Nutanix opens as much as all exterior storage
At its .Subsequent occasion in Washington DC this week, Nutanix introduced its nodes can be in a position to make use of Pure Storage FlashArray arrays as exterior storage, with normal availability later this yr.
That follows a transfer final yr through which it did one thing related, however with Dell PowerFlex software-defined scale-out storage. We caught up with Nutanix CEO Rajiv Ramaswami (pictured above) to speak about that announcement and the implications for Nutanix.
To permit exterior storage, with Nutanix appearing as mere compute – or not fairly, as Ramaswami says right here – breaks the bounds of the hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) that Nutanix helped pioneer.
HCI noticed compute and storage bundled collectively in nodes that might join in grid-like style to kind clusters, typically with server and storage parts scalable independently. This was a very engaging proposition to clients that lacked deep skillsets as they have been comparatively simply deployable and scalable.
So the concept Nutanix ought to enable the usage of exterior storage from third events considerably goes towards the unique precept it pioneered.
Nevertheless it additionally opens up a marketplace for Nutanix, which may provide hypervisor capabilities to clients presently looking for to flee VMware following adjustments which have resulted from its acquisition by Broadcom.
Right here, Ramaswami talks to Pc Weekly storage editor Antony Adshead in regards to the implications for the idea of hyper-convergence, plans to lengthen connectivity to any exterior storage, and questions of Nutanix’s scalability.
I’m significantly within the linkup with Pure Storage and Dell. So, what I collect is that in these conditions the place you employ these as exterior storage, Nutanix turns into compute-only. So why, in that case, would folks purchase Nutanix in any respect once they may purchase any compute?
Initially, I’ll simply say it’s a little bit bit extra than simply compute-only. It’s compute plus networking, micro-segmentation and operations functionality. So, the remainder of the stack minus storage.
We didn’t do that previously as a result of most individuals have stayed on the VMware hypervisor, however now there may be numerous curiosity from clients that need a substitute for VMware. And if you consider what’s accessible on the market, I feel AHV [Nutanix’s Acropolis hypervisor] has emerged as the most effective choices, and is why the storage suppliers are actually occupied with working with us.
And that’s why you heard from early entry clients for the Dell possibility with PowerFlex. You noticed Moody’s on stage yesterday. They’re occupied with it, and so they’ve been an early entry buyer. So, the panorama has modified round us.
What’s stopping you simply opening Nutanix as much as any exterior storage? In different phrases, what are the engineering hurdles?
Once we did the Dell PowerFlex integration, that was extra of a one-of-a-kind, as a result of Dell PowerFlex is a singular scale-out array.
As we begin doing Pure, there’s a possibility to construct a extra standardised method in direction of integrating third-party storage. I’d love for us to get to some extent the place we are able to simply have a self-certification programme, by means of which we are able to onboard new storage platforms. We’re not fairly there but.
What, particularly, is the engineering concerned?
We positively checked out VMware. They’d vVols as one of many methods of doing this. We don’t have an equal. We by no means centered on this previously with our hypervisor, as a result of it wasn’t part of our platform. We weren’t doing third-party storage assist.
So now, as we began doing it, Dell PowerFlex was form of a singular factor, as a result of that’s a singular array. That’s totally different from the remainder. It’s scale out, not scale up, and it’s IP solely. With the others, we wish to take a extra standardised method, with Pure after which past Pure.
The link-up with Pure permits for fairly an enlargement by way of scale, by way of storage nodes, and many others, so is that this transfer in some methods an admission that Nutanix has been restricted by way of its capacity to scale?
I don’t assume this is a matter of scaling in any respect, as a result of even yesterday we had Micron speak about the way it has constructed pretty large scale.
So, this isn’t about scaling, in as a lot as, if you happen to take a look at the entire market on the market, we have now been attempting to eat into the exterior storage market for a few years. And HCI throughout VMware and us – the 2 large gamers – has taken over possibly 20% of the market in spite of everything these years.
The tempo of migration in this stuff is gradual. So, there’s nonetheless 80% of the market on the market on three-tier, not essentially as a result of HCI can’t scale, however as a result of there’s numerous inertia within the system. Individuals simply don’t transfer.
So, to me, the explanation for doing this was extra that different 80%, a few of which we are going to proceed to transform to HCI. For the remainder, I feel we are able to get in there with the compute-only platform, after which sooner or later, as soon as we’re in there, possibly sometime they’ll begin changing parts of it to HCI.
