iTernity iCAS FS

With iCAS FS, iTernity, based in Freiburg im Breisgau, offers a very good software-defined storage solution for secure, reliable, fast and scalable file, object and archive storage. iCAS FS does not only provide a straightforward file service over SMB and NFS; it gives you S3 object storage at the same time, and the ability to archive your business-critical data in a legally sound way.

What is iCAS FS?

iCAS FS is a software-defined storage solution built on a scale-out design. It runs on the proven HPE server hardware platform. One of the real strengths of the solution is the managed service that comes with it. iCAS FS is offered as a managed file server, so you look after neither the installation nor the operation nor the software updates. A capable team does all of that for you, 24x7.

The base of iCAS FS is a hardened Linux-based operating system with only the necessary services installed and running, which keeps the attack surface to a minimum. Thanks to the managed service you need no Linux knowledge: iTernity’s support team installs every update, agreed with you, and makes the necessary configuration changes. The clear web interface gives you a view of the state and the utilisation of your iCAS FS platform at any time.

Architecture

The scale-out architecture makes it possible to run the iCAS FS cluster across two or three sites with synchronous replication, which gives you redundant data across sites. Where the distances are too great for synchronous replication, asynchronous replication is possible.

A central part of the application is its API. Through that interface, developers integrate iCAS FS into their own applications and processes.

File server

The file services, reachable over SMB and NFS, give your users reliable and fast storage for any data, provided as group drives or user homes. Thanks to the integration of more than 140 ISVs (independent software vendors), applications connect directly to the file server. Other use cases, such as storing images from PACS systems, video cameras or data from production plants, are popular among iTernity’s customers too.

The file services support these protocols (as of April 2023):

• NFS v3, v4.0, v4.1, v4.2
• SMB v1, v2, v3

With Active Directory and LDAP integration, access control works with the tools you already use.

Data security is covered by encryption at rest and encryption in transit.

Another notable feature is the search. It lets you search enormous amounts of data very quickly, which makes working with stored data efficient.

Legally sound archiving

The iCAS FS platform archives data and documents of any kind in an audit-proof way, whatever their source or file format. That matters particularly for companies that have to meet legal retention requirements, in healthcare, the financial industry or the public sector. The archiving function makes a modern WORM store possible.

A popular use case is archiving email. With iCAS FS integrated into your email platform, mail is archived automatically. Thanks to the search mentioned above, you then run queries across the archived mail quickly. Archiving patient records is one of the primary archiving use cases in healthcare: hospitals and clinics archive their records automatically while keeping efficient access for the people entitled to it.

Through the SAP integration, companies archive data from SAP modules such as finance, HR or sales.

With more than 140 ISVs integrated, iCAS FS fits into your existing IT infrastructure and archives data from your various applications and systems.

If you are looking for a solution that only provides legally sound archiving (KPMG compliant), iCAS Middleware is the right product. It can also run as a virtual server on your own virtualisation platform. More on that in a coming post, or talk to us directly.

Object storage

Beyond the use case of object storage as immutable backup storage, the same iCAS FS platform covers many other object storage use cases.

Integrated into Veeam as an object-storage-based backup repository, iCAS FS lets you store your backup data securely and with immutability at the same time. Immutability makes sure the backed-up data cannot be changed, which protects it from tampering and from ransomware.

Spread the iCAS FS object storage across two sites and you have redundant, secure and immutable backup storage.

Integration with Veeam

In Veeam Backup & Replication version 11, object storage cannot be used as flexibly as in version 12.

To write backup data to S3 object storage, it has to be written to disk storage first. Combining the disk storage and the object storage into a scale-out backup repository (SOBR) is what enables the capacity tier.

Through the capacity tier, the data can either be moved from disk storage or copied. Ideally a backup job combines both. Copy moves the data to object storage immediately after it is written. Backup data that reaches a defined age is then deleted from disk storage by the move function and lives only on the redundant iCAS FS object storage.

iCAS FS designs

The diagram below shows one way to implement Veeam Backup & Replication with iCAS FS object storage in an active-active data centre architecture. iCAS FS copies the data across both sites, so Veeam needs no further configuration.

The next layout shows one way to implement Veeam Backup & Replication with iCAS FS object storage in an architecture with one active data centre and one backup site. Here too, only one backup copy in Veeam is needed; iCAS FS copies the data to the backup site.

In both architectures the first backups go to local disk storage, which usually holds the backup data of the first 7 to 30 days. Restores from there are very fast.

In the second phase, a backup copy job copies the backup data to the object store. iCAS FS then makes sure the data is held in both data centres, protected from unwanted changes by immutability. Object lock means the data cannot be changed or deleted before the retention time expires, not even by the backup administrator.

Next steps

Do you have questions, or would you like to see iCAS FS live? We are happy to show what it does and to talk through your use cases with you.