VAST Data Rises to Third in U.S. HPC Clustered File Systems, UCAR Survey Reveals
VAST Data has secured a significant foothold in the high-performance computing (HPC) landscape, ranking as the third most utilized clustered file system among academic and government institutions in the United States, as per a recent survey conducted by UCAR. UCAR, representing the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research based in Boulder, Colorado, administers the National Center for Atmospheric Research on behalf of the National Science Foundation.
The survey, which garnered responses from 54 HPC system professionals within its community, sought insights into the prevailing HPC environments. Notably, Lustre emerged as the most favored clustered file system (54.2 percent), trailed by Spectrum Scale (formerly known as GPFS) at 41.7 percent.
Following closely behind, VAST Data garnered a notable 33.3 percent, securing its position as a formidable contender. BeeGFS ranked fourth with 10.4 percent, while Panasas and Ceph each accounted for 8.3 percent of the responses.
Weka.io Questions UCAR Survey Methodology Amid Discrepancies in HPC File System Rankings
Among the surveyed US HPC sites, only 2.1 percent reported utilizing Weka.io's file system, a figure mirrored by Qumulo, ZFS, and NetApp. While this snapshot offers insights into VAST Data's standing in the HPC market, it's worth noting that the survey is not comprehensive and may not fully reflect the broader landscape.
Weka.io raised concerns about the survey's methodology, highlighting its small sample size and potential bias. Colin Gallagher, VP of product marketing at Weka, emphasized the limitations of such surveys for drawing quantitative conclusions due to inherent biases and inaccuracies. Additionally, Gallagher noted that the survey's design conflates technologies, such as categorizing VAST Data as a clustered file system, which may skew results.
A comparison with a survey by Hyperion Research revealed discrepancies in file system usage, with Lustre leading in parallel file systems, followed by Spectrum Scale, BeeGFS, and Ceph, indicating variations in findings across different surveys.
In the competitive realm of NAS and scale-out file systems, VAST Data has emerged as a notable contender, securing a 5.3 percent share of the market. With 132 respondents affirming its usage in their largest systems, VAST Data's presence underscores its growing recognition and adoption within the industry.
However, Qumulo surpassed VAST Data, clinching a higher ranking with an 8.3 percent share. Despite this, VAST Data remains competitive, with its percentage matching that of PowerScale (Isilon OneFS).
This dynamic landscape reflects the diverse array of solutions available to organizations seeking robust storage solutions, with VAST Data positioning itself as a significant player in the NAS and scale-out file system arena.
Notably, Weka.io was not represented as an individual supplier in Hyperion's chart, indicating variations in supplier presence across different surveys.
While the UCAR survey may have yielded different results compared to the Hyperion survey due to factors such as a smaller respondent pool, a focus on atmospheric HPC environments, and variations in survey questions, it's evident that VAST Data is gaining prominence in the HPC market.
If UCAR's findings hold true, VAST Data has already established a significant presence in the sector.
