TwinStrata CloudArray Cloud Storage FAQ's

CloudArray is a software solution that enables users to seamlessly add Cloud Storage to existing storage environments.  CloudArray integrates a number of security and availability features and is compatible with Cloud Storage offerings from most major providers.  It presents this Cloud Storage using an iSCSI interface, providing a high degree of flexibility and compatibility with applications. Cache, or local storage, accelerates data access to match performance of on-premise storage systems.

Zero-Friction Enterprise Storage refers to the ease with which CloudArray enables access to Cloud Storage.  There is no need to replace existing equipment or plan for additional data center footprint.  Instead, using as little as "zero U" of rack space (using a software virtual appliance), and a few minutes of configuration time, unlimited data storage is available to your applications.

Yes, you can use multiple Cloud Storage providers simultaneously.  When you create a new volume, you simply use a template to assign the Cloud Storage provider you wish to use to a particular volume and allocate the desired amount of cache.  Cloud Storage providers can be any mix of private or public Cloud Storage offerings.

Some Cloud Storage providers keep three separate copies of the data in three geographically disbursed locations, providing a high degree of data redundancy.  For critical data, a CloudArray volume can be configured so that one full copy of the data is kept locally to ensure local availability with other full copies in the Cloud.  CloudArray also allows configuring two Cloud Storage providers and keeping two full data sets replicated.

There are many advantages to using Cloud Storage.  Benefits include:

• Cloud Storage has no initial acquisition costs (CAPEX), reducing or eliminating large startup costs.
• The utility model means you pay only for what you use each month, replacing the prepayment method used when purchasing traditional storage arrays as that purchase must accommodate expected future growth.
• Cloud Storage is elastic with nearly unlimited capacity.  Should your storage needs grow, capacity will be available.  Capacity forecasting, based on hardware footprints, becomes a thing of the past.
• Depending on the cloud provider, data may be protected across at least two, or even three, geographically disbursed locations, ensuring data availability.
• Cloud Storage is a self-service model, reducing support costs.
• Cloud Storage avoids the 3-5 year life cycle of traditional enterprise storage that requires upgrades and migrations on a regular basis.

A private Cloud is different from a public Cloud in that the Cloud infrastructure is dedicated to specific customers rather than shared by multiple parties and can reside either locally in an existing data center or at a hosted location (the latter is sometimes referred to as a virtual private Cloud). Private Clouds can be shared across multiple business units, departments or even select companies, but effectively limit which parties have access.

Cloud Storage is Storage as a Service, a utility model for pay-as-you-go delivery of storage capacity.  Instead of purchasing storage hardware, you can rent storage from internet providers, outsourcing some or all of your storage needs.  Cloud Storage is resilient and elastic, providing robust capabilities and virtually unlimited capacities.

Most Cloud Storage Providers have cost estimator tools available on their websites.  Please see your chosen CSP web site for further information.

The easiest way is to verify that your data has been copied to Cloud storage is to see if you can read the data.  Additionally, all Cloud Storage providers have reports to show how much data has been moved and stored.  You can determine the status of the local cache and determine how much data has been copied by using Cloud Array Control to query the appliance.  Finally, there are event logs that can be viewed on the CloudArray Portal.

CloudArray snapshots provide point-in-time recovery capabilities with a minimum amount of overhead. Since they’re taken in the Cloud, there are minimal bandwidth requirements. Snapshot data is not cloned, thus only one copy of the data is kept. Keep in mind though that additional storage will be required to keep up with the change rate.

Hardware is provided with on-site support.  Software support is provided via phone and remote connectivity (when authorized).

CloudArray allows you to connect to many different Cloud Storage Providers (CSP).  Each CSP has their own pricing structure.  Actual storage costs can also vary based on the quantity of data stored in the Cloud.  Please see the web pages for your chosen CSP to get a better idea of Cloud Storage pricing.

Hardware defect support is provided via 24/7 phone support.  Parts will be available by the next business day and support is available worldwide.

This is covered under break fix above.  All equipment can be repaired to original status.

Yes, and we encourage you to do so.  To take advantage of our free 14-day trial, please visit: http://www.twinstrata.com/CloudArray-download.  Please note that there are three videos on this page which are very effective tutorials.  The CloudArray download, import, power-on and configuration typically takes less than an hour.

Yes, you can.  CloudArray has been successfully tested with many major backup software products.  CloudArray should work with any backup software that allows directing the output of the backup to a hard drive.  Since CloudArray presents a volume via industry standard iSCSI protocols, it easily integrates into existing environments.

Yes, Microsoft Hyper-V is a supported Hypervisor. Please note that you’ll need a 64 bit platform.

