Ultra-Low-Latency Messaging

The Solace Low-Latency Messaging solution establishes a decoupled environment that lets applications send information to large numbers of recipients using a lightweight “best effort” protocol typically referred to as reliable messaging. When the applications and networks that support them are up and running, messages are delivered at very high rates, with very low latency. If some subscribers or network links cause interruptions in delivery, it is acceptable for messages to not be delivered during that time. This is in contrast to guaranteed or queued messaging which assures messages will always be delivered, even if the destination application is unreachable for some period of time.

Reliable messaging is used where very high volumes or low latencies are required, as with real time stock quotes, monitoring agents or sensor networks. Solace Low-Latency Messaging delivers unprecedented performance: 10 million messages per second, with just tens of microseconds of latency, which is on the order of 10 to 50 times faster than software.

Ultra-fast Information Flow over LAN or WAN

Solace Low-Latency Messaging delivers consistent, fast performance between senders and receivers of information within real-time distributed applications. It automatically adapts to provide ultra-low latency across local LAN segments and flexible, efficient distribution across global WAN links.

Extremely Consistent Latency

Solace Low-Latency Messaging uses patented hardware to eliminate the inconsistent latency typical of software messaging solutions, especially when message volumes spike. With Solace all messages follow the same lightning-fast, solid-state data path through network processors and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). This completely eliminates the unpredictable latency and inconsistent performance caused by switching between the operating system, the network stack and the messaging software.

Hardware-based High Availability

Solace Low-Latency Messaging provides high availability on several levels. First, each message router includes redundant power supplies, fans and hard disks. Next, message routers can easily be configured into fault-tolerant pairs for active-active or active-standby failover. Finally, each Solace message router is aware of the overall topology of message routers, allowing for redundant routes through the underlying LAN or WAN so information keeps flowing even when parts of the network are down or misbehaving.

Easily Upgraded to Support Future Requirements

Solace Low-Latency Messaging can expand capacity as needed so companies can stay ahead of even the most extreme messaging requirements. If your requirements go beyond 10 million messages per second, Solace’s message routers can scale with the installation of additional blades. Also, Solace’s message routers are based on FPGAs so they are easily upgradable. This means that Solace blades can be refreshed to new hardware loads as easily as software is updated. It works just like updating the firmware on your iPod or home IP router.

Unprecedented Visibility into Information Flow

Solace’s TCP-based approach enables the monitoring and reporting of detailed operational statistics such as queue depth, message rates, connection usage and latencies. Solace Low-Latency Messaging’s hardware architecture also overcomes a key software shortcoming: in high performance systems, the overhead of turning on statistical tracking can reduce performance and throughput by up to 50%. In hardware, this tracking becomes a parallel channel within the chip and introduces no performance penalty. Solace’s solution makes available a broader and deeper set of data, and makes it feasible to actually monitor these statistics without any impact on message throughput or latency.

Example Reliable Messaging Applications

• Real-time Stock Quotes – Solace Low-Latency Messaging is ideal for stateless applications where the information shared is most relevant when both parties are online and active. The classic case for reliable messaging is the distribution of stock quotes, where incoming feeds of continuously updating information must be distributed to many market participants such as traders, algorithmic trading engines, websites or back office applications. Market data is delivered using reliable, but not guaranteed, messaging because it is not essential that every message always get to every application. If a trader is on vacation, she does not want to receive millions of updates representing the two weeks of data she missed when next she logs on. A historical database of quote data is there for that purpose, she just wants to see the real time data the next time her trading screen is running.
• Sensor Networks – Sensor networks are common in environments like a manufacturing plant where the pressure or temperature within a piece of equipment needs to be tracked. Other applications may monitor equipment, and take action when thresholds are reached. For example, an IT environment may monitor CPU or disk usage on a server. An environmental sensor may continuously measure barometric data, temperature and air quality. There are hundreds of similar examples where the data is of value in real time, but it is acceptable if some messages are lost when applications are offline.
• Online Gaming –When a player is connected to the game, they start monitoring other player’s status messages and chat updates, but when they disconnect the information generated in their absence is not important the next time they connect. This is another example where speed of messages is the most important factor and the value of Solace Low-Latency Messaging is clear.