Below is a list of common questions about ParaScale cloud storage.
Is ParaScale software, hardware or an appliance?
ParaScale is software. You can download our cloud storage software and install it on commodity hardware running standard Linux to create a storage cloud. You can purchase the hardware from your favorite commodity storage vendor, or even reuse existing hardware to build the storage cloud. We do not sell the hardware.
ParaScale knits together Linux server nodes into a storage cloud. Is it a management application for cloud and grid storage?
No, ParaScale software is not a “grid storage” management system that simply provisions and manages a bunch of multi-vendor hardware and software. Instead, ParaScale layers an object file system on top of many Linux servers to provide a petabyte scale cloud storage system under a single namespace. Thus you have the ease of use of a single storage appliance with the capacity and throughput scale of hundreds of Linux nodes.
How easy is it to manage a ParaScale cloud storage solution?
The ParaScale cloud storage solution is largely self managing. The GUI provides valuable information as you monitor the health, utilization and performance of your storage cloud. Simple policies are used for file based management (e.g. number of replicated copies). The onerous and frequent traditional NAS tasks such as data migration and load-balancing are done automatically by the system. The ParaScale cloud is designed to not require additional IT staff as you scale the storage cloud from a few nodes to 100s of nodes.
Can I create a ParaScale storage cloud using hardware that I already own?
Yes. Your server should be able to run RedHat or CentOS Linux. In fact, we anticipate that it will be fairly common to throw older “post-warranty” servers into the ParaScale Storage Cloud. “This is where servers go to age gracefully”.
Can I use different types of servers in a single ParaScale storage cloud?
Yes. Nodes in a storage cloud can have different hardware capabilities and configurations.
Can I run applications on the storage nodes?
Absolutely. ParaScale Software runs as an application on several Linux servers federating the internal storage to create an easily scalable, appliance-like, file storage solution (NAS). Each node in the cloud is a 100% standard CentOS or Redhat Enterprise Linux server running ParaScale software. If a third party application is supported on CentOS or RHEL, it can be qualified to run on a ParaScale node. By running on any node, an application is able to access data within the entire storage cloud. Two caveats to consider:
- In the interest of data safety, ParaScale prefers to restrict this ability to software technology partners.
- Supported applications are run through our QA processes to ensure interoperability
How is ParaScale priced and licensed?
We will license ParaScale based on the physical capacity within the storage cloud. It is a one-time license combined with an annual support contract which includes updates to the base OS. Please contact us for pricing information
Where can I buy the ParaScale cloud storage software?
The ParaScale cloud storage software will be available through channel partners and OEMs. Please contact us for more information on our partner programs.
Other Resources to Consider
If you are looking for an introduction to cloud storage and an overview of public and private clouds, visit the What is Cloud Storage section of the library.
If you are looking for the technology differences between cloud storage and other storage offerings, visit the Cloud Storage Technology section of the library.
If you are ready to download a trial of ParaScale and build a storage cloud, visit the Evaluating ParaScale section of the library.
For details on ParaScale features, visit the products pages.
For information on ParaScale cloud storage solutions, visit the solutions pages.
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