NetApp Takes On EMC With Future Ready Infrastructure

Today NetApp announced new high-end and mid-range storage systems, support for 2.5 inch disk drives and Solid State Disks (SSD), Data ONTAP 8.0.1, unified connectivity for FCoE, CIFS, NFS, and iSCSI, along with the OnCommand Management Suite, and FlexPod for VMware which is a pre-sized and validated data center infrastructure solution. NetApp is clearly targeting the burgeoning Virtual Machine opportunity and is building the path to a future-ready infrastructure. In my opinion, today's announcement by NetApp represents the big bet that the company can provide storage, software, and connectivity technology that provides the infrastructure foundation for shared storage in both virtual and physical server environments.

NetApp has also put the proverbial stake in the ground with its offerings for public and private cloud infrastructure solutions via FlexPods. Given constrained IT budgets and no slowdown of data growth foreseen in the near term, products and solutions such as those announced today by NetApp will be attractive to NetApp customers and those prospects needing to leverage flexible technology for future infrastructure requirements.

NetApp's FlexPods is hot-on-the-heels alliance similar to the VMware, Cisco, EMC (VCE) alliance. By releasing pre-sized and validated FlexPods for VMware, Cisco, and NetApp (VCN) environments, the company has made a clear statement that they will not be left out of the Virtual Machine evolution currently underway. In my opinion, FlexPods are a direct competitive response from NetApp to EMC's VBlock offering with Cisco and VMWare.

Notable bloggers have been quick to point out that FlexPods may be gone and forgotten by this time next year. However, those who may initially pan FlexPods should take note that VMWare administrators are rapidly gravitating to NetApp file based solutions. Why? For two simple reasons - they are simple to install and easy to manage compared to custom Storage Area Network (SAN) LUN based storage infrastructures.

Should NetApp FlexPods provide the same ease of deployment use experience that VMware Administrators have grown accustom to, these solutions are likely to gain traction and not simply disappear from view over the course of the next year.NetApp is clear in its positioning of array caching (Flash Cache, also formerly known as PAM, and PAM II) vs. SSD. The company recommends array caching for intensive random read environments such as server and desktop virtualization, file shares, home directories, and databases, and recommends SSDs for intensive random I/O where every read must be fast such as with databases for critical applications.

The new SSD support is targeted at mission critical application environments that need consistently fast response times. The SSD's are configured in a new disk shelf option, the DS4243, and the shelf supports up to 24 x 100GB SSDs. The new 2.5 inch DS2246 disk shelf supports the company's new 2.5 inch drive and represents their third-generation SAS storage offering. The 2U DS2246 supports up to 24 drives and NetApp claims the increase in performance density is upwards of 60 percent. Clearly, the deliverables with these two new shelf options are increased performance, faster response times, and savings on power and cooling.

The Data ONTAP 8.0.1. supports larger storage aggregates, data compression which can be used by itself or with deduplication, transparent data mobility for non-disruptive data movements of large volumes of data, and the software support for unified connectivity via the one wire approach.

Perhaps many in the industry, including me, expected more in this next step release of Data ONTAP, however the supported functions in this release are substantial and appear to deliver real value for customers.

Unified connectivity support enables NetApp to fully participate in converged network configurations. In my opinion, the company will see more opportunity here as they continue to supply storage in Cisco server environments with the new FlexPod configurations. Most agree that the industry is in a heated battle with regard to converged network connectivity, however NetApp is now well positioned to address customer connectivity requirements for FCoE, iSCSI, CIFS, and NFS. NetApp has previous publicly discussed their choice of QLogic and Brocade converged network technology to support new network connectivity requirements.The newly named NetApp OnCommand Management Suite includes control, automation, and analytic capabilities and supports IT integration with access capabilities and development support via a software development kit (SDK) for integration with a variety of third-party management offerings and directly with hypervisors. Control functions include System Manager, Operations Manager, and My AutoSupport. Automation functions include Provisioning Manager, Protection Manager, SnapManager software and SnapDrive software. OnCommand's Analyze function consists of SANscreen.

In association with this announcement, NetApp has deployed a new software structure intended to provide more value and enhanced simplicity for its customers. This new structure provides added capabilities to its base software, enables customers to choose one connectivity protocol at no extra charge, and identifies seven key software products which users deploy most frequently and packaging of these key products in a more attractively priced bundle.

The base software, Data ONTAP Essentials, now includes Business Continuity, Secure multi-tenancy, and Automated management capabilities. The key add-on software has been identified in a bundle as SnapRestore, SnapMirror, FlexClone, SnapVault, SnapManager Suite, plus two optional protocols (iSCSI, FC, CIFS, NFS).

At the time this blog was posted NetApp was neither a client of Tom Trainer, nor Analytico, Inc.