45Drives, an open-source storage leader, has announced a strategic partnership with LINBIT, creators of DRBD and LINSTOR, to deliver fully integrated high-availability server solutions for demanding environments. This collaboration combines 45Drives' open hardware and support model with LINBIT's software-defined storage stack, making clustered storage accessible to more businesses without traditional cost and complexity barriers.
The partnership brings LINBIT's technologies, particularly DRBD for real-time block-level replication and LINSTOR for automated storage provisioning, into 45Drives' hardware ecosystem. These tools support bare metal, virtual machines, and Kubernetes-native deployments, providing customers with turnkey access to resilient, scalable storage architectures. For more information about LINBIT's solutions, visit https://www.linbit.com.
Dr. Doug Milburn, President of 45Drives, emphasized the shared mission of both companies to make enterprise storage open, understandable, and built for longevity. LINBIT, founded by Philipp Reisner, who began DRBD development as his master's thesis in 1999, has grown into a trusted name in Linux-based storage, with software deployed by global giants like Apple, IBM, and Amazon and downloaded over 40 million times.
This partnership is significant because it challenges the dominance of closed, proprietary systems in the storage market by offering a transparent, cost-effective alternative. Organizations gain complete control over their infrastructure, long-term cost predictability, and access to deep technical expertise without vendor lock-in. The integration of proven open-source tools with enterprise-ready hardware and support enables businesses, institutions, and creators to deploy high-availability solutions that are both reliable and scalable.
The impact of this collaboration extends across industries, providing a viable option for those seeking to avoid the high costs and limitations of traditional storage systems. By leveraging open-source technologies, 45Drives and LINBIT are helping to redefine what is possible with modern infrastructure, promoting innovation and flexibility in data management. For details on 45Drives' offerings, visit https://www.45drives.com.
