IBM Storage Systems for SDS
This chapter is a general overview of IBM Storage Systems that provides broad functions that can be combined to meet the customers’ business requirements for their software-defined storage (SDS) environments. Some of the IBM storage systems come with SDS software that can make deployment even easier. Some fit within the SDS because of the functions that are provided to meet specific critical business requirements.
The requirements for a customer’s SDS environment can include response times for hot and cold data. A FlashSystem V9000 or FlashSystem A9000/A9000R, with Spectrum Scale, Spectrum Archive, and an IBM TS4500 library might be the answer to the requirement for fast access for hot data. The FlashSystem is integrated with active archive requirements for cold data that can be stored on tape. The storage systems can be seamlessly integrated with Spectrum Scale and Spectrum Archive.
SDS is part of the software-defined infrastructure (SDI), and requirements might need certain types of storage to fulfill those needs. A successful implementation can be traced back to the appropriate planning needed to produce the architecture that meets the requirements.
IBM disk, hybrid disk, and flash memory systems provide storage efficiency solutions such as Real-Time Compression, automated tiering, virtualization, and thin provisioning. These storage solutions increase the data storage optimization opportunities for organizations of all sizes to boost system performance and lower IT costs.
This chapter includes the following sections:
4.1 Integration with SDS
Figure 4-1 shows the IBM SDS vision with all the storage HW/SW products it is built on and many possible configurations supporting current and future business applications.
Figure 4-1 IBM SDS Vision with Storage Systems
SDI (some examples are shown at the top of Figure 4-1) can use the storage services provided by the SDS infrastructure as shown with integrated monitoring and control tools.
Storage capacity can be deployed and accessed in different ways according to the particular application and business requirements:
4.2 IBM FlashSystem family
For businesses to act based on insight from data and transform it into competitive advantage, the data-driven applications must operate at HA and provide sufficient performance. IBM FlashSystem delivers extreme performance to provide measurable economic value across the data architecture, including servers, software, applications, and storage. IBM offers a comprehensive flash portfolio with the IBM FlashSystem family, supporting SDS solutions as a concept, and flash-optimized XIV, Storwize V7000, and DS8000 storage.
The IBM FlashSystem family allows you to take advantage of best-in-breed solutions that provide extreme performance, macro efficiency, and microsecond response times. The IBM FlashSystem V9000 Enterprise Performance Solution, the IBM FlashSystem A9000, and the IBM FlashSystem 900 members of the FlashSystem family are described in this section. IBM FlashSystem A9000 is the newest addition to the FlashSystem family of storage systems. You can consider IBM FlashSystem as a major Tier for SDS.
4.2.1 FlashSystem benefits
Flash technology has fundamentally changed the paradigm for IT systems, enabling new use cases and unlocking the scale of enterprise applications. Flash technology enhances the performance, efficiency, reliability, and design of essential enterprise applications and solutions. It does so by addressing the bottleneck in the IT process (data storage), enabling truly optimized information infrastructure.
IBM FlashSystem shared flash memory systems offer affordable, high-density, ultra low-latency, high reliability, and scalable performance in a storage device that is both space and power efficient.
IBM Flash products can either augment or replace traditional hard disk drive storage systems in enterprise environments. They empower applications to work faster and scale further. In addition to optimizing performance, the IBM FlashSystem family brings enterprise reliability and macro efficiency to the most demanding data centers, allowing businesses to receive the following benefits:
•Reduce customer complaints by improving application response time
•Service more users with less hardware
•Reduce I/O wait and response times of critical applications
•Simplify solutions
•Reduce power and floor space requirements
•Speed up applications, enhancing the pace of business
•Improve utilization of existing infrastructure
•Complement existing infrastructure
•Eliminate storage bottlenecks
From the client business perspective, IBM FlashSystem provides focus benefits and value in the following essential areas:
•Extreme Performance: Enable business to unleash the power of performance, scale, and insight to drive services and products to market faster.
•MicroLatency: Achieve competitive advantage through applications that enable faster decision making due to microsecond response times.
•Macro Efficiency: Decrease costs by getting more from efficient use of the IT staff, IT applications, and IT equipment due to the efficiencies that flash brings to the data center.
