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MS Researchers Call Moving Server Storage To SSDs a Bad Idea

Posted by timothy on from the professor-if-these-projections-are-accurate dept.

An anonymous reader writes "As an IT administrator did you ever think of replacing disks by SSDs? Or using SSDs as an intermediate caching layer? A recent paper by Microsoft researchers provides detailed cost/benefit analysis for several real workloads. The conclusion is that, for a range of typical enterprise workloads, using SSDs makes no sense in the short to medium future. Their price needs to decrease by 3-3000 times for them to make sense. Note that this paper has nothing to do with laptop workloads, for which SSDs probably make more sense (due to SSDs' ruggedness)."

15 of 292 comments (clear)

  1. Not every tool is right for every application?! by Tumbleweed · · Score: 5, Funny

    News at 11!

    1. Re:Not every tool is right for every application?! by VeNoM0619 · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's hardly the issue... notice how they say 3-3000 times cheaper. Meaning a $3000 SSD would have to cost $1 for them to consider it... Don't you love pulling numbers of your ass?

      --
      Disclaimer: I am not god.
      We may not be created equal
      But we can be treated equal.
    2. Re:Not every tool is right for every application?! by Cormacus · · Score: 5, Funny

      I dunno about that. I'm pretty sure that if your only tool is a hammer, all of your problems start looking like nails . . . allowing the hammer to be "applied" to every application . . .

      --
      Mon chien, il n'a pas du nez. Comment scent-il? TrÃs mauvais!
    3. Re:Not every tool is right for every application?! by Tumbleweed · · Score: 2, Funny

      I dunno about that. I'm pretty sure that if your only tool is a hammer, all of your problems start looking like nails . . . allowing the hammer to be "applied" to every application . . .

      I think an SSD would make for a very expensive hammer. Still, think about the low latency of such a hammer! Plus with the wear levelling feature, the useful life of and SSD hammer seems like it would be much more reliable over a spinning disc hammer. And the lower power requirements could pay for itself very quickly if you have an entire server room of carpenters. I don't think they did the math right on this one.

    4. Re:Not every tool is right for every application?! by jebrew · · Score: 3, Funny
      So if it's $100, and they say 3 times cheaper, then it's got to be:

      $100 - (3 * $100) = -$200

      Hell, if they pay me $200 AND give me an SSD, I'll be a happy person.

    5. Re:Not every tool is right for every application?! by trb · · Score: 3, Funny

      Funny, my other complaint is twice as slow.

      Yeah, I prefer "half fast."

  2. Re:What if... by Anarke_Incarnate · · Score: 5, Funny

    FAT chance.........

  3. Re:they already cost less per gig than some SAS dr by Yvan256 · · Score: 5, Funny

    What do you mean, an african or european ass?

  4. 3-3000 times? by dAzED1 · · Score: 3, Funny

    seriously? "we don't have enough people here. we need between 2-2000 times as many people in the configuration department." Does that sound like I have ANY idea how many people we need?

    Sorry, that is a *ridiculous* range to give.

  5. What it really means by HangingChad · · Score: 5, Funny

    Microsoft researchers provides detailed cost/benefit analysis for several real workloads.

    If Microsoft researchers report that SSD's are not cost effective storage, it means that Microsoft is not getting any revenue from SSD storage. Or that they're behind on incorporating SSD's into the server stack. Or they caught blind-sided by the trend like they did with netbooks and are now scrambling to explain why they didn't see it coming. Oh, we found that wasn't cost effective, so we didn't incorporate it.

    I really miss the days Microsoft had it together. There was a time they were great to work with. Now they seem like the Three Stooges Do IT. SSD, eh? Oh, a wise guy! SMACK! Wo-wo-wo-wo!

    --
    That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
    1. Re:What it really means by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      You do realise that Microsoft Research is largely independent from the commercial arm of Microsoft... right. It's actually quite respected.

  6. Re:What if... by Rayeth · · Score: 5, Funny

    ext-remely unlikely.

  7. Re:they already cost less per gig than some SAS dr by Lord+Ender · · Score: 5, Funny

    They could grip it by the husk!

    --
    A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
  8. Re:What if... by darthdavid · · Score: 5, Funny

    Stop with the puns or you'll end up in prison with Reiser.

  9. Re:How about a policy: NO PAYWALLS! by ArsonSmith · · Score: 3, Funny

    "It's also tax deductible as a professional subscription."

    Sweet!! you mean I can send MS $200 to avoid having to send $40 to the government?

    --
    Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.