Red Hat Delivers Enterprise-grade Open Software-defined Storage Solutions

New release of Red Hat Storage Server now fully supports OpenStack, raises the bar in performance, scalability and manageability

RALEIGH, N.C. -

Red Hat, Inc. (NYSE: RHT), the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, today announced the general availability of a new release of Red Hat Storage to help enterprise customers further realize the true potential of deploying an open software-defined storage solution without compromising on enterprise grade capabilities, performance, and manageability. Also announced today is the new Red Hat Storage Test Drives on AWS to give enterprise customers a free hands-on experience with Red Hat Storage Server on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The pronounced shift in enterprise storage infrastructure has been caused by the movement to cloud, explosive growth of unstructured data and big data applications. Capacity requirements have climbed from terabytes to petabytes and enterprises need an agile and cost-effective approach to support this unprecedented data growth.1

IDC has determined that Red Hat’s approach to scale-out storage can present a significant value. In a recently published IDC white paper, sponsored by Red Hat, on the Economics of Software-based Storage, IDC states Red Hat open software-defined storage servers can generate up to 52 percent in storage system savings and an additional 20 percent in operational savings.2

Red Hat Storage Server 2.1 combines the reliability and enterprise-grade features of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4 with the latest GlusterFS community release, oVirt, the open source virtualization platform, and XFS File System to deliver the next generation of open software-defined storage. Red Hat Storage Server 2.1 is designed and rigorously tested to meet exacting performance and scale demands for enterprise storage workloads and lays the data foundation for cloud and big data applications.

Highlights of the new features of Red Hat Storage Server 2.1 include:

Comprehensive OpenStack Support

  • Customers benefit from access to the full private cloud stack with Red Hat Storage Server and Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform that is integrated, engineered, and supported by a single vendor.
  • Integration with the latest OpenStack release with object storage capabilities are now accessible using the Object Storage (Swift) API layer in the OpenStack Grizzly release.
  • Storage back-end for OpenStack’s Block Storage (Cinder) and Image Service (Glance).

Geo-Replication Performance for Data Protection

  • Geographical replication technology enhances global data protection and availability by providing timely replication of vast amounts of unstructured data over a WAN link to a disaster recovery site to support stringent data recovery objectives. Internal Red Hat testing demonstrated a 38 times increase in performance compared to existing versions of Red Hat Storage.
  • Geo-replication also enables proactive fault handling through integrated monitoring and deep insight into the health of replication operations.

Enhanced Interoperability and Security for Microsoft® Windows® Workloads

  • Full Server Message Block (SMB) 2.0 protocol compatibility, integration, and support for Microsoft Active Directory™ and performance enhancements make Red Hat Storage a compelling choice for Microsoft Windows file serving, sharing, and enterprise “synch and share” capabilities. Internal Red Hat testing resulted in three times the performance with SMB 2.0 and enhanced Active Directory when compared to SMB 1.0.

New Server Management & Supportability Capabilities

  • Red Hat Satellite integration to easily install, provision, and maintain Red Hat Storage Servers and provide a solution to enterprises requiring absolute control over and privacy of the maintenance and package deployments.
  • Updated technology preview of Red Hat Storage Console provides greater functionality and flexibility for managing the entire Red Hat Storage cluster lifecycle.
  • Red Hat Customer Portal integration with Red Hat Storage Console enables customers to access relevant support information, knowledgebase articles, technology briefs, videos, and other assets.

In addition, Red Hat offers the Storage Server Administration course to teach storage administrators and system administrators how to install, configure, and maintain a cluster of Red Hat Storage Servers with a focus on high availability with CIFS/SMB and NFS using CTDB, unified file and object storage and geo-replication. Red Hat also offers the Red Hat Certificate of Expertise in Hybrid Cloud Storage which is earned by passing a rigorous, hands-on exam in these same areas.

Virtual Event and Announcement Webcast
To learn more about this announcement and to hear from Red Hat executives and partners about Red Hat Storage 2.1, join Red Hat for its “Storage for the Modern Data Center” virtual launch event beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013. The keynote and presentations will also be available on demand following the live event. To register for and join the live event or to access the on-demand replay content, visit https://vts.inxpo.com/Launch/QReg.htm?ShowKey=15453. For more information about the event and its agenda visit www.redhat.com/virtual/storage.

Supporting Quotes
Ranga Rangachari, vice president and general manager, Red Hat Storage
“Red Hat Storage continues to work to redefine and revolutionize the way enterprises manage their unstructured data, while setting the open source standard for software-defined storage. The new features in Red Hat Storage servers are designed to help customers optimize business continuity service levels, drive business agility, and further simplify and improve operational efficiency across private, public, and open hybrid clouds.”

Iain Gray, vice president, Services, Red Hat
“The new Red Hat Certificate of Expertise in Hybrid Cloud Storage provides a credential that validates a technology professional's skills and knowledge in setting up, fine-tuning and deploying flexible, scalable and reliable software-defined storage solutions using Red Hat Storage Server. Similar to all other Red Hat certifications and Certificates of Expertise, technology professionals earn this credential by passing a rigorous, hands-on exam in which real-world skills and knowledge must be applied.”

Katsumi Nagata, board director and executive director, Technology and Engineering Division, NTT Plala Inc.
“We provide a wide range of entertainment services, such as TV channels, Video on Demand (VOD), music, and games on the cloud. It is important for us to choose appropriate storage for each service offering. Red Hat Storage delivers high availability and scalability with low cost, which takes advantage of GlusterFS technology. We are thus able to build robust platforms to meet the requirements of service providers.”

