PernixData’s FVP vs. Virtunet – Both VMware Kernel Write Caching Software
PernixData FVP was end-of-lifed in 2019.
More similar than different
Both us and PernixData differentiate from rest of the host side caching vendors in similar ways – that we are kernel-mode software; both of us cache reads and writes; have data protection strategies to prevent data loss in case of multiple simultaneous host failure; do not require networking or storage to be reconfigured; and do not require agents per VM or VM per host.
This article is the first in a series of two articles that compare our software versus PernixData FVP. The second article compares the GUI and configuration steps between our two software.
Feature | Virtunet VirtuCache | PernixData FVP |
---|---|---|
Kernel-mode software deployed on the hosts. Managed using vCenter plugin / web GUI | Yes | Yes |
Operating Systems supported | ESXi 5.x, 6.x, 7.x | ESXi 5.x, 6.0 |
Caches hot data from any SAN storage appliance | Yes | Yes |
Caches reads and writes | Yes | Yes |
In case of write caching, prevents data loss if a host fails | Yes | Yes |
Continuously syncs write cache from in-host Flash or RAM to backend storage appliance | Yes | Yes |
Signed and certified by VMware | Yes | Yes |
Supports any in-host high-speed media – SSD (SATA, SAS, PCIe, NVME) and/or RAM as caching media | Yes. You can cache to RAM, Flash, or a mix of both | Yes, though FVP supports either RAM or Flash, not a mix of both |
Supports all VMware editions – Essentials and higher | Yes | Yes |