Yes, Citrix XenServer is a supported Hypervisor. Please note that you’ll need a 64 bit platform.

Yes, CloudArray uses deduplication at a segment level. CloudArray's data reduction algorithms use deduplication to maximize compression ratios.

It takes approximately 5 minutes to download the CloudArray Virtual Appliance on a typical internet connection, but the actual time will depend on your specific environment.  

CloudArray for VMware is less than 500 MB.  The Hyper-V image is a bit larger and the XenServer image is a bit smaller.

500 MB takes about:

• 4 minutes at 20 Mbps
• 8 minutes at 10 Mbps
• 16 minutes at 5 Mbps

Yes, you can.  CloudArray supports multiple host operating systems.

Restoration from off-site is certainly not less reliable and arguably far more reliable. The speed of restoration will be dependent on available bandwidth and the amount of local cache but will often be faster than restoring from tape. Also, when restoring the CloudArray appliance in the Cloud or in a Hosted environment, more bandwidth is available, enabling in-cloud disaster recovery scenarios (i.e. recovering entire applications to the Cloud).

There are no costs to trial CloudArray.  We provide the Virtual Appliance, which can be easily downloaded as well as temporary storage space.

Hardware Appliance specs vary by model number.  More complete information can be found on the TwinStrata website.  Briefly:

• Model 1i – 2U, Gigabit, 1.5 TB RAID 6 Storage
• Model 1 – 2U, Gigabit, 6 TB RAID 6 Storage
• Model 2 – 2U, 10 Gigabit, 12 TB RAID 6 Storage
• Model 2S – 2U, 10 Gigabit, 1.5 TB SSD RAID 6 Storage
• Model 3 – 6U, 4x10 Gigabit, 20 TB RAID 6 Storage

Since it’s a caching appliance, it can be easily recreated with the exception of the unflushed data from the cache.  It’s a very simple procedure to go to an alternate site (or to the cloud), re-install the CloudArray appliance, restore the backup which was automatically saved for you at the CloudArray portal and have full access to your data.

A Physical Appliance is a traditional appliance deployment model and comes in hardware form factors. TwinStrata offers 5 Physical CloudArray Appliances; four in a 2U rack mount enclosure and one in a 6U rack mount enclosure. In all cases, the features and functionality of the appliances is the same. Larger units have increased memory, network bandwidth, and local storage for cache but work exactly like their smaller counterparts as well as the virtual appliance.

An iSCSI initiator is an industry standard technology enabling Hosts to access block data volumes across a TCP/IP network. The CloudArray Appliance presents an iSCSI target. The iSCSI initiator is configured on the Server or Host where you’d like to access the volume presented by the CloudArray Appliance. It’s typically a very simple process to configure an iSCSI initiator and create a volume.

Truthfully, it’s a simple matter of preference.  If you’re not operating in a virtualized environment today, then a physical appliance might be preferred.  Virtual appliances provide greater flexibility when attaching additional local storage for cache but physical appliances afford the convenience of preconfigured hardware.

It must be local to the appliance, although it needn’t be direct attached.  Locally attached storage is a requirement to provide local speed performance.

It’s generally best to size the Cloud volume fairly near the maximum expected size of the target data.  Since Cloud Storage is a utility model and you only pay for the actual storage that you’ve consumed, the allocated volume size can be well in excess of the target data volume with no risk.  Compression will likely reduce the data footprint in the Cloud even further.  In the event your initial Cloud Volume size is not large enough, it’s a simple matter to increase the size of the volume.

The CloudArray Portal is a secure hosted portal specific to CloudArray.  In order to access the portal, you’ll need credentials, a user ID (your email address), and a password.  Only you will have access to your portal.  The portal contains software, user guides and other documentation, account information, report generation capabilities as well as the ability to collect and route alerts.

Yes, you can use it anywhere you use local storage. Keep in mind that the overall performance is dependent on the amount of cache configured. Typically, a small cache may be unsuitable for demanding applications and we recommend resizing the cache appropriately.

Current CloudArray limits allow each volume to have a maximum size of 384TB.

Yes, you can.  Typically, any supported file server that offers NFS can be used.

Yes.  You can use a CloudArray volume as the target for your existing backup software.  CloudArray itself does not offer any backup software or agents.

You could easily implement a “backup-less” solution using a CloudArray volume with “full cache”.  In this environment, you’d have a complete local copy of the data which the CloudArray Appliance would automatically replicate to the Cloud.  CloudArray in-Cloud snapshots could be taken periodically to provide point-in-time backups.

No.  Typically, CloudArray works in conjunction with your existing backup solution(s).  Using your existing backup software, you simply use the volume presented by CloudArray as the target of your backups and your data will seamlessly and securely be copied to the Cloud.