Cloud Expo: ParaScale unveils its Linux-based cloud software

Now leaving beta and entering general availability, the newly announced ParaScale Cloud Software is designed for clustering together low-cost commodity PC servers to act as a highly scalable file repository for private clouds.

In an interview with Betanews at this week's Cloud Computing Expo in New York City, Michael Maxey, director of product management for ParaScale, described PCS as similar in functionality to EMC's Atmos, but with a couple of differences.

Unlike EMC, ParaScale isn't bundling its clustering software with hardware, resulting in less expense and more flexibility, Maxey maintained. Moreover, PCS is geared not just to huge implementations with massive storage capacity and parallel throughput, but also to small deployments. "Customers can then scale upward as needed," Betanews was told.

The Gartner analysts group has chosen ParaScale as one of its "Cool Vendors" for 2009.

One early customer, Stanford Genome Center, has already used PCS to manage large volumes of data intensive genomic information more efficiently and affordably, according to Dr. Baback Gharizadeh, research associate at the Center.

Sony Pictures ImageWorks has been testing PCC for handling workloads heavy on multimedia content.

Meanwhile, Carpathia Hosting, a provider of managed hosting services, is using PCS in its "Instant On" managed storage services to deliver "cloud bursting" -- or extra capacity on an on-demand basis -- to business and government users.

ParaScale is also partnering with Vembu Technology -- producer of the StoreGrid online backup engine -- and South River Technologies on end-to-end storage solutions.

EMC has been on hand at this week's Cloud Expo, too, demoing its Atmos product.

PCS version 1.2 is available for immediate download. ParaScale also plans to sell the Linux software through value-added resellers, Maxey said.