TrueNAS and FreeNAS 11.3 Release includes hundreds of improvements to the #1 Open Source Storage OS

Jan 28, 2020 – San Jose, CA, US – iXsystems® has released FreeNAS 11.3 and has also begun taking orders for TrueNAS X-Series and M-Series systems with TrueNAS 11.3. Version 11.3 represents another major advancement in the quality and functionality of the leading Open Storage platform. Building upon the very popular API and Web UI improvements of the previous release, 11.3 introduces easy-setup wizards, major replication improvements, and over 500 other enhancements.  
FreeNAS provides the Open Source foundation of TrueNAS which is sold and supported via Enterprise appliances. TrueNAS 11.3 also inherits an abundance of vetted FreeNAS features from previous releases, including the modernized web UI as well as the ability to use and manage jails, plugins, and VMs. All of these features have now been integrated with TrueNAS high-availability and hardware management features. TrueNAS is available on the X-Series and M-Series platforms which scale from 10TB to over 10PB with hybrid or all-flash media.
Key Features of FreeNAS and TrueNAS 11.3 include the following major improvements:

• ZFS Replication: >8X performance, Parallel tasks, Auto-resume
• Simplified Setup with Wizards:  iSCSI, SMB, Pools, Networking, Replication
• SMB improvements: User quotas via AD, Shadow copies, ACL manager
• Easier Plugins: UI redesign, Categories, NAT reduces IP addresses
• Dashboard and Reporting: Faster response, more relevant data
• Configuration Management: API enables config save and audits
• WireGuard VPNs: Secure networking to remote systems
• TrueNAS: Graphical enclosure and High-Availability management

TrueNAS 11.3 has been validated with both high-performance SSDs and (Read Intensive) RI-SSDs based on lower-cost QLC technology. The ZFS technology of TrueNAS aggregates small random writes into larger sequential writes resulting in higher IOPS (I/O per second) and greater flash endurance. TrueNAS can be configured with many different storage media pools, including both hybrid and all-flash options, even in the same system. This flexibility allows TrueNAS to be configured for the capacity and performance that is needed and with a TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) that is considerably less. 
Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) validated the performance and cost benefits of TrueNAS with extensive testing.  ESG concluded that “The combination of ZFS, Open Source, and a lean sales force provides efficiencies that enable iXsystems to offer high performance, feature-rich solutions at high value price points. We calculated a significant delta. Based on our testing and analysis, we found that iXsystems can typically offer up to double the performance at half the cost of their major competitors.”
A major investment in quality assurance and automated testing over the past 18 months has ensured significant improvements in software quality and ease of use relative to previous releases. FreeNAS is benefiting from the large investment in software QA for TrueNAS products.  With thousands of systems already running FreeNAS 11.3 pre-release, this quality improvement is already evident.

“TrueNAS 11.2 was our highest quality release to date and has enabled our clients to achieve the five 9’s of availability they expect.  The 11.3 release accelerates and improves ZFS replication so that clients can handle disasters and site outages more easily.” 

– Morgan Littlewood, VP Product Management, iXsystems

TrueCommand Multi-System Management
TrueCommand is the single pane of glass management system that lets users manage multiple FreeNAS and TrueNAS systems. With Version 11.3, it can also provide configuration save/restore functionality as well as auditing of configuration changes.  TrueCommand reduces TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) through improved resource utilization and the unique embrace of Open Source economics. Users can deploy and manage FreeNAS systems for minimum cost and TrueNAS systems where support and HA are needed. View the TrueCommand datasheet and documentation to find out more.  

“Our goal is to make the TrueNAS family of products as manageable as it is secure. Powered with the OpenZFS file system, data has always been as persistent as a user requires. With TrueNAS 11.3 and TrueCommand, users can better manage how that data is stored onsite, cross site, or in the cloud. Many thanks to more than a thousand users that participated in the Beta testing.” 

– Kris Moore, VP Engineering, iXsystems

To learn more about iXsystems and how TrueNAS can help your organization, contact us via https://www.ixsystems.com/contact-us/, or give us a call at 1-855-GREP-4-IX.
11.3 Screenshots of the UI

About iXsystems
Through decades of expertise in system design and development of Open Source software (FreeNAS, FreeBSD, OpenZFS, and TrueOS), iXsystems has become an innovation leader in a global marketplace that relies on Open Source solutions, high availability storage and servers, technology partnerships, and expert support. Since its founding in 2002, thousands of companies, universities, and government organizations have come to rely on iXsystems’ enterprise servers, TrueNAS Unified Storage, and consultative approach to building IT infrastructure and Private Clouds with Open Source economics. Millions of tech-savvy users also download and deploy our Open Source software each year.