The 6000 series array comes in two models: The Violin 6616, which is based on SLC flash and optimized for high IOPS and low latency; and the Violin 6232, which is based on MLC flash memory and optimized for high capacity.

Violin's memory arrays also use an algorithm it calls "vRAID" to stripe data across multiple Violin Intelligent Memory Modules (VIMMs), which are the same thing as DIMMs (Dual Inline memory modules), but are made with NAND flash versus DRAM.

Block or chip failures are handled on the fly and in the event of a VIMM failure, data is moved to a spare and the VIMM can be hot-swapped. The combined result is a system that meets the highest mission critical availability standards for enterprise customers.

"The need for real time access to applications and data is challenging many CIOs and managers in data-intensive enterprise environments," said Jeff Janukowicz, research director for solid-state at IDC. "All-silicon enterprise storage solutions, such as Violin's Memory Arrays, that incorporate high reliable system-level enterprise design features provide CIOs a new way to accelerate their storage infrastructures."

The 3220 and 6000 series arrays offer three connectivity options: PCIe (four or eight lanes), Fibre Channel (4Gbps or 8Gbps links) and Gigabit Ethernet (memory gateways support up to four 10GbE ports).