•Enterprise Reliability: Durable and reliable designs that use enterprise class flash and patented data protection technology.
4.2.2 IBM FlashCore technology
IBM FlashCore® technology refers to the IBM innovations that enable FlashSystem storage to deliver extreme performance, IBM MicroLatency, enterprise-grade reliability, and a wide range of operational and cost efficiencies.
These technologies and innovations are represented in the FlashCore hardware-accelerated architecture and IBM MicroLatency modules. They are also in other advanced flash management features and capabilities that are used in the IBM FlashSystem 900, A9000, and V9000:
•Hardware Accelerated Architecture: By using an all-hardware data path, FlashSystem arrays minimize the amount of software interaction during I/O activity, resulting in the highest performance and lowest latency for all-flash storage arrays.
•IBM MicroLatency Modules: By using IBM-designed, purpose-engineered flash memory modules, FlashSystem delivers extreme performance, greater density, unlimited scalability, and mission-critical reliability.
•Advanced Flash Management: Unique, patented IBM hardware and software innovations enable FlashSystem to provide the most reliable, feature-rich, and highly available flash data storage.
4.2.3 FlashSystem 900
Flash memory gives organizations the ability to deliver fast, reliable, and consistent access to critical data. With IBM FlashSystem 900, you can make faster decisions based on real-time insights and unleash the power of the most demanding applications. These applications include online transaction processing and analytics databases, virtual desktop infrastructures, technical computing applications, and cloud environments.
FlashSystem 900 can also lower operating costs and increase the efficiency of IT infrastructure by using much less power and space than traditional hard disk drive (HDD) and SSD solutions. Here are some reasons to consider FlashSystem 900 for implementation:
•When speed is critical: IBM FlashSystem 900 is designed to accelerate the applications that drive business. Powered by IBM FlashCore Technology, FlashSystem 900 delivers high performance at lower cost:
– 90 µ/155 µ read/write latency.
– Up to 1.1 million random read 4,000 IOPS.
– Up to 10 GBps read bandwidth.
•High capacity business needs: IBM FlashSystem 900 has 12 hot-swappable IBM MicroLatency storage modules: 1.2 TB. 2.9 TB, and 5.7 TB.
•Provides higher density: IBM FlashSystem 900 employs 20 nm multi-level cell (MLC) chips with IBM-enhanced Micron MLC technology for higher storage density and improved endurance.
•Highly scalable: FlashSystem 900 is configurable with 2.4 - 57 TB of capacity for increased flexibility.
•Easy to integrate into VMware environments: FlashSystem 900 is easy to integrate with VMware VASA by using Spectrum Connect to use the following features:
– Greater communication between vSphere and FlashSystem.
– Ability of vSphere to monitor and directly manage FlashSystem, allowing greater efficiency.
– Integration of VASA Unmap for greater storage efficiency.
Through SAN Volume Controller, the FlashSystem 900 includes support for OpenStack cloud environments.
For more information, see the following IBM publications:
•FlashSystem 900 Product Guide, TIPS1261
•Implementing IBM FlashSystem 900, SG24-8271
4.2.4 IBM FlashSystem V9000
IBM FlashSystem V9000 is a comprehensive all-flash enterprise storage solution. FlashSystem V9000 delivers the full capabilities of IBM FlashCore technology plus a rich set of storage virtualization features.
FlashSystem V9000 offers the advantages of software-defined storage at the speed of flash. These all-flash storage systems deliver the full capabilities of the hardware-accelerated I/O provided by FlashCore Technology. FlashSystem V9000 also delivers the enterprise reliability of MicroLatency modules and advanced flash management. These features are coupled with a rich set of the features that are found in the most advanced software-defined storage solutions. These features include Real-time Compression, dynamic tiering, thin provisioning, snapshots, cloning, replication, data copy services, and high-availability configurations.
V9000 now also supports physical expansions that receive SSD drives and NearlLine SAS drives that offer three tiers of storage.
FlashCore technology plus a rich set of storage virtualization features allow FlashSystem V9000 to deliver industry-leading value to enterprises in scalable performance, enduring economics, and agile integration:
•Fast: Optimize your infrastructure with scale-up, scale-out capabilities of fast FlashSystem performance.
•Cost-effective: Powerful virtualized storage enables you to realize immediate and long-term economic benefits.
