Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated on Azure: An intro to Performance
Introduction With Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated on Microsoft Azure, performance is largely governed by three factors that need to be taken into consideration: front-end controller networking, controller back‑end connection to managed disks, and the Purity data path. This post explains how Azure building blocks and these factors influence overal performance. Disclaimer: This post requires basic understanding of PSC Dedicated architecture. Real-life Performance varies based on configuration and workload; examples here are illustrative. Architecture: the building blocks that shape performance Cloud performance often comes from how compute, storage, and networking are assembled. PSC Dedicated deploys two Azure VMs as storage controllers running the Purity operating environment and uses Azure Managed Disks as persistent media. Initiator VMs connect over the Azure Virtual Network using in‑guest iSCSI or NVMe/TCP. Features like inline data reduction, write coalescing through NVRAM, and an I/O rate limiter help keep the array stable and with predictable performance under saturation. Front-end performance: networking caps Azure limits the outbound (egress) bandwidth of Virtual Machines. Each Azure VM has a certain network egress cap assigned and cannot send out more data than what the limit allows. As PSC Dedicated controllers run on Azure VMs, this translates into the following: Network traffic going INTO the PSC Dedicated array - writes - not throttled by Azure outbound bandwidth limits Network traffic going OUT of the PSC Dedicated array - reads - limited User-requested reads (e.g. from an application) as well as any replication traffic leaving the controller share the same egress budget. Because of that, planning workloads with replication should be done carefully to avoid competing with client reads. Back-end performance: VM caps, NVMe, and the write path The Controller VM caps Similarly to frontend network read throughput, Azure enforces per‑VM limits on total backend IOPS and combined read/write throughput. The overall IOPS/throughput of a VM is therefore limited by the lower of: the controller VM's IOPS/throughput cap and the combined IOPS/throughput of all attached managed disks. To avoid unnecessary spend due to overprovisioning, managed disks of PSC Dedicated arrays are configured as to saturate the controller backend caps just right. NVMe backend raises the ceiling Recent PSC Dedicated releases adopt an NVMe backend on supported Azure Premium SSD v2 based SKUs, increasing the controller VM’s backend IOPS and bandwidth ceilings. The disk layout and economics remain the same while the array gains backend headroom. The write path Purity secures initiator writes to NVRAM (for fast acknowledgment) and later destages to data managed disks. For each logical write, the backend cap is therefore tapped multiple times: a write to NVRAM a read from NVRAM during flush and a write to the data managed disks Under mixed read/write non-reducible workloads this can exhaust the combined read/write backend bandwidth and IOPS of the controller VM. Raised caps of the NVMe backend help here. Workload characteristics: iSCSI sessions and data reducibility Block size and session count Increasing iSCSI session count between Initiator VMs and the array does not guarantee better performance; with large blocks, too many sessions can increase latency without improving throughput, especially when multiple initiators converge on the same controller. Establish at least one session per controller for resiliency, then tune based on measured throughput and latency. Data reduction helps extend backend headroom When data is reducible, PSC Dedicated writes fewer physical bytes to backend managed disks. That directly reduces backend write MBps for the same logical workload, delaying the point where Azure’s VM backend caps are reached. The effect is most pronounced for write‑heavy and mixed workloads. Conversely, non‑reducible data translates almost 1:1 to backend traffic, hitting limits sooner and raising latency at high load. Conclusion Predictable performance in the cloud is about aligning architecture and operations with the platform’s limits. For PSC Dedicated on Azure, that means selecting the right controller and initiator VM SKUs, co‑locating resources to minimise network distance, enabling accelerated networking, and tuning workloads (block size, sessions, protocol) to the caps that actually matter. Inline data reduction and NVMe backend extend headroom meaningfully (particularly for mixed workloads) while Purity’s design keeps the experience consistent. Hopefully, this post was able to shed light on at least some of the performance factors of PSC Dedicated on Azure.
