AWS launches fresh challenges to on-prem hardware vendors
(2022/06/02)
- Reference: 1654144205
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/06/02/aws_launches_two_new_challenges/
- Source link:
Amazon Web Services has launched two significant challenges to on-prem hardware.
One is the addition of Dedicated Hosts to its on-prem cloud-in-a-box Outposts product.
Outposts see AWS drop a rack full of kit, or individual servers, onto customers' premises. AWS manages that hardware, which is designed to run its own cloud services such as the Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) on-prem.
[1]
AWS slices and dices its physical hardware into many different virtual server configurations, either in its cloud or on Outposts. But EC2 also allows customers to rent Dedicated Hosts that AWS [2]describes as "a physical server fully dedicated for your use."
[3]
[4]
As of June 1, Dedicated Hosts can run on Outposts – meaning AWS effectively offers standalone on-prem servers. They're not quite bare metal, because Dedicated Hosts ship with a hypervisor. But they're otherwise just servers that customers can configure as they choose, rather than being confined to the possibilities offered by EC2 instance types.
AWS suggests Dedicated Hosts to make software licenses more portable. Many software vendors charge by the server, socket, or core for on-prem products, but offer different terms when their wares run in a public cloud. Because Dedicated Hosts aren't abstracted into EC2 instances, applying those licenses is possible.
[5]
AWS still manages the Outposts hardware employed as Dedicated Hosts, meaning this isn't quite AWS just renting an on-prem server – but it's very, very, close.
[6]Despite 'key' partnership with AWS, Meta taps up Microsoft Azure for AI work
[7]AWS puts latest homebrew Graviton3 Arm processor in production
[8]Those NitroTPMs Amazon teased now really are coming to AWS EC2
Another move that brings AWS closer to pre-cloud computing is its [9]decision to offer its on-prem Storage Gateway Hardware Appliance for sale through real-world resellers.
The Gateway devices serve as local storage and sync to the Amazonian cloud. They can present as a single logical storage resource, spanning the on-prem box and AWS storage services.
Distribution giant TD Synnex has picked up the product, meaning its tens of thousands of resellers can offer the AWS box.
Selling the Gateways through the channel means AWS has the muscle to challenge on-prem storage vendors like never before. And bringing Dedicated Hosts into Outposts means AWS has an offering that challenges server vendors in their own backyards. ®
Get our [10]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YpiKSfXPfCB4DR3bwqBu4QAAANA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/dedicated-hosts/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YpiKSfXPfCB4DR3bwqBu4QAAANA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YpiKSfXPfCB4DR3bwqBu4QAAANA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YpiKSfXPfCB4DR3bwqBu4QAAANA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/25/meta_azure_ai/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/24/aws_puts_graviton3_arm_cpus/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/13/aws_tpm_smartnic/
[9] https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2022/06/aws-storage-gateway-hardware-appliance-purchase-resellers/
[10] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
One is the addition of Dedicated Hosts to its on-prem cloud-in-a-box Outposts product.
Outposts see AWS drop a rack full of kit, or individual servers, onto customers' premises. AWS manages that hardware, which is designed to run its own cloud services such as the Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) on-prem.
[1]
AWS slices and dices its physical hardware into many different virtual server configurations, either in its cloud or on Outposts. But EC2 also allows customers to rent Dedicated Hosts that AWS [2]describes as "a physical server fully dedicated for your use."
[3]
[4]
As of June 1, Dedicated Hosts can run on Outposts – meaning AWS effectively offers standalone on-prem servers. They're not quite bare metal, because Dedicated Hosts ship with a hypervisor. But they're otherwise just servers that customers can configure as they choose, rather than being confined to the possibilities offered by EC2 instance types.
AWS suggests Dedicated Hosts to make software licenses more portable. Many software vendors charge by the server, socket, or core for on-prem products, but offer different terms when their wares run in a public cloud. Because Dedicated Hosts aren't abstracted into EC2 instances, applying those licenses is possible.
[5]
AWS still manages the Outposts hardware employed as Dedicated Hosts, meaning this isn't quite AWS just renting an on-prem server – but it's very, very, close.
[6]Despite 'key' partnership with AWS, Meta taps up Microsoft Azure for AI work
[7]AWS puts latest homebrew Graviton3 Arm processor in production
[8]Those NitroTPMs Amazon teased now really are coming to AWS EC2
Another move that brings AWS closer to pre-cloud computing is its [9]decision to offer its on-prem Storage Gateway Hardware Appliance for sale through real-world resellers.
The Gateway devices serve as local storage and sync to the Amazonian cloud. They can present as a single logical storage resource, spanning the on-prem box and AWS storage services.
Distribution giant TD Synnex has picked up the product, meaning its tens of thousands of resellers can offer the AWS box.
Selling the Gateways through the channel means AWS has the muscle to challenge on-prem storage vendors like never before. And bringing Dedicated Hosts into Outposts means AWS has an offering that challenges server vendors in their own backyards. ®
Get our [10]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YpiKSfXPfCB4DR3bwqBu4QAAANA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/dedicated-hosts/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YpiKSfXPfCB4DR3bwqBu4QAAANA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YpiKSfXPfCB4DR3bwqBu4QAAANA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YpiKSfXPfCB4DR3bwqBu4QAAANA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/25/meta_azure_ai/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/24/aws_puts_graviton3_arm_cpus/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/13/aws_tpm_smartnic/
[9] https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2022/06/aws-storage-gateway-hardware-appliance-purchase-resellers/
[10] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
I know Cloud is salespoint
What I don't get is why established companies are so intent on putting their servers in the hands of a single-point-failure scenario (not talking about startups or one-man shops here).
Yes, your server can fail in your own server room, but when that happens, you have sysadmins and assorted underlings who are on the ball immediately and get to work fixing the problem. Status reports are a question of going to the server room and asking how's it going.
When you put your server in the hands of cloud giants, you are at the mercy of their availability in case something goes wrong and if they don't publish any info, phone calls won't give you more. You just have to sit on your hands and wait it out.
I really don't get the appeal of that.