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NetApp has announced the discontinuation of Astra Data Store, a cloud-native solution that provided shared file and block storage to containers and virtual machines.

Astra Data Store was launched as a preview in May 2022. Customers used the solution to provision persistent storage to Kubernetes-orchestrated apps in the Astra Control Center.

Things changed when NetApp announced BlueXP, a single control plane designed to manage data in both on-premises and multicloud environments.

BlueXP incorporated several Astra products under one umbrella, including on-premises data storage (ONTAP, StorageGRID, E-Series) and cloud data storage (Cloud Volumes, ANF/FSx/CVS).

Astra Data Store was left out. NetApp recently confirmed that the product will be discontinued.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP

As a result, Cloud Volumes ONTAP becomes the sole provider of Kubernetes persistent storage for the NetApp BlueXP data management layer.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP supports Kubernetes dynamic provisioning with its Astra Trident CSI driver, an open-source storage orchestrator for containers and Kubernetes distributions, including Red Hat OpenShift.

It works with the entire NetApp storage portfolio, including the NetApp ONTAP and Element storage systems, and also supports NFS and iSCSI connections.

Why?

Website Blocks and Files reports that NetApp’s decision to discontinue Astra Data Store seems to be a storage responsibility takeover by the company’s parent, ONTAP.

“Participating in the Kubernetes ecosystem is strategically important to NetApp, and the company continues to invest in building Astra, including Astra Control and Astra Trident. NetApp is continuing the Astra Control product and pausing the Astra Data Store project”, a spokesperson said.

“The Astra Data Store (ADS) Beta program revealed that customers were requesting an integrated experience for Kubernetes data management and cloud mobility. NetApp takes customer feedback seriously, and these insights informed the pivot in resources to focus on the customer need.“