Dell PowerScale — the storage solution that scales without limits

TL;DR

• Scale-out architecture allows for non-disruptive upgrades and expansions with no planned downtime
• Dell PowerScale offers a single global namespace and broad protocol support to avoid data siloing and wasteful duplication
• Connecting new nodes doesn’t just extend storage but adds computing resources, so capacity can grow without bottlenecking performance
• A unified interface allows one-stop management for the entire PowerScale storage environment
• Fast flash storage can be combined with low-cost mechanical drives to take advantage of policy-based data tiering

Unstructured data is growing. AI workloads, sensor reports, analytics pipelines and other applications are generating volumes of raw data that would have been unthinkable in the past. The challenge is not only how to store and manage unprecedented quantities of data, but how to invest intelligently in systems that can keep up as demand continues to grow.

Scale-out storage is a long-term scalable solution, in which physical nodes are clustered together to create a unified storage pool. Since each node has its own computing and storage resources, the infrastructure can grow to enterprise scale without being overwhelmed by expanding access demands – compared to traditional scale-up arrays that typically expand a single system via internal upgrades and have more rigid scale limits.

Dell PowerScale is the ideal scale-out platform, offering huge expansion potential, a single namespace for company-wide access and unified management to minimise administration overhead.

Seamless storage expansion with scale-out architecture

A PowerScale cluster can be dynamically expanded at any time by attaching new nodes, either singly or as a group – up to a maximum of 252 nodes forming a single logical volume. The cluster remains available and active while capacity is being added, so businesses can upgrade whenever they need to, with no downtime and no disruption to ongoing workloads. This is a significant benefit over scale-up storage systems that typically need to be taken offline while new drives are installed.

As an example of the power of scale-out, when car manufacturer Subaru wanted to develop its new AI-powered driver-assist system it found it needed to handle a 1,000-fold increase in data volume. With Dell PowerScale, the company was able to accommodate the expansion seamlessly.

PowerScale’s OneFS operating system doesn’t just transparently add new capacity – it intelligently redistributes data across the available nodes to balance usage and optimise performance. There’s no need for an administrator to provision new resources or migrate data by hand.

A single namespace across a growing storage cluster

Because Dell PowerScale provides a single namespace across the whole cluster, very large volumes of unstructured data can be made available to users throughout the business, with no requirement for manual partitioning or complicated volume management. A wide range of access protocols are supported, including NFS, SMB, S3, HTTP and FTP, enabling almost any product or platform to work with PowerScale.

As well as simplifying administration, this helps avoid data siloing, and means there’s no need to duplicate information across different logical locations to be accessed by different services. In AI workflows, for example, a single data set can be accessed in place by preparation, training and inference processes, with no need to create separate copies for the different functions.

Scaling performance alongside capacity

Adding nodes to a PowerScale cluster doesn’t just expand the amount of raw storage available – it multiplies up performance. Because each PowerScale unit contains its own computing and storage resources, the platform can maintain high throughput even when taxed with demanding high-volume workloads, such as AI model training or media production.

At the same time, PowerScale supports both fast all-flash NVMe nodes and low-cost mechanical storage, which can be combined within a cluster to offer an effective balance of access speed and cost-effective bulk storage.

Simplified management for large-scale file storage

Dell PowerScale consolidates the entire storage pool under a single namespace, making management simple. A unified interface, powered by the OneFS operating system, lets administrators configure all file services, analytics workloads and so forth, across the entire cluster. This is a powerful benefit in itself: Lancaster University recently deployed Dell PowerScale to replace multiple storage systems and gain more streamlined management.

And there’s no need to worry about compatibility or integration issues: the PowerScale platform is certified by more than 250 ISV tests and validations, and officially supports a wide range of industry-standard enterprise applications.

Automated data tiering for cost-efficient storage growth

Policy-based tiering allows PowerScale to automatically move data to the most appropriate media, ensuring effective use of resources. And despite its advanced self-optimising features, PowerScale makes efficient use of raw capacity, achieving up to 80% storage utilisation to help you get the most from your raw capacity.

As unstructured data grows in quantity – and becomes ever more central to modern workflows – businesses need a solution that offers simple and efficient storage, and which is capable of scaling without disruption. Dell PowerScale is designed to meet the demands of today and the future, offering exceptional scale-out capacity, a unified architecture and automatic balancing and tiering functions. The result is excellent performance and efficiency, while keeping management overhead to a minimum.

If you think PowerScale is the right storage solution for your business, find out more on the Dell website: US readers click here and CA readers here.