As I’ve written about what I’m calling the “Rack Endgame”, the specter of converged infrastructure hasn’t been far from my thoughts. As others have pointed out, disaggregation of servers, networks, and storage doesn’t require a rack-sized stack; it can exist in a rack-mountable chassis and is already on sale! Disaggregation and Convergence Let’s get two key terms out of … [Read more...] about The Rack Endgame: Converged Infrastructure and Disaggregation
Open Compute
The Rack Endgame: Open Compute Project
On reading my thoughts about the evolution of enterprise storage, culminating in what I called “The Rack Endgame” where a rack of storage, networking, and compute becomes a the basic entity of the datacenter, many pointed out that this looks an awful lot like the Facebook-led Open Compute Project (OCP). This is entirely intentional. But OCP is simply one expression of this new … [Read more...] about The Rack Endgame: Open Compute Project
Cloud Without Virtualization
Lots of folks conflate cloud computing and virtualization, but these are not necessarily intrinsically related. Although most cloud servers today use a hypervisor like KVM or Xen to share compute hardware, there's no reason it has to be this way. My takeaway from Gigaom Structure this week is that an alternative paradigm is emerging: Cloud without traditional … [Read more...] about Cloud Without Virtualization
Can Fusion-io Survive Commoditization?
No small storage company has had more press coverage and "buzz" than "ioMemory" maker, Fusion-io. I have long marveled at the company's ability to attract attention, but this has rubbed some analysts wrong. As component vendors enter their space, how can a premium company with proprietary products compete over the long term? The Facts of the Flash Market Fusion-io sells … [Read more...] about Can Fusion-io Survive Commoditization?