Dell PowerStore Overview

Dell PowerStore Overview

PowerStore achieves new levels of operational simplicity and agility. It uses a container-based microservices architecture, advanced storage technologies, and integrated machine learning to unlock the power of your data. A versatile platform with a performance-centric design, PowerStore delivers multidimensional scale, always-on data reduction, and support for next-generation media.

PowerStore brings the simplicity of public cloud to on-premises infrastructure, streamlining operations with an integrated machine-learning engine and seamless automation. It offers predictive analytics to easily monitor, analyze, and troubleshoot the environment. PowerStore is highly adaptable, providing the flexibility to host specialized workloads directly on the appliance and modernize infrastructure without disruption. It also offers investment protection through flexible payment solutions and data-in-place upgrades.

Besides the traditional consumption option, many PowerStore models make up the underlying storage infrastructure for Dell Technologies APEX Data Storage Services. This allows customers to use a PowerStore solution in an as-a-Service model for ultimate simplicity and agility.

The PowerStore platform is available in two different product model types: PowerStore T and PowerStore X. PowerStore T models are bare-metal, unified storage arrays which can service block, file, and vVol resources along with numerous data services and efficiencies. PowerStore T models are perfect for traditional and modern workloads, with examples including relational databases, electronic medical record applications, content repositories, and many more.

PowerStore X model appliances enable running applications directly on the appliance through the AppsON capability. A native VMware ESXi layer runs embedded applications alongside the PowerStore operating system, all in the form of virtual machines. This feature is in addition to the traditional storage functionality of PowerStore X model appliances, which supports serving external block and vVol storage to servers with FC and iSCSI. This innovative design is perfect for storage-heavy applications, providing additional compute and high-performance storage to an existing environment, or any scenario where density, performance, and availability are primary factors.

Beyond the power of a single PowerStore model appliance, multiple PowerStore model appliances can be grouped into a cluster. A PowerStore cluster can consist of a single-appliance or scale up to four PowerStore appliances in a single cluster. The cluster enables scaling the compute, storage, and connectivity of the PowerStore solution while managing multiple appliances from a single control plane. It can also migrate resources between appliances and intelligently load balance new applications based on storage metrics.

Metro node is an external hardware and software add-on feature for PowerStore, and it provides active/active synchronous replication plus standard local use cases. It also provides a solution locally with the local mirror feature to protect data from a potential array failure. Both use cases provide solutions for true continuous availability with zero downtime.

PowerStore is viewed by metro node as an Asymmetric Logical Unit Access (ALUA) array based on SCSI response data, and is required to follow the four-active, four-passive path connectivity rules. This rule states that both nodes of the metro node must each have four active and four passive paths to all volumes provisioned from the array. For more information about Metro node, see the solution brief Dell PowerStore metro mode.

In PowerStoreOS 3.0, PowerStore appliances now support native metro volume replication. This provides synchronous replication of spanned block storage volumes in an active/active configuration across two PowerStore clusters in metro distance for VMFS datastores.For more information about Metro Volume support, see the white paper Dell PowerStore: Replication Technologies on the Dell Technologies Info Hub.

Source: Infohub