[Info-vax] Storage is faster than the processor

[David Froble]

Stephen Hoffman wrote:
> 
> Having storage that is faster than the processors renders more than a 
> few system and application design details obsolete.
> 
> 
> 
> Non-volatile Storage
> Implications of the Datacenter's Shifting Center
> 
> https://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=2874238
> 
> 
> Ponder what this shift means for OpenVMS and its network and storage I/O 
> stacks, for scheduling, fast path and affinity, the new file system and 
> related.  And for your applications, too.
> 
> This isn't fiction or future, either.   The HPE 3PAR FC SAN SSD storage 
> arrays are just staggeringly faster than the old MSA gear.  And that's 
> before any discussions of PCIe or NVDIMMs.
> 
> 

Well, for sure, it's a faster method for making my head hurt ....

Now, remember, I'm a senile old man, who might have more than a little trouble 
envisioning new methods, regardless ....

I am having a hard time imagining how significantly faster storage I/O can 
affect the things that I do with a computer.  As a simple example, a simple 
operation to get some value, increment it by one, and store it.  The speed of 
the I/O has nothing to do with the "work" of adding 1 to some value.  This takes 
a CPU or similar logic.  And the problem only gets worse, the more "work" needed 
done with the data.

Ok, having many cores, and assigning a core to do some "work", could make use of 
faster I/O to get more total "work" performed.  But the many cores don't 
actually do anything faster, there could just be more of them.  Also note, while 
the storage is expensive, you use enough CPUs, and that can add up too.

Perhaps there are certain jobs where such over-speed can be helpful, but for a 
general purpose computer, and for a general purpose OS, the speed up can be 
helpful, but only to the extent the system can use the data.  Avoiding CPU waits 
would be good, maybe, but beyond that ?????

So now I'll wait for someone to tell me how "stuck in the mud" I am and explain 
those things I just cannot perceive.

:-)