IXsystems TrueNAS Core: The Cost-effective Solution for Your Data Management Needs
Picture this, you just lost a car full of loved ones. Sounds devastating, right? That’s exactly how I felt when I first heard that FreeNAS is rebranding to TrueNAS Core. But after having a chat with Brett Davis, EVP at iXsystems, I came to realize that it’s probably the right move. Although, I don’t envy his position of having to break the news to the community.
According to Brett, the driving force behind this change is cost. Combining TrueNAS and FreeNAS efforts would save time, effort and ultimately reduce costs. As an example, new hardware in the STH lab couldn’t be tested on FreeNAS until it was supported by FreeBSD. This lag would delay testing and implementation, something that TrueNAS Core 12.0 aims to solve with enhanced support for AMD EPYC and Ryzen.
But what sets TrueNAS Core apart is that it will remain a free piece of software, just like many other open software platforms. However, there will be options for higher-tier commercial versions. In fact, internally, the engineers preferred not to call it the “community” version as it may imply limited features.
The unification of the stack also means that iXsystems will have to determine the features that will be included in each version. And this is where things get interesting. It is possible that in the future, there will be an option to upgrade from TrueNAS Core to a different version with additional features and support using a simple license key. A major time-saver for those who want to migrate from a POC solution to a production solution.
As much as I personally would have loved to see FreeNAS stay, I understand and respect the decision. Brett and his team have carefully considered the change, and it’s not an easy one to make. And just because the branding will go away in future versions, iXsystems will still retain the FreeNAS theme for users who prefer it.
Q3 2020 is the expected scheduled release date for TrueNAS Core 12.0, and there may be changes along the way. But this gives our readers and FreeNAS users enough time to adjust to the new branding. It was definitely a bit strange to edit the iXsystems FreeNAS Mini E+ Launched and 2nd Gen Mini Retired article, knowing about this change behind the scenes.
One thing is for sure, I wouldn’t want to be in Brett’s shoes today. So let’s give him a break and check out the iXsystems blog here to learn more.
Get ready for TrueNAS Core – the cost-effective solution to all your data management needs.
