Microsoft's Azure Stack HCI offering has grown up a lot in the last year. We've looked at the solution a few times both from Dell and DataON. In fact, we just posted a review of DataON's AZS-6224 Integrated Systems. We gave the solution an Editor's Choice Award again. The new 3rd Gen Xeon CPUs, Gen4 Intel SSDs, and the updated Azure Stack HCI OS from Microsoft make a very compelling offering that in our case, saw over 4 million IOPS out of a base three-node configuration and only 15 Intel P5510 SSDs.

We've worked with DataON a good deal in the past around their Azure Stack HCI offerings. They've done some great work with their Intel platforms and they've been able to take advantage of the entire ecosystem, including Intel servers, Optane storage, TLC SSDs, and even QLC SSDs for a low-cost data tier. Now, with new platforms in hand, DataON is positioned even better than before to be the leader when it comes to Azure Stack HCI hybrid infrastructure.

We've been talking a lot about E1.S (ruler) SSDs lately. The last podcast covered ruler, we even transcribed key findings from that conversation in a ruler deep dive. Now, we've got a box of E1.S SSDs in from SK hynix, that leverage the popular 15mm z-height standard. Having the flash is fun and all, but the systems out there that can support Gen4 E.1S SSDs are pretty thin. Thankfully, the guys at Viking Enterprise Solutions have just the tool for this work.

This podcast offers an amazing deep dive into Ruler SSDs and what the new form factor means to the enterprise data center. The big cloud providers have been on ruler SSDs for a few years. But mainstream adoption of Ruler has been hampered largely because there are too many shapes and sizes. That's changing for the better. The industry is standardizing on a 15mm z-height, which believe it or not, is the lynchpin that was required for big server vendors to get to work. Even if you're not deploying Ruler SSDs today, learning about what's coming with E1.S and E1.L is what this pod is all about.

If you've followed us for long, you know we're big fans of Eaton. That's not just because they send us racks, UPSs and PDUs. We like them because they're always embracing new technology. This is abundantly clear as we point out in our last review of the new Lithium-ion 9PX UPS. Lithium-ion offers faster charging, more density, and lighter weight amongst other benefits. After the review, we saw a lot of social outreach asking for more of this type of content. So here you go, a podcast dedicated just to power talk.

In this podcast, our resident expert on end-user computing, Tom Fenton, commandeers the microphone for a deep look at the latest developments when it comes to enabling a remote workforce. We are excited to have Mirela Cunjalo from Teradici (the folks behind PCoIP) join us to discuss.

The Fungible data center offers the ability to create infrastructure on the fly, pulling from CPU, GPU, and storage resources as needed. This allows for better utilization and a cloud-like model in terms of consumption. Underpinning the Fungible model is their own data processing unit (DPU), which handles most of the work. In fact, their FS1600 NVMe-oF storage platforms have no traditional x86 CPU at all running exclusively on the DPU. Listen or watch our latest podcast to learn more about the notion of composable data centers and how Fungible aims to bring its vision to the enterprise.

Jonmichael Hands left what most consider to be a very good job at Intel, taking on the role of head of storage at Chia. Chia is a cryptocurrency that's billed as one of the most green in the world since it leverages proof of space (PoS) rather than proof of work (PoW). The PoS model in this particular blockchain works in two core functions. That is Chia plotting, then Chia farming. The plotting work is best done on high-speed NVMe SSDs, while the farming, where coins are earned, is done on good old hard drives - no GPUs needed. This is the definitive Chia podcast to get you entirely up to speed on what the latest crypto craze is all about.

Micron announced a shift in portfolio strategy this week and involves ceasing the development of 3D XPoint. The company stated: “Micron has now determined that there is insufficient market validation to justify the ongoing high levels of investments required to successfully commercialize 3D XPoint at scale to address the evolving memory and storage needs of its customers.” This spurred Chris Mellor to do some digging, which he is oft to do. On this podcast, I sit down with the meanest man in enterprise IT to talk Optane, Micron killing XPoint, the future of PMem, Compute Express Link (CXL), and other up-and-coming tech in the data center.

Larry O'Connor has been solving problems for creative professionals and Mac enthusiasts for over 30 years. What started out as a RAM shop for Macs has turned into a haven of storage and accessories for those who want the best. On this podcast, I talk with Larry about how it all got started and spend an inordinate amount of time talking about cables, like OWC's latest Thunderbolt 4 cable that immediately sold out upon launch.