Backblaze storage pod version 5: 180TB of NAS in one box

[rbstern]

I've been following Backblaze, a backup service company, for a while now. Fascinating company with a really interesting approach to their business. They designed their own very large-scale backup RAID storage from off-the-shelf components, including consumer grade hard drives. They are now on version 5 of what they call their "storage pod." They are running more than 54,000+ consumer grade hard drives, storing 200 Petabytes of data for their customers. And they've shared their hard drive reliability data with the public, so you can find out which manufacturer is making the most reliable drives, based on a very high sample of drives.

They've even published all the tech specs, in case you want to build your own storage pod.


Version 5 of the Backblaze storage pod:

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/cloud-storage-hardware/


Version 1 of the Backblaze storage pod:

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/petabytes-on-a-budget-how-to-build-cheap-cloud-storage/


Truly fascinating, their hard drive reliability info (be prepared to be shocked by how bad Seagate drives are):

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/what-hard-drive-should-i-buy/
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/best-hard-drive-q4-2014/
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/how-long-do-disk-drives-last/


And look which power supply they chose for their version 5 storage pod:

 

[Automata]

You can buy the chassis from their manufacturer, but they charge insane prices. If you want just the case and backbone, be ready to shell out $2100. There is no way the materials, design, and manufacturer cost anywhere near that. They are just price gouging.

 

[rbstern]

You can buy the chassis from their manufacturer, but they charge insane prices. If you want just the case and backbone, be ready to shell out $2100. There is no way the materials, design, and manufacturer cost anywhere near that. They are just price gouging.

I have no idea what their costs are. It's a low volume item, so I doubt it's cheap. In the end, it's still far cheaper than competing solutions. Backblaze is about to come to market with a cloud storage solution. The pricing per GB is about 25% of Amazon's pricing. They're obviously doing something right.

The point of my post was not to suggest people run out and buy a 180TB NAS device, but instead highlight the learning available from what Backblaze has shared about their design and their experience with hard drive reliability.

 

[Mpegger]

I'm waiting for thier 2015 report on HHDs.

 

[EarthDog]

Those links are scattered around the site already... I like that it is all in one thread !!

If the point was to look at those links, the title sure doesn't point the reader in that direction . You can edit your title if you choose.

My concern with this data and trying to extrapolate the results to consumer level is that the environment they are in is just not a realistic one. These drives are ridden MUCH harder than what a typical consumer would put these through. While you can take something away from that and trickle it down, I'm not sure I would hang my hat on it.

And old EVGA PSU, but a solid one. Interesting choice as it is an older model. They have the venerable G2/P2 series out for quite a while now which is a notably better PSU than the NEX.

 

[rbstern]

Those links are scattered around the site already... I like that it is all in one thread !!

If the point was to look at those links, the title sure doesn't point the reader in that direction . You can edit your title if you choose.

I was trying to be amusing. Fail, apparently.

My concern with this data and trying to extrapolate the results to consumer level is that the environment they are in is just not a realistic one. These drives are ridden MUCH harder than what a typical consumer would put these through. While you can take something away from that and trickle it down, I'm not sure I would hang my hat on it.

I disagree. The drives in the Backblaze data center are relatively pampered.

1) Data center quality power with UPS-backed feeds.
2) Consistent and lower temp cooling (both the facility and in-chasis).
3) Little or no movement or external source vibration after deployment.
4) Few, if any, power up/down cycles.
5) Many fewer random read/write operations in comparison to a typical home or biz PC.

I would expect a drive in that environment to last longer than a typical home or biz user PC.

And old EVGA PSU, but a solid one. Interesting choice as it is an older model. They have the venerable G2/P2 series out for quite a while now which is a notably better PSU than the NEX.

I doubt they would take a chance on a newer model without an established track record. Reliable is more important than new, in this case.

 

[EarthDog]

It was amusing, surely, just misleading for the point and impossible to search for its content because of it.

Sorry, I should have said usage model, not environment. My subsequent text went right into how hard they are being ridden (use). Those drives are beat the heck up compared to how a typical consumer uses them. So.. grain of salt.

You are correct in that their environment is more stable though.

Who knows why they chose that PSU. My guess is cost had something to do with it.

 

[rbstern]

It was amusing, surely, just misleading for the point and impossible to search for its content because of it.

Sorry, I should have said usage model, not environment. My subsequent text went right into how hard they are being ridden (use). Those drives are beat the heck up compared to how a typical consumer uses them. So.. grain of salt.

You are correct in that their environment is more stable though.

Who knows why they chose that PSU. My guess is cost had something to do with it.

Absolutely, cost is a key issue for them; after all, the whole thing is designed to replicate the functionality of much higher end hardware. But it's a good quality, efficient PSU.

I'll change the title...

 

[HankB]

Sorry, I should have said usage model, not environment. My subsequent text went right into how hard they are being ridden (use). Those drives are beat the heck up compared to how a typical consumer uses them. So.. grain of salt.

I wondered about that too. If their setup was the backing store for a database in a data center, then the drives would be hammered all day. If they backup files for 3500 home users (and even small business users) I doubt that the read/write duty is that heavy. They would be mostly holding files that occasionally get refreshed and/or read. That would likely be lighter duty than the drive in a personal desktop since not all modified files re going to be backed up.

 

[Mpegger]

They have WD Green drives in their setup that are still working years later. Hardly any of the WD Green drives I purchased lived more then 1-2 years, replaced well within the warranty period. I probably put those drives through more abuse in my home setup then they do their drives.

 

[EarthDog]

I wondered about that too. If their setup was the backing store for a database in a data center, then the drives would be hammered all day. If they backup files for 3500 home users (and even small business users) I doubt that the read/write duty is that heavy. They would be mostly holding files that occasionally get refreshed and/or read. That would likely be lighter duty than the drive in a personal desktop since not all modified files re going to be backed up.

I disagree. Understand that for any given drive, there may be 10s or hundreds of users with data on it. So there could be 10s/100s of users occasionally adding files or reading files from it versus at home, its 1-4(?) people if it is a NAS? I honestly can't think of a usage scenario where an online backup for the public and its drives would be used less than typical home use situations.

 

[rbstern]

They have WD Green drives in their setup that are still working years later. Hardly any of the WD Green drives I purchased lived more then 1-2 years, replaced well within the warranty period. I probably put those drives through more abuse in my home setup then they do their drives.

And I've never had a WD Green drive go bad. I've got some that are 3-4 years old, in a 24x7 power-on state.

Weird.