Dan Bretherton, High Performance Computing manager, Department of Meteorology, University of Reading
“My priorities are to ensure not only that the department can store hundreds of terabytes of research data efficiently and securely, but that good performance is maintained as the I/O load from our growing compute cluster increases. When I started talking to Red Hat, I received the assurances I needed that the challenges I’d experienced with managing scale-out NAS could be solved. I also knew I’d get the extra help I needed from Red Hat to fine-tune the product for our academic, data-intensive HPC environment.”

Jeff Echols, senior director, Product Marketing and Business Development, CommVault
“Red Hat’s innovative approach runs parallel to CommVault’s Solving Forward vision to deliver a modern approach to data management. The integration of CommVault Simpana 10 software with Red Hat Storage server 2.1 delivers an enterprise-class, scale-out backup and archive solution that increases resiliency and up-time to the business – all from a single software platform.”

John Gromala, senior director, Hyperscale Server Product Management, HP
“HP has a long history of working with Red Hat to provide the platform infrastructure for leading, open-source based solutions and has continued this collaboration to deliver a compelling scale-out storage solution for big data workloads. For organizations looking for a solution to manage growing amounts of data in a cost-effective fashion, Red Hat Storage running on HP ProLiant® SL4500 Gen8 servers offers greater scalability, high performance and volume economics for storage of unstructured data.”

Bev Crair, General Manager, Storage Division, Intel Corporation
“Intel and Red Hat have a long-standing collaboration to bring innovative open source solutions to our customers. We share a vision for software-defined storage and its ability to enable more scalable, automated, and cost-effective data center infrastructure. Intel® Xeon® and AtomTM processor-based servers, together with Red Hat Storage Server 2.1, provides enterprise customers with the intelligent, agile and efficient platform required to effectively support today's cloud and data center workloads."

Charles Liang, president and CEO of Supermicro
“Supermicro’s leadership in server and storage solutions is based on technology innovation coupled with an extraordinarily wide selection of high performance, energy efficient, server building block solutions. Our collaborative efforts with Red Hat extend our platform advantages offering customers unprecedented economic advantages with best-in-class open software-defined storage solutions. With the launch of Red Hat Storage 2.1, our integrated, Red Hat certified solutions address a range of new and emerging workload needs including backup and archive, enterprise drop box, backend video processing applications, and more.”

Additional Resources

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About Red Hat, Inc.
Red Hat is the world’s leading provider of open source software solutions, taking a community-powered approach to reliable and high-performing cloud, Linux, middleware, storage and virtualization technologies. Red Hat also offers award-winning support, training, and consulting services. As the connective hub in a global network of enterprises, partners, and open source communities, Red Hat helps create relevant, innovative technologies that liberate resources for growth and prepare customers for the future of IT. Learn more at www.redhat.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: risks related to delays or reductions in information technology spending; the effects of industry consolidation; the ability of the Company to compete effectively; the integration of acquisitions and the ability to market successfully acquired technologies and products; uncertainty and adverse results in litigation and related settlements; the inability to adequately protect Company intellectual property and the potential for infringement or breach of license claims of or relating to third party intellectual property; the ability to deliver and stimulate demand for new products and technological innovations on a timely basis; risks related to data and information security vulnerabilities; ineffective management of, and control over, the Company's growth and international operations; fluctuations in exchange rates; and changes in and a dependence on key personnel, as well as other factors contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K (copies of which may be accessed through the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at http:www.sec.gov), including those found therein under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations". In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic and political conditions, governmental and public policy changes and the impact of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.


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The OpenStack® Word Mark and OpenStack Logo are either registered trademarks / service marks or trademarks / service marks of the OpenStack Foundation, in the United States and other countries and are used with the OpenStack Foundation's permission. We are not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by the OpenStack Foundation or the OpenStack community.

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1 November 2012, IDC #238044, Volume: 1 Executive Information: Top 10 Predictions, download here

2

IDC White Paper, sponsored by Red Hat, The Economics of Software-based Storage, July 2013, download here


 

  • About Red Hat
  • Red Hat is the world’s leading provider of open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to reliable and high-performing cloud, Linux, middleware, storage and virtualization technologies. Red Hat also offers award-winning support, training, and consulting services. As the connective hub in a global network of enterprises, partners, and open source communities, Red Hat helps create relevant, innovative technologies that liberate resources for growth and prepare customers for the future of IT. Learn more at http://www.redhat.com.



  • Forward-Looking Statements
  • Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: risks related to delays or reductions in information technology spending; the effects of industry consolidation; the ability of the Company to compete effectively; the integration of acquisitions and the ability to market successfully acquired technologies and products; uncertainty and adverse results in litigation and related settlements; the inability to adequately protect Company intellectual property and the potential for infringement or breach of license claims of or relating to third party intellectual property; the ability to deliver and stimulate demand for new products and technological innovations on a timely basis; risks related to data and information security vulnerabilities; ineffective management of, and control over, the Company’s growth and international operations; fluctuations in exchange rates; and changes in and a dependence on key personnel, as well as other factors contained in our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (copies of which may be accessed through the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at http://www.sec.gov), including those found therein under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations". In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic and political conditions, governmental and public policy changes and the impact of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.