Live from DockerCon: It’s All About the Containers! Introducing ECS 2.0 Web-scale Cloud Storage Software

Hello from DockerCon! New today, EMC Elastic Cloud Storage (ECS) 2.0 is now generally available, breaking new ground in Software-Defined Storage with a range of new features and functionality, designed to improve the user experience. EMC is also making ECS available as a fully containerized download for test and development. ECS now joins ScaleIO, ViPR Controller and CoprHD as free & frictionless software-defined storage downloads.

There is more to software than its processing speed; architecture can now be a key to success. Commodity hardware doesn’t vary much—that’s the point—but storage software differs greatly. The right software architecture and features can transform commodity components into a resilient, exabyte-scale cloud storage platform. The architecture matters—and we’re delivering on that philosophy with ECS 2.0.

ECS 2.0 is a significant update to the ECS software and introduces compelling new features and functionality:

  • New user experience, rapid installation and deployment – ECS features an entirely new user experience with an updated GUI and simple, intuitive workflows and element management. The installation runs from a single ECS node and no longer relies on a separate ViPR Controller for element management and provisioning.
  • Improved geo-capabilities – ECS features automatic failover in the event of a temporary site outage, maintains access to buckets and objects during a temporary site outage, and automatically synchronizes sites when all zones are re-connected. ECS can quickly recover from network outages at scale.
  • Improved multi-site performance – ECS integrates geo-caching at the array level to improve data access from a secondary site.
  • Simple multi-tenancy, metering and quota management – ECS 2.0 features simple, secure multi-tenancy with improved Tenant and Bucket views. Users can easily add and remove quotas and set thresholds and notifications. Enterprises and service providers can deliver cloud storage services on day one.
  • New monitoring & diagnostics – ECS 2.0 now includes key storage engine and geo replication metrics, graphics and trend lines charts. This increases system visibility to measure usage and provide reports to tenants.

ECS Infographic - 700px

ECS is ideal for modern, Web-scale cloud applications. Built using cloud principles and modern development frameworks. ECS is fully containerized and features a unique, layered software architecture that delivers hardware-independence. ECS software has several key elements that make it unique in the industry such as its modular “Lego” architecture, comprised of robust building blocks that act as independent units of scale, and its Software-Defined infrastructure which allows ECS to reduce, scale out and abstract data.

In addition to adding new features, EMC is making ECS available as a Docker container download that can run on any operating system or hardware for development and testing. The ECS download features unlimited capacity and no time limits for non-production environments.

ECS is a leap forward for object storage. No other object-based cloud storage platform combines the performance, scale and efficiency of ECS 2.0. Plus, EMC is extending its open source commitment by embracing containers and making EMC’s industry-leading object-based cloud software available as a free and frictionless download. A new era in software-defined storage is here, and ECS 2.0 is leading the pack.

Learn more about ECS 2.0 at DockerCon! Here are all the ways to engage with EMC at the show:

  • EMC Birds of a Feather session: Monday, 6/22 at 11:55am-1:30pm & Tuesday, June 23 @ 12:00pm-1:10pm, Golden Gate Ballroom
  • EMC Partner Tutorial Session: Monday, June 22 from 1:30pm-2:10pm, Yerba Buena 14-15
  • EMC Booth # P4 during exhibit hours
  • Live on the Cube, Monday, June 22 at 4pm PT

See you there!

About the Author: Manuvir Das

Manuvir Das is the Senior Vice President & General Manager of Dell EMC’s Unstructured Storage Division, where he is responsible for the Isilon and ECS product lines as well as key aspects of Dell EMC’s cloud strategy. Manuvir has extensive experience leading R&D organizations, including key roles in the development of Microsoft Azure and Dell EMC ViPR Controller, ECS and Nautilus. With a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin and dozens of publications and patents in his name, Manuvir’s focus is applying world class computer science to build best-in-class, disruptive cloud products that push the boundaries of technology and delight customers.