FlexSDS is a software-only solution designed to run on industry-standard hardware (any x86-based machine). It supports unlimited capacity per node and up to 2 PB of storage per pool. FlexSDS is an excellent choice for Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI), offering thin provisioning, log-structured volumes, and RAW volumes. These can be exported over SAN protocols and virtualization protocols like NBD and vhost.

When used in an HCI environment, FlexSDS operates on dedicated CPU cores separate from compute services. This design ensures that applications can run at any scale with fast time-to-value and non-disruptive scale-up or scale-out capabilities.

Additionally, FlexSDS enables the creation of Distributed File Systems (DFS), which can be easily exported over NFS for seamless integration with existing systems.

For edge computing, FlexSDS is highly efficient, consuming minimal hardware resources and functioning as a lightweight service. It provides reliable storage services for upper-layer applications and supports a 2-node high-availability setup, delivering the lowest TCO solution for edge environments.

FlexSDS Key Features for HCI:

  • Dedicated CPU Cores: Allocates dedicated CPU cores to separate computing resources from virtual machines (VMs), ensuring optimized performance.
  • Hardware Support: Compatible with a wide range of hardware, from HDDs to NVMe SSDs (kernel bypass), and supports TCP to RDMA. Fully compatible with all-flash arrays, HDD arrays, and hybrid arrays.
  • Fast Deployment & Scaling: Enables rapid deployment of storage resources with dynamic workload scaling and balancing for improved flexibility.
  • Next-Generation Hardware Design: Utilizes kernel bypass, a lock-free model, zero-memory-copy, and optimized CPU cache for extremely low latency and high performance.
  • Parallel & High-Concurrent I/O: Leverages advanced parallel I/O technology for high throughput, maximizing storage and network resource utilization.
  • High Availability & Auto-Recovery: Features multiple node and data replication for increased availability and automatic recovery in case of failure.
  • Efficient Asynchronous Replication: Supports efficient asynchronous replication for data resilience and disaster recovery.
  • Low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Optimized for cost-effectiveness, providing a high-performance solution with minimal maintenance costs.
  • Single-Pane Management: Centralized, easy-to-use management console for seamless monitoring and administration of storage systems.
  • Scalable Architecture: Supports up to 1024 server nodes, enabling seamless scaling of resources as needed.
  • Block Service Support: Provides block storage services compatible with hypervisors like Windows Hyper-V, VMware vSphere, Citrix XenServer, and KVM-QEMU.
  • Distributed File System (DFS) for Containers: Offers a distributed file system (DFS) designed for Docker containers, enhancing scalability and flexibility in containerized environments.
  • Protocol Support: Supports various protocols including iSCSI, iSER, NVMe over Fabrics, and NFS to provide versatility and compatibility.
  • Unlimited Space-Optimized Snapshots & Clones: Offers unlimited snapshots and clones with space optimization, supporting periodic or continuous asynchronous long-distance replication for enhanced data protection.