I’ve talked a lot about the I/O blender in the last decade or so.[1. I’ve even been told I invented the term!] I’ve always said that information is the solution, allowing arrays to de-multiplex data. But a new enterprise storage company, Infinidat, claims that they can beat the I/O blender using math. Here’s their concept.
VMware’s Hardware Partner Strategy: Heads I Win, Tales You Lose
VMware is in an enviable but tricky situation: The company must work closely with hardware partners, keeping these prime sales and promotional channels happy and supportive. But VMware must also innovate around proprietary OEMs, subverting their products with integrated software before a rival steps up with an integrated alternative.
Storage Changes in VMware vSphere 5.1
As I have done since version 3.5, I’m charting the storage changes in VMware’s latest release of vSphere, 5.1. Unlike version 5, which included many new technical storage features, 5.1 mainly tweaks existing features and adds these new elements to the mix.
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.
Storage Arrays Do A Few Things Very Well
Storage arrays are big, expensive, and difficult to manage. Plus, concentrating storage in a single device puts everything at risk if there is an outage. So why buy a storage array at all? Arrays do a few things very well, and this often makes up for the difference, on balance.
Building Virtual Infrastructure in New York City
Even though I grew up on the other side of the great baseball divide, I have always loved going to New York City. Next week, I return again, but this time I’m bringing a whole new event to the city: This is the first time the New York audience gets to see my Building Virtual Infrastructure presentation!
IBM Edge2012 – Orlando
IBM has really stepped up their game this year, and they will highlight all this at their upcoming storage technology conference, Edge2012. I’m really looking forward to seeing what IBM Edge is all about, and I’ll be attending and speaking at the event in June.
“Our Storage Array Is Compatible with VMware…” Says Who?
I talk to dozens of companies every week, and every one says the same thing: “Our product is compatible with VMware!†But not everyone’s definition of “compatible†is the same, and some are not compatible with the requirements of production data centers. Therefore, I present to you my spectrum of compatibility for VMware.
Nimbus E-Class: The First Big, Redundant, All-Flash Enterprise Array
The new Nimbus Data E-Class comes just at the right moment, with 500 TB of capacity, a fully redundant “dual active†controller architecture, massive performance (even InfiniBand), and complete feature set (once VAAI is released).