DataCore Swarm Documentation
Enterprise Object Storage · S3 / HTTP(S) Compatible · Scales from Terabytes to Exabytes · Zero Downtime Operations
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Getting Started
New to Swarm?
Begin with installation, prerequisites, and initial configuration.
Knowledge Base
Search Knowledge Base articles, FAQs, and troubleshooting guides for common issues.
Product Downloads
Download the latest Swarm release, hotfixes, and related software packages.
Swarm Support
Open a support ticket, view release notes, and access the DataCore Support Portal.
Product Overview
DataCore Swarm is a software-defined object storage platform designed for data protection, archive, management, and search at enterprise scale. It provides S3 and HTTP(S) access to any application, device, or end-user - consolidating all data into a single, immediately accessible content library without requiring costly data migrations.
Swarm automates data governance from creation to expiration, delivers high cyber-resilience through flexible protection policies, and scales seamlessly from hundreds of terabytes to multiple exabytes on standard x86 hardware - across single-site, multi-site, core, and edge environments.
Exabyte Scale
Scales from hundreds of TB to multiple PB and EB on any x86 hardware.
S3 / HTTP(S) Native
Universal access for any application, device, or end-user without proprietary lock-in.
Zero Downtime
Hot-plug drives, rolling upgrades, and node changes with no service interruption.
Automated Governance
Policy-driven data lifecycle management from creation to expiration.
Key Benefits
Cost Savings
Runs on any standard x86 hardware - mix and match vendors and components
Unlimited scalability with no forklift upgrades
Streamlined administration reduces operational overhead
Built-in power conservation (DARKive™ Energy Savings)
Eliminates need for disparate, siloed storage systems
Distributed Data Access
Native S3 and HTTP(S) access to all data
Multi-tenant architecture for service providers and enterprises
Granular access controls per tenant, bucket, and object
End-user self-service content portal
Universal namespace across sites and locations
Robust Data Protection
High availability with built-in BC/DR capabilities
Synchronous and asynchronous replication
Data immutability via WORM policies
S3 Object Lock support
Data integrity seals and erasure coding
Automated compliance with regulatory requirements
Use Cases
Swarm addresses a wide range of enterprise and service provider storage requirements. The following represent the most common deployment scenarios across industries.
Use Case | Description | Primary Industries |
|---|---|---|
Active Archive | Offloads data from primary NAS storage, providing low-latency access to infrequently accessed content. | All sectors |
Immutable Storage for Backups | Defends against data loss and ransomware through WORM policies and S3 Object Lock. | Finance, Healthcare, Government |
Nearline Archive | Supports digital media workflows in-facility and on-set (edge) for production and post-production. | Media and Entertainment |
Origin Storage | Serves as the content origin for OTT/VOD platforms and content delivery networks. | Streaming, Broadcasting |
Medical Imaging Archive | Long-term retention of DICOM images, PACS, and VNA data with compliance-grade protection. | Healthcare, Life Sciences |
Digital Asset Management Archive | Protects large digital asset libraries with low-latency access and metadata-driven search. | Media, Publishing, Marketing |
Data Lake Storage | Handles massive unstructured workloads for research, big data analytics, IoT, and AI/ML pipelines. | Research, Technology, Industrial |
Multi-tenant Storage (StaaS) | Enables service providers to deliver Storage as a Service with tenant isolation and billing. | Service Providers, Cloud |
Long-term Data Preservation | Future-proof content protection with no forklift upgrades required as the platform scales. | Archives, Government, Education |
On-Premises Cloud Alternative | Provides public-cloud economics and S3 compatibility on-premises, replacing LTO tape. | All sectors |
Flexible Deployment
Swarm runs on any standard x86 hardware and is highly available by design. Swarm software boots from RAM and utilises only 5% of hard drive capacity for system data - resulting in an industry-leading 95% capacity availability for your content. Scale up with disks and scale out with more nodes within a Swarm cluster, or even expand with more Swarm clusters as needed. With flexible deployment, you can add tenants and sites at any time. Swarm supports hot plug drives, adding and retiring disks and nodes, and rolling upgrades of the full software stack - all with no service downtime.
Bare Metal Deployment
Boot Swarm from bare metal on any x86 server using any mix of HDDs and SSDs. Maximises hardware utilisation with no hypervisor overhead.
Turnkey Hardware Appliance
Swarm pre-installed and pre-configured in a turnkey appliance for edge, ROBO, and small IT deployments.
Note
Deploying Swarm storage nodes as virtual machines is not recommended for production use. Virtual Machine deployments are supported for proof-of-concept (POC) and evaluation purposes only and is not recommended for production use. For production deployments, bare metal or turnkey hardware appliance options are advised.
FileFly Integration
Use DataCore FileFly to easily offload files from SMB shares on NAS devices and Windows filers to Swarm.
Key Features
The diagram below illustrates Swarm's full feature set across data services, access methods, and operational capabilities.
Figure 1: DataCore Swarm Feature Architecture
Documentation Index
Use the table below to navigate to specific areas of the Swarm documentation space.
Section | Description |
|---|---|
Complete installation, configuration, administration, and API reference documentation for DataCore Swarm. | |
Documentation for DataCore FileFly, the intelligent data mover and tiering solution. | |
Setup and configuration guide for the containerised DataCore Swarm Appliance. | |
Integration guides for using DataCore Swarm as a backup target with Veeam Backup and Replication. | |
Archived documentation for previous Swarm versions (for reference only). |
Support and Resources
Need Help?
DataCore Support Portal - Open and track support cases
Contact DataCore - Sales, partnerships, and general enquiries
Knowledge Base - Self-service technical articles and FAQs
Stay Up to Date
Release Notes - Review what's new in each Swarm release
Product Downloads - Download the latest software
datacore.com - Corporate news and product announcements
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