Riverbed Granite

Riverbed Granite Edge Virtual Server Infrastructure (VSI) gives you 100% consolidated data and applications that deliver LAN performance at the edge over the WAN, accelerating branch access to Data Centre Storage Area Networks.

Where previously branch offices and Data Centres were managed through separate infrastructures, operational processes and procedures, Riverbed Granite bridges this gap, allowing for seamless integration between the Data Centre and globally distributed locations at the edge.

Granite does what was previously thought impossible: it allows storage to be decoupled from its server over thousands of miles of distance and works as if the storage is local to the server. End users in branch office, edge locations get uncompromised performance, while IT management is able to manage, backup, provision, patch, expand, and protect the data all from the Data Centre.

Watch Video: Riverbed Granite Introduction

Where Riverbed Granite Can Really Make A Difference


Complete Server and Storage Consolidation
Certain business applications still require local servers and storage to meet the performance requirements of end users. Riverbed Granite allows IT to successfully separate branch computing from data storage, eliminating the need to purchase and support servers and storage traditionally hosted in branch offices for performance reasons. Users and applications in the branch experience local performance while data is consolidated securely in a central location.

SAN over the WAN
Riverbed Granite allows storage administrators to extend a Data Centre SAN to a remote location, even over a low bandwidth link. Riverbed Granite delivers business agility, enabling companies to effectively deliver global storage infrastructure anywhere it is needed.

Resilient to WAN Outages
Though storage has been completely centralised, Granite enables remote office workers to have local access to data even when the WAN link to the office goes down.

Centralise Data Protection
With Granite, services and data are protected and secured in the Data Centre leveraging the same tools and methodologies applied to all corporate data, eliminating the need to purchase, install and manage a backup solution in the branch office.

Data Security
With storage in the branch, data is exposed to risk. Granite enables state-of-the-art authentication and encryption to ensure the security of data assets while in-flight from the Data Centre as well as in the branch.

Simplify Management
By eliminating the need to maintain storage in branch offices, Granite significantly reduces administration overhead and costs. All data management and support activities can take place in the Data Centre. Branch-based IT personnel and “fly and fix” missions are no longer required.

Riverbed Granite Features

  • Innovative block-storage optimisation ensures that data is centrally managed yet always available to support business operations in the branch even in the event of a WAN outage
  • A local authoritative cache ensures LAN-speed reads and fast cold writes at the branch
  • Integration with Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service enables consistent point-in-time data snapshots and seamless integration with backup applications
  • Integration with industry-standard Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) authenticates users and hosts
  • A secure vault protects sensitive information using AES 256-bit encryption
  • Leverages solid state disks (SSDs) to guarantee data durability and performance
  • An active-active high availability (HA) deployment option for Granite ensures LUN availability for remote sites
  • Easy to use wizard configuration automates and simplifies setup
  • Customisable reports provide visibility to key utilisation, performance, and diagnostic information

Riverbed Granite Product Models

Granite requires two components: Granite Core, a physical or virtual appliance in the Data Centre, and Granite Edge, a service running on a Steelhead EX in the branch office. Alternatively, Granite Edge is available as a standalone appliance for use with existing (non-EX) Steelhead appliances.

Riverbed Steelhead Product Family With Granite Specsheet

Steelhead EX + Granite

Riverbed Steelhead EX + Granite delivers the industry’s first branch office box that enables complete server and storage consolidation. This new innovative solution combines a scalable Riverbed Virtual Services Platform (VSP), featuring a VMware-based virtualisation hypervisor, with first-of-its-kind technology that enables organisations to centralise physical infrastructure while presenting data and applications at the edge as if they were local through a single appliance in the branch office.

Additional Benefits of Steelhead EX:

  • Industry-leading Steelhead appliances speed application performance and data transfer over the WAN
  • Increased hardware capacity enables consolidation of multiple basic services in the branch such as print, DNS and DHCP as well as applications that require significant computing resources

Riverbed Steelhead EX Appliance Models

Steelhead EX + Granite appliances are available in a range of models to suit the needs of any office. Granite requires two components: Granite Edge, an in-built service running on a Steelhead EX + Granite appliance in the branch office, and Granite Core, a physical or virtual appliance deployed alongside the Steelhead appliance and storage arrays in the Data Centre.

Small Office Steelhead:
EX560 Series - G, L, M, H

Mid-Size Office Steelhead:
EX760 Series - L, M, H

Large Office or Data Centre Steelhead:
EX1160 Series - G, L, M, H, VH
EX1260 (2TB) Series - G, L, M, H, VH
EX1260 (4TB) Series - G, L, M, H, VH