Dell EMC Isilon

Dell EMC Isilon
ChrisDag · CC BY 2.0 · source
Name	Isilon
Developer	Dell EMC
Family	Scale-out NAS
Release	2001
Type	Network-attached storage
Os	OneFS

Dell EMC Isilon is a scale-out network-attached storage platform designed for high-throughput, large-capacity workloads in media, life sciences, research, and enterprise analytics. It integrates clustered hardware with a distributed file system to provide a single namespace across petabyte-scale deployments, supporting demanding applications in industries such as broadcasting, genomics, oil and gas, and finance.

Overview

Isilon appliances deliver scale-out storage through clustered nodes that present a unified file system and namespace to clients, enabling simplified management for large datasets used by organizations like Netflix, BBC, NASA, Genentech, and Pfizer. It competes with systems from NetApp, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM, Pure Storage, and Hitachi Vantara while integrating into ecosystems involving VMware, Microsoft, Red Hat, SUSE, and NVIDIA. Deployments commonly appear in environments tied to Adobe, Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures, Sky UK, and National Institutes of Health research projects.

Architecture and Technology

Isilon uses a distributed clustered architecture with a single-file system layer, providing a global namespace across nodes much like concepts employed by Google File System, Hadoop Distributed File System, and Ceph. The cluster comprises nodes that run the OneFS operating system atop commodity x86 hardware, leveraging protocols such as SMB, NFS, FTP, and HTTP for client access. Metadata and data are distributed across nodes to avoid single points of failure, echoing approaches in systems used by Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure storage services. Integration points include authentication and identity services such as Active Directory, LDAP, and Kerberos.

Hardware Platforms and Models

Isilon platforms have spanned enterprises with models like the X-series, F-series, H-series, NL-series, and All-Flash variants analogous to product lines from Dell EMC PowerEdge servers and networking gear from Cisco Systems, Arista Networks, and Juniper Networks. Customers often pair Isilon with compute clusters from Dell EMC PowerEdge, Hewlett Packard Enterprise ProLiant, or Lenovo ThinkSystem for analytics with frameworks like Hadoop, Apache Spark, and TensorFlow. Storage media choices include HDD, SSD, and hybrid configurations similar to options found in arrays by Western Digital, Seagate Technology, and Samsung Electronics.

Software and Management (OneFS)

OneFS, the distributed operating system, provides features such as distributed metadata, data protection policies, snapshots, quotas, and SmartPools tiering. Management workflows align with orchestration tools from Ansible, Puppet, and Chef and monitoring via Nagios, Zabbix, Splunk, and Prometheus. OneFS versions track firmware and feature updates paralleling enterprise software lifecycles like those of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Microsoft Windows Server, with APIs and SDKs that enable automation in environments integrating Kubernetes, OpenShift, Docker, and VMware vSphere.

Performance, Scalability, and Use Cases

Isilon scales linearly by adding nodes, enabling multi-petabyte clusters for customers in media production workflows at Lucasfilm, Warner Bros., and Universal Pictures, and scientific computing at CERN, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Analytics use cases include financial modeling at firms like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley and life sciences pipelines at Illumina, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Roche. Performance characteristics are optimized for throughput-intensive workloads and large-file streaming, comparable to high-performance parallel filesystems such as Lustre and IBM Spectrum Scale (GPFS).

History and Corporate Integration

Originally developed by Isilon Systems, the platform gained prominence after deployments in media and research; Isilon Systems was acquired by EMC Corporation in the mid-2000s and later became part of Dell Technologies following the Dell acquisition of EMC. Corporate integration tied Isilon to other Dell EMC offerings like Data Domain, PowerVault, Unity, and Elastic Cloud Storage while integrating sales and support channels with partners such as CDW, Insight Enterprises, Softcat, and SHI International.

Security, Reliability, and Data Protection

Isilon includes role-based access controls, integration with Active Directory, LDAP, and Kerberos, and supports encryption at-rest and in-flight consistent with standards embraced by organizations like ISO, NIST, and PCI DSS-compliant enterprises. Data protection features such as snapshots, replication, erasure coding, and SmartPools tiering support business continuity and disaster recovery strategies used by institutions like Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup. Reliability and high availability are maintained through distributed metadata, automatic failover, and support services coordinated with partners such as Deloitte, Accenture, and Capgemini.

Category:Network-attached storage Category:Dell Technologies