This article is more than 1 year old

Gulp. HPE's InfoSight self-repairs and makes 'proactive decisions'

Machine-learning engine stapled to 3PAR arrays

HPE is updating its acquired Nimble Storage InfoSight array management system with a machine learning-driven recommendation engine, and adding InfoSight to 3PAR arrays.

InfoSight collects data points from sensors (hardware and software) in all installed Nimble arrays and pumps them up to Nimble in the cloud for analysis, aggregation and, if anomalies are detected, action. Nimble says machine learning techniques are used in the analysis.

InfoSight for Nimble has been running for almost 10 years and has accumulated billions of data points from more than 10,000 deployed arrays. HPE claims 86 per cent of issues are detected and fixed automatically before customers are aware of them, and troubleshooting time is reduced by 85 per cent. It enables the arrays to have a greater than six "nines" (99.9999 per cent) availability, which is guaranteed.

The new AI Recommendation Engine (AIRE) is supposed to improve both infrastructure management and application reliability. InfoSight now, HPE says, pre-emptively advises IT how to avoid issues, improve performance, and optimise available resources.

There are no actual numbers to show how the new AIRE InfoSight will improve things; bettering the six "nines" for example, by making it seven.

Lest we think it just airy-fairy stuff, HPE has corralled a quote from Justin Giardina, CTO for iland Secure Cloud, who said: "The new recommendation engine is phenomenal as it's making proactive decisions, showing us how we can improve our environment."

That's all very well, but until we see real numbers testifying to its effectiveness we can't assume AIRE InfoSight is anything other than promising tech.

HPE is convinced it's good stuff; it's going to extend InfoSight coverage across its server and storage portfolio.

3PAR InfoSight

This is an obvious extension of InfoSight array coverage.

V1.0 InfoSight for 3PAR requires 3PAR OS version 3.3.1 GA or later and Service Processor version 5.0.3. It features:

  • Cross-stack analytics to resolve performance problems and pinpoint the root cause of issues between the storage and host virtual machines (VMs) plus visibility to locate "noisy neighbour" VMs
  • Global visibility with a new cloud portal combining Infosight and StoreFront Remote, current 3PAR customers with remotely connected systems will see detailed performance trending, capacity predictions, health checks and best practice information across all of their 3PAR arrays
  • Analytics and automation infrastructure are now in place that will be used in the future to detect anomalies, predict complex problems, and route cases directly to Level 3 support

In other words 3PAR InfoSight is starting from ground zero and will need time to build up its capabilities. Don't expect instant fixes.

HPE Nimble Storage customers will get InfoSight with the AI Recommendation Engine at no charge in January 2018, which is when InfoSight for 3PAR will be made available, again at no charge. ®

More about

More about

More about

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like