NetApp has announced a new line of enterprise storage systems and software for virtualized application environments and what the company describes as "unbound cloud" environments, which manage data across both private and public clouds. The new NetApp FAS8000 series is a hybrid array controller built on the updated Data ONTAP 8.2.1 that can provide unified SAN, NAS, and storage virtualization functions. New FlexArray virtualization software also enables the FAS8000 to virtualize third-party arrays as part of a software-defined storage solution.
NetApp has announced a new line of enterprise storage systems and software for virtualized application environments and what the company describes as "unbound cloud" environments, which manage data across both private and public clouds. The new NetApp FAS8000 series is a hybrid array controller built on the updated Data ONTAP 8.2.1 that can provide unified SAN, NAS, and storage virtualization functions. New FlexArray virtualization software also enables the FAS8000 to virtualize third-party arrays as part of a software-defined storage solution.
The FAS8000 features a new I/O–optimized architecture with an Intel Sandy Bridge microarchitecture, expanded memory, and improved flash support over previous FAS storage systems. According to NetApp, the FAS8000 has been able to reach more than 2.6M IOPs of throughput in manufacturer benchmarks. The FAS8000 features integrated unified target adapter (UTA2) ports which support 16Gb Fibre Channel along with 10Gb/s Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet.
FlexArray Virtualization Software enables customers to virtualize existing EMC, Hitachi, and NetApp E-Series arrays for use with Data ONTAP via the FAS8000. Customers can then use its policy-based storage provisioning to consolidate storage across platforms. The updated Data ONTAP 8.2.1 includes several enhancements for customers managing storage across public and private clouds including extended nondisruptive operations and improved data security and management for Microsoft CIFS environments.
Availability
The FAS8000 enterprise storage systems, FlexArray virtualization software, and clustered Data ONTAP 8.2.1 are now available.