•Easy: Unlike conventional storage, FlashSystem is easy to deploy, can virtualize legacy systems, and delivers value in hours.
The FlashSystem V9000 has connectivity to OpenStack cloud environments through the Cinder driver.
For more information, see the following IBM publications:
•IBM FlashSystem V9000 Product Guide, TIPS1281
•IBM FlashSystem V9000 and VMware Best Practices Guide, REDP-5247
4.2.5 IBM FlashSystem A9000/A9000R
IBM FlashSystem A9000 is a new comprehensive all-flash enterprise storage solution. It delivers the full capabilities of IBM FlashCore technology combined with advanced reduction mechanism and all the features of the IBM Spectrum Accelerate software stack.
As a cloud optimized solution, IBM FlashSystem A9000 suits the requirements of public and private cloud providers who require features, such as inline data deduplication, multi-tenancy, and quality of service.
It also uses powerful software-defined storage capabilities from IBM Spectrum Accelerate, such as Hyper-Scale technology and VMware integration:
•An enhanced management interface simplifies storage administration
•Data reduction: Pattern removal, data deduplication, and compression
•VMware vStorage API for Array Integration (VAAI)
•Multi-tenancy
•Host Rate Limiting: QoS
•Fibre Channel and iSCSI support
•Snapshots
•Synchronous and asynchronous remote mirroring
•Data Migration
•Hyper-Scale Mobility
•Encryption
•Authentication by using Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
•OpenStack and REST support
•VMware synergy
IBM FlashSystem A9000 is a fixed storage solution to provide up to 300 TB of effective capacity by using 8U of rack space.
IBM FlashSystem A9000R is a scalable storage solution into a single rack from 300 TB to 1800 TB of effective capacity.
FlashSystem A9000 and FlashSystem A9000R use the same firmware, and both offer onsite setup and service that are provided by IBM. They also share a feature set.
For more information, see the following publications:
•IBM FlashSystem A9000 Product Guide, REDP-5325
•IBM FlashSystem A9000 and IBM FlashSystem A9000R Architecture and Implementation, SG24-8345
4.3 IBM TS4500 and TS3500 tape libraries
IBM Spectrum Archive Enterprise Edition, along with IBM Spectrum Scale, allows you to connect tape libraries to the cloud. Tape has always been a cost effective solution. With the growth in data controlled by cloud environments, TS4500 and TS3500 can be used as an efficient tape tier.
How a TS4500 or TS3500 tape library can be configured as the tape tier in the storage cloud through IBM Spectrum Scale and IBM Spectrum Archive Enterprise Edition is shown in Figure 4-2.
Figure 4-2 TS4500/TS3500 tape library tape tier configuration for cold storage
4.3.1 TS4500 tape library
The IBM TS4500 tape library is a next-generation storage solution that is designed to help midsize and large enterprises respond to storage challenges. Among these challenges are high data volumes and the growth in data centers. These factors in turn increase the cost of data center storage footprints, the difficulty of migrating data across vendor platforms, and increased complexity of IT training and management as staff resources shrink.
In the TS4500, IBM delivers the density that today’s and tomorrow’s data growth requires, along with the cost efficiency and the manageability to grow with business data needs while preserving existing investments in IBM tape library products.
You can now achieve both a low cost per terabyte (TB) and a high TB density per square foot. The TS4500 can store up to 5.5 PBs of uncompressed data in a single 10-square foot library frame and up to 175.5PBs of uncompressed data in a 17 frame library.
The TS4500 tape library includes the following highlights:
•Improve storage density with more than two times the expansion frame capacity and support for 33 percent more tape drives
•Proactively monitor archived data with policy-based automatic media verification
•Improve business continuity and disaster recovery with automatic control path and data path failover
•Help ensure security and regulatory compliance with tape-drive encryption and Write Once Read Many (WORM) media
•Support Linear Tape-Open (LTO) Ultrium 8, LTO Ultrium 7, LTO Ultrium 6, LTO Ultrium 5, and IBM TS1155, TS1150, and TS1140 tape drives
•Increase mount performance and overall system availability with dual robotic accessors
•Provide a flexible upgrade path for users who want to expand their tape storage as their needs grow
•Reduce the storage footprint and simplify cabling with 10U of rack space on top of the library
For more information, see the IBM TS4500 R4 Tape Library Guide, SG24-8235.
4.3.2 TS3500 tape library
TS3500 continues to lead the industry in tape drive integration with features such as persistent worldwide name, multipath architecture, drive/media exception reporting, remote drive/media management, and host-based path failover.
The IBM TS3500 tape library is designed to provide a highly scalable, automated tape library for mainframe and open-systems backup and archive. The library can scale from midsize to large enterprise environments. Here are the highlights of the tape library:
•Support highly scalable, automated data retention on tape by using LTO Ultrium and IBM 3592 tape drive families
•Deliver extreme scalability and capacity, growing from one to 16 frames per library and from one to 15 libraries per library complex
•Provide up to 2.25 exabytes (EB) of automated, low-cost storage under a single library image, improving floor space utilization and reducing storage cost per TB with IBM 3592 JD enterprise advanced data cartridges (10 TB native capacity)
Massive scalability (300,000+ LTO tape cartridges) can be achieved with the TS3500 Shuttle Complex, as shown in Figure 4-3.
Figure 4-3 TS3500 Shuttle Complex moves tapes cartridges between physical libraries
For more information, see IBM Tape Library Guide for Open Systems, SG24-5946.
4.4 IBM DS8880
The IBM DS8000 series is the flagship block storage system within the IBM System Storage portfolio.
The IBM DS8880 family offers business-critical, all-flash, and hybrid data systems that span a wide range of price points. Consider the following points:
•The IBM DS8884F, DS8886F, and DS8888F are all-flash offerings. The DS8880 all flash includes up to 2.9PB of raw Flash capacity in a three-rack footprint.
•The IBM DS8884 and IBM DS8886 are two high-performance hybrid models that scale to more than 5.2 petabytes (PB) of raw drive capacity. A total of 14 types of media can be managed in up to three different tiers (Flash cards and flash drives, SAS, and Nearline SAS drives).
•IBM enhanced the OpenStack Cinder driver with DS8880 support.
•Integration of storage systems requires an OpenStack Block Storage driver on the OpenStack Cinder nodes.
How Horizon (Dashboard) and Nova (Compute) interact with Cinder over the Ethernet control-path is shown in Figure 4-4. Also shown is the data path from Nova to the DS8880 storage system.
Figure 4-4 OpenStack Cinder driver support for DS8880
With the availability of the IBM Storage Driver for the OpenStack Cinder component, the IBM DS8880 storage system can now extend its benefits to the OpenStack cloud environment.
The IBM Storage Driver for OpenStack Cinder enables OpenStack clouds to access the DS8880 storage system. The IBM Storage Driver for OpenStack is fully supported by Cinder and provides “block storage as a service” through Fibre Channel to VMs.
Cloud users can send requests for storage volumes from the OpenStack cloud. These requests are routed to, and transparently handled by, the IBM Storage Driver. The IBM Storage Driver communicates with the DS8880 storage system and controls the storage volumes on it.
The last version of Cinder Driver 2.1.0 provides the following capabilities:
•Create/Delete Volume
•Volume Attach/Detach (by way of Nova Compute)
•Snapshots, Clones (FlashCopy with background copy)
•Backups (Copy Volume Images to Object Store)
•Swift, Ceph and TSM Support
•Volume Types, Volume Retype
•Support volume Quality of Service (QoS)
•Quotas
•Consistency Groups for FlashCopy and replication
•Volume Retype: Ability to change the type of a Cinder volume to a new tier, add capabilities, and so on
•Volume Replication: Ability to do synchronous and asynchronous replication of cinder volumes between two subsystems
For more information about the use of the DS8000 in a OpenStack environment, see Using IBM DS8000 in an OpenStack Environment, REDP-5220.
IBM also provides Storage integration between VMware and DS8000 (see Figure 4-5 on page 103). DS8880 supports vStorage API for Array Integration (VAAI) and includes the following features:
•Integration with vStorage APIs to improve performance.
•Full copy (also known as XCOPY) primitive offloads work from production virtual servers to storage, which helps reduce host and SAN resource utilization.
•Hardware-assisted locking (by using Atomic Test & Set) primitive enables a finer-grained level of locking (block-level instead of LUN-level) on VMware Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) metadata, which is more efficient and also scales better in larger VMware clusters.
•Write Same (zero blocks) primitive allows the process of zeroing the VMDK to be offloaded to the storage subsystem.
•Unmap (Block Delete) allows the host to request that a range of blocks on a thin-provisioned volume be unmapped, which allows the underlying space to be released.
Figure 4-5 Storage integration between VMware and DS8000
The tasks that can benefit from improved performance include the following examples:
•VM creation, cloning, snapshots, and deletion
•vMotion and storage vMotion
•Extending a VMFS Volume
•Extending the size of a VMDK file
DS8880 also supports the following components:
•vCenter plug-in
•VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager (SRM)
•VMware Web Client
For more information, see the IBM DS8880 Product Guide (Release 8.3), REDP-5344.
Transparent cloud tiering
Transparent cloud tiering (TCT) provides a native cloud storage tier for IBM Z environments. TCT moves data directly from the DS8880 to cloud object storage, without sending data through the host. TCT provides cloud object storage (public, private, or on-premises) as a secure, reliable, transparent storage tier that is natively integrated with the DS8880.
TCT on the DS8880 is fully integrated with DFSMShsm, which reduces CPU utilization on the host when you are migrating and recalling data in cloud storage. DFSMSdss can also be used to store data that is generated by using the DUMP command.
The DS8880 supports the OpenStack Swift and Amazon S3 APIs. The DS8880 also supports the IBM TS7700 as an object storage target and the following cloud service providers:
•Amazon S3
•IBM Cloud
•OpenStack Swift Based Private Cloud
4.5 IBM Storwize family
Designed for software-defined environments, the IBM Storwize family includes technologies that complement and enhance virtual environments, and built-in functions, such as Real-time Compression and Easy Tier technology that deliver extraordinary levels of efficiency. Available in a wide range of storage systems, the Storwize family delivers sophisticated capabilities that are easy to deploy, and help to control costs for growing businesses.
The IBM Storwize family consists of the IBM SAN Volume Controller, IBM Storwize V7000, IBM Storwize V5000, and the all flash memory systems including V7000F and V5000F. Benefits of the Storwize family include high-performance thin provisioning, Real-time Compression, IP replication, Easy Tier, Tiering to the Cloud encryption, QOS, an new advanced GUI, and storage virtualization.
Data protection is provided with the standard and proven set of features that include FlashCopy, Metro and Global Mirror, and volume mirroring.
The Storwize family uses IBM Spectrum Virtualize software the same proven software as SAN Volume Controller, and provides the same interface and similar capabilities across the product line (see Figure 4-6).
Figure 4-6 IBMs Storage Hypervisors powered by IBM Spectrum Virtualize
4.5.1 Storwize V5000 Gen2 and V5000F Gen2
The Storwize V5000 Gen2 and V5000F Gen2 entry systems provide Hybrid (V5000) and All-Flash (V5000F) block storage capability. They deliver efficient, entry-level configurations that are designed to meet the needs of small and midsize businesses.
Designed to provide organizations with the ability to consolidate and share data at an affordable price, the Storwize V5000 Gen2 offers advanced software capabilities that are found in more expensive systems.
Storwize V5030 system can scale up to two systems clusters that support 1,520 drives (see Figure 4-7).
Figure 4-7 IBM Storwize V5000 family
For more information, see Implementing Implementing the IBM Storwize V5000 Gen2 (including the Storwize V5010, V5020, and V5030) with IBM Spectrum Virtualize V8.1, SG24-8162, which is available at the following website:
4.5.2 Storwize V7000 Gen2+ and V7000F Gen2+
These midrange systems provide Hybrid (V7000) and All-Flash (V7000F) Block storage capability. They are highly scalable virtualized, enterprise-class, flash-optimized storage systems that are designed to consolidate workloads into a single system for ease of management, reduced costs, superior performance, and HA. Storwize V7000 systems can scale up to four systems cluster supporting 3,040 drives.
IBM Storwize V7000 solution incorporates IBM Spectrum Virtualize software and provides a modular storage system that includes the capability to virtualize its internal and external SAN-attached storage. IBM Storwize V7000 solution is built on IBM Spectrum Virtualize.
The IBM Storwize V7000 is a modular, midrange virtualization RAID storage subsystem that employs the IBM Spectrum Virtualize software engine. It has the following benefits:
•Brings enterprise technology to midrange storage
•Specialty administrators are not required
•Client setup and service are simplified
•The system can grow incrementally as storage capacity and performance needs change
•Multiple storage tiers are in a single system with nondisruptive migration between them
•Simple integration can be done into the server environment
The IBM Storwize V7000 (see Figure 4-8) consists of a set of drive enclosures. Control enclosures contain disk drives and two nodes (an I/O group), which are attached to the SAN fabric or 10 gigabit Ethernet (GbE) fast Ethernet. Expansion enclosures contain drives and are attached to control enclosures.
Figure 4-8 IBM Storwize V7000
For more information, see Implementing the IBM Storwize V7000 with IBM Spectrum Virtualize V8.1, SG24-7938, which is available at this website:
4.5.3 IBM SAN Volume Controller as an SDS appliance
IBM SAN Volume Controller is a virtualization appliance solution, which implements the IBM Spectrum Virtualize software. It maps virtualized volumes that are visible to hosts and applications to physical volumes on storage devices.
Each server within the storage area network (SAN) features its own set of virtual storage addresses that are mapped to physical addresses. If the physical addresses change, the server continues to run by using the same virtual addresses that it used previously. Therefore, volumes or storage can be added or moved while the server is still running.
The IBM virtualization technology improves the management of information at the “block” level in a network, which enables applications and servers to share storage devices on a network.
IBM Spectrum Virtualize software in SAN Volume Controller helps make new and existing storage more effective. SAN Volume Controller includes many functions that are traditionally deployed separately in disk systems. By including these functions in a virtualization system, SAN Volume Controller standardizes functions across virtualized storage for greater flexibility and potentially lower costs.
The total storage capacity manageable per system is 32 PetaBytes.
IBM SAN Volume Controller highlights
Improving efficiency and delivering a flexible, responsive IT infrastructure are essential requirements for any cloud deployment. Key technologies for delivering this infrastructure include virtualization, consolidation, and automation. SAN Volume Controller provides these technologies to help you build your storage cloud.
SAN Volume Controller’s enhanced storage capabilities with sophisticated virtualization, management, and functions have these benefits:
•Enhance storage functions, economics, and flexibility with sophisticated virtualization
•Employ hardware-accelerated data compression for efficiency and performance
•Use encryption to help improve security for data on existing storage systems
•Move data among virtualized storage systems without disruptions
•Optimize tiered storage, including flash storage, automatically with IBM Easy Tier
•Improve network utilization for remote mirroring and help reduce costs
•Implement multi-site configurations for HA and data mobility
An overview of the IBM SAN Volume Controller architecture is shown in Figure 4-9.
Figure 4-9 SAN Volume Controller overview
4.5.4 Ongoing IBM contributions to OpenStack Cinder for the Storwize family
The Storwize family, which includes SAN Volume Controller, supports these items:
•Folsom, Grizzly, Havana, Icehouse, Juno
•iSCSI and Fibre Channel
•Advanced Storwize features such as Real-time Compression and Easy Tier
•Software-defined placement by using OpenStack filter scheduler
•Storage-assisted volume migration (Storwize family is the only storage to support this function in Havana)
With the OpenStack Havana release, a new administrator feature for migrating volumes between Cinder instances was added. Volumes can be migrated with Host Assisted Data Migration or by Storage Assisted Data Migration with the IBM Storwize family.
The common use cases for migrating volumes are shown in Figure 4-10.
Figure 4-10 Common use cases for volume migration in OpenStack environment
IBM Storwize family is the only storage in the Havana release to support storage assisted migration. Volumes move between two storage pools that are managed by a Storwize family system.
The use of the Storwize family storage assisted migration results in the following key benefits:
•No interaction with the host
•No impact on VM and node
•Instantaneous
•No effect on VM operations or volume management
4.6 IBM Elastic Storage Server
The IBM Elastic Storage Server (ESS) is a modern implementation of software-defined storage, combining IBM Spectrum Scale software with IBM servers and disk arrays (see Figure 4-11).
