Many organizations have adopted containers and microservices-based architecture to expedite application development and gain agility. This evolution has created a need for changes on the storage front because containers require a unique approach to storage deployment and management.
At Pure, we recognized these trends and the challenges that came with them. As a result, we acquired Portworx®—the most complete Kubernetes data-services platform—to enable mission-critical applications in a cloud-native environment.
Portworx helps the vision for a Modern Data Experience™ by providing a subscription-based data-services platform for cloud-native applications running across hybrid-cloud environments in containers. With Portworx, you can accelerate your digital transformation by efficiently running any cloud-native data service in any cloud, using any Kubernetes platform with built-in high availability, data protection, data security, and hybrid-cloud mobility.
Together, Pure Storage® and Portworx provide the most complete set of Kubernetes storage choices, from bare metal or hybrid-cloud storage with Portworx software-defined storage to fully managed all-flash arrays. We deliver storage options for every phase of the cloud-native life cycle.
And now, our Pure1® integration with Portworx is live. Pure1 is an AIOps platform that eliminates the complexity from storage management and optimizes Portworx for cost and performance. As a result, you get greater mobility of your modern applications on Kubernetes.
Pure1 provides a unified view of all Pure arrays for monitoring, management, and predictive support. And starting with Portworx 2.8, Pure1 offers a consolidated view of all Portworx clusters for monitoring essential metrics, including cluster health, configuration, and support-case management. Communication between Pure1 and Portworx occurs through a call-home channel secured by HTTPS and two-way authentication.
A Closer Look
Let’s take a closer look at the Pure1-Portworx integration. We’ll use two defined personas to explore a user story: Alex is a Pure1 Admin and Tom is a Portworx Admin.
Step 1: Create a Portworx Admin role.
As a Pure1 admin, Alex logs in to Pure1 and adds Tom as a new user with Portworx Admin access.
Figure 1: Adding a new user with Portworx Admin access in Pure1.
Step 2: Once Alex has created the Portworx Admin role, Tom receives an email to log in to Pure1. Tom’s access lets him see data on clusters, nodes, and storage volumes in his environment from within Pure1.
Figure 2: Portworx Admin dashboard in Pure1 with information on clusters, volumes, and nodes.
Step 3: Tom can see details on volumes and nodes and check their current status. For example, Tom can click the PX-Demo cluster to see whether any volumes or nodes are down or in degraded mode.
Step 4: Tom clicks the Volumes tab and realizes that two volumes are offline: default : mysql-pvc2 and pvc=4de26881.
With visibility into offline volumes, Tom can troubleshoot the issue by looking into alerts.
Figure 3: Pure1 provides visibility into Portworx and offline volumes.
With these four simple steps, Tom can see higher-level cluster information, granular volume information, and identify any issues in the environment.
At Pure, simplicity is a priority. We aim to provide completely self-service management and digital procurement. With the expanded Pure1 and Portworx integration, you can buy or renew your services directly through Pure1.
The Pure1-Portworx integration is just the start of our journey toward enabling IT teams to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and respond faster to business needs. Stay tuned for upcoming posts that take a broader look into Pure’s container strategy.
