Pure Storage, a pioneer in flash storage, has announced an upgrade to its Fusion control plane. This update will allow storage capacity in its arrays to be easily provisioned to meet the needs of any application. The introduction of storage classes will simplify the storage process and enhance consumption across various hosts and environments.
Previously, Kubernetes utilized storage classes to provide persistent storage to applications in containerized environments. However, Pure’s Fusion control plane aims to implement this concept in heterogeneous datacenter environments. At the Pure Accelerate event in Las Vegas, Pure Storage founder John “Coz” Colgrove shared insights on the new functionality of Fusion.
Fusion’s goal is to operate arrays as a service offer, allowing users to define a small number of storage classes for consistency in their setup. By creating storage classes with specific attributes, users can easily provision storage through API or IT administrators. This approach streamlines the management of a heterogeneous fleet of arrays and improves overall utilization.
Fusion’s ability to balance workloads evenly across arrays ensures optimal performance and capacity utilization. This aligns with Pure’s objective to maximize fleet utilization and simplify management in brownfield deployments. The integration of Fusion with Copilot, Pure’s AI tool, further enhances insights into fleet performance and aids in strategic decision-making.
In Fusion, concepts such as sites, workspaces, and availability zones mirror cloud technologies, enabling a cloud-like service offering in on-premises or hybrid environments. Host connections in Fusion act as persistent volume claims, ensuring data integrity across applications. For complex environments with legacy applications, tools like Portworx can manage storage claims, even for non-container-based applications.
Fusion’s approach to distributing high-performance applications across multiple arrays optimizes utilization and maintains consistency. Unlike traditional methods, where applications are tied to specific arrays, Fusion allows for dynamic allocation of volumes based on predefined storage classes. This flexibility not only improves utilization but also simplifies adjustments to storage configurations in response to changing requirements.
Ultimately, Fusion empowers organizations to make informed decisions and implement changes seamlessly by simplifying the storage management process. The ability to define storage classes, distribute workloads efficiently, and automate provisioning tasks sets Fusion apart as a powerful tool for enhancing datacenter operations.