Storage vendor Pure Storage launches version 6.0 of its Purity operating system for its FlashArray. The new update enables unified block and file storage, among other things.
Version 6.0 now also supports file-based workloads on FlashArray, which are as the name suggests all-flash arrays. Usually, Pure Storage’s all-flash storage applications support mainly core workloads as databases due to their large storage capacity. These workloads primarily store their data as blocks.
Now file-based workloads are also supported, allowing customers to store both their block and file workloads together on a FlashArray instead of storing them in separate environments. The technology for file-based workloads is based on the technology of Compuverde, which was taken over by Pure Storage at the beginning of last year. With the file-based functionality, customers can use the FlashArray applications for desktop virtualisation.
Block storage remains important
Pure Storage indicates that the company continues to focus primarily on block storage. For example, version 6.0 of Purity is still predominantly aimed at customers who mainly use block storage, but also need separate network-attached storage for specific applications.
Disaster recovery functionality
In addition to the possibilities for storing file-based workloads, the release of the operating system also offers new functionality for disaster recovery, ActiveDR. ActiveDR is an active-passive replication tool that continuously replicates data from a FlashArray environment to a backup. This gives customers, as Pure Storage indicates, a ‘near zero’ recovery point. As a result, only minimal data is lost should a problem occur.
Other features
There are also new possibilities for integration with public cloud environments. For example, Purity 6.0 has an improved version of the CloudSnap backup functionality. This makes it possible, among other things, to set up a backup environment in Google Cloud Platform.
Furthermore, the operating system supports two- and multi-factor authentication technology by RSA. Also, functionality has been added for public volume tags to manage storage resources better.
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