NetApp will release Ontap cloud storage Offerings

Data Ontap is a storage array operating system designed by NetApp for its FAs array and v-series third-array virtual front-end controllers. It can provide file-level and module-level storage, using standard ONTAP 7G and cluster Ontap GX. It is also expected to launch a ONTAP 8 later this year, in a way that combines the two variants. We expect it will also launch a new high-end FAs array, which will be more functional and more scalable than the FAS 6000 series array currently at the top end.

NetApp has not released any cloud storage products so far. NetApp says it does not provide cloud services on its own. "NetApp's strategy is not to build the cloud on its own, but to help others build it," said co-founder Dave Hitz on his blog. NetApp's core competencies are in storage and data management. This is a completely different technical field from the effective operation of large data centers. "

NetApp has started providing storage services to cloud service providers, including Oracle on Demand, Yahoo Mail, sap design, Photobucket, At&t, IBM hosting, and so on, he said. "We are already the largest cloud storage vendor in the industry," he said. "

However, NetApp is still trying to develop the product, hoping its products will perform better in the cloud computing environment. Bercovici publicly claimed to be the father of NetApp's cloud on August 3. NetApp has evaluated the cloud market and made some important strategic decisions, he said, and the company will announce the content of those decisions later this year.

Some of those strategic decisions are as follows: Don't compete with the best customers, don't reverse the market trends; Build an ecosystem of system integrators, telecoms companies and cable TV operators and technical partners. He said the company will use the strength of its partners to launch the most comprehensive cloud computing solution in the market. That sounds like it's going to launch a slew of products. NetApp, he said, would not establish an independent dedicated cloud-focused business or production line. NetApp will be completely transformed into a cloud-centric manufacturer, all of which will be cloud focused.

The problem is that existing application/server/storage products can be migrated to a highly virtualized horizontal shared infrastructure through virtualization technology. It's like adding a cloud interface to them that will be included in the virtualization infrastructure. In fact, they can only be virtual warehouses.

Multi-tenant and withdrawal form

Bercovici wrote a series of articles on NetApp and its development cloud, and in a second article he explained to us in detail how NetApp developed the cloud.

He mentioned the importance of a fallback mechanism for a private cloud, suggesting that NetApp would provide users with a rough report on cloud usage to charge cloud customers for the cost of using cloud storage.

He also stressed the importance of neutrality in the management process, saying: NetApp has always prioritized and preferred the development, certification and sales investment of multi-vendor management programs from a strategic perspective. It's like competing with your best customer, or releasing another tactical product in a new market, putting all your eggs in a management program basket, which is very short-sighted and does not take into account the long-term trends of the market. "Candidate management programs include VMware, Xen, KVN, XVM, and Hyper-V.

There are reports that NetApp has a cloud storage product that can support or will support secure multi-tenant, service automation and management, and ongoing operations. It will build on NetApp's existing storage efficiency assurance mechanism, with comprehensive data protection capabilities in addition to high storage efficiency. NetApp may advise you to buy a virtualization product that incorporates all the features, in other words, you can migrate existing NetApp storage into the internal cloud that you build.

We're talking about developing ONTAP, and I think it's going to open up a cloud-focused channel system.

The premise is a secure multi-tenant mechanism that securely isolates multiple user environments in a cloud infrastructure. "NetApp, VMware and Cisco have been working together to develop a joint cloud solution that is expected to meet this demand," Bercovici said. We expect to announce more details when we release the NetApp cloud later this year. "

Bercovici refers to NetApp, VMware, and Cisco testing a secure End-to-end multi-tenant platform.

How can this be provided to customers who want to provide multiple customer cloud services through an internal private cloud or external public cloud?

Cisco can build its own cloud services. EMC is already moving in this area. Cisco, NetApp and VMware Three vendors can cross-authenticate their products and build a 3-side cloud service, but each part needs to be purchased separately. Each part can be sold through the channel partner in a single product. NetApp expects the management program to remain neutral, so it may be inclined to cross certification and sell through channel partners.

NetApp did not say that a cloud based on a file or module would be rolled out later. It wants to be able to access its storage products regardless of which protocol the cloud customer or service provider uses.

However, the father of NetApp's cloud does not mention how much of a storage area needs to be adjusted and how that can be achieved. We can assume that NetApp believes that it requires up to a few petabytes of storage capacity. It can be achieved through a scale-up new product such as FAs 7000 or by clustering existing FAs products in a scale-out way.

The upcoming Ontap 8 is likely to be a larger FAS hardware platform that will be launched later this year with a tightly integrated cloud product with VMware and Cisco. Some of the elements of that cloud product are already fairly clear. We can imagine that ONTAP8 will be in the form of a martini-style data access service that can be used anytime, anywhere, with self-service and fallback functions. It provides secure, multi-tenant functionality to move data freely in the cloud without impacting business continuity. Capacity can be adjusted freely according to demand. There are also 7 days a week, 24 hours a day uninterrupted service agreement guarantee.