StarWind Virtual SAN - Easy, Resilient, and Cost Effective
We have StarWind Virtual SAN deployed on a 2-node cluster to achieve the need for shared storage for our virtualization project. …
Overview
What is StarWind Virtual SAN?
StarWind Virtual SAN is software-defined storage for efficient storage and backup.
Recent Reviews
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Product Details
- About
- Competitors
- Tech Details
- Downloadables
- FAQs
What is StarWind Virtual SAN?
StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN) is presented by the vendor as a lightweight software-defined storage (SDS) for Enterprise ROBO, SMB & Edge that removes the need for physical storage. The solution is compatible with any hypervisor of choice, and is hardware-agnostic. The vendor invites users to integrate it into an existing infrastructure with minimum requirements, and enjoy constant uptime in a true 2-node scenario.
StarWind VSAN has no strict hardware compatibility lists (HCLs) and is licensed per node. A license unlocks access to all features upon purchase and differs only by capacity volume. The vendors promises customers get the chance to reduce their total cost of ownership (TCO) while receiving 99.9999% uptime. StarWind also helps with configuration, deployment, and migration.
StarWind Virtual SAN:
- provides 90% of raw performance
- squeezes 100% IOPS out of existing hardware
- works on the iSCSI layer
- “speaks” most uplink protocols, including NVMe-oF
- works on top of Hardware or Software RAID (MDADM, ZFS)
- does 2- or 3-way synchronous replication, and more.
The true 2-node solution is enabled through HeartBeat (no witness required). Thanks to “mirroring” of internal disks and flash between hypervisor servers, customers receive fault-tolerant storage. It’s scalable up and out, allowing users to introduce infrastructure changes without downtime or additional licensing costs.
StarWind Virtual SAN makes enterprise-level virtual shared storage accessible.
StarWind Virtual SAN Screenshots
StarWind Virtual SAN Video
StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN)
StarWind Virtual SAN Competitors
- VMware vSAN
- StorMagic SvSAN
- Microsoft S2D
StarWind Virtual SAN Technical Details
| Deployment Types | On-premise |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Windows, Linux |
| Mobile Application | No |
StarWind Virtual SAN Downloadables
Frequently Asked Questions
StarWind Virtual SAN is software-defined storage for efficient storage and backup.
VMware vSAN and StorMagic SvSAN are common alternatives for StarWind Virtual SAN.
Reviewers rate Support Rating highest, with a score of 9.6.
The most common users of StarWind Virtual SAN are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).
Comparisons
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Reviews and Ratings
(143)Attribute Ratings
Reviews
(1-25 of 94)Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
StarWind Virtual SAN is easier to setup and use, and less expensive. It also has the flexibility of working with Hyper-V or vSphere. StarWind Virtual SAN as a company is also much easier to work with.
January 31, 2024
The right sized storage solution for our business
HPE and Dell solutions were just too expensive for our budget. HPE's solution lacked performance. Dell's solution is plagued by bad reviews which told stories of broken patching procedures and terrible support experiences. The only company who offered me a trial of their systems was StarWind and through that trial was I able to feel very confident in the solution.
January 19, 2024
StarWind Virtual SAN, reliable and easy to use.
- Microsoft System Center Operations Manager (SCOM)
Best value for money and less (or no) hardware restrictions.
StarWind Virtual SAN Applicance is available in a hyperconverged scenario, it means you can run it on existing virtual machines and it does the backup against each other by synchronizing the data store with each other. Vmware does not have this type of hyperconvergent approach. This makes VMware vSAN much more expensive because you have to purchase separate hardware and the licensing is much more expensive as well.
Scale uses a proprietary version of Qumranet/RedHat for hyperVisor which means another solution that is closed off.
August 18, 2023
True 2-node VSAN, perfect for SMB!
VMware vSAN requires 3 physical hosts or 2 and a witness, and this was not practical for our situation as we are SMB. StarWind allows us to continue our 2-host virtualization setup and keep all our redundancy and performance.
August 11, 2023
Starwind vSAN 2 thumbs up
We selected starwind vsan instead of vmware because of the integrated support they provide for the hardware and the software
Better offering from a service and hardware standpoint. Multiple purchase options allowed the flexibility needed to move forward with acquiring the hardware.
Have not evaluated or used any other Virtual SAN products. VMWare's offereing requires 3 ESXi host servers so that would have made storage costs too high.
