Run the latest container applications with VMware vSphere 6.5
Virtual SAN 6.5 supports container and general storage services

VMware (CEO Pat Gelsinger) announced new updates to its computing, storage, and cloud management solutions at 'VMworld 2016 Europe,' an event being held in Barcelona, Spain.

This announcement is characterized by the incorporation of the Cross-Cloud Architecture™ first unveiled by VMware in August of this year. The Cross-Cloud Architecture provides an environment where enterprises can use and control the applications and devices they desire, regardless of specific on-premises data centers, public cloud environments, hardware, or hypervisors. This will be provided through VMware Cloud Foundation, an integrated software-defined data center (SDDC) platform, and Cross-Cloud services.

The server virtualization solution VMware vSphere 6.5 delivers the best user experience by providing enhanced automation and management capabilities, built-in integrated security, and support for new application formats, including containers. It also offers users an integrated platform that supports both traditional and modern applications, such as 3D graphics, big data, cloud-native, containerized machine learning, and SaaS, enabling them to run applications anytime, anywhere. Additionally, the integrated container supports a Docker-compatible interface, allowing users to utilize the latest container development and deployment environment without changing their existing virtual infrastructure.

Virtual SAN 6.5, a software-defined storage solution for hyper-converged infrastructure, adds support for general storage services utilizing containers and iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface). Consequently, users can achieve an additional 50% reduction in Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) compared to previous versions. Furthermore, by minimizing the solution's configuration requirements, costs between system points can be reduced by 15–20% without the need for additional hardware. In addition, it meets diverse user requirements by supporting high-capacity HDD drives and SSDs.

Currently, file service partners supporting interoperability with Virtual SAN are Dell EMC, NetApp, and Nexenta, while data protection partners include Commvault, Dell EMC, Viam, and Veritas. Interoperability between Virtual SAN and partner solutions can be verified through the VMware Ready for Virtual SAN certification program.