F5 NX launches virtual device for integrated cloud storage platform

F5 NX announces the extension of its Arx file virtualization device product line, including an integrated cloud storage platform and the introduction of the IControl file server APIs. F5 also previews a virtual device named Arx Virtual Edition (VE), which is expected to be delivered in the next quarter.

F5 's Arx Cloud Extender (CE) software extends automatic storage tiering of ARX devices into cloud storage, providing an additional tier of storage and freeing up capacity in existing NAS files. Files stored in the cloud (public cloud or private cloud) are represented in the form of a local data center. ARX CE has now been certified by a third party based on the target cloud storage platform, such as Amazon S3, Iron Kings Virtual File Store (VFS), and NetApp Storagegrid. Support for other cloud storage service platforms is under development.

In addition to the cloud storage platform, this announcement of cloud expansion features support for content addressed storage (CAS) systems in NAS and tiered storage.

F5 plans to start shipping Arx CE software from the end of this month.

In addition, F5 has introduced the IControl file service API to provide customers with direct paths to Arx file virtualization devices (F5 IP device delivery Controller also supports IControl APIs).

Nigel Burmeister, director of F5 product marketing, said: "The IControl API will initially open the change notification feature of the ARX switch." "and the subsequent opening of the company to more functional features." The API allows for file/directory level change registration, avoiding the need to integrate each NAS system, and integration with applications such as classification, billing, auditing, search/indexing, quotas, replication, and backup.

F5 also previews a Arx virtual Edition (VE) for VMware as a customer virtual machine rather than a physical device. ARX ve is mainly for F5 OEM partners and telecommuting, will be available in the first quarter of 2011.