Dymax I/O software - Improvement in Backup Throughput I/O?

Has anyone tried Dymax I/O software? I was wondering if it would be beneficial for just certain appliances (mentioned below) and backup servers?
Apparently it is like "LiteSpeed" but for server applications? It improves performance of high-demand applications, reducing load and increasing throughput.
I have clients with backup servers being run via vSphere, VMware and locally on host OS, so not just one use scenario.

• Guaranteed Performance Improvement: DymaxIO resolves common Windows I/O performance troubles, such as SQL query freezes, application lags, long-running reports, user disconnects, batch job failures, and slow backups.
• Optimize I/O Intensive Systems: DymaxIO excels in I/O intensive environments like MS-SQL, delivering exceptional results and reducing noisy I/O traffic.
• Reclaim “Stolen” Throughput: By intelligently eliminating performance-robbing I/O inefficiencies right at the source, DymaxIO can return over 40% of your lost throughput.
• No New Hardware, No Code Changes: Save time, money, and resources with DymaxIO’s non-disruptive installation. There’s no need for costly hardware upgrades or complex code modifications.
• Simple and Seamless Integration: Get up and running with DymaxIO quickly and effortlessly. Our user-friendly installation process requires no system reboot.

Their website is: DymaxIO
I look forward to people's comments.
Cheers!

Dymax I/O used to be called Diskeeper.
Name was changed as just about nobody pays for a defragmenter now in the SSD days so they thought if they change the name they can attract customers to pay for it.
Not needed snakeoil IMO.

Thanks mate. But they make a lot of promises about server-based apps?
Plus they have a Server download and Client download (which I assume talks to the server?)
And how would defrag software help with I/O bottlenecks? Sounds like drivers and tweaks are involved...
Just not sure what they mean by "reducing noisy I/O traffic"? I understand on a network interface, but for I/O?

Yes, their business name did seem *very* familiar, and I couldn't place it... I think I have used two of their products before. Condusiv just rings a bell. Only other current product on their website is 'Undelete'... Ahh quick google and "SSD Keeper" came up - defrag s/w.
Cheers

KevTech said:

Dymax I/O used to be called Diskeeper.
Not needed snakeoil IMO.

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Flipmode said:

But they make a lot of promises about server-based apps?

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They don't just make promises. They also deliver, but DymaxIO (former Diskeeper or V-Locity) doesn't fit in the category of a traditional defragger. (Even, if you don't use SSDs for some part of your storage needs.) Now that SSDs have become the norm for almost everything that relates to storage, for the average home user, this kind of storage optimization software is almost certainly going to be like homeopathy. I.e., offering no real-world benefits whatsoever (or barely), as the usage patterns most commonly associated with home use typically lack the characteristics that it requires to be able to reveal its true strongpoints.

However, in the enterprise realm, it is very much relevant still nevertheless, as severs and heavy workstations very often tend to be a completely different animal especially in that regard. For example, for home use on a half-decent consumer SSD with NVMe you won't easily run out of IOPS, but on a database server under constant heavy load, the claim that you can't easily run out of IOPS is just an obvious false myth. The problem is not the hardware. Rather, it's the people who want to believe in false myths.

Flipmode said:

Plus they have a Server download and Client download (which I assume talks to the server?)

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For centralized management and analysis, yes.

Flipmode said:

And how would defrag software help with I/O bottlenecks? Sounds like drivers and tweaks are involved...

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It's not "defrag software". It's a complex mixture of various storage optimization software technologies.

Flipmode said:

Just not sure what they mean by "reducing noisy I/O traffic"? I understand on a network interface, but for I/O?

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The "noisy" is referring to split, small, random I/O patterns generated by the Windows OS. You'd think that Windows Server is a "capable" OS so it doesn't actually make it noisy, and you'd think wrong. It's in a wheelchair. But you can install a jet engine on its rear-end. You'll see the difference! lol

Flipmode said:

Yes, their business name did seem *very* familiar, and I couldn't place it... I think I have used two of their products before. Condusiv just rings a bell. Only other current product on their website is 'Undelete'... Ahh quick google and "SSD Keeper" came up - defrag s/w.

