Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) combined storage, computing and networking resources into a single system using pre-configured boxes or nodes. With disaggregated hyperconverged infrastructure (dHCI), storage and computing resources are still combined into a single system, but they are scaled independently.
This has the effect of enabling resources to be allocated independently so that no resources are stranded or wasted. In other words, dHCI allows us to scale computing and storage within a HCI environment. This makes it more flexible and unlocks agility. It allows HCI to go further and this lifts barriers to scale and performance.
HCI is limited by its architecture
The big problem with HCI is it is limited by its architecture. These limitations include scalability, power requirements, cloud compatibility and availability, but scalability is the big limitation that creates all the other limitations.
With HCI, you have to scale in a linear fashion with nodes running a hypervisor. This is restrictive and expensive. This prevents HCI from supporting the most demanding apps and mixed workloads, which is where dHCI or ‘HCI 2.0’ comes in.
dHCI is an agile solution for powering all your apps
Disaggregated HCI is a category of hyperconvergence officially listed by the IDC. It delivers the same HCI experience in terms of ordering, deployment, management and support, but is infinitely more scalable and simpler for larger workflows.
If you are concerned about HCI performance, availability and/or efficiency in larger configurations, dHCI provides the solution you are looking for, allowing you to finely tune the ratio of compute to storage resources.
How HPE is delivering HCI 2.0
The most interesting solution today comes from HPE, who have combined HPE ProLiant servers with HPE Nimble Storage arrays into a single integrated system. This system can be scaled and tuned with modular building blocks.
The use of HPE Nimble Storage arrays instead of traditional HCI allows compute and storage to be scaled independently. The benefit to this is you can scale and make efficient use of resources. You can balance resources and enable predictable performance. You can also change the mix of resources over time to suit your needs.
In short, disaggregated hyperconverged infrastructure is a scalable version of HCI, enabled through an integrated system of storage arrays and servers, such as HPE ProLiant servers and HPE Nimble Storage. These have been integrated into a single system with software that automates deployment, configuration and integration with VMware vCenter for unified management.
