ioN gives Fusion-io a place at the ultra-performance array table. Faced with the prospect of commoditization, Fusion-io is wise to respond with software-based differentiators that leverage the unique capabilities of their ioMemory architecture. It shouldn’t annoy too many partners, either.
Virtual Storage
Pat Gelsinger, Paul Maritz, and the EMC/VMware Executive Switcheroo
Yesterday, a big executive switcheroo was announced: Pat Gelsinger, long considered Joe Tucci’s heir apparent at EMC, was named to replace Paul Maritz at VMware. Maritz, in turn, moves into the mothership with a “new technology strategist role†at EMC. I’m no analyst, but this move raised questions in my head, as I’m sure it did for many EMC and VMware customers.
The I/O Blender Part 3: Behold the Power of the Demultiplexer
Virtualization has disrupted the I/O path, reducing the value of enterprise storage arrays. But all is not lost: An effort is afoot to make things right by increasing communication between hypervisor and array and demultiplexing data before it is stored.
The I/O Blender Part 2: What Does Virtualization Do?
Virtualization is a disruptive technology in every sense of the word. By abstracting and simplifying physical resources, virtualization enables dynamic utilization. But this “translation†from physical to virtual disrupts the assumptions that enable performance and flexibility of physical devices such as storage arrays.
The I/O Blender Part 1: Ye Olde Storage I/O Path
This old-fashioned, predictable storage I/O path was deterministic and decipherable: The server, the switch, and the array all had enough information to do their jobs effectively and efficiently.
