Huawei OceanStor Dorado Reviews

We also did a three-month POC with Huawei's Dorado 8000 for database purposes, specifically Oracle and some trust application teams.

Two things really stand out for me. First, there's group cloning, which is very nice. It simplifies managing multiple clones across the group.

Second, Huawei's multi-controller architecture with load balancing is a good part. Unlike other storage systems that rely on active-passive or active-active controllers, which can experience downtime during maintenance, OceanStor Dorado supports more than two controllers, allowing for seamless maintenance without impacting I/O operations. 

We even tested this by pulling out a controller during peak I/O time, and the system handled it flawlessly – no errors, no disruptions. That's simply unmatched in my experience.

The built-in reporting tools need some enhancement. However, R&D is really good because we have one of the issues reported to them. They released the patch within one week.

 We used it for three months in 2023. 

I would rate the stability a ten out of ten. 

I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten. During our POC, we had 20 to 22 end users using this solution and performing different tests. We didn't use it in any production environment. So, only a few IT people engaged with it in our company.

We used it daily.

The customer service and support are good.

Positive

We had limited experience with IBM. We had IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe. We had a three-month POC around 2016.

The initial setup is easy. I would rate my experience with the initial setup a nine out of ten. It took us one hour to deploy it. 

Huawei directly engaged with us. 

We saw ROI in terms of both money and time saved. It is worth the price.

There are fewer issues, too. For example, with Hitachi storage, I had to take downtime for code updates because I had certain sensitive applications requiring uninterrupted I/O. During a Hitachi microcode upgrade, failover to the second controller caused a small glitch that brought down the cluster. But with Huawei's multiple controllers, that's not an issue.

So, the multiple controllers keep the cluster up even during updates. They also use mesh connectivity and load balancing for extra stability.

The pricing is not cheap, but it's attractive. And the pricing is flexible, too.

I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten. 

We tested with NetApp and Pure Storage's PowerMax and Pure Blade. Compared to other vendors, Huawei stood out. They're very supportive and have an amazing on-site presence.

We screened most of the leading products. We did technical evaluations of last year's NetApp, Dell, IBM, and all the major storage vendors.

It's the best solution. Overall, I would rate the solution a ten out of ten.

Our primary use case for the solution includes deployments in the financial services industry (FSI), public and private sector. 

The platform's most valuable features are competitive pricing, high I/O performance, and support for NVMe disks. Its impressive speed and functionality make it a cost-effective choice with top-tier performance.

The product's current pricing model involves over 12 different licenses, which can be complex. Simplifying the process would enhance the overall user experience.

I have been working with the Huawei OceanStore Dorado for several years.

The product is stable. 

The platform is highly scalable, accommodating environments from 40 to 50 terabytes without issues.

The support team is responsive and effective in addressing any issues that arise.

The initial setup of this solution was straightforward. It generally takes about three to four hours for initialization.

The implementation was carried out with an in-house team. Two people were involved: one for cabling and rack mounting, and the other for deploying the solution. The process was handled efficiently.

The product's cost-effectiveness, including after-sales expansion, has proven it more affordable than other brands.

The solution's licensing structure needs improvement. 

We evaluated other options including those from Dell EMC. Later, we chose Huawei OceanStor Dorado for its favorable balance of features and cost.

I rate the product a nine out of ten. 

Our use cases include VDI and full-virtualization environments.

It's fast. The performance is good. 

It would be easier to do snapshots on a regular basis. This feature would be great. So, like, a new feature that would allow you to take snapshots every hour.

I have been using this solution for two years. 

I would rate the stability a ten out of ten. We haven't had any downtime.

I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten. It was scalable enough for us.

Customer service and support are pretty good.

Positive

The initial setup was very easy. The deployment took half a day. 

The pricing is reasonable. I would rate the pricing a three out of ten, where one is cheap price and ten is expensive. It is cheap. 

I worked with Nexenta. Nexenta isn't available anymore; it is a standard hardware solution, while Huawei OceanStor Dorado is a flash storage solution specifically designed for high performance and scalability.

I would definitely recommend using the solution. 

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten, because it is easy to use, fast and cheap. 

We primarily use it for our VMware and some of our systems.

We like that the solution is all-flash.

The solution has a sufficient amount of storage on offer.

The solution is very stable.

So far, we have found it to be quite scalable.

The initial setup is fairly straightforward and not overly complex. The installation and management are very easy.

The performance is very good. 

Technical support is quite good.

The solution can always be more stable.

The product could always be faster.

I've been using this solution for about four months or so. It's still relatively new.

The solution's stability is good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. Its performance is reliable. 

We have found the scalability to be pretty good. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so with relative ease.

We have about 5,000 users on the solution currently.

We do have plans to increase usage in the future.

The technical support is quite good. They are helpful and responsive. We've been happy with their level of support.

We did previously have another solution, however, I can't recall what the actual name of the product was.

The installation is not overly complex. it's not difficult. It's straightforward. We didn't have any issues with the setup process.

It's a hardware installation. Afterward, the software installation is done for management purposes.

We have four people on staff that can handle any maintenance required. They are all engineers.

We used a Huawei consultant. The process went smoothly and we were happy to have their assistance.

It's my understanding that we paid a one-time licensing fee.

We're a customer and an end-user.

We use the Dorado 6000 model and it is the latest version.

I'd rate the solution at a ten out of ten overall. We have been quite satisfied with the solution.

I'd definitely recommend the solution to others.

The platform’s most valuable features are speed, accuracy, and encryption.

There could be local support services available for the platform. Additionally, they should provide a bundled license, including all protection and encryption rules.

We have been using Huawei OceanStor Dorado 5000 for two months.