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Tey acquired the Diskeeper company several years ago. FYI, Diskeeper also wasn't "defrag software". I have used it on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 with traditional HDDs from 2010 tilll the end of 2017.

hdmi said:

FYI, Diskeeper also wasn't "defrag software".

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As usual you are incorrect.

KevTech said:

As usual you are incorrect.

Diskeeper - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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It's "disk optimization software". Defragmentation is only one of multiple optimizations that it uses. I-FAAST (Intelligent File Access Acceleration Sequencing Technology), InvisiTasking, IntelliWrite, and IntelliMemory are clear examples of other, additional optimization technologies.

hdmi said:

It's "disk optimization software".

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Which is just another way of saying defragmenter.
Windows defragmenter in Windows XP and Windows 7 was based on diskeeper and now windows defragmenter is called optimize drives.

I have no clue what the hell Dymax I/O does, based on reading their confusing webinar transcripts and "White Papers". If I had to take an educated guess, its a logical volume manager that takes control of actual writes to the physical disk, and regroups them based on some expected pattern.

Actual on-the-fly defrag would be too expensive on a system with constant I/O load (like a server). What you can do is split a volume into pools, and restrict writes to specific pools, so at the worse case the blocks are adjoining and less scattered. Like if you assigned every process a separate group of disk blocks very far apart from the next process' blocks, so concurrent writes from different processes aren't mingled with each other.

hdmi said:

It's "disk optimization software". Defragmentation is only one of multiple optimizations that it uses. I-FAAST (Intelligent File Access Acceleration Sequencing Technology), InvisiTasking, IntelliWrite, and IntelliMemory are clear examples of other, additional optimization technologies.

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I don't see any of those being effective with SSD memory and/or RAM buffering. Disk fragmentation is not an issue with SSD drives and RAM buffering is common, including with Windows file access.

In the old days when disks were a lot slower, separating seeks from writes, predicting when a disk block would be under the heads, etc. could speed up disk access.

I think with today's storage solutions, this is about 98% snake oil.

gunrunnerjohn said:

Disk fragmentation is not an issue with SSD drives

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That's just another myth.

gunrunnerjohn said:

In the old days

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...the myth was still new in spite of the fact it is a myth. Today, it is an old myth.

gunrunnerjohn said:

I think with today's storage solutions, this is about 98% snake oil.

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If you already have your answer, then why did you bother to ask? No offense, but... here is a suggestion. Do your research on how SSDs work. Then come back here and explain everything you've learned about snake oil. Good luck, and, have a nice day!

hdmi said:

If you already have your answer, then why did you bother to ask? No offense, but... here is a suggestion. Do your research on how SSDs work. Then come back here and explain everything you've learned about snake oil. Good luck, and, have a nice day!

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Actually, perhaps you should do some additional research before you go with admonishing other people. Doing a traditional defrag on an SSD can actually accelerate the wear and demise of the drive. The drive's internal logic does any data reorganization that is necessary.

When you ask Windows to do a defrag, it actually just triggers the drive's TRIM function.

Let's see what an SSD manufacturer has to say on the topc? Here's Crucial's take on the topic...

Should I defrag my SSD?​

Maybe we'll check with another source, how about the Microsoft forums.

Should i defragment an SSD?​

Here's a data recovery company's take on the topic.

Want to Defrag Your SSD? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t​

Out of curiosity, I followed Google AI response. They seem to agree with the other opinions.

No, it is generally not necessary or recommended to defrag an SSD.