Pure Storage Cloud: Run It Your Way or Fully Managed
November 6 | Register Now! Cloud shouldn't limit your options regardless if it's private, public, or hybrid. It's your data. It should be your choice to move it, and it should be your choice to determine where your workloads should run. See how Pure Storage Cloud gives you the freedom to choose your management model—customer-managed services that let you run it your way to a completely seamless, fully managed solution. Join us as we explore the Pure Storage Cloud portfolio, which brings the performance and agility of Pure Storage everywhere—giving you the power to choose. This session will explore: Efficient storage options for your workloads, no matter where they run The freedom that Pure Storage gives you for workload mobility The latest options for Pure Storage to do the heavy lifting in the public cloud Register Now!Pure Cloud Block Store is now Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated (PSC Dedicated)
Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated: Name Change, Same Enterprise-Grade Experience Pure Storage Cloud is an enterprise-grade block storage delivered as a service in the public cloud. It extends the data services and evergreen architecture of the Purity operating system and can be deployed in: Azure as a fully managed native service or a customer-managed service integrated with Azure VMware Solution (AVS) AWS as a customer-managed service integrated with Elastic VMware Service (EVS) What’s New? Pure Cloud Block Store, the customer-managed service, is being renamed Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated (PSC Dedicated). This change reflects its integration into the Pure Storage Cloud family and alignment with the Enterprise Data Cloud strategy. What’s Not Changing? Everything That Matters Your experience, performance, and features remain the same. Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated continues to provide: Enterprise Data Services: Purity software in Azure and AWS, with data reduction, thin provisioning, and snapshots. Cost Efficiency: Optimized storage usage and reduced footprint through data reduction. Reliability & Resilience: Built-in redundancy, high availability, and cyber resilience. Hybrid & Multi-Cloud Mobility: Consistent APIs and replication across FlashArrays and PSC Dedicated for migration, DR, and data mobility. Disaster Recovery & Backup: Asynchronous and near-synchronous replication, plus snapshots for cost-effective backup and rapid recovery. VMware Workload Support: Enterprise-grade storage for VMware in AVS and EVS environments. Why This Matters The shift from Pure Cloud Block Store to Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated unifies offerings under the Pure Storage Cloud umbrella while advancing the broader Enterprise Data Cloud strategy.Azure lovers, you'll like this one...
☁️ Did everyone catch the big cloud news at last week's Accelerate? Pure Storage Cloud for Azure Native is now GA! Thats right - it's here! You can now tap into Pure's block storage directly inside azure-no extra layers, no hassle. It works just like the rest of your Azure services but with the simplicity and efficiency you expect from Pure Storage. If you are thinking about how to get more out of Azure, definitely give 👉 this blog a read.Accelerated Workflow Automation and the Enterprise Data Cloud
September 23 | Register Now! Manually managed infrastructure and workflows are quickly becoming part of legacy IT operations. Automation has moved to the forefront, and Pure Storage® is bringing technical innovation to every product in its portfolio. Join us for an expert-led demonstration on how the Pure Storage Enterprise Data Cloud (EDC) brings order to complex infrastructure with real automation. We’ll show you how AI Copilot assists in automating workflows across block, file, and object storage. Then we’ll dive into Pure Fusion™ automation, where provisioning is based on your desired outcomes. Register now to learn how EDC enables you to: Turn storage into intelligent data management with EDC powering AI at enterprise scale. Use workflow automation to eliminate manual tasks with AI-driven, policy-based actions. Stay in control and eliminate complexity with self-service, outcome-based provisioning. Register Now!AWS Elastic VMware Service with Pure Storage Cloud Block Store (Webinar Overview)
This week's "Clear the Path to VMware in AWS" webinar was very insightful. I wrote a post about it on my blog. Here is the link: https://dmitrywashere.github.io/data/cloud/aws/evs/cbs/purestorage/2025/09/06/pure-vmware-aws.html Let me know your thoughts.Clear the Path to VMware in AWS: Pure Storage + Amazon EVS
September 4 | Register Now! Cloud migrations are complex, but with Amazon Elastic VMware Service (EVS) and Pure Storage, you can clear a faster, simpler path to AWS without replatforming or sacrificing enterprise-grade capabilities. Join experts from AWS and Pure Storage to learn how this powerful integration helps you move VMware workloads to AWS faster. Learn how to optimize costs and maintain full control using the same VMware and Pure Storage tools you rely on today—with NVMe-oF/TCP, advanced replication, and consistent enterprise-grade data services across environments. You’ll learn how to: Deploy VMware on AWS using the same tools and integrations you use on-prem. Boost performance up to 2.5X with NVMe-oF/TCP while cutting costs by up to 50%. Streamline migrations and DR with Purity replication and VMware HCX. Share storage between EVS and native AWS to support hybrid and refactored apps. Register Now!Purely Cloud Podcast - CBS on Azure Technical Deep Dive
Together with vjirovsky we hosted a podcast episode where we discussed CBS on Azure architecture and best practices. Have a listen here: https://soundcloud.com/user-917746545/purely-cloud-guest-series-cbs-on-azure-technical-deep-dive-and-deployment-best-practicesUse CBS as persistent storage on AKS via Portworx CSI driver
Hi all, with the recent version of Portworx CSI driver (v25.4.0) you can mount a persistent block volume on CBS into your containers on Kubernetes and utilize all features and benefits of CBS. Sharing my recent blog post, how to set it up on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS): https://blog.vjirovsky.cz/portworx-csi-with-aks-with-cbs/
