TrueNAS and FreeNAS V.11.3 Open Source Storage OS From iXsystems

iXsystems, Inc. has released FreeNAS and has also begun taking orders for TrueNAS X-Series and M-Series systems with TrueNAS 11.3.

TrueNAS 11.3 HA dashboard
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V.11.3 represents another advancement in the quality and functionality of the open storage platform. Building upon the API and Web UI improvements of the previous release, v.11.3 introduces wizards, major replication improvements, and over 500 other enhancements.

FreeNAS provides the open source foundation of TrueNAS which is sold and supported via enterprise-grade appliances. TrueNAS 11.3 also inherits an FreeNAS features from previous releases, including the modernized web UI as well as the ability to use and manage jails, plug-ins, and VMs. All of these features have now been integrated with TrueNAS HA and hardware management features. It is available on the X-Series and M-Series platforms which scale from 10TB to over 10PB with hybrid or all-flash media.

Pool Manager
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Features of FreeNAS and TrueNAS 11.3 include following improvements:

ZFS replication: >8X performance, Parallel tasks, Auto-resume
Simplified setup with wizards: iSCSI, SMB, pools, networking, replication
SMB improvements: User quotas via AD, shadow copies, ACL manager
Plug-ins: UI redesign, categories, NAT reduces IP addresses
Dashboard and reporting: Faster response, more relevant data
Configuration management: API enables config save and audits
WireGuard VPNs: Secure networking to remote systems
TrueNAS: Graphical enclosure and HA management

Truenas Enclosure Management provides visual confirmation of drive and pool status
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TrueNAS 11.3 has been validated with both performance SSDs and (Read Intensive) RI-SSDs based on lower cost QLC technology. The ZFS technology of TrueNAS aggregates small random writes into larger sequential writes resulting in higher IO/s and flash endurance. It can be configured with many different storage media pools, including both hybrid and al-flash options, even in the same system. This flexibility allows TrueNAS to be configured for the capacity and performance needed and with a much lower TCO.

Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) validated the performance and cost benefits of TrueNAS with extensive testing.

It concluded: “The combination of ZFS, Open Source, and a lean sales force provides efficiencies that enable iXsystems to offer high performance, feature-rich solutions at high value price points. We calculated a significant delta. Based on our testing and analysis, we found that iXsystems can typically offer up to double the performance at half the cost of their major competitors.“

Replication Wizard
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An investment in quality assurance and automated testing over the past 18 months has ensured improvements in software quality and ease of use relative to previous releases. FreeNAS is benefiting from the large investment in software QA for TrueNAS products. With thousands of systems already running FreeNAS 11.3 pre-release, this quality improvement is evident.

“TrueNAS 11.2 was our highest quality release to date and has enabled our clients to achieve the five 9’s of availability they expect. The 11.3 release accelerates and improves ZFS replication so that clients can handle disasters and site outages more easily.” said Morgan Littlewood, VP product management, iXsystems.

TrueCommand is the single pane of glass management system that lets users manage multiple FreeNAS and TrueNAS systems. With V.11.3, it can provide configuration save/restore functionality as well as auditing of configuration changes. TrueCommand reduces TCO through improved resource utilization and the embrace of open source economics. Users can deploy and manage FreeNAS systems for minimum cost and TrueNAS systems where support and HA are needed.

“Our goal is to make the TrueNAS family of products as manageable as it is secure. Powered with the OpenZFS file system, data has always been as persistent as a user requires. With TrueNAS 11.3 and TrueCommand, users can better manage how that data is stored onsite, cross site, or in the cloud. Many thanks to more than a thousand users that participated in the Beta testing.” said Kris Moore, VP engineering, iXsystems

Resource:
TrueCommand DS and documentation

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