Here's why:

• Different Technology: Defragmentation is a process designed for traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) which have physical moving parts that read data sequentially. Over time, files on HDDs can become fragmented (scattered across the disk), slowing down access time as the read head has to move back and forth to locate all the pieces. Defragmentation helps improve performance by rearranging fragmented files into contiguous blocks.
• SSDs Are Different: Solid State Drives (SSDs) use flash memory and have no moving parts. They can access data from any location on the drive with similar speed, making fragmentation less of an issue for performance.
• Wear Leveling and TRIM: SSDs utilize built-in mechanisms like wear leveling and TRIM to manage data and optimize performance. Wear leveling distributes data writes evenly across the memory cells, extending the drive's lifespan. The TRIM command helps the SSD efficiently manage free space by marking deleted data blocks as available for new writes.
• Potential Harm: Defragmenting an SSD can actually be detrimental. It can cause excessive writes to the drive, which can shorten its lifespan since flash memory cells have a finite number of write cycles. Modern operating systems often recognize SSDs and won't perform traditional defragmentation on them; they may offer a "Trim" or "Optimize" option instead.

In summary, defragging an SSD offers no significant performance benefit and can potentially reduce its lifespan. Focus on ensuring TRIM is enabled and allowing your operating system to manage the drive's optimization automatically.

I guess all those folks don't know what they're talking about.

I meant real research, not the old fairy tales.

Apparently, you didn't read the the comments on that post. Not a universal consensus that it's totally correct. Windows may indeed try to defrag the SSD, that doesn't mean it's right.

I have an idea, we'll agree to disagree until a definitive statement comes from the development folks, not a statement from a random blogger that's eleven years old! If that's your idea of "real" research, I'm not impressed.

RTFM—Read The Frikkin' Manual. defrag

hdmi said:

RTFM—Read The Frikkin' Manual. defrag

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Well, first off, that's not in any "Manual", but buried on the Microsoft web pages. However, let's assume that is all true and Windows is doing an exemplary job of maintaining the SSD performance.

That still doesn't negate my original comment about the Dymax-IO software being snake oil. All you've done is demonstrate that apparently Windows is doing anything necessary for maximum performance with SSD drives.

I'll let you have the last word since it's obvious that you won't be happy if that's not the case.

This forum is supposed to be there to help users seeking advice and assistance.
Back and forth retorts do nothing to enhance its reputation .


But I have been guilty of it myself so...

OAT said:

This forum is supposed to be there to help users seeking advice and assistance.

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Condusiv helps users by being both 20+ years Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and 20+ years supplier of technology to Microsoft. What's more, they were the first software vendor certified by Microsoft. So, here's what I'll do. I'll teach Microsoft how to write correct English. In the article that I linked in my previous reply to this thread, "an SSD" should be changed to "a SSD".

hdmi said:

Condusiv helps users by being both 20+ years Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and 20+ years supplier of technology to Microsoft. What's more, they were the first software vendor certified by Microsoft. So, here's what I'll do. I'll teach Microsoft how to write correct English. In the article that I linked in my previous reply to this thread, "an SSD" should be changed to "a SSD".

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It depends on what you say when you see "SSD". I read it as "Ess Ess Dee" and doing that, "an SSD" is correct.

TraderGary said:

It depends on what you say when you see "SSD". I read it as "Ess Ess Dee" and doing that, "an SSD" is correct.

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As far as the "a" vs "an" rule is concerned, the only correct way is to read is as "solid-state drive". But anyway. I was only trying to illustrate how silly this whole "discussion" has become. I mean, I know that toilet paper is a kind of white paper too, but lol. Just lol.

hdmi said:

As far as the "a" vs "an" rule is concerned, the only correct way is to read is as "solid-state drive". But anyway. I was only trying to illustrate how silly this whole "discussion" has become. I mean, I know that toilet paper is a kind of white paper too, but lol. Just lol.

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Few people pay much attention to grammar these days. Having been an English minor in college many decades ago, proper grammar always makes a difference to me. I'm surprised that being from Belgium, you usually display such proper English. Are you a Belgium native?