Red Hat Storage Server 2.1 Features Overview

We are very happy to introduce the latest iteration of our open, software-defined storage solution, Red Hat Storage Server 2.1. Based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4 and GlusterFS 3.4, this solution combines stability, reliability, and enterprise-grade features that can meet your businesses' demanding performance and scale requirements

With unstructured data growing at a rate that’s nearly three times faster than what enterprises typically store in relational databases, it was clear that we needed to develop a storage solution that could scale with enough speed and agility to keep pace with this data explosion.

It was our goal to ensure that you could use Red Hat Storage Server 2.1 with whatever mechanism you currently use, without having to code to our APIs or interfaces and without writing special software. Because our solution is easy to deploy across your existing hardware or infrastructure, you can focus on doing the things that help your business make money, rather than paying for costly data transfers and managing service interruptions.

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.

Want to learn more about how we created Red Hat Storage Server 2.1? Watch this brief interview with Rich Fortier, the VP of Engineering, Storage and Data at Red Hat: