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I agree with Evan that the software must run on off the shelf hardware to have the benefits of software define storage.
I would add that, besides being pure software, the system needs to allow the users to define completely the storage they want. This, because some workloads require high capacity drives, other high performance drives, some are block and some are file.
For example at Zadara Storage, a user can create a Virtual Private Storage Array and decide if they want high performance SAS drives, SSDs or SATA. In a minute they have a SAN or a NAS with the type and number of drives they want ready to connect to their applications. The other important requirement is multi tenancy. Multiple users can define their own storage and manage their storage without interfering one to each other. This is needed in order for the storage defined by software to perform and behave like the hardware boxes.
Chris
Always good stuff. Glad you did the poll as at least as of today (2/24) it is pointing out what I thought you may have missed when mentioning EMC as a software defined storage vendor. Most folks, rightly so I think, view software defined storage as being led by companies that run software on commodity hardware and deliver truly enterprise class storage. The way you put it in the poll is "Software only storage functions layered on a "white-box" X86 server". If so, sorry, you've got to remember your old friends at Nexenta; already our resellers sell more than $350 million a year of systems based on NexentaStor via that model.
We have generated some discussion about deeper definitions of software defined storage on our blog as well. Please see http://www.nexenta.com/corp/products/what-is-openstorage/what-is-software-defined-storage
Basically:
- abstract the hardware (including sexy new flash, as well as the memory, drives, and controller hardware)
- be truly software defined (accept policies / SLAs via open APIs)
- be truly enterprise class (here I really like your point on being the fundamental keeper of state for the IT stack)
There is a great simple PPT from Pacific Crest securities that I'll try to get posted that explains the shift in terms of the overall market. The shift of storage software from locked down proprietary hardware onto servers and JBODs is at least a $10BN a year shift that IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.