Introducing the Pure//Launch Blog

The Pure Storage data storage platform is the most innovative in the industry, constantly evolving to meet your data storage needs. To help you keep up with the latest and greatest from Pure Storage, we’re introducing Pure//Launch: the easiest way to stay up to date on the most recent product updates, features, and solutions with a consistent platform designed to simplify your work.

We’re excited to share our most recent updates for April 2024, which include external block storage for Azure VMware Solution (AVS), NVIDIA AI reference architectures for FlashBlade®, Purity//FB 4.4.0, and Purity//FA 6.6.4. 

Be sure to watch the Pure//Launch Round-up video and visit the Pure//Launch web page for more details. 

Drive Savings with Cloud Block Storage for AVS

Pure Storage is excited to announce the first-ever external block storage for AVS. It used to be that if you were an AVS customer and wanted to add more capacity, you had to pay for another server even if you didn’t need the extra compute power. With Pure Cloud Block Store™, you can decouple your storage from your compute by hosting data on a software-defined storage array at a fraction of the cost of other solutions. And—if you’re an Evergreen//One™ customer—you can leverage your existing subscription for Pure Cloud Block Store in Azure. 

Learn more about how you can access more storage for less.

Powering the AI Revolution

As a leader in AI, Pure Storage is collaborating with NVIDIA to arm our customers with a proven data storage platform to manage the high-performance data and compute requirements they need to drive successful AI deployments. Here are some of the highlights:

• Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipeline for AI inference: Leveraging NVIDIA NeMo Retriever microservices and NVIDIA GPUs, Pure Storage created a RAG pipeline that improves the accuracy, currency, and relevance of inference capabilities for large language models (LLMs). Discover how Pure Storage optimizes GenAI apps with RAG.
• Validated NVIDIA OVX server storage reference architecture: We’re excited to announce that Pure Storage achieved storage partner validation for NVIDIA OVX servers powered by NVIDIA L40S GPUs and FlashBlade//S™. This new reference architecture validation provides enterprises with more GPU server choices and de-risks AI initiatives, accelerating time to value. Learn more about the validation and our AI-ready infrastructure solutions.
• FlashBlade//S supports NVIDIA GPUDirect Storage: In addition to AIRI//S™, a certified NVIDIA DGX BasePOD reference architecture, FlashBlade//S supports NVIDIA GPUDirect Storage. This means customers can maximize performance efficiency required for large AI workloads by eliminating CPU processing bottlenecks.

Read more about our AI-related announcements here.

Improved Efficiency Meets Data Reliability

Purity is the software heart that powers the Pure data storage platform. Purity//FB 4.4.0 delivers more capacity, better compliance, and increased user access. Here’s what you need to know:

• More usable capacity on FlashBlade: Experience up to 20% higher usable capacity on your current system configuration with a simple upgrade. Most customers on Purity//FB 4.3.3 or earlier can upgrade to the latest Purity//FB version and achieve improved cost per usable TB, leveraging wider segments that incur lower RAID overhead as well as enhanced segment formation within and across chassis. 
• Permanent retention lock for WORM capabilities: Purity//FB 4.4.0 enhances FlashBlade’s Object Lock capabilities with the introduction of Eradication Mode, which ensures object data cannot be accidentally modified or deleted (unless empty) if set up for write once, read many (WORM) capabilities. This feature is key for customers in heavily regulated industries such as finance, government, and healthcare. Our WORM capabilities are undergoing assessment by a third party for SEC-17a-4(f) compliance. 
• Object fan-in/fan-out replication enhancements: Purity//FB 4.4.0 delivers improved object replication capabilities, empowering customers to share S3 objects to more of their users across more of their arrays to achieve improved data access, lower latency, better load balancing, and enhanced fault tolerance. These enhancements include:
  • Array-level fan out of 1:10 for FlashBlade//S and FlashBlade first-gen and 1:5 for FlashBlade//E™
  • Bucket-level fan out of 1:4 for FlashBlade//S, FlashBlade first-gen, and FlashBlade//E (full mesh) 
  • Bucket-level fan in of 10:1 for FlashBlade//S and FlashBlade first-gen and 5:1 for FlashBlade//E

Read more about FlashBlade Object Lock.

These updates enable geographically distributed teams to access updated content, enable collaboration, and accelerate outcomes, resulting in faster time to insights.

Upgrade to Purity//FB 4.4.0 today! See how self-service upgrades work through Pure1®. 

File Services Made Flexible

Designed to meet today’s ever-growing storage demands, Purity maximizes your storage investments with intelligent data management at scale. Purity//FA 6.6.4 expands the aperture of possibility for your file services. Here’s how:

• Support for 4 million files per directory limit: Purity//FA 6.6.4 improves the operational efficiency of FlashArray™ File Services by increasing the limit of files per directory from 1 million to 4 million. This increase helps customers be more efficient in managing large data repositories, such as healthcare industry picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) and enterprise imaging, by eliminating the need to split a large directory into multiple sub-directories.
• LACP + VLAN tagging support for file virtual interfaces (VIFs): Purity//FA 6.6.4 expands file virtual interface support for LACP and VLAN tagging at the same time, enabling customers to take advantage of the performance and compatibility of LACP with isolated access to file systems through multiple virtual local area networks. This gives you the best of both worlds: traffic segregation for security and link aggregation for performance, meaning customers no longer need to choose between performance and resiliency for their VIFs.

Upgrade to Purity//FA 6.6.4 to take advantage of these new features.