Introduction

OtterScale is a Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI) platform that unifies compute, storage, networking, and virtualization into a single, software-defined system. By collapsing traditional infrastructure silos, OtterScale simplifies deployment and management while delivering the scalability needed for modern enterprise workloads.

System Architecture

OtterScale is built on a layered architecture that provides complete control from the hardware up to the application layer.

Core Layers

Hardware Layer: Manages physical resources including Compute nodes, Storage nodes, and GPU accelerators.
Provisioning Layer (MAAS): Handles bare metal provisioning, OS deployment, and network configuration.
Orchestration Layer (Juju & Kubernetes): Manages application lifecycles and container orchestration.
Storage Layer (Ceph): Provides scalable, distributed storage for the cluster.

Node Provisioning & Management

OtterScale automates the lifecycle of physical nodes. Through the integration with MAAS, it handles power management (IPMI/Redfish), PXE booting, and OS installation.

Storage Topology

The platform utilizes Ceph to provide a robust, self-healing storage fabric. Storage nodes are dedicated to managing data replication and distribution, ensuring high availability and performance for data-intensive workloads like AI model training.

Key Features

Scope Management

Logically isolate resources and manage access control for different teams or projects.

AI/LLM Readiness

Optimized for high-performance computing with support for GPU acceleration and high-speed networking (InfiniBand/RoCE).

Multi-Tenancy

Securely share infrastructure across multiple users while maintaining resource isolation.

Unified Interface

A single pane of glass for monitoring and managing the entire stack, from metal to service.

Next Steps

Check Prerequisites Get your environment ready

Installation Install OtterScale

Create a Scope Set up your first scope