Nexenta Releases New Cluster Storage Capabilities

Nexenta develops software which provides a full range of enterprise-class storage services, including multiple replication methods and in-line data deduplication using industry-standard server hardware.

Nexenta's Namespace Cluster is a new application which runs on top of the company's flagship NexentaStor OpenStorage software for building a scale-out NFS (network file system) storage infrastructure, said Evan Powell, CEO of the Mountain View, Calif.-based vendor.

Nexenta has tested Namespace Cluster to work with up to 4,096 high availability pairs of storage nodes, Powell said. The software can be used with industry-standard hardware to put 750 TBs of capacity into a single rack, he said. Management of all nodes can be done from any node, he said.

Nexenta also introduced version 3.1 of its NexentaStor OpenStorage software which now includes metro cluster capability for high availability pairs of storage nodes. "We let customers split the two nodes of the high availability pairs by up to 20 kilometers and still have an active-active cluster," Powell said.

The metro clustering feature can cost $300,000 for many legacy storage offerings, but is available at no charge to customers of the NexentaStor software, Powell said. "For our metro clustering, customers will need a professional services engagement to get started, but there's no extra cost for the feature," he said.

NexentaStor 3.1 also includes the ability to develop gold images of a NexentaStor implementation which can then be used to quickly populate the implementation across multiple nodes, he said.

Nexenta's software is sold primarily through channel partners who add it to industry-standard server hardware to create scalable storage infrastructures for customers, Powell said. The company is a member of Intel's ESAA (Enabled Solutions Acceleration Alliance) program for selling systems and storage equipment to the channel under the Intel badge, and has pre-certified four Intel storage server SKUs for its software, he said.

Nexenta has had solid growth, with revenue expected to hit $300 million this year, up from $70 million in 2010, Powell said.