Flash Storage Architecture: What’s Available and Why It Matters
Looking to make it significantly simpler to deploy the OpenStack cloud management framework, Mirantis this week unveiled two additional classes of pre-configured appliances via separate partnerships. One partnership is with Supermicro and Arista Networks and the other is with QCT and Cumulus Networks.
In addition, Mirantis has upgraded its existing line of Unlocked Appliances with support for the latest Intel Xeon E5-2600 v4 Series of processors.
The Supermicro Mirantis Unlocked Appliance for Cloud Native Applications is a turnkey, rack-based appliance that comes with TwinPro SuperServers, NVMe SuperStorage servers, and Arista 10GbE top-of-rack switches packed in a Supermicro 42U SuperRack enclosure.
The QCT QxStackMirantis Unlocked Appliance for Cloud Native Applications are x86 servers that take advantage of the open source network operating system software developed by Cumulus Networks to converge networking and compute functions on the same appliance.
In both instances, Jim Sangster, senior director of solutions marketing for Mirantis, says Unlocked Appliances are specifically designed to host a new class of cloud native applications using a distribution of OpenStack curated by Mirantis. While there’s a lot of interest in OpenStack, Sangster says, IT organizations should focus their OpenStack deployment plans on cloud native applications versus viewing OpenStack as an open source framework for all application use cases.
In general, Sangster notes, the rise of converged infrastructure in the form of an appliance makes it much simpler to deploy OpenStack. While there is no shortage of OpenStack modules these days, Mirantis is careful to include only the modules that have been hardened enough to be deployed in a production environment.
While expectations for OpenStack may be running high, IT organizations would be well-advised to temper them. It may be quite some time before OpenStack evolves sufficiently to allow it to effectively replace VMware in, say, an SAP application environment. At the same time, many more modern applications are being developed using, for example, containers that are clearly better suited for the OpenStack platform.
