2019 v 2024

Hi Philip Kearney,
The 2019 version of Avere vFXT for Azure introduced full general availability with cloud-centric optimizations, while the 2014 version (before acquisition by Microsoft) was focused on multi-cloud and on-premises high-performance NAS caching. Key updates in 2019 included direct integration with Azure Blob, licensing changes, and improved scalability options for Azure virtual machines.
Main Differences

Azure Integration: In 2014, Avere vFXT supported AWS and Google Cloud primarily; the release for Azure was later, enabling Azure Blob and deeper integration with Azure compute resources in 2019.

Scalability: 2019 supported running as clusters of VMs with very high throughput for large HPC compute clusters (1,000 to 40,000 cores), with features suited for bursts, hybrid, and permanent cloud workflows.

Licensing: By 2019, there was no added charge for Avere software licensing on Azure—usage costs were tied only to Azure's infrastructure resources, making it simpler to set up at scale.

• Hybrid Capabilities: Both versions provided caching for read-heavy workloads, supported NAS, and allowed hybrid configurations, but 2019 had broader support for on-prem storage brands (NetApp, Dell EMC Isilon) and direct cloud object storage access.
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              Regards,

              Vishvani

so, avere vfxt for azure... you're asking about the difference between the 2019 and the 2024 version? well, here's the thing. avere vfxt was actually retired and officially taken off the market back in 2021. microsoft stopped selling it and stopped providing support for new deployments. so there isn't a 2024 version, my friend.

the 2019 version was the last one they offered. it was a hardware solution, a physical appliance you'd use to cache data in azure for high performance computing tasks. but since its retirement, you can't really buy it or set up a new one anymore.

if you're looking for something similar to handle a large hybrid filesystem, you should check out azure hpc cache. that's microsoft's newer service that kinda replaced avere vfxt. it's a software based solution that does a lot of the same cool stuff, like aggregating data sources and giving you a fast namespace for your files.

this might help in other scenarios too, always good to know the modern alternative.

here's the official doc on azure hpc cache if you want to dive deeper. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/hpc-cache/

hope that clears things up. sorry the avere vfxt isn't around anymore, but the new option might be even better for you. let me know if you have more questions.

Best regards,

Alex

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