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EMC ViPR virtual physical object and software defined storage (SDS)

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Storage I/O trends

Introducing EMC ViPR

 

This is the first in a three part series, read part II here, and part III here.

 

During the recent EMCworld event in  Las Vegas among other things, EMC announced ViPR (read announcement here) . Note that this ViPR is not the same EMC Viper  project from a few years ago that was focused on data footprint reduction (DFR)  including dedupe. ViPR has been in the works for a couple of  years taking a step back rethinking how storage is can be used going forward.

 

EMCworld

 

ViPR is not a technology creation developed  in a vacuum instead includes customer feedback, wants and needs.  Its core themes are extensible, open and  scalable.

 

EMCworld

 

On the other hand, ViPR addresses plenty of  buzzword bingo themes including:

  • Agility, flexibility, multi-tenancy,  orchestration
  • Virtual appliance and control plane
  • Data services and storage management
  • IT as a Service (ITaaS) and Infrastructure as  a Service (IaaS)
  • Scaling with stability without compromise
  • Software defined storage
  • Public, private, hybrid cloud
  • Big data and little data
  • Block, file and object storage
  • Control plane and data plane
  • Storage hypervisor, virtualization and  virtual storage
  • Heterogeneous (third-party) storage support
  • Open API and automation
  • Self-service portals, service catalogs

 

Buzzword bingo

 

Note that this is essentially announcing the  ViPR product and program initiative with general availability slated for second  half of 2013.

What is ViPR addressing?

IT and data infrastructure  (server, storage, IO and networking hardware, software) challenges for  traditional, virtual and cloud environments.

    • Data growth, after all, there is no  such thing as an information recession with more data being generated, moved,  processed, stored and retained for longer periods of time. Then again, people  and data are both getting larger and living longer, for both little data and  big data along with very big data.

 

    • Overhead and complexities associated  with managing and using an expanding, homogenous (same vendor, perhaps  different products) or heterogeneous (different vendors and products) data infrastructure  across cloud, virtual and physical, legacy and emerging. This includes add,  changes or moves, updates and upgrades, retirement and replacement along with disposition,  not to mention protecting data in an expanding footprint.

road to cloud  

  • Operations and service management,  fault and alarm notification, resolution and remediation, rapid provisioning, removing  complexity and cost of doing things vs. simply cutting cost and compromising  service.

EMC ViPR

What is this software defined storage stuff?

There is the buzzword aspect, and then there  is the solution and business opportunity.

 

First the buzzword aspect and bandwagon:

  • Software defined marketing (SDM)   Leveraging  software defined buzzwords.
  • Software defined data centers (SDDC)    Leveraging software to derive more value from hardware while enabling agility, flexibility,  and scalability and removing complexity. Think the Cloud and Virtual Data  Center models including those from VMware among others.
  • Software defined networking (SDN)   Rather  than explain, simply look at Nicira that VMware bought in 2012.
  • Software defined storage (SDS)   Storage  software that is independent of any specific hardware, which might be a bit  broad, however it is also narrower than saying anything involving software.
  • Software defined BS (SDBS)   Something that  usually happens as a result when marketers and others jump on a bandwagon, in  this case software defined marketing.

 

Note that not everything involved with  software defined is BS, only some of the marketing spins and overuse. The  downside to the software defined marketing and SDBS is the usual reaction of skepticism,  cynicism and dismissal, so let us leave the software defined discussion  here for now.

 

software defined storage

 

An example of software defined storage can be  storage virtualization, virtual storage and storage hypervisors that are  hardware independent. Note that when I say hardware independent, that also  means being able to support different vendors systems. Now if you want to have  some fun with the software defined storage diehards or purist, tell them that  all hardware needs software and all software needs hardware, even if virtual.  Further hardware is defined by its software, however lets leave sleeping dogs  lay where they rest (at least for now ;)).

 

Storage  hypervisors were a 2012 popular buzzword bingo topic with plenty of  industry adoption and  some customer deployment. While 2012 saw plenty of SDM buzz including SDC,  SDN 2013 is  already seeing an increase including  software defined servers, and software defined storage.

 

Regardless of what you view of software defined storage,  storage hypervisor, storage virtualization and virtual storage is, the primary focus and goal  should be addressing business and application needs. Unfortunately, some of the  discussions or debates about what is or is not software defined and related  themes lose focus of what should be the core goal of enabling business and  applications.

 

Continue reading in part II of this series here including how ViPR works, who it is for and more analysis.

 

Ok, nuff said  (for now)

Cheers gs


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