Nimble Storage systems are designed from the ground up for efficiency. Built on the patented Cache Accelerated Sequential Layout (CASL™) architecture, highly-available controllers, and the latest in storage media technology, Nimble Storage arrays come with all the features you will need to consolidate and manage your critical application data.
Here are some of the key features that come standard in a Nimble Storage array:
Feature | Function | Benefit |
Core Functionality | ||
Dynamic Caching | Reads active data from flash cache, which is populated on writes or first read | Accelerates read operations, with sub-millisecond latency |
Write-Optimized Data Layout | Coalesces random writes and sequentially writes them to disk as a full stripe | Accelerates writes as much as 100x, and gets sub-millisecond latency and optimal disk utilization |
Universal Compression | Always-on inline compression for all workloads | Reduces capacity needs by 30-75%, depending on the workload, with no performance impact |
Thin Provisioning | Allocates disk space to a volume only as data is written | Pools storage, shares free space, and maximizes utilization |
Scale Performance | Non-disruptively upgrade controllers or swap in higher capacity SSDs | Non-disruptive scale-up of performance to manage large amounts of active data |
Scale Capacity | Non-disruptively add external disk shelves | Non-disruptive increase of storage capacity to 100s of TB per system |
Instant Snapshot and Recovery | Backs up and restores data using point-in-time, space-efficient snapshots taken at regular intervals | Retains months of frequent snapshots (improving RPO) with no performance impact—eliminating backup windows and speeding up restores (improving RTO) |
Efficient Replication | Compresses copies and changes data to the secondary site for disaster recovery | Deploys affordable and verifiable disaster recovery and efficiently backs up remote sites over the WAN |
Zero-Copy Clones | Creates copies of existing active volumes without needing to copy data | Creates clones in seconds and saves disk space – ideal for VDI and test/development |
Host and Application Integration | ||
Custom Application Profiles | Pre-defined policies for block size, caching, compression, and data protection for Microsoft applications and VMware | Eliminates the need for manual tuning of storage including data protection configuration |
Windows VSS Enablement | Nimble Storage Driver for the Microsoft VSS framework for consistent backup | Takes application-consistent backups and simplifies data protection for Exchange and SQL Server |
VMware Integration | Monitors, provisions, and takes snapshots from VMware vCenter | Manages storage from vCenter and takes consistent backups of virtual machines |
VMware Site Recovery Manager Adapter | Supports disaster recovery automation for VMware including failover/failback | Simplifies disaster recovery, including testing failover/failback |
Management and Support | ||
InfoSight Portal | Presents a single view to InfoSight including case management, alerts/triggers, reports, performance analysis, and capacity planning | Provides deep insights on the state of storage with actionable reports and alerts on set events Manages existing cases and creates new ones from one location Proactively addresses performance bottlenecks and plans for capacity growth |
Proactive Wellness | Monitors and analyzes data to identify trends and abnormal operations; sends alerts on critical issues | Spots and remedies potential issues, maximizing uptime, performance, and utilization |
Secure Remote Support | Allows remote troubleshooting, configuration, and problem resolution | Reduces burden on IT staff and quickly resolves problems |
Non-Disruptive Upgrades | Upgrades software with no disruption to applications | Maximizes uptime and user productivity through continuous availability |