Originally reported by TechRepublic, April 2020. Source: techrepublic.com
Overview
Edge-to-cloud file services provider CTERA announced two DevOps-focused tools: the CTERA Software Development Kit (SDK) for Python and the CTERA Ansible Collection. Both are available on GitHub under an open-source license and are aimed at helping enterprise engineering teams automate the provisioning, management, and monitoring of hybrid cloud file services at scale.
Why This Matters: DevOps and Distributed File Services
Large enterprises increasingly operate across distributed topologies — thousands of edge locations, remote sites, and globally dispersed users. Manually provisioning file services across this kind of footprint is slow and error-prone. The DevOps movement has pushed organizations to treat infrastructure as code, automate repetitive tasks, and ship changes faster.
CTERA noted that the shift to remote work — accelerated significantly in 2020 — intensified pressure on IT teams to deliver agile, frictionless file access to distributed workforces. These tools are designed to close the gap between centralized IT operations and the needs of remote users.
The CTERA Python SDK
The CTERA SDK wraps the platform’s existing REST API functionality and exposes it as a native Python library. This means developers can integrate CTERA file service management directly into scripts and applications without having to write raw API calls or parse complex API documentation manually.
Key capabilities of the SDK include:
- Automated provisioning: Spin up and configure storage resources across multiple cloud providers programmatically with a few lines of Python.
- Performance metrics collection: Gather storage infrastructure data such as deduplication savings ratios, local cache utilization, and per-user storage consumption.
- Global file system monitoring: Track key KPIs including server health, metadata capacity, inbound and outbound traffic volumes, edge filer connection status, and the number of active user sessions.
- Multi-cloud support: Designed to work across public and private cloud backends, allowing teams to provision consistent file services regardless of underlying infrastructure.
According to CTERA, the goal is to lower the barrier to entry: teams do not need highly skilled API developers to automate common file services workflows. The SDK is intended to augment business agility by letting engineers get new capabilities into production more quickly.
The CTERA Ansible Collection
For teams that prefer a declarative, Infrastructure as Code (IaC) approach without writing custom Python scripts, CTERA also released an Ansible Collection. Ansible Collections package reusable roles, modules, and plugins into a distributable format that integrates cleanly with existing Ansible playbooks.
The CTERA Ansible Collection allows IT operations teams to:
- Automate routine IT processes related to file service delivery without deep scripting expertise.
- Define desired infrastructure states in YAML-based playbooks, consistent with standard Ansible workflows.
- Integrate CTERA file service provisioning into broader CI/CD and infrastructure automation pipelines.
This approach is particularly valuable for organizations that already use Ansible as their primary automation platform and want to bring file services management into the same operational model.
The CTERA Enterprise File Services Platform
Both tools build on top of the CTERA Enterprise File Services Platform, which is designed to replace legacy on-premises file storage systems with a hybrid cloud architecture. The platform works as follows:
- Edge filers and endpoint clients provide local, high-performance file access at remote sites and for individual users.
- A global file system is maintained in the cloud — either public (such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud) or private — providing centralized data management, governance, and visibility.
- Data is synchronized between edge locations and the central cloud repository, enabling multisite collaboration while keeping costs and latency in check.
The architecture is intended to deliver enterprise-grade security and performance without requiring organizations to maintain traditional on-premises NAS or file server infrastructure.
Availability
Both the CTERA DevOps SDK and the CTERA Ansible Collection were made available on GitHub under an open-source license at the time of this announcement. Teams evaluating these tools should check the official CTERA GitHub repositories for the current release status, documentation, and contribution guidelines.
What CTERA’s CTO Said
“Our new offerings close the gap between centralized IT and remote users by enabling faster, agile deployment of storage services that drive user productivity and ensure business continuity.”
— Aron Brand, CTO, CTERA
Key Takeaways for DevOps Engineers
- If your organization uses CTERA’s platform, the Python SDK lets you programmatically manage file services in the same codebase as your other infrastructure automation.
- The Ansible Collection is a lower-friction entry point for ops teams already invested in Ansible who want to manage file services declaratively.
- Both tools are open source, making it straightforward to review the code, contribute improvements, or adapt them to your specific workflows.
- Monitoring capabilities in the SDK — covering deduplication, cache, traffic, and session metrics — can be integrated into existing observability stacks.