EMC accelerates data center support for containers with RackHD Machine Driver

Latest Container-Focused Open Source Project from EMC {code} Further Enables Software-Defined Data Centers on Bare Metal

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• RackHD Machine Driver is a new integration for provisioning and managing Docker hosts through RackHD

• Hardware -agnostic solution for openly deploying Docker Engine and Swarm directly on bare metal servers

• Latest innovation in a series of open source solutions for containers led by EMC {code}

DOCKERCON 2016, SEATTLE, WA, JUNE 20, 2016 - EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) today announced RackHD™ Machine Driver, a hardware–agnostic solution for open deployment of Docker solutions directly on bare metal. The RackHD Machine Driver is an integration with Docker Machine to manage the lifecycle of physical servers for the Docker Engine and future Docker solutions. This new project enables users to easily embrace Docker containers on bare-metal servers and simplify the deployment of software infrastructure by combining the power of a turnkey-supported container platform with RackHD hardware management and orchestration. It is the latest project in a series of container-focused solutions from the EMC® {code}™ team supporting developer and open source communities.

RackHD Machine Driver increases efficiency by using the RackHD hardware management and orchestration capabilities to drive automation for compatible hardware through the RackHD open APIs. This new solution differs from other available drivers that are focused on automating virtual machines and proprietary systems. It allows operators and developers to easily take advantage of the efficiencies that containers provide for infrastructure and applications. Other open source solutions announced by EMC {code} this year include REX-Ray™, Polly™, libStorage™, and UniK™.

The demand for containers and application platforms is increasing for enterprise environments. As a result, there are higher expectations for operating infrastructure guided by DevOps and software methodologies. RackHD Machine Driver allows enterprise teams to readily take advantage of the freedom and flexibility of open source infrastructure and containers. Through tight integration, the innovative approaches of RackHD Machine Driver are a perfect match for Docker in private clouds and physical data centers. Together, they make container platforms a reality for physical data centers and help deliver the next iteration of the Software-Defined Data Center.

RACKHD MACHINE DRIVER KEY FEATURES:

• Enables lifecycle management of a physical server for Docker solutions

• Completely agnostic of server vendors, enabling a common orchestration capability across the data center

• Enables extra integrations and operating systems through customizable workflows

• Leverages Docker containers for simplified operational experience

• Can also be used to provision other application platforms

• Enables private cloud bare-metal deployment to simplify the container platform experience through integration with Rancher 1.0

AVAILABILITY

RackHD Machine Driver is currently available on GitHub.

EMC EXECUTIVE QUOTE

Josh Bernstein, Vice President, Technology, EMC {code}, EMC Corporation

“Containers are here to stay. Our goal is to help provide cohesive solutions that make containers and storage easily consumable together in order to further broaden adoption and allow the enterprise user to harness the flexibility and choice benefits of the container ecosystem.”

EMC CUSTOMER QUOTE

Frans Van Rooyen Infrastructure Architect, Adobe

"The RackHD bare metal provisioning and orchestration engine will enable us to deliver significant time savings in deploying infrastructure by enabling a higher level of automation, work flow and firmware management in our deployment processes.”

EMC PARTNER QUOTES

Nick Stinemates, Vice President, Business Development & Technical Alliances at Docker, Inc

"As Docker production deployments by enterprise users continue to grow in number and scale, adding critical capabilities such as persistent storage to the mix is more important than ever. The work of the EMC {code} team helps make meshing storage with container orchestration simpler and more seamless.”

Sheng Liang, Co-Founder and CEO, Rancher Labs

"Rancher 1.0 uses the RackHD Machine Driver explicitly to enable private cloud bare-metal deployment. The combination of Rancher and RackHD offers a rich user experience that enables DevOps Admins to operate Docker in production at a large scale—just what the container community needs."