KumoScaleTM is software that implements a fast, networked NVMeTM flash storage service. It enables large scale data center operators to disaggregate solid state disks (SSDs) from compute nodes and share them efficiently over the network. Based on the NVM ExpressTM over Fabrics (NVMe-oF) standard, KumoScale software delivers the efficiency of shared storage while achieving performance very close to server-attached SSDs.
KumoScale software's focus is on-premise cloud data centers, operating at significant scale, including:
KumoScale software is designed to meet the needs of site reliability engineering (SRE) operating infrastructure at scale. It is focused on speed and very low cost. KumoScale software shares much of its architectural philosophy with Kubernetes® orchestration software, and provides the same flexibility, automation, and semantic power for block volumes, as Kubernetes containers.
KumoScale software enables customers to easily create a disaggregated, data center-scale NVMe-oF storage solution. It works seamlessly with existing data center management and orchestration frameworks to dynamically allocate storage resources and provision them to applications on demand.
First-generation clouds often employed a "shared-nothing" architecture, which meant storage resources were directly attached to each server. This architecture, also known as "hyperconverged infrastructure," resulted in per-node resources that were fixed, which made it difficult to accommodate highly dynamic workloads and storage capacity demands. The alternative, networked storage accessed via the iSCSI protocol, was unacceptably slow for many applications.
Recent advances in storage networking technology now offer the best of both worlds; the performance of direct-attached flash storage, with the efficiency and flexibility of networked storage. The key to increasing agility without sacrificing performance is NVMe-oF technology.
