NetApp wants to make its storage operating system ONTAP Kubernetes-native. It is doing so as part of its Project Astra initiative, which focuses on combining storage and data services with the container platform.
The storage vendor previously announced Project Astra. In a blog, Vice President of Product Management Eric Han discusses the progress of Project Astra. NetApp has redesigned its operating system ONTAP to become Kubernetes-native.
Kubernetes-native ONTAP needs to run in a Kubernetes-orchestrated environment, in order to use all the features of the container platform. The operating system can theoretically run on any Kubernetes cluster, which means both on-premise and in cloud environments.
“This containerized ONTAP now drives some key regions in the public cloud, where customers see a VM volume supported by a microservices architecture,” says Han. “And as our cloud Project Astra customers ask for on-premises Kubernetes storage, we see the benefits of having our own common control-plane in Kubernetes in that customers can more easily have a consistent app-data experience through Astra whether they are on-premises or in the cloud.”
According to Han, users want a “set of tools that work for stateless and stateful applications, for built-in Kubernetes objects and extensions, and that run seamlessly in clouds and on-premises.”
For the time being, this involves functionality from the first preview, which has limited access. In the update, Han indicates that he is looking forward to the upcoming public preview of Project Astra. The release is expected to happen in the coming months.
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