Figure 4-11 IBM Elastic Storage Server
This technology combines the CPU and I/O capability of the IBM POWER8® architecture and matches it with 2U and 4U storage enclosures. This architecture allows the IBM Spectrum Scale Native RAID software capability to actively manage all RAID functionality that is formerly accomplished by a hardware disk controller. RAID rebuild times are reduced to a fraction of the time that is needed with hardware RAID.
The IBM building block solution for high-performance storage allows you to accomplish the following tasks:
•Deploy petascale class high-speed storage quickly with pre-assembled and optimized servers, storage, and software.
•Host multiple tenants, adjust resource allocation, and scale as your needs evolve.
•Experience higher performance and scalability with lower cost.
•Rebuild failed disks faster with IBM developed de-clustered RAID technology.
IBM has implemented Elastic Storage Server configurations for various workloads, from high-velocity import through high-density cloud storage usage models, deploying the latest SSD, serial-attached SCSI (SAS), and Nearline SAS drives. For performance-oriented workloads, the system’s affordable building block configurations start at 24 or 48 drives.
For high-capacity storage, IBM offers configurations that can support almost 2 petabytes of usable, deployable storage in a single industry-standard 42U rack. For mixed workloads, the server supports varied configurations of building blocks, with placement rules for the creation and management of all data on the appropriate storage tier.
For more information, see the following websites:
Newly developed RAID techniques from IBM use this CPU and I/O power to help overcome the limitations of current disk drive technology.
Elastic Storage Server is a building block that provides the following benefits:
•Deploy petascale class high-speed storage quickly with pre-assembled and optimized servers, storage, and software
•Host multiple tenants, adjust resource allocation, and scale as your needs evolve
•Experience higher performance and scalability with lower cost
•Achieve superior sustained streaming performance
•Rebuild failed disks faster with IBM developed de-clustered RAID technology
For more information, see the Elastic Storage Server in IBM Knowledge Center:
4.7 VersaStack for Hybrid Cloud
Converged infrastructures allow data center administrators to minimize compatibility issues between their devices. They group compute, network, and storage components into a single IT management entity.
IBM’s long history and leadership of IBM in storage, combined with experience and expertise of Cisco in data center computing, networking, mobility, collaboration, and analytics technologies made the IBM and Cisco partnership a natural move for building best-of-breed converged infrastructures.
VersaStack is an IBM and Cisco converged infrastructure solution, which combines computing, networking, and storage into a single integrated and managed system. It is built over Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS) Integrated Infrastructure, including Cisco UCS and Cisco UCS Director management interface, combined with IBM storage that is based on IBM Spectrum Virtualize and IBM Spectrum Accelerate technologies.
VersaStack offers quick deployment and rapid time to value for the implementation of modern infrastructures. It enables enterprises to easily and cost-effectively scale compute, network and storage capacity as needed. This solution allows data center administrators to be provided an Infrastructure-as-a-service private cloud solution.
VersaStack is backed by the so-called “Cisco Validated Design” (CVD) program, which is a Cisco program delivering VersaStack as a tested, validated and documented solution, almost as a single product provides.
The components of VersaStack are shown in Figure 4-12.
Figure 4-12 VersaStack Components
For more information about the VersaStack CVDs, see this website:
For more information about VersaStack, see this website:
The latest VersaStack for Hybrid Cloud CVD, which combines VersaStack CVDs with IBM Spectrum Copy Data Management and Cisco ONE Enterprise Cloud Suite, allows VersaStack to provide a hybrid cloud solution. In this solution, any workload can be orchestrated, deployed, and managed across data centers, public cloud, and private cloud environments.
IBM Spectrum Copy Data Management allows for the creation, distribution, and lifecycle management of application aware data copies. Cisco ONE Enterprise Cloud Suite delivers Data center automation, cloud management, self-service ordering, and assured application performance over a hybrid cloud.
An overview of VersaStack for Hybrid Cloud capabilities and components is shown in Figure 4-13.
Figure 4-13 VersaStack for Hybrid Cloud in a nutshell
VersaStack for Hybrid Cloud can then apply to many use cases, such as Hybrid IT as a Service, DevOps, Resource Optimization, and Workload Life Cycle Management.
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