Hardware Options

The knoSYS® system provides labs with a scalable, production-grade informatics infrastructure for the analysis, annotation, and interpretation of human next-gen sequence data. The system includes both user-friendly software and powerful hardware.

While many organizations rely on the cloud to store their data, hospitals with a clinical focus are sensitive to security, versioning, and upload/download speeds. Having a locally-installed turnkey solution provides peace of mind and control over your data from end-to-end.

The servers of the k100 have an “open” architecture meaning that multiple align and call modules can be installed and performance compared for optimal results.

Knome

customer,

Massimo

Delledonne of

the University

of Verona,

stands next t

o his k100

The k100 model

The k100 is a self-contained, high-performance processing center with compute, storage, network, and power management components.

COMPUTE

The k100 features four compute nodes
each with two 8-core Intel E5-2600 series
processors for a total of 128 virtual core
“threads” of computer power. Using the
Ivy Bridge chips from Intel, the k100
compute nodes can handle processing
hundreds of whole genomes with ease.
Each node contains 128 gigabytes of RAM
for a total of 512 gigabytes in the 4-node
system.
Additionally, all of the k100 CPU’s have an
on-board Advanced Vector Extensions
(AVX) instruction set for accelerating
floating point operations. This instruction
set has been used by the Broad Institute
to accelerate the main routines of GATK
variant calling substantially.
A fifth server acts as a database server
with two 8-core E5-2600 Ivy Bridge
processors and 128 gigabytes of memory.

STORAGE

In addition to the compute servers, the
k100 comes with a ClusterStor Lustre
Storage Appliance with 60 terabytes of
usable storage.
Performance studies with the system
have shown sustained I/O rates of 1
gigabyte per second, meaning less time
waiting and more time analyzing.
A RAID 6 configuration is used for failure
tolerant storage so that in the instance of
a drive failure (or even if two drives fail),
no data is lost and work can continue
while the disk is replaced.
The k100 rack has space for two optional
Lustre units to expand to 180 usable
terabytes of storage. In addition to
gaining storage space, the storage
network is designed to increase in the
available I/O bandwidth as drives are
added, up to 7 gigabytes per second.

NETWORK & POWER

Network
As all eight servers need to “talk” to each
other, the k100 has two networks: one for communication traffic and one for storage
traffic. In addition, a 10 gigabit Ethernet
card is provided for uploading and
downloading files to and from the system.
These networks make interactions
between the different components of the
k100 seamless.
Power management
Included with the k100 is an
uninterruptable power supply (UPS) and
two power distribution units (PDU’s).
These allow for sufficient back-up power
for five minutes of operation, thereby
enabling controlled shutdown of the
system. All servers include a redundant,
failover power supply. If a customer has
their own racks, UPS, and PDU’s, these
components aren’t necessary.

Please hover over colored sections to read descriptions.

The k25 model

For organizations focusing on gene panels and smaller numbers of exome and whole genomes, the k25 is the perfect-sized option. Laboratories that are just getting started with next-generation sequencing may also find the k25 suits their needs. The k25 was released in 2014 in response to requests by labs that don’t currently have the high-volume NGS processing demands the k100 was designed to handle.

 

Components are similar to those of the k100; however, there are fewer of them.

COMPUTE

One dual CPU node (Intel “Ivy Bridge” model) contains 32 virtual core “threads”
of compute power and 256 gigabytes of RAM.
These CPU’s also come standard with an on-board Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) instruction
set which can be used to speed up floating
point operations,
such as GATK variant calling.

STORAGE

The storage server offers 24 terabytes of usable storage and still boasts a RAID 6 array for failure tolerance. Similar to the k100, the k25 provides reassurance in knowing that data will not be lost if a drive fails or becomes corrupted.

NETWORK & POWER

Network
The k25 is equipped with both 1
gigabit and 10 gigabit Ethernet cards to facilitate communication and
uploading and downloading files to the k25.
Power management
The k25 is installed in an existing server rack and relies on existing infrastructure for power.
Hosted hardware

Both the k100 and k25 models are traditionally installed in an organization’s existing server facilities, either in a bundled server rack or as individual components.

The option to purchase either model and have it hosted at Knome’s secure facility is also available; users log in remotely to the system.

A k25 model