It is a stable product.

I rate the product’s scalability a nine out of ten.

The technical support services need improvement. They should provide local support for software and hardware issues.

Neutral

We didn’t encounter any difficulties with the initial setup, as all the storage systems we are familiar with have similar processes. It involves configuring storage on the network. It requires one executive to implement and three months to complete. I rate the process a nine out of ten.

I recommend Huawei OceanStor Dorado 5000 to others and rate it a nine out of ten.

Our primary use case for OceanStor Dorado revolves around storage management in our medium to enterprise-level business environment.

The integrated Huawei Flash technology within OceanStor Dorado stands out as one of the most valuable features. Its performance, reliability, and high availability architecture have greatly improved our storage management capabilities, ensuring seamless operations.

For future releases, it would be beneficial for OceanStor Dorado to integrate advanced analytics and AI-driven functionalities for predictive maintenance and performance optimization. Additionally, enhanced data encryption and security features would be highly appreciated.

We have been utilizing the OceanStor Dorado solution for approximately six years now.

In terms of stability, the product has proven to be a stable and reliable solution, with no complaints or issues reported by our organization.

Our impressions of the scalability of OceanStor Dorado are excellent, as it has seamlessly accommodated our evolving storage requirements.

The technical support services are good. 

The initial setup was straightforward, with minimal complexities. However, the migration of data in our data center did extend the deployment timeline.

We implemented the product with the help of third-party consultants. 

The platform generates a good return on investment. 

We did evaluate other products. 

Overall, our experience with OceanStor Dorado has been highly satisfactory. Its scalability, stability, and excellent customer support have further solidified our confidence in the solution. We would recommend it to any organization seeking reliable and efficient storage management solutions.

I rate it a ten out of ten. 

We are end users and customers of Huawei. I'm a system admin. 

OceanStor has very good capacity; it's effective, works quickly, and is easy to manage. 

The solution requires third-party integrations some of which have agreements and policies that prevent us from using them. If you open an Excel or Word file, for example, and a second person has opened it at the same time, they can't use it because it's already locked by you. Microsoft integration is a problem when the solution is managed by Huawei. 

I've been using this solution for two years. 

The solution is stable.

The solution is scalable, we have around 600 users. We won't need to expand usage in the near future, there's still plenty of space. 

The technical support is good and they are responsible and relatively quick to respond although there are sometimes problems. We inform them when something is missing and they get back to us pretty quickly. 

We previously used Dell EMC. The change to Huawei was a management decision that may have been related to cost. Huawei offers similar features to Dell. 

The initial setup was somewhat complex because it was new to us. We had Huawei support for our setup as well as assistance from a local partner. The deployment was done as an online upgrade so there wasn't any downtime, it was just a matter of switching over from the old storage to the new. That was a big advantage. We took our time and it took about a week to migrate. We used two in-house engineers as well as one from Huawei and one from the local partner. We currently have one person managing the solution. 

I'm not involved with the licensing process but I understand that Huawei is about 50% cheaper than competing solutions.

This is a good solution if it supports your environment. I am lucky to have 20 years of experience with these solutions so I know how to manage things. For those who are less experienced, it can be difficult. 

I rate this solution eight out of 10. 

We employ it mostly in the banking sector. These services are utilized by both cloud providers for their on-premises and data center referral solutions. We have implemented this solution in three banks and one cloud provider.

The primary factors that make Huawei OceanStor Dorado Series highly valuable to us are its competitive pricing, exceptional performance, and stability. What has pleasantly surprised us is the outstanding support we've received. We have direct access to Chinese experts who can work with the support team in China for quick resolution, and this level of support has satisfied us.

The graphical user interface of the management system falls short of our requirements. We often find ourselves resorting to the command line interface, which, although not a significant problem due to our extensive implementations, suggests room for improvement in the GUI. Also, the features for partners are not consistently accessible. One of the key areas that need enhancement pertains to the software procurement process.

We have been working with it for a decade, with a more significant level of usage in the last two to three years.

The solution's remarkable stability is a significant factor in the customer's decision to opt for it.

Scalability is relatively straightforward because this is a unified storage solution. It combines NAS functionality with block storage. If you need more storage space, you can easily expand by adding a new enclosure to extend the existing capacity.

Their customer support is excellent. We have a Chinese representative located in our local Huawei office, which facilitates direct communication with the production R&D team in China. This connection enables us to access level three support directly through this individual.

Positive

The initial setup is a straightforward and easy process. We have a partner with access to Huawei's partner portal, which allows us to download essential documents and resources, including best practice guidelines. This makes the storage system an intuitive and user-friendly solution.

Setting it up is easy because one person can take the box to the customer site, assemble it in the rack, and get it up and running. There's no need for a complex implementation process since we're mainly using this for expanding our existing storage. We can complete the integration in a day, another day for OS configuration, and I'd estimate two to three more days for installation. This process is straightforward, and we don't require weeks for implementation because we're clear on its purpose and don't need special permissions or credentials typical of enterprise storage vendors. In terms of maintenance, we haven't replaced any parts except for the disk in our initial systems. There have been no major issues with controllers or hardware models, and the system remains stable. The software also runs smoothly, with the occasional need to open a service request for things like new patches or software updates, which we perform regularly to keep all our systems in the field up to date.

When it comes to licensing, whether it's on a yearly or warranty basis, all services remain consistent when purchasing storage. In the case of extended service durations, such as three or five years, additional functionalities like compression and deduplication are automatically included within the five-year package.

It stands out as the fastest purpose-built storage solution available on the market, and the pricing is highly competitive and excellent. Overall, I rate it ten out of ten.