Published: 13 February 2024
Contributors: Josh Schneider, Ian Smalley
Hyperconverged storage is an approach to data storage architecture in which software-defined storage resources are pooled and managed within a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI).
Traditional storage arrays and components used in data centers require separate storage management, often resulting in over-partitioning and inefficient resource allocation. Alternatively, hyperconverged storage integrates all storage directly into the HCI stack, along with compute and networking functions. Through virtualization, HCI untethers storage resources from individual pieces of hardware, making hyperconverged storage far more flexible and scalable than traditional storage solutions.
Discover how a software-defined architecture provides the greatest value, whether deployed as software, as an array or as hyperconverged infrastructure.
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To better understand hyperconverged storage, it helps to compare the differences between converged infrastructure (CI) and hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI).
Data centers built on a converged infrastructure methodology integrate various components like servers, storage and networking into singular, pre-engineered solutions. These systems use modular hardware appliances to incorporate compute, networking and storage features into one manageable system. Actual data storage is handled by storage area networks (SAN), network-attached storage (NAS) and direct attached storage (DAS) modules.
CI systems do simplify deployment and management compared to non-converged systems but fail to take full advantage of software virtualization as the storage of any given appliance is still bound to the underlying hardware.
Hyperconverged systems take convergence a step further. By not only integrating hardware components but also abstracting them into software-defined storage (SDS), hyperconverged infrastructure can more efficiently pool and share hyperconverged storage resources across the entire virtual storage area network (vSAN). This abstraction effectively untethers storage to create a shared storage pool that’s flexible, cost-effective and agile.
A hyperconverged infrastructure solution provides admin access and resource automation through a software layer known as a hypervisor, a single system capable of integrating all available storage across all data center components into one hyperconverged platform.
Since HCI software does not require specialty HCI appliances and runs on common commodity hardware with high availability, both HCI vendors and IT teams recognize hyperconverged storage as a cost-effective way to scale out data storage resources.
Hyperconverged storage is one element of a hyperconverged system. To understand how hyperconverged storage fits into a hyperconverged data center, let’s take a look at the key components of hyperconverged infrastructure.
The lynchpin of hyperconverged storage, SDS abstracts and virtualizes the underlying physical storage of data center components, eliminating the need for specialized storage arrays and allowing for a more efficient partitioning of total storage resources.
A hypervisor is a specialized software layer that manages the workloads of hyperconverged systems by creating virtual machines (VMs), which function like digital representations of unique hardware components.
Within an HCI environment, a node is a self-contained unit comprising compute, storage and networking resources. Nodes work together to create a unified, virtualized IT infrastructure.
Compute components run VMs and apps within hyperconverged platforms.
The networking component of each node uses software-defined networking (SDN) to enable communication between nodes and facilitate data transfer within the HCI.
Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) offers several cost-saving and performance-enhancing advantages:
Although hyperconvergence is typically an effective way to streamline IT operations for efficiency and scalability, there are a few drawbacks to unpack when considering hyperconverged storage:
The following are just a few of the main uses cases for hyperconverged storage.
While public cloud computing services such as those offered by providers like IBM, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft or Dell do offer scalable storage solutions, hyperconverged storage offers an excellent alternative for organizations looking to invest in their own private cloud or hybrid cloud alternatives.
For growing organizations looking to establish a new branch office, hyperconverged storage offers increased resources with a smaller on-premises footprint.
Hyperconverged storage makes it far easier for organizations to back up and store their data, making hyperconverged infrastructure solutions ideal for disaster recovery.
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