FlexSDS Announces FlexSDS Scale-out Storage v7 with Distributed File System Released

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FlexSDS Announces FlexSDS Scale-out Storage v7, Expanding from High-Performance Block Storage to a Full Distributed File System Platform

Release Date: January 20, 2026

FlexSDS today announced the release of FlexSDS Scale-out Storage v7, the latest and most comprehensive version of its software-defined, scale-out storage platform. Building on nearly a decade of continuous development, FlexSDS v7 extends the platform beyond high-performance block storage to deliver a fully integrated Distributed File System (DFS) designed for modern AI, analytics, and cloud-native workloads.

With FlexSDS v7, organizations can now deploy a unified storage platform that combines proven block storage performance, true scale-out architecture, and a highly available distributed file system—all running on industry-standard hardware.

What’s New in FlexSDS v7

FlexSDS Scale-out Storage v7 introduces comprehensive DFS capabilities while preserving and enhancing all features delivered in previous releases.

Distributed File System (DFS)

  • User-mode file system supporting concurrent file sharing
  • Designed for scalable, multi-node environments

Parallel Distributed File System (PDFS)

  • High-performance, parallel client architecture
  • Optimized for AI training, analytics, and data-intensive workloads

High Availability for File Services

  • Floating Virtual IPs (VIP) for continuous file system access
  • High-availability web management platform

File System Access Interfaces

  • Network File System (NFS)
  • FUSE3 interface for flexible integration
  • Native high-performance API for latency-sensitive applications

FlexSDS v7 transforms FlexSDS into a complete data platform, delivering both block and file services with enterprise-grade reliability and performance.

Proven Foundation: FlexSDS Scale-out Storage v4 (2022)

FlexSDS v7 builds on the robust block storage capabilities introduced in FlexSDS Scale-out Storage v4, released on January 20, 2022. That release established FlexSDS as a high-performance, scale-out block storage solution optimized for all-flash and hybrid environments.

Deployment Architectures

  • Single-node deployment with local redundancy
  • Two-node high availability with witness
  • Three or more nodes for true scale-out storage

Reliability and Data Protection

  • Automatic fault detection and recovery
  • Flexible data protection with:
    • N-way replication
    • Large-set erasure coding (EC)

Backend Storage Engines

  • Local storage: user-mode NVMe, block devices, and file-based images
  • Shared storage: iSCSI, iSER, NVMe-oF SAN, JBOF, FBOF, and similar architectures

Storage Networking

  • iSCSI, iSER, NVMe over Fabrics, and vHost

Core Platform Capabilities

  • Server Pool with true user-mode polling
  • Software-defined Storage Pool
  • Unlimited, zero-copy snapshots
  • Asynchronous remote replication over iSCSI and NVMe-oF
  • Centralized web management for multi-server environments

A Decade of Innovation: FlexSDS ServerSAN 2016 V1

The FlexSDS journey began with FlexSDS ServerSAN 2016 V1, released on December 3, 2016. This initial release laid the architectural foundation that continues to power FlexSDS today.

Key Capabilities Introduced in 2016

  • Two-node high availability architecture
  • High-performance block storage optimized for all-flash appliances
  • Storage networking via iSCSI, iSER, and NVMe over Fabrics
  • Server Pool with polling mode
  • Software-defined Storage Pool
  • Unlimited, zero-copy snapshots
  • High availability and replication over RDMA or TCP
  • Centralized web management across multiple servers

A Unified Scale-Out Storage Platform

With the release of FlexSDS Scale-out Storage v7, FlexSDS now delivers a unified, software-defined storage platform that supports:

  • High-performance block storage
  • Distributed and parallel file systems
  • True scale-out architecture from small HA clusters to large deployments
  • Advanced data protection and high availability
  • Flexible access via SAN, NFS, FUSE, and native APIs

FlexSDS v7 is designed for enterprises, cloud providers, AI platforms, and OEM partners seeking maximum performance, scalability, and flexibility—without proprietary hardware.

For more information about FlexSDS Scale-out Storage v7, please visit www.flexsds.com or contact [email protected].