May 02, 2023
Enterprise grade software for SMB pricing.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
- HPE Nimble Storage, PowerProtect DD and EMC VNX (Discontinued)
While they may have more robust enterprise grade features like duplication, the price point of Nimble and DD makes it a very tough sell in a cost concious environment. Starwind provides us with great reliability and enough features to make it an easy sell.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Other solution so far we have evaluated is expensive whereas StarWind Virtual SAN is cost effective.
we did not evaluate any other vendors with virtual SANs
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
- StarWind HyperConverged Appliance (HCA) and StarWind Backup Appliance
We have found the solution surprisingly simple to use. The management
console allows us to monitor the solution and we have configured email
alerts to alert us about critical issues. These alerts have been proven
to work in an actual failure scenario, for example, when we had a memory
issue with one of our servers that caused the entire server to crash.
The management console also allows us to monitor the solution
performance and provides us with access to system logs.
March 30, 2023
Great Product - StartWind SAN
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Already explained.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
StarWind Virtual SAN is generally less expensive than VMware vSAN, especially when it comes to licensing costs. StarWind Virtual SAN is licensed per node, whereas VMware vSAN requires a license for each CPU core in each node. This can make VMware vSAN significantly more expensive for larger deployments. Also StarWind Virtual SAN is a vendor-agnostic solution that can work with a wide variety of hardware and software, including VMware vSphere
March 14, 2023
StarWind Virtual SAN the best in the Market
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We have not used VMware vSAN as much as StarWind but cost is better with StarWind and also support
March 09, 2023
StarWind Virtual SAN Recommendation for storage
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Virtual SAN (vSAN), a software-defined storage solution that enables users to build shared storage for virtual machines operating in a VMware vSphere environment, is a great HCI platform.It must be used for remote access, and specific duties must be delegated to internal developers. We get much more when there is just one seller.
We were initially utilizing HPE Lefthand OS as a virtual SAN which was then set to EOL. We evaluated a number of solutions including VMware vSAN and settled on StarWind. StarWind provided a better value, easier and more intuitive interface, and wasn't wizard driven.
February 24, 2023
The successful implementation of a pilot project in one of the biggests Hydroelectric Power Plants.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
StarWind Virtual SAN is the most flexible and reliable system I tested. Although there are other good systems in the market this is the most flexible allowing integration with many Hypervisors
February 14, 2023
A reliable, scalable, and cost-effective storage solution for SMBs
- VMware vSAN and TrueNAS
When it comes to virtual storage solutions, there are a few options to choose from including StarWind Virtual SAN, VMware vSAN, and TrueNAS. I've evaluated each of these solutions and found that StarWind Virtual SAN stacks up well against the competition.
For me, the deciding factor was the ease of use and the flexibility and reduction in price that StarWind Virtual SAN offers. The web-based management interface is straightforward and user-friendly, which helps me manage my virtual storage environment efficiently. The fact that it is hypervisor agnostic and can work with any hypervisor is also a big plus. I also appreciated the cost-effectiveness of StarWind Virtual SAN compared to some of the other options on the market.
For me, the deciding factor was the ease of use and the flexibility and reduction in price that StarWind Virtual SAN offers. The web-based management interface is straightforward and user-friendly, which helps me manage my virtual storage environment efficiently. The fact that it is hypervisor agnostic and can work with any hypervisor is also a big plus. I also appreciated the cost-effectiveness of StarWind Virtual SAN compared to some of the other options on the market.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
- SIOS Technology, Dell/EMC CX4 series (Clariion) and Dell XC Family
StarWind Virtual SAN is fit for the purpose we are using it for and
other vendors are for their focus
January 25, 2023
Virtual SAN is up there with the big boys.
On performance vs cost StarWind fills a spot.
December 21, 2022
StarWind easy-to-configure
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
One key advantage of StarWind Virtual SAN is its flexibility and scalability. The software's ability to create and manage storage pools and virtual disks directly from the management console allows for easy customization and expansion of storage capacity as needed. This can be a major advantage for organizations that need a storage solution that can grow and evolve with their needs.Another advantage of StarWind Virtual SAN is its high availability. The software's ability to create a highly available storage cluster helps to ensure that virtual machines remain up and running, even in the event of a failure in one of the storage nodes. This can be a major advantage for organizations that can't afford any downtime.In terms of overall performance, StarWind Virtual SAN is designed to deliver fast, reliable storage for virtual machines. Its ability to leverage local storage as part of a highly available storage cluster can help to ensure high performance, even under heavy workloads.When compared to Hyper-V's built-in storage options, StarWind Virtual SAN may offer a number of advantages, including greater flexibility and scalability, enhanced availability, and improved performance. However, the specific benefits will depend on the specific needs and goals of the organization and how the software is implemented and used.
December 09, 2022
Great Pricing {free version} and Amazing Product!
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I would say that StarWind Virtual SAN can stand toe to toe with Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware vSAN.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
These products are awesome, but not cost-effective for me. VMware vSAN integrates like a glove if you are running fully VMware environment, not other hypervisors. ONTAP Select is awesome, like a real cabinet, but licensing is a bit complex, and expensive. in both cases in a two nodes deployment, a witness is needed.