Seagate Releasing Kinetic Open Storage API

Seagate Technology LLC is expanding the open source program associated with its Kinetic Open Storage platform to include API (application programming interface) and libraries.

By expanding the platform’s open source initiatives, the company is taking the next step in enabling software and hardware partners to leverage the new key/ value programing interface and integrate it into cloud software stacks, additional devices and new systems.

“Seagate is committed to the Kinetic platform and we see enormous potential in opening it up to developers around the world to provide them with the ability to deliver breakthrough cloud storage architectures,” said Mark Re, Seagate’s CTO. “We believe in driving open source innovation and empowering a vibrant ecosystem of system builders and software developers with the tools they need to deploy cutting-edge storage solutions and drive this truly revolutionary platform.“

Following up on contributions to interface specifications contributed to Open Compute Project earlier this year, Seagate is opening the platform’s API, libraries and simulator technologies and enabling the OpenStack community to design, test, and deliver applications and system designs built upon Kinetic technology. The result is a simple, cost-effective path to object-based solution development at a reduced time to market.

“Through community-powered innovation, OpenStack is redefining the cloud and open source is redefining software-defined storage,” said Ben Cherian, VP, strategic development, Inktank DStorage, Inc., acquired by Red Hat April 2014. “Inktank is proud to collaborate with Seagate as part of our open software-defined storage ecosystem, and we’re pleased that Seagate shares our belief that ‘open’ is key to driving continued technology innovation.”

“SwiftStack provides an Object Storage software system that simplifies the deployment, integration and management of OpenStack’s object storage project. We see head-on rapid growth and adoption of open source technologies by enterprises,” said Joe Arnold, CEO, SwiftStack, Inc. “Seagate’s Kinetic Open Storage platform is on the forefront of innovation. In particular their development tools for this platform enable next-gen architectures to deploy true software-defined object storage. By introducing these new tools, Seagate has proven its commitment to support open source.”

“We are excited about Seagate’s Kinetic Open Storage platform and the potential it has to drive open storage technology,” said Dirk Petersen, scientific computing manager, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. “It’s great that Seagate shares the same passion for open standards that we do for finding a cure and with this new platform, we will now have the resources we need to tap into today’s cutting-edge technologies and identify cures for some of the world’s deadly cancers.”

The release of the API and associated libraries will expose source code for various software development languages enabling storage software to talk directly to a Kinetic drive. The Kinetic Open Storage API encourages both software and hardware suppliers to get involved and integrate Kinetic commands into their solutions. The libraries being released today include support for the C++, Java, and Python languages. The open source libraries also encourages developers to leverage the protocol directly and write their own libraries if desired.

Announced in 2013, the Kinetic Open Storage platform is a device-based open source platform that leverages a traditional HDD drive assembly while adding the essential elements of both a key/value API and Ethernet connectivity to enable greater performance, scale, simplicity, and a lower TCO for scale-out storage architecturs.

Seagate and partner SwiftStack discussed the value of the Kinetic Open Storage platform at The OpenStack Summit in Atlanta, GA in a talk entitled Case Study: Seagate Kinetic Platform in Action.