At present, you have probably heard the term “Defined Storage” quite often. Technology has evolved significantly; in the past, computing systems were heavily dependent on hardware. Back then, these systems could only be delivered through physical devices that were large in size. Today, those systems can be provided by software that functions like systems that previously could only be handled by hardware.
Defined Storage: Past and Future
One of the technologies that uses this terminology is Software-Defined Storage. Software-defined storage is a technology that emulates storage devices that were previously only provided by hardware, known as Storage Area Networks (SAN). Today, SAN functionality can be delivered through software-based solutions.
According to Wikipedia:
“Software-defined storage (SDS) is an evolving concept for computer data storage software to manage policy-based provisioning and management of data storage independent of hardware. Software-defined storage definitions typically include a form of storage virtualization to separate the storage hardware from the software that manages the storage infrastructure. The software enabling a software-defined storage environment may also provide policy management for feature options such as deduplication, replication, thin provisioning, snapshots, and backup. SDS definitions are sometimes compared with those of software-based storage.”
Therefore, software-defined storage can be described as an evolving concept of software-based storage computing, where provisioning and management are decoupled from dependence on specific hardware.
More Data = Bigger Storage?
Most of the enterprise-scale storage market is served by external storage arrays, which are typically massive in size, designed for very specific functions, highly complex, and extremely expensive.
Bigger = More Efficient?
One of the technologies that implements software-defined storage is VMware VSAN. VMware VSAN approaches software-defined storage in a simpler and more efficient way. It leverages capabilities that are natively provided by the hypervisor (ESXi).
The software-defined storage model offered by VMware VSAN is different, as it changes the user mindset—from focusing on what is needed to what can be maximized. In the past, this process required a long and complex procedure.
VMware VSAN enables more efficient operations, as simple as using virtualization in the computing world. By using VSAN as a software-defined storage solution, organizations can better prepare for the risks and challenges currently faced by storage systems.
With VSAN, traditional RAID is no longer required—only a collection of disks. Once VSAN is enabled, a single shared datastore is presented. Each host can contribute to this datastore, provided it has at least one SSD and one spindle disk.
With VSAN, every host that meets these requirements can join to create one large datastore, with its capacity scaling according to the resources contributed by each host.
VMware VSAN is physically protected through configurations in which each node has redundant resources. It also has the capability to handle failures when issues occur on a server. This capability is defined by ensuring that sufficient replicas of objects are created in advance. When an error occurs on the primary disk, the disk replica replaces it, allowing data to remain accessible to users.
Conclusion on the Use of Defined Storage
In conclusion, VMware vSphere Virtual Storage, also known as VSAN, is one solution for Hyper-Converged Software-Defined Storage, integrating storage media and computing within a single platform. VSAN enables control over availability and performance in ways that were previously unimaginable. Simplicity and efficiency are key values delivered by VMware VSAN.
Quote: Duncan Epping
Written by: Rangga Kusuma – Cloud Consultant
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