The IT industry is developing on a large scale and picking up steam all the time. The trend towards Software-Defined Storage (SDS) solutions and hyperconvergence is catching on, offering companies the ability to build out HA storage infrastructures from cheap commodity hardware and storage software. So far, Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct (S2D), VMware vSAN, and Ceph are considered among the most widespread solutions taking the industry of the Software-Defined Storage by storm.
Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) is a feature-rich solution that integrates with the Windows Server Software-Defined Storage stack. However, Windows File and Storage Services GUI only partially covers the S2D maintenance options, leaving you with a command-line shell as the only alternative if you want to proceed to the advanced ones.
The other solution, which stays competitive from the feature standpoint, is Ceph - a distributed object storage solution based on the RADOS technology, which can come in handy especially for those looking for massive scale-out storage. Although initially developed as a self-managed system requiring minimal intervention, Ceph is inherently more complex than other Software-Defined Storage solutions.
Features available in the first release of StarWind Manager:
StarWind Manager provides users with a unified web interface for monitoring standalone Windows Servers. The software collects the in-depth performance and health data from the local infrastructure, thereby simplifying the daily work of system administrators.
StarWind Manager allows monitoring the S2D infrastructure with a single web-based interface. The solution provides all the necessary information and metrics in a more convenient way. Administrators no longer need to switch between the PowerShell console, Server Manager, and Failover Cluster Manager to collect the required data or check the cluster health. The software allows you to monitor the health, capacity, and resource utilization of your S2D infrastructure.
Features to be available in the upcoming StarWind Manager releases:
A single pane of glass web interface allows administrators to monitor the cluster performance , review system alerts, and check the cluster health. The interface views consist of widgets that can be rearranged and reconfigured for different data sources. Every bit of UI is completely optimized for mobile web browsers.
Choose what’s under the hood. Depending on the architecture requirements, available hardware, and other factors, one solution may be better than others. Select between StarWind Virtual SAN, Storage Spaces Direct, and Ceph to get the best fit for your infrastructure.
StarWind Manager will support most popular and up-to-date storage management protocols, which allows a seamless integration into the existing infrastructure regardless of hardware or software utilized by a storage provider.
StarWind Manager Core Service, Agents, and Web Client are designed within the REST architectural paradigm. This allows third party developers, system administrators, and power users to integrate the solution into their ecosystems, reconfigure existing plug-ins, or even create completely new and unique extensions with minimal efforts.
StarWind Manager platform will not only allow you to monitor and manage the storage stack but also get full control over the hypervisor and clustering. For example, with this solution you can create new clusters, add nodes to the existing infrastructure, deploy virtual machines, and configure networks.
Get the full control over your environment: monitor standalone physical and virtual servers, IoT devices, create new clusters, add nodes to existing infrastructure and configure software-defined HA storage clusters.
StarWind Manager installation process is simple and straightforward. Under most circumstances, the installation process takes less than five minutes to complete.
StarWind Manager is designed to be adaptive and flexible. Any user can find the optimal combination of underlying storage technology and monitoring capabilities to perfectly match infrastructure requirements.
StarWind Manager Core Service, Agents, and Web Client are designed within REST architectural paradigm. This allows third party developers, system administrators, and power users to integrate the solution into their ecosystems, reconfigure existing plug-ins, or even create completely new and unique extensions with minimal efforts.
A single pane of glass web-interface allows administrators to monitor the cluster performance, review system alerts, and check the cluster health. Interface views consist of widgets that can be rearranged and reconfigured for different data sources. Every bit of UI is completely optimized for mobile web browsers.
Choose what’s under the hood. Depending on architecture requirements, available hardware, and other factors, one solution may be better that others. Select between StarWind Virtual SAN, Storage Spaces Direct, and Ceph to get the best fit for your infrastructure.
