Krystal’s Katapult Leap

Summary

Krystal Hosting leveraged StorPool storage to build Katapult, a high-performance virtual Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) platform. This move allowed Krystal to overcome scalability and performance limitations of their previous storage solution. The result is a faster, more reliable, and scalable IaaS offering for Krystal’s customers.

Scalable storage that keeps up with your ambitionsTrueNAS.

** Main Story**

So, you’re thinking about building a high-performance IaaS platform? That’s fantastic! Let’s take a look at how Krystal Hosting, a pretty well-known UK provider, really leveled up their cloud offerings. They wanted something faster and more scalable, which, honestly, is what everyone wants, right? Their old storage solution was, well, reliable enough, but it just didn’t have the juice for a truly cutting-edge IaaS offering. Think of it like having a dependable old car, but what you really need is a sports car. Let’s dive into Krystal’s journey, and maybe you can steal some of their secrets.

The Initial Hurdles

Krystal’s previous IaaS setup, running on OnApp, it had integrated storage, but it just wasn’t cutting it anymore. It was facing a couple of major roadblocks:

• Scalability Nightmare: Trying to resize virtual drives or even just expanding the storage cluster? It was a manual, time-consuming headache. That lack of agility really held them back. It took ages and ages, far too long for what they needed.
• Performance Plateau: The storage performance just didn’t scale as the cluster grew. Imagine a pipe that gets narrower as more water flows through it. That limited the platform’s potential, and, ultimately, the customer’s experience too.

Solution Exploration

Krystal knew they needed to jump into the modern world of Software-Defined Storage (SDS) for their new “Katapult” platform. Makes sense, right? They looked at all kinds of SDS options and even considered the old-school Storage Area Network (SAN) alternatives. What were they really looking for? Four key things:

• Always On (High Availability): Downtime? Forget about it. Data needs to be available, always.
• Blazing Fast (Extreme Performance): Speed is king (or queen) in the cloud. Fast read/write speeds are crucial for those demanding applications.
• Bendy Like Beckham (Flexibility): Easy scalability and adaptability are crucial, because let’s face it, needs change.
• Unbreakable (Data Integrity): Robust data protection is non-negotiable. It’s all about keeping that data safe and sound.

Why StorPool? The Winning Choice

After a lot of careful thought, Krystal picked StorPool Storage. And you know, it’s not hard to see why. A few things really stood out.

• The Need for Speed (Performance): StorPool just delivered on the high-speed performance that Krystal was desperately seeking.
• Seamless Integration (API): A rock-solid API meant it could slot right into their Katapult platform, with no fuss. This was pretty important, and ensured their development team could carry on without interruption.
• Resourcefulness (Space Savings): The unique storage efficiency features meant they could really squeeze the most out of their resources.
• Bulletproof (Data Protection): Triple data replication? That’s serious data integrity and resilience right there.

Building Katapult: A High-Performance Beast

With StorPool as the solid base, Krystal was able to create Katapult, a truly high-performance virtual IaaS platform. They didn’t skimp on the other components either:

• AMD EPYC 2 processors: Power, pure and simple. These are the engines driving the whole thing.
• KVM hypervisor: Enabling efficient virtualization, and keeping everything humming smoothly. Not too dissimilar to VMWare’s ESXi.
• 50Gbps Network: You need a fast network to move all that data around. No bottlenecks allowed!

The Sweet Rewards

Katapult, all revved up by StorPool, has completely transformed what Krystal can do with IaaS. But what really makes it worth it? Krystal highlights two big wins:

• Rock Solid (Reliability and Availability): StorPool delivered exactly what they promised: 100% reliability and availability. You really can’t put a price on that when you’re talking about client data.
• Growing Pains? What Growing Pains? (Scalability and Flexibility): The platform can easily scale to meet whatever demands come its way. Which gives them plenty of flexibility for the future and that’s very important.

Your IaaS Journey: Key Lessons from Krystal

So, what can you learn from Krystal’s story? A few things stand out if you’re thinking of building your own IaaS platform:

1. Storage First: Your storage solution is your IaaS offering. Don’t skimp. Invest in something that’s fast, scalable, and protects your data.
2. SDS is the Way: Software-defined storage is more flexible and cost-effective than those old SAN solutions.
3. Pick Wisely: Find a storage vendor who’s got a proven track record, great tech, and top-notch support. It’s like finding a good mechanic – it makes all the difference.
4. Think Ahead: Build your platform to scale. You never know what the future holds, right?
5. Keep it Smooth: A user-friendly experience is key. If it’s not easy to use, people won’t adopt it.

Ultimately, by paying attention to these points and taking inspiration from Krystal’s journey, you can build an IaaS platform that ticks all the boxes. It’ll meet your users’ needs and set you up nicely for growth in the future. So, what are you waiting for?