VMware vSAN ESA introduces new ReadyNode profile for smaller scale servers

[ComputeExperts]

Introducing the new ReadyNode profile!

VMware recently expanded on the newly added certification for VMware vSAN Express Storage Architecture (ESA) by introducing a new ESA-AF-0 ReadyNode profile. This new profile allows for use cases further for smaller scale server requirements and still gives users the benefit of the new single-tier NVMe architecture.

VMware vSAN is a popular alternative to traditional shared storage solutions utilizing available local storage for each HPE ProLiant server in a vSphere cluster, and enabling you to effortlessly extend virtualization to storage. The vSAN ESA is an alternative to the Original Storage Architecture (OSA) found in all previous editions of vSAN, and is designed to achieve all-new levels of efficiency, scalability, and performance.

Why is VMware introducing the new ESA-AF-0 profile?

For vSAN ESA to provide the full benefit of the new kernel and NVMe devices, the minimum requirements for entry had previously been ESA-AF-2. This was roughly equivalent to a previous AF-8 in vSAN OSA. These minimum requirements were correctly sized for enterprise customers but presented a barrier to entry for customers who couldn’t effectively apply the new total cost of ownership benefits, better sizing for fault domains, and better performance benefits of the single-tier NVMe architecture.

The new vSAN AF-0 requirements lower the minimums to CPU of 16 or more cores, NVMe device count of 2 or more, host RAM of 128GB or more, and host networking of 10GbE or more – creating a new entry point for SMBs.

A perfect solution for SMBs

While mid-size and large enterprises can benefit from the new ESA-AFO-0 on HPE ProLiant servers for certain workloads and use cases, this new profile delivers a new entry point for small and growing businesses to take advantage of vSAN ESA benefits. SMB customers with lower performance requirements and smaller environments, that still want to take advantage of the improved efficiency, lower total cost of ownership (TCO), smaller failure/maintenance domains, and new capabilities (e.g. snapshots, etc.) of ESA can now do so.

Optimize performance for your workloads with HPE ProLiant Gen11

HPE ProLiant Gen11 was designed to future-proof your business with efficiency, scalability, and economics to accelerate business outcomes. These next-generation servers are the perfect solution for any customer looking to make use of the wide range of vSAN ESA-related ReadyNode profiles. HPE offers both AMD and Intel Gen11 servers with either 1P or 2P, and 1U or 2U configurations. With the introduction of the above-described AF-0, HPE customers have the opportunity to move into the new ESA vSAN benefits with the HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11, HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11, HPE ProLiant DL325 Gen11, and HPE ProLiant DL345 Gen11 servers with Read Intensive NVMe support.

Explore the new requirements on the VMware Compatibility Guide in vSAN ESA ReadyNodes with HPE.  

Learn more about HPE ProLiant Gen11 at hpe.com/proliant/solutions. 

Meet HPE Blogger, Andrew Leber!

Andrew is a Senior Product Manager covering VMware vSAN, VMware Distributed Services Engine, and Cloud Foundation on HPE ProLiant and HPE Synergy Compute platforms. He has been with HPE for nearly 19 years as an Electrical Engineer, Solution Architect, Infrastructure Architect, Product Manager, and various customer facing support roles. Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn!  

Compute Experts
Hewlett Packard Enterprise

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