Compare Storage Hardware and Storage Software. Learn the benefits of IBM System Storage compared to competitive storage hardware and storage software vendors.
The right storage hardware and storage software are critical to a flexible, on demand IT infrastructure—and to meeting today's growing compliance demands. To help you attain both objectives, IBM offers a wide range of performance and capacity options for data protection, disaster resiliency and metro and global mirroring. IBM's key advantage? Our disk, tape, and software products work together to exploit synergies—such as virtualization—across IBM systems. The benefit for you: higher performance and availability across heterogeneous servers and applications, at lower cost and with less complexity.
IBM's integrated approach to storage hardware and software makes it easy for you to add individual products to your infrastructure, or gain maximum advantage through an end-to-end, scalable solution. Our industry and technical experts are available to create an Information Infrastructure strategy designed specifically for your current and future needs.
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Download a copy of IBM Systems Storage Product Guide for full product details:
Download storage hardware and software (PDF, 109KB) product guide
First
DS8000: Information Infrastructure for the World’s Most Demanding Clients
The IBM System Storage™ DS8000™ Turbo series is designed to support the most demanding business applications with its exceptional performance and tremendous scalability. This, combined with its world-class resiliency features, make it an ideal storage platform for supporting today’s round-the-clock, global business environment for all major server platforms. Specialized leading edge functions for selected IBM servers add even further value not offered by other disk systems.
The IBM System Storage™ DS8000® series can also help you simplify your storage environment and reduce the cost and complexity of managing the extraordinary growth of data by helping you consolidate capacity onto a single, high-performance, highly available and scalable disk system. The IBM System Storage DS8000 series offers an effective approach to helping you bring your disk storage environment back under control:
- Heterogeneous server support plus unique IBM server synergies for superior throughput and availability
- Scalability of over 1 PB can enable consolidation on a single system
- Lightning fast solid-state drives, Fibre Channel drives and 1 TB Serial ATA (SATA) drives enable a tiered storage environment
- Variable LPARs (logical partitions) can support independent workloads on a single system
- Advanced management capabilities enable more effective administration of the entire storage environment
- IBM Full Disk Encryption drives can protect sensitive information on disk drives and entire systems when they leave the data center.
- Highest levels of performance and resiliency are delivered through IBM POWER5+™ processors, advanced cache optimization, and 4Gb Fibre Channel and FICON® connectivity
IBM DS8000 vs EMC Symmetrix: a closer look
IBM DS8000 vs EMC Symmetrix DMX
| FEATURES | IBM DS8000 | EMC Symmetrix DMX | Sun 9990V/9985V |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flexible duration warranties | YES (1, 2, 3, or 4 years, customer choice, covers hardware and advanced function) | NO (DMX 2-year and V-Max 3-year standard hardware warranty; 90-day standard advanced function warranty) | NO (3-year standard hardware warranty; 90-day standard advanced function warranty) |
| Published industry-standard performance benchmarks(SPC-1 and SPC-2) [1] | YES | NO | YES |
| Comprehensive data striping helps significantly reduce performance problems | YES (Storage Pool Striping) | Limited | Limited |
| System z ESCON supported | YES | YES – DMX NO – V-Max |
YES |
| Asynchronous remote copy design can reduce data loss | YES (sends data quickly, reducing data loss to as little as 3-5 seconds) | NO (delays sending data, leading to more data loss) | Unknown |
| Efficient use of cache | YES | NO (Only ½ of cache is “usable”; large cache slots waste valuable cache space when handling small, random I/Os) | NO (large cache slots waste valuable cache space when handling small, random I/Os) |
| Better IBM System i, p, z synergy | YES (generally quicker to market with support for new models, OS releases, function) | NO (generally delayed support at best) | NO (generally delayed support at best, no support for System i) |
| Self-encrypting disks | YES | NO (host-based encryption that can degrade application performance; supports only some hosts) | NO (only controller-based encryption; may be a stopgap measure until the system supports self-encrypting drives) |
XIV Storage System: Storage Reinvented
The IBM XIV Storage System is an enterprise-class, Tier-1 disk system designed to deliver high performance and eliminate hot spots through full exploitation of all system resources for all applications. Its revolutionary architecture provides performance, scalability, and ease of management while harnessing the high capacity and cost benefits of SATA drives.
