StarWind Virtual SAN
Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solutions
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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What is StarWind Virtual SAN
StarWind Virtual SAN is a software-defined storage product that creates a shared, highly available datastore by mirroring local disks across two or more servers. It is commonly used to build small-to-midsize HCI-style clusters for virtualization environments, including remote/branch offices and cost-sensitive deployments. The product runs on Windows Server and integrates with common hypervisors, using synchronous replication and quorum/witness options to maintain availability during node failures.
Works with existing servers
The software is designed to run on standard x86 servers and use local storage, which can reduce the need for dedicated storage arrays. This fits deployments that want to reuse existing hardware or avoid appliance-only purchasing models. It also supports incremental expansion by adding nodes or storage as requirements change.
Two-node HA focus
The product is frequently deployed in two-node configurations with synchronous mirroring to provide high availability without a separate SAN. This aligns with common ROBO and small datacenter patterns where a compact cluster is preferred. Witness/quorum mechanisms help avoid split-brain scenarios when a node or network link fails.
Hypervisor integration options
StarWind Virtual SAN supports common virtualization stacks and provides shared storage presentation suitable for clustered hypervisors. It can expose storage via standard protocols and integrates with host clustering features to enable VM failover. This flexibility can be useful in mixed environments where the storage layer must fit existing virtualization choices.
Windows-centric architecture
StarWind Virtual SAN is primarily implemented on Windows Server, which can be a constraint for organizations standardizing on Linux-based storage stacks. This also introduces Windows patching, licensing, and operational considerations into the storage layer. Teams without Windows administration skills may face a steeper operational ramp.
Not a full HCI stack
Compared with integrated HCI platforms, the product focuses on the storage layer and relies on external components for lifecycle management of compute, hypervisor, and hardware. Organizations may need additional tools and processes for cluster-wide updates, firmware coordination, and end-to-end monitoring. This can increase operational overhead in environments seeking a single management plane.
Design sensitivity at scale
Performance and resiliency depend heavily on correct sizing of CPU, RAM, storage media, and especially network latency/bandwidth for synchronous replication. As node counts and workloads grow, architecture choices (networking, caching, storage tiers) become more critical and may require careful validation. Larger-scale deployments may prefer solutions with more prescriptive reference architectures and tightly integrated hardware options.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free (downloadable, self-supported) | StarWind VSAN Free is offered for download; self-supported, limited feature/support compared to commercial editions. |
| Standard | Not listed on official site — Request a quote | Entry-level commercial edition. Official site directs customers to request a personalized quote rather than publishing standard prices. |
| Professional | Not listed on official site — Request a quote | Mid-tier commercial edition. Official site directs customers to request a personalized quote. |
| Enterprise | Not listed on official site — Request a quote | Commercial edition with per-node licensing (minimum packages apply); SaaS/financing options available for Enterprise. Contact sales for pricing. |
| Datacenter | Not listed on official site — Request a quote | Premium edition for a single site/datacenter: unlimited nodes and capacity. Contact sales for pricing. |
Seller details
StarWind Software, Inc.
Wilmington, Delaware, United States
2009
Private
https://www.starwindsoftware.com/
https://x.com/starwindsoftware
https://www.linkedin.com/company/starwind-software/
