MapR Technologies Inc. is stepping up support for containers with a new feature of its Converged Data Platform that provides for persistent storage and enables the use of stateful containerized applications in an automated, cross-platform environment.

MapR Data Fabric for Kubernetes is intended to provide consistent data access across cloud and on-premises deployments. Support for stateful applications makes it easier for organizations to deploy containers for production uses in which persistent access to data is critical.

The new features are part of an ongoing effort by the company to plug some of the functionality gaps in containers, which were originally created for use in application development and not intended to be deployed in large-scale production situations. However, container technology has become so popular that many organizations now want to adapt them everywhere.

The problem is the containers were designed to be ephemeral, meaning that they can’t shut down, restart and pick up where they left off without modification. That has made them a poor choice for stateful applications, which require persistent access to data.

MapR first announced support for persistent storage and stateful applications a year ago. The new release adds compatibility with Kubernetes, the wildly popular open-source container orchestration manager. The MapR Data Fabric now includes a natively integrated Kubernetes volume driver to provide persistent storage volumes for access to any data ­–­ including databases, files and streaming data – regardless of location, the company said.  The platform supports data synchronization and integrity across zones for availability purposes, and customers can easily move containers across clouds for cost or performance reasons.

“By containerizing applications and not tying them to specific servers, I can more easily automate jobs and get more out of my infrastructure because my utilization is higher,” said Jack Norris, senior vice president of data and applications. “I can move an application across any of 30,000 servers and have the same access.” Kubernetes can also be used to automatically schedule multitenant, containerized and noncontainerized applications to run inside and outside of a MapR cluster.

MapR is hoping that it container extensions will entice more customers to use its Converged Data Platform, which supports a wide variety of formats and data structures. “All the data is handled by a consistent data layer underneath,” Norris said. “It’s easier for developers and administrators.”

The capability is being offered as a free upgrade to existing MapR installations. Norris called it a “25-second install.”

Image: MapR