BlueArc has announced BlueArc System Software 8, which includes the latest iteration of its advanced file system that delivers massive performance and the ability to scale-right. BlueArc System Software 8 introduces new cloning and high-speed replication features for maximum efficiency in performance, space and data protection.

Incorporated into BlueArc System Software 8, JetClone provides IT managers with a highly flexible and space-efficient storage optimization solution without the size limitations inherent in competing cloning software. Using JetClone, multiple copies or clones of file systems are made by taking writable snapshots and storing subsequent differences separately.

The file level granularity of JetClone is ideally suited to virtual environments that use a VMDK file structure for data storage, and offers unique value to customers wishing to deploy hundreds of machines with identical OS images. Clones can be used in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), test and development and with multiple simulations against large data sets. The number of clones that can be created is almost unlimited with BlueArc's 256 Terabyte file system, providing 16 times more space for clones and associated data in comparison to traditional NAS systems. This is especially important for VDI applications and large scale production environments. Administrators are able to quickly and easily deploy new OS and application images to reduce time to market, while benefiting from the tremendous savings in physical storage space.

JetMirror for high-speed replication has been added to simplify and accelerate data protection tasks by significantly reducing the time needed to replicate large, complex file systems. Traditional methods of replicating unstructured data in hierarchical "tree" structure create performance problems at scale due to metadata-intensive operations. JetMirror delivers up to 26 times faster replication by enabling the object architecture to intelligently move only objects that have changed, rather than entire files -- making it an ideal solution for disaster recovery and data distribution uses where high-speed replication is a requirement.

With JetMirror, if only one object associated with a single file has changed, only that object is replicated, not the body of the file that will already be present on the target from a prior replication. JetMirror is more intelligent than block replication solutions and, in some cases, even faster than block replication. JetMirror's object-based replication also shares the advantage of sub-file granularity, but has the content awareness to skip empty blocks. This process allows lower bandwidth connections to reduce costs and enables scheduling of data transfers to fit business needs.

"In addition to delivering the fastest NAS systems at scale in the industry, BlueArc's solutions deliver capacity at scale and protection at scale," said Ravi Chalaka, senior director of solutions and product marketing at BlueArc. "In turn, our customers are able to scale their IT when they need to without incurring excessive cost and time to support business growth."

"BlueArc has a unique enterprise-class architecture for file storage in terms of scalability and high performance for all I/O types. Additionally, they keep adding enterprise-class functionality," said Tony Asaro, senior analyst and founder of INI Group. "One of the main reasons users don't take more snapshots is because it consumes too much capacity. BlueArc solves this problem with their writable snapshot technology, enabling users to take as many as they want for data recovery and cloning VDI and server virtualization environments. Additionally, BlueArc's new remote replication software is fast, granular and efficient, thereby reducing cost and improving data resiliency. These aren't 'me-too' approaches; they're improvements to the status quo."