Isilon software on Dell hardware – could it really be true?

El Reg was kindly sent a note about an EMC virtual event plus a Commtech session in Ireland, suggesting that scale-out filer Isilon array functionality could be available as software-only running on Dell servers. There is an Expand the Data Lake virtual event to be run by EMC on 10 November. You will find a teaser video on …

[Platypus]

A welcome development

This particular case involves siblings (as of last week), but I suspect we'll be seeing a lot more of this kind of thing even among non-siblings - yes, even among current rivals - in the next few years. Among other things, it means folks like Isilon will be forced to compete on the basis of software quality instead of relying on custom-tuned hardware to give them an edge in performance comparisons. Bring it.

(Disclaimer: I'm a Gluster developer)

[Rainer]

Re: A welcome development

Isilon uses a customized FreeBSD + their own stuff as the software-basis.

So, it should be no problem (or very few problems) to run it on your own iron.

Haven't seen any of their filers and probably never will.

So it's pure speculation based on an article I read in the latest version of the "FreeBSD Journal".

[Justin Clift]

Re: A welcome development

Guessing that means it'll only be a selected subset of Infiniband hardware supported then, at least for now. Maybe it'll kickstart further IB driver development? :)

[Jack Faust meets Mephistopheles]

Re: A welcome development

A vitual Isilon is indeed in the works - infiniband not required but VMWare will be, at least initally.

[Anonymous Coward]

I had a girlfriend like that once...

Like the picture that is. ;)

[Anonymous Coward]

Isilon Virtual Edition for the Branch

This has less to do with Dell hardware and more to do with open platform BYO hardware for a Branch office virtual deployment. Single node vs multinode... i.e. a Branch Cache of sorts. Extending the Branch to the DC as GFS. DFS killer. My thoughts.

[smt789]

Isilon as a branch system doesn't seem like a good idea. They don't do well with most traditional data center apps. For file ahare, etc I would think it would be an overly expensive ROBO compute offering.

[Diskcrash]

Virtual isilon

Based on the presentation given it is a ESX based version of Isilon. There will be a free version without the premium features and a licensed version with all the features. No word on performance but it is likely to be limited as will capacity.

It looks interesting but is likely to be only suitable for limited situations.

[returnofthemus]

I guess EMC have failed to sell Michael on ViPR

Mind you they haven't managed to sell anyone on ViPR or CoprHD for that matter