F5 Appliances Integrate with Cloud Storage

F5 Networks has added a number of features to its ARX line of file virtualization appliances, including integration with cloud storage platforms and the introduction of the iControl file services API. F5 also demonstrated a software-bsaed virtual appliance –ARX Virtual Edition (VE) – that is slated for delivery in the first quarter of 2011.

F5’s ARX Cloud Extender (CE) software extends the automated storage tiering functionality of ARX appliances into cloud storage, providing an additional storage tier and freeing up capacity on existing NAS filers. Files stored in the cloud (private or public) are presented as if they reside in the local data center, acording to Nigel Burmeister, F5’s director of product marketing.

ARX CE is currently qualified with third-party, object-based cloud storage platforms such as Amazon’s S3, Iron Mountain’s Virtual File Store (VFS) and NetApp’s StorageGRID. Support for other cloud storage services platforms is under development.

In addition to cloud storage platforms, the ARX Cloud Extender supports NAS and content-addressable storage (CAS) systems in a tiered hierarchy.