HP has recently released a new product called Project Moonshot. For anyone interested in databases, server systems, or cloud computing, the description of this new option was intriguing. On its most basic level, Project Moonshot is a scalable server system, available in small units that are easy to enlarge and can run a variety of databases and clouds – anything you can think up.
Update: Don’t forget to scroll all the way down and read call for action. I value your opinion about NuoDB.
Basics of Project Moonshot
Here are the basics: Moonshot consists of interchangeable and interlockable servers that are much smaller and more energy efficient than traditional models. A single Moonshot unit is 4.3U tall and can hold 45 servers, which connect together with 1G ethernet (between individuals) and 10G Ethernet (for the whole system). The systems, though, are available for purchase individually, configured with an Intel Atom S1260 processor, 8 G of memory and 200GB SSD or 500GB HDD.
Obviously this doesn’t appear to be a server to knock anybody’s sock off, but once you start scaling up, the possibilities are endless. This system can scale up to 180 nodes in a single unit. The end game with this kind of system is to provide different for servers for different jobs (like computation, storage, or memory). You can put 45 units into a 4.3 rack-unit, and suddenly you have the computing power to reckon with, and it still energy efficient.
NuoDB and Project Moontshot
I’m sure a lot of minds are racing right now, thinking up ways to use this new technology. Well, NuoDB certainly was. They have been test driving this new system for the past few weeks, and have come up with some unique trials to best utilize and test Moonshot. NuoDB designed tests to help showcase what they do best: scalable and cloud databases.
NuoDB took a real world situation in mind. In the real world, hosts have multiple websites (like blogs) that all gets steady but low traffic. However, if a blog is lucky, it will start attracting a lot of attention. Attention = traffic. A lot of traffic can seriously slow servers down if there is not enough computing power dedicated to them. That is where a scalable system like Moonshot comes into play. NuoDB also implemented some of their own techniques into the tests to show the full integration possibilities of Moonshot.
For example: hibernating and waking databases. By keeping some computing power “in reserve,” Moonshot helps administrators take full advantage of all the database, assigning rules to govern when and how memory is used. For high traffic sites or times, more power is parceled out for those needs, and less is used when less is needed. The idea seems simple, but implementation required the Moonshot Project for it to become a reality.
This is a simple overview of a long-ranging project that looked at many different variables and what Moonshot was capable of under different circumstances. The result, though, was that even when running 7200 active databases, they were only using about 70% of the system, leaving a huge percentage of power for extra growth and capacity. Check out the NuoDB website for more details about this exciting new project!
Call for Action
Download NuoDB and try out their new innovation. The installation and download is extremely easy. I will be very interested to know what is your experience with NuoDB.
Further Reading
NuoDB team have been writing lots of interesting blog post on the subject of Moonshot. I strongly suggest you to read them.
Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com)
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