of vital parameters including temperature, voltage, and fan speed. This allows for proactive maintenance and early detection of potential issues.
Out-of-Band Management (OOB): OOB support enables administrators to manage and troubleshoot the adapter and hosted storage even when the platform’s operating system is down or inaccessible.
Remote Firmware Updates: Enables the adapter to updated remotely, ensuring the latest features, bug fixes, and security patches are applied.
Diagnostics: Enables detailed diagnostics of the adapter and hosted SSDs, aiding in troubleshooting performance issues or identifying hardware failures.
Enhanced Reliability and Availability:
Real-time Proactive Maintenance: Actively monitoring critical adapter hardware and environmental parameters in real-time enables administrators to identify and address potential problems before they lead to failure, mitigating the threat of downtime.
Faster Troubleshooting: Remote diagnostics and access to detailed information about storage performance and behavior can significantly speed up troubleshooting, maintenance and replacement workflows.
Streamlined Integration:
Strict Compliance with Industry Standards: By adhering to industry-standard protocols like SMBus, I2C, and MCTP, the adapter can be more easily integrated into various server platforms and management systems.
In essence, supporting these communication protocols allows HighPoint NVMe adapters to become more intelligent, manageable, and reliable components within modern data center and server infrastructures, improving the overall efficiency and uptime of the target platform.
Active Storage Hardware Sensor Logging & Analysis Suite
HighPoint PCIe Gen5 and 2nd-gen Gen4 NVMe AICs and Adapters are equipped with an advanced Environmental Sensor and Logging Solution that automatically tracks and logs the temperature and power consumption of each hosted SSD, and the fan speed and Switch IC temperature of the PCIe device. These parameters are tracked in Real-time, and logged every 60 seconds, for up to 5 full days (one working week).
Insights derived by this service can be used to optimize and troubleshoot hosted NVMe media. The ability to closely examine SSD behavior over time enables administrators to fine-tune storage configurations to maximize performance and reliability.
Logged data can be accessed using the following HighPoint utilities:
Rocket 7600 RAID Series: HighPoint RAID management Suite
WebGUI Management Suite
MPT Utility
HighPoint Security Module
PCIe Gen5 and 2nd-Gen Gen4 NVMe Solutions feature an integrated security module that provides Hardware Secure Boot capability via the integrated Broadcom Switch IC.
Hardware Secure Boot
Hardware Secure Boot, a critical security feature that has been integrated into the PEX89048 switch IC, ensures only authenticated software and firmware is loaded during the boot process. This prevents unauthorized code, such as a rootkit or ransomware, from executing as the OS begins to startup. HighPoint PCIe Gen5 and 2nd-gen Gen4 NVMe products enable customers to take advantage of the technology.
How Hardware Secure Boot Works: Hardware Secure Boot validates the authenticity of executable code by checking for a digital signature. This ensures that only trusted software/firmware approved by the manufacturer or system integrator is allowed to commence.
Key Benefits:
Enhances System Reliability: Ensures consistent and tamper-free operation, critical for data-sensitive environments.
Ensures Regulatory Compliance: Assists in meeting industry standard security certifications for enterprise and cloud deployments.
Hardware Secure Boot is ideal for bootable environments that are subject to public networks (such as the internet) and serve multitudes of users, including data centers, financial services, and cloud services.
FRU Module (Field Replacement Unit)
HighPoint PCIe Gen5 and 2nd-gen Gen4 NVMe AICs and Adapters feature an FRU Module to streamline maintenance and service workflows. Each product is a field replaceable unit (FRU); the VPD (vital product data) stored by each FRU Module enables service providers to easily procure direct replacements with the correct firmware and driver combination for the target application and platform.
Key Benefits:
Vital Product Data for Easy Identification: FRU stores essential product information, including model numbers, serial numbers, and firmware versions, enabling quick and accurate identification of components during field service.
Streamlined Maintenance and Repairs Enhance System Uptime: The FRU module enables service technicians to easily diagnose and replace critical components without the need for extensive system disassembly which expedites service workflows to minimize downtime.
Improved Inventory Management: Accurate tracking of installed components simplifies inventory planning and ensures availability of compatible replacements.
In Summary
HighPoint's PCIe Switching technology redefines what’s possible for modern storage infrastructure. This groundbreaking hardware architecture reaffirms our commitment to technological innovation, ensuring our storage and connectivity solutions remain at the forefront of the rapidly evolving NVMe landscape.
HighPoint PCIe Gen5 and 2nd-Gen Gen4 NVMe adapters represent the pinnacle of storage solution innovation, combining our cutting-edge PCIe switching architecture with unparalleled performance, scalability, and manageability. By delivering industry-leading features such as configurable downstream lane counts, advanced environmental monitoring, robust hardware security, seamless integration with standard computing platforms, and supporting up to 32 NVMe devices via a single PCIe slot, these solutions address the demands of today’s data-intensive enterprise and industrial environments with precision and reliability.