Gluster pushes storage software to VMware

The Gluster open-source file system is following the so then-worn path into virtualization and cloud computing with the introduction on Tuesday of Gluster Virtual Storage Appliances for VMware and for the Amazon Web Services platform.

GlusterFS is a file system that can cluster storage systems of any type into a single virtual network-attached storage pool with a global namespace. Gluster, the company, sells service and support for GlusterFS on a subscription basis, similar to Red Hat Linux's approach to Linux.

Gluster's move follows the dramatic shift toward virtualized computing infrastructure by large enterprises, most of which have virtualized for the moment some servers over the past few years. Enterprises are as well closely examining public cloud infrastructures just as Amazon's for access to flexible computing and storage resources.

The Gluster file system

Going virtual gives the Gluster file system and management software the same flexibility that enterprises have sought by virtualizing other software, said IDC analyst Noemi Greyzdorf. For instance, IT departments can boost its performance by easily moving it to new computing hardware, in other words than worrying about their investment in a dedicated server and reinstalling the software on a new device, she said.

The VMwareVirtual Storage Appliance brings GlusterFS into a VMware virtual machine that can run on any VMware-compatible server platform. Gluster will sell two tiers of subscriptions for the VMware product. The standard tier includes on-call support while business hours, for US$4,000 per node, per year. The premium tier offers support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for $5,000 per node, per year. Each tier is priced per virtual machine, regardless of the storage capacity managed by the software, said Jack O'Brien, vice president of marketing.

Stephen Lawson covers mobile, storage and networking technologies for The IDG News Service. Follow Stephen on Twitter at @sdlawsonmedia. Stephen's e-mail address is stephen_lawson@idg.com