When vmware launched vsan max in late 2023It promised storage for vspahere with manyfits of hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI), but without some of its more common limitations.
With vsan max, vmware aims to provide more flexibility over Storage Deployment for its virtual machine environmentsBy “disaggregating” the storage layer.
Here, we look at some of the pros and also vsan max, as well as commercial considerations Chief Information Officers (CIOS) Need to be aware of Folling Vmware's acquisition by broadom,
Vmware's vsan max aims to square a circle, or perhaps several circles, when it comes to storage for virtual machines. The idea is to create a disaggregated, storage-only cluster for vsphere clusters, which can scale up to petabytes.
It sets out to preserve many many of the advantages of HCI and the firm's vsan storage technology, but without without some of the rigidity that comes with HCI.
VMware's vsan offered a number of benefits. Chief Among these was Simplicity and Ease of Deployment. It builds on vsan's express storage Architecture and the Earlier HCI Mesh.
As Gigaom Lead Analyst Howard Holton Points Out, Before vsan, Most Storage Systems were not optimized for vms. They Needed Careful Configuration to Work Well. Nor was vmware a “tier 1” customer for the storage vendors. “HCI Changed All That,” He Says. “It was an out-of-the-box, vm-aligned and optimized solution that Gave Companies the 'Easy Button'. The big issue we were left with was having to buy storage and complete togeether, Regardless of Needs. “
With Enterprises Storing Ever larger volumes of data, this is no longer sustainable. So, with vsan max, vmware moveed away from the purist's idea of HCI and Split Storage from Compute.
“By disaggregating storage from Compute, or Resorting to a Traditional Split of Compute and Storage needs, you enable a better flexibility in design,” Says Tom Howarth, Principal Consultant at Sjultra. “Compute nodes can be scled to needs, and the storage can also be scled to needs.”
But – critically – vsan and vsan max can still be controlled from the same vmware management console.
What use cases is vsan max suited to?
VMware designed vsan max to provide a more flexible storage option to vm users, so it is not targeted at any one one application.
The most obvious use case for vsan max is where firms outgrow the built-in storage capacity of their existing HCI and vsan systems. VMware customers can now scale storage independent of computer. Or, if their computer requires Rise, they scale computer with paying for redundant storage.
But vsan max should also allow a more granular approach to storage design, optimising performance and cost. “With disaggregated storage, you can optimise to the requirements of the workload, such as faster disk (Nvme) for Database Workloads, Slover (SSD) For File and PRITH, And Spinning RD and SSD CACHES RUT (HHD) Archival and backup purposes, “Says howarth.
Unsurprisingly, the main application for vsan max is storage for vms – and it is optimized for this – but it can also act as an object file file or even basic file and printing.
And, as gigaom's holton points out, vsan max also supports higher-end storage features that include deduplication, encryption, encryption, company and erasure coding.
How do you Deploy Vsan Max?
Deploying vsan max is fairly straightforward. Users create a cluster of new nodes in vmware's admin system, vceter, and select vsan max. They then have the option of local deployments or a “Stretched Cluster”. The Former Needs Four or Seven Nodes Depending on Functions. Stretched Clusters Need at Least Eight Nodes Across two sites.
Users can Deploy vsan Max on Commodity Hardware, but consultants recommend certified vsan-redy nodes to guarantee performance.
What Vsan Max Alternatives Exist?
In the enterprise, vsan max faces competition from a range of options, primarily that that support vsphere esxi hosts. These include arrays from hardware suppliers including hpe and pure storage.
Systems Running on Commodity Hardware also also compete with vsan and vsan max. These include software-defined storage suppliers such as Nutanix, Starwind and Nexenta. HCI products from scale computing and hpe also compe.
“As this is disaggregated storage, there's the traditional san and nas providers, like dell, Netapp, IBM and Pure Storage,” Says Howarth.
Even non-vsan ready storage can connect via iscsi to a vsan max cluster, he notes.
What kind of pressure is vsan max under after the broadcom takeover of vmware?
The hardware options vsan max offers will certain benefit enterprises that want to optimise their vm storage, especially that who have alredy invested in vsan.
But broadcom's takeover of vmware – and the resultant uncertainy over product lines and license costs – is likely to prompt cios to look at Again, and Perhaps Consider more generic and therefore more flexible more.
“The biggest issue to me is the lacked in broadom and vmware,” Says Gigaom's Holton. “Broadcom has eroded the confidence and trust customers and partners had in vmware. Increasing your investment in vmware may not be the smart move today. “