Overview
eEKAS is a next-generation, Ceph-based storage operating system designed for modern enterprise and cloud-native environments. Built to deliver scalability, performance, and high availability, eEKAS provides unified file, block, and object storage within a single, integrated platform managed through an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI).
By abstracting the complexity of distributed storage, eEKAS enables organizations to deploy and operate highly available storage services without requiring deep Ceph expertise. The platform is designed to scale seamlessly from small clusters to large enterprise deployments while maintaining consistent performance and operational simplicity.
A key architectural principle of eEKAS is the separation of storage services from physical nodes. This allows services to move dynamically within the cluster, ensuring continuous availability, efficient resource utilization, and simplified maintenance workflows.
Share & Target Management
All file and block services in eEKAS are built around the concept of IP Groups. IP Groups are logical collections of one or more IP addresses that act as movable service endpoints. Rather than binding a service permanently to a specific node, IP Groups allow services to be dynamically assigned and relocated across the cluster.
This architecture enables seamless failover, simplified maintenance, and consistent client access. In the event of a node failure or during planned maintenance, IP Groups are automatically or manually moved to another node, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity without reconfiguration on the client side.
Supported Protocols
SMB (Server Message Block): SMB shares provide file-based access for Windows and mixed-OS environments. SMB services are bound to IP Groups, allowing file shares to remain continuously available even during node failover events.
NFS (Network File System): NFS exports deliver high-performance file access for Linux and UNIX-based systems. Using IP Groups ensures stable mount points and consistent access paths across the cluster.
iSCSI: iSCSI targets provide block-level storage for virtualization platforms, databases, and enterprise applications. IP Groups allow iSCSI targets to move transparently between nodes while maintaining persistent client connections.
NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF): NVMe-oF delivers ultra-low-latency block storage for performance-critical workloads. By leveraging IP Groups, NVMe-oF targets benefit from high availability and flexible service placement within the cluster.
S3 Object Storage
eEKAS provides fully integrated S3-compatible object storage, enabling organizations to build scalable, cloud-like storage platforms within their own infrastructure. The S3 implementation supports multi-zone deployments, allowing data to be distributed across failure domains for increased resilience and availability.
A comprehensive, GUI-based management layer simplifies typical object storage operations. Administrators can easily create and manage buckets, users, access keys, and policies without requiring command-line interaction or deep knowledge of underlying Ceph components.
The platform provides cloud-like management capabilities, including user isolation, access control, and flexible bucket configuration, making it suitable for backup targets, archival workloads, and private cloud storage services.
By combining IP Groups with Ceph’s distributed storage backend, eEKAS ensures that file, block, and object services are highly available, resilient, and easy to manage—without exposing underlying storage complexity to administrators or clients.