Comments on: F5 acquires Acopia http://storagemojo.com/2007/08/06/f5-acquires-acopia/ Data storage info & analysis Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:54:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Robert Pearson http://storagemojo.com/2007/08/06/f5-acquires-acopia/#comment-104750 Robert Pearson Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:48:27 +0000 http://storagemojo.com/2007/08/06/f5-acquires-acopia/#comment-104750 RE: Load balancers in general Nice to have if you can get them. Nice to know when you need them Every time I get in a "load balancer" discussion I'm reminded of the great, but short-lived, debate about whether a time division or statistical mux is the best way to go. Time division just came first. "Stat" muxes were always superior to time division. So the question is, "Why are we screwing around with load_balancers when we need something better?" Load balancers came first? What comes next? When can I get it? I've had to build my own for years. I never wanted to be in the "load balancer" software development, and certainly not in the software maintenance, business. Where should load balancers operate? Do they communicate with each other? Is there an Open Standard? Can I use Thin Provisioning as a load balancer? I want this as a standard service handled by the (Storage? or App? or network? Other?) SLA. Why don't disk drives talk to each other? We don't want them that smart? Why don't disk drives have SSD and Flash in them for quick rebuilds? Maybe all the engineers that could do this were on a bridge "too far" somewhere? RE: Load balancers in general
Nice to have if you can get them. Nice to know when you need them
Every time I get in a “load balancer” discussion I’m reminded of the great, but short-lived, debate about whether a time division or statistical mux is the best way to go. Time division just came first. “Stat” muxes were always superior to time division.

So the question is, “Why are we screwing around with load_balancers when we need something better?” Load balancers came first? What comes next? When can I get it?

I’ve had to build my own for years. I never wanted to be in the “load balancer” software development, and certainly not in the software maintenance, business.
Where should load balancers operate? Do they communicate with each other? Is there an Open Standard?
Can I use Thin Provisioning as a load balancer?

I want this as a standard service handled by the (Storage? or App? or network? Other?) SLA.
Why don’t disk drives talk to each other? We don’t want them that smart?
Why don’t disk drives have SSD and Flash in them for quick rebuilds?
Maybe all the engineers that could do this were on a bridge “too far” somewhere?

]]> By: Blake http://storagemojo.com/2007/08/06/f5-acquires-acopia/#comment-104353 Blake Tue, 07 Aug 2007 07:57:29 +0000 http://storagemojo.com/2007/08/06/f5-acquires-acopia/#comment-104353 This is probably the best future Acopia could have had. They were struggling to find a real home all alone. With f5 leading with load balancers, it fits nicely into that market. Good Stuff! This is probably the best future Acopia could have had. They were struggling to find a real home all alone. With f5 leading with load balancers, it fits nicely into that market. Good Stuff!

]]> By: Robin Harris http://storagemojo.com/2007/08/06/f5-acquires-acopia/#comment-104336 Robin Harris Tue, 07 Aug 2007 06:27:03 +0000 http://storagemojo.com/2007/08/06/f5-acquires-acopia/#comment-104336 Anarchist - I assume that is ironic - I don't have an opinion about Rainfinity vs Acopia. I haven't looked at either of them enough. Hooking up with a $3.6 B market cap and a 40% growth rate can't hurt. Max, I am unimpressed by Cisco's OEM only strategy for FC switches. I don't know what they have planned for Neopath, but at some point you have to engage with customers directly if you want to own the business. Networking guys generally don't get storage - look how Intransa has struggled - not to mention Cisco's weakness in storage. Storage will never be part of Cisco's or F5's business. *Access* to storage is their business, but only if they go direct. The low-intensity warfare between storage and servers in the datacenter shows no sign of ending. A crisp definition of the lines between the two is the best hope for a networking company to horn in on the massive storage revenue stream and margins. If F5 markets it right, they could do very well. See networking guys comment above. I'm not bashing networking folks. The two markets are just different in ways that the networking mindset has difficulty discerning. The reverse is also true. Access, not persistence, is the key. Robin Anarchist - I assume that is ironic -

I don’t have an opinion about Rainfinity vs Acopia. I haven’t looked at either of them enough. Hooking up with a $3.6 B market cap and a 40% growth rate can’t hurt.

Max, I am unimpressed by Cisco’s OEM only strategy for FC switches. I don’t know what they have planned for Neopath, but at some point you have to engage with customers directly if you want to own the business. Networking guys generally don’t get storage - look how Intransa has struggled - not to mention Cisco’s weakness in storage.

Storage will never be part of Cisco’s or F5’s business. *Access* to storage is their business, but only if they go direct.

The low-intensity warfare between storage and servers in the datacenter shows no sign of ending. A crisp definition of the lines between the two is the best hope for a networking company to horn in on the massive storage revenue stream and margins.

If F5 markets it right, they could do very well. See networking guys comment above.

I’m not bashing networking folks. The two markets are just different in ways that the networking mindset has difficulty discerning. The reverse is also true. Access, not persistence, is the key.

Robin

]]> By: Max http://storagemojo.com/2007/08/06/f5-acquires-acopia/#comment-104324 Max Tue, 07 Aug 2007 05:08:46 +0000 http://storagemojo.com/2007/08/06/f5-acquires-acopia/#comment-104324 With Cisco gobbling up Neopath, this is a smart move for F5. These file virtualization appliances are essentially IP storage load balancers /traffic managers, and F5 always made a very good load balancer. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes F5 to integrate it with it's main appliances. With Cisco gobbling up Neopath, this is a smart move for F5. These file virtualization appliances are essentially IP storage load balancers /traffic managers, and F5 always made a very good load balancer.

It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes F5 to integrate it with it’s main appliances.

]]> By: the storage anarchist http://storagemojo.com/2007/08/06/f5-acquires-acopia/#comment-104290 the storage anarchist Tue, 07 Aug 2007 02:22:44 +0000 http://storagemojo.com/2007/08/06/f5-acquires-acopia/#comment-104290 Of course, the real question is: Does F5 make Acopia a stronger competitor to EMC's RainFinity, or not? F5 who? Of course, the real question is: Does F5 make Acopia a stronger competitor to EMC’s RainFinity, or not?

F5 who?

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