FalconStor Ships New Accelerator for VMware VDI Deployments

FalconStor Software on Aug. 24 released a new storage network accelerator that runs on VMware View to improve the performance of VMware virtual desktop deployments.

The SAN Accelerator for VMware View is packaged as a NAND flash-based storage-on-controller appliance that FalconStor claims not only speeds up virtual desktop environments but also features multitier data protection. 

The appliance controls automated backup and recovery for the virtual desktop environment in the data center as well as each VDI endpoint, FalconStor said. It also features self-service file-level recovery, the company said, so that users can recover their own individual files as needed.

Storage administrators, accustomed to having to assist individuals with finding and recovering deleted or otherwise lost files, will appreciate that feature.

The accelerator also provides snapshots, thin clones, replication and file-level protection to enable a three-tier data protection service, FalconStor said.

"Virtualization in general and virtualization of desktops in particular have amplified I/O unpredictably as read/write I/O storms occur frequently without warning; the only solution to date has been to add more disk drives," said David Vellante, chief research advocate at Wikibon. 

"Wikibon ... is pleased with the innovation that FalconStor has shown with its flash-on- storage-controller implementation, which is much more efficient for VDI than SSDs. The FalconStor NSS SAN Accelerator neatly exploits the VMware I/O separation improvements to offer a solution that combines low-cost SATA with 2 to 3 percent high-performance flash as a cache that can adapt in real time. Wikibon believes this is a best-of-breed solution for high-performance workloads."

The FalconStor NSS SAN Accelerator for VMware View is available now through FalconStor's network of channel partners. The average cost for an implementation of up to 5,000 users is $35 per virtual desktop, FalconStor said.