Data Management Glossary
SmartPools
SmartPools is the tiering engine if the OneFS operating system from Dell/EMC. According to the Dell documentation, SmartPools enables you to define subgroups of nodes, called disk pools, within a single OneFS cluster. SmartPools includes an optional license that unlocks additional features including the ability to associate individual files and directories to specific disk pools.
SmartPools manages placement inside one OneFS cluster. It does not see data on other storage, and it does not move data off Dell hardware. For a full comparison of SmartPools and Komprise Intelligent Tiering, see Dell PowerScale SmartPools. See also CloudPools
| Evaluation Criteria | SmartPools | With Komprise |
|---|---|---|
| Where data moves | Between node pools inside one OneFS cluster | Off the cluster to any object or cloud storage |
| Storage coverage | Dell PowerScale only | Every storage vendor and cloud |
| Capacity freed on Dell | None; data stays on cluster nodes | Cold files leave PowerScale entirely |
| Backup footprint | Unchanged | Tiered files leave the backup set |
| Visibility | Cluster-level | Global Metadatabase across the estate |
SmartPools FAQs
What is SmartPools?
SmartPools is the tiering engine in the Dell PowerScale OneFS operating system. It groups cluster nodes into pools and moves files between them based on policy, for example from flash to hybrid or archive nodes.
How is SmartPools different from Komprise?
SmartPools moves files between node pools inside one Dell cluster. Komprise moves cold files off the cluster entirely, to any object or cloud storage, in native format with no rehydration penalty, and applies one policy across PowerScale and every other storage vendor.
Read: Block vs File-Level Tiering
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