Nimble Performance vs Fill In

[J-Philippe]

Hi guys, does anyone knows if it is still true that performance are decreasing when Nimble is 85% full ?

Thanks for your help.

https://theithollow.com/2013/11/25/casl-nimble-storage/

Guys, please stop the FUD. CASL will not maintain high perf when the array is 95% full. It will not even maintain high perf if the array is 90% full. Nimble’s guidelines for optimal perf is 85% full. If anyone wants to bother to read the actual Nimble KB on this, ask your Nimble rep for KB-000038.
Garbage collection only cleans up space after you’ve deleted snapshots of volumes. If you’re just filling the array with data and pass the 85% mark, you WILL experience perf degradation. There’s no magic bullet – even with CASL…and I like Nimble…just not FUD.

[Mahesh202 · Accepted solution]

Hi J-Philippe

It is generally true that Nimble Storage recommends keeping the storage array utilization below 85% to maintain optimal performance. However, the exact threshold at which performance degradation will occur can vary depending on various factors such as workload characteristics, drive types, and other environmental factors.

When the array is close to full, it can lead to an increased number of write operations being spread across fewer available physical storage blocks, which can cause increased fragmentation and ultimately, reduced performance.

Nimble Storage's CASL architecture, which includes features like dynamic caching and metadata management, is designed to help mitigate the impact of fragmentation and other factors that can affect performance. However, exceeding the recommended capacity utilization can still potentially impact performance, and customers should consult Nimble's guidelines and best practices for their specific use case.

Hope this helps.!!

Regards
Mahesh