We are excited to announce the release of Lightbits v3.13.1, available to the public on February 12, 2025. This version introduces thick clones via our Data Mobility Service (DMS), an updated Photon with additional resiliency and performance improvements, enhanced AI capabilities in the LB CLI’s ask command, and numerous other improvements to encryption, resiliency, and performance. Here’s what’s new:
Key Highlights of Lightbits v3.13.1
New Generally Available (GA) Features
- Data Mobility Service and Thick Cloning: Lightbits’ Data Mobility Service (DMS) is a new standalone service that runs in a dedicated container outside the Lightbits cluster, managing the movement of volumes and snapshots. With v3.13.1, DMS introduces support for thick cloning, enabling simple and managed volume cloning by leveraging all available resources across the cluster. For example, in large scale VMs deployments with a shared VM baseline, DMS can rapidly create multiple cloned volumes that are evenly distributed across all cluster nodes, unlocking the full performance potential of the cluster and balancing storage loads for more efficient utilization.
This release fully supports cloning within a cluster and introduces cross-cluster volume cloning as a technology preview. Looking ahead, we plan to enhance DMS with additional data mobility capabilities, such as asynchronous replication, incremental copies, and advanced data protection features. As part of this new capability, these enhancements aim to simplify Lightbits cluster management, unlock new cross-cluster data mobility use cases, and optimize resource utilization and allocation.
For more details on how to deploy and use DMS, please refer to the DMS documentation.
Management Improvements
- Updated Photon Release: Photon, our multi-cluster management UI, has been updated with bug fixes and performance enhancements as it progresses towards its General Availability release. We encourage you to share your feedback to help us improve Photon’s usability and guide its future development. For more details on how to deploy and use Photon, please refer to our documentation [here]
- LBCLI Ask: We’ve enhanced the AI capabilities of the LB CLI’s ask command, making it simpler than ever to manage Lightbits directly from the command line. The refined AI now provides more accurate answers, reducing friction in day-to-day operations and improving overall efficiency.
Enhanced Stability, Security, and Debuggability
We are committed to improving cluster stability, reliability, and security. The enhancements in this version ensure smoother operations, reduce downtime and strengthen resilience. Specifically, we have improved overall system stability and debuggability in failure scenarios while also reinforcing security measures to safeguard your data and infrastructure.
Looking Ahead
In addition to the highlights mentioned above, we are continually working to improve Lightbits, and your feedback plays a key role in this process. With v3.13.1, our focus has been on enhancing the platform’s security and robustness. We invite you to explore the new features and share your experiences with us.
Stay tuned for more updates, and do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or need assistance with your storage infrastructure. Also, join Lightbits Hub, our community hub on Slack, where users and developers exchange insights and expertise about Lightbits. We look forward to your feedback and ongoing collaboration.
For more information, check out the release notes for 3.13.1 [here]
