NetApp HCI

Architecture Details

Like many alternative solutions, NetApp HCI is based on classic architecture servers and their in-house software, which together form a fault-tolerant, “elastic” cluster characterized by its level of scalability, storage, and integration.

NetApp HCI has one important unique difference from similar architectures – according to IDC (International Data Corporation) classification, this system is classified as a hyperconverged disaggregated solution, which means that storage and virtualized computing resources are physically separated.

Previously, data systems (storage, switching and compute) were implemented on the basis of a single solution: the hypervisor was installed on different servers, and functionality was shared between several virtual machines, which were located on different servers to improve fault tolerance.

The biggest challenge of this method is to ensure not only the proper level of fault tolerance, but also the high performance of the shared storage layer. A virtual machine on a classic HCI cannot directly exchange information with storage or access a virtual cluster running with this machine on the same server.

The NetApp HCI cluster has many positive performance characteristics compared to the alternative solution described above:

• Maximally easy to deploy – the cluster is installed as a single unit, centrally managed, and requires no additional configuration.
• Software updates and various upgrades are as simple and fast as possible – just like the initial installation.
• Has its own graphical interface that makes administration extremely simple and easy to understand.

NetApp HCI – a unique solution that allows you to effectively scale your IT infrastructure at the speed of growth of the business itself, and the ability to integrate with existing HCI-systems allows you to get the most flexible and reliable tool.