The ground-breaking IBM XIV architecture delivers outstanding performance, scalability, availability, and reliability. The system applies a unique parallel architecture, caching algorithms and more, intended to provide all applications with high-end performance and reliability with the attractive cost structure of mass storage.
- Automatic balancing of data across all system components is designed to prevent performance hot-spots from occurring
- Automatic self-tuning optimizes logical volumes for maximum performance, regardless of application and user access patterns
- Revolutionary rebuild process allows the rebuilding of a 1TB disk drive in 30 minutes or less
- Single tier storage architecture is designed to provide all applications with high-end performance and reliability with the attractive cost structure of mass storage
IBM XIV vs. EMC CLARiiON and Symmetrix DMX: a closer look
IBM XIV vs. EMC and Oracle/Sun disk systems: a closer look
| FEATURES | IBM XIV | EMC CLARiiON and Symmetrix | Sun/Oracle 6000, 99xxV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtualization | The system is inherently virtualized. This makes the system very easy to manage. | Capacity allocation requires awareness of system components such as disks, metavolumes, spares, tiers, and more. This makes system management more complex and time consuming. | Capacity allocation requires awareness of system components such as disks, 99xxV LUSE volumes, spares, tiers, and more. This makes system management more complex and time consuming. |
| Performance | All volumes are spread over all disks. Thus, all disks handle equal workloads, eliminating disk hot spots. | The system is susceptible to disk hot spots which can significantly degrade performance. Frequent manual tuning is often required. | The system is susceptible to disk hot spots which can significantly degrade performance. Frequent manual tuning is often required. |
| Rebuild time | Revolutionary protection scheme ensures 30-minute rebuild time (or less) for 1TB disks, minimizing the likelihood of a double disk failure. | Rebuild time can take hours, increasing the possibility of additional disk failures that can lead to data loss. | Rebuild time can take hours, increasing the possibility of additional disk failures that can lead to data loss. |
| Snapshots | Up to 16,000 snapshots in one system; no fixed per-volume limits. | Limited to far fewer snapshots. | Limited to far fewer snapshots. |
| Migration | Built-in capability; minimal disruption as XIV is inserted between hosts and the older disk systems being replaced. | No comparable capability in current system models | No comparable capability. |
| Costs | Hardware: Design innovations deliver high performance using lower-cost/high capacity disks. Software: Management software is included at no extra charge. Snapshots/clones, thin provisioning, and metro distance mirroring are all standard at no extra charge. |
Hardware: A larger number of disks and/or more costly, faster disks may be required to match XIV’s performance. Software: Management software is separately priced. Optional feature costs each have base charges, per-terabyte charges, additional charges when disk capacity is added to the system, and post-warranty maintenance charges. |
6xxx systems do not support thin provisioning. Both 6xxx and 99xxV offer key functionality only at extra cost, including support for snapshots, remote mirroring, data migration, and reporting. |
Case Studies:
IBM XIV Storage System: NaviSite increases storage reliability, performance and efficiency with IBM XIV Storage System "The IBM XIV Storage System allows us to provide a highly reliable, highly performing platform to our customers that should help NaviSite gain an advantage over its competitors." - Mark Clayman, Senior Vice President of Hosting Services, NaviSite
IBM XIV Storage System: Bank Leumi Revolutionizes its Storage Paradigm. (1.22 MB)
Today, Bank Leumi leverages the XIV system’s single-tier architecture to consolidate storage tiers, achieve excellent performance, and dramatically reduce management overhead.
Bezeq International Drives Cutting-Edge Competitiveness with IBM XIV Storage (1.22 MB)
Today, Bezeq International considers its XIV system a cornerstone of its day-to-day activities and core enabler of its ability to provide a competitive service offering.
Analyst Report
Taneja Group: IBM XIV: Storage Architecture Evolution for High Performance
“We suspect XIV will go far in defining what ideal next generation block storage architectures look like for such customers.” – Taneja Group
DS4000/DS5000: Setting new heights for flexibility and affordability
IBM System Storage DS4000/DS5000 family offers you a robust portfolio of storage devices, from entry level to high-performance-all flexible, modular and affordable.
- DS5000 – Highest performance mid range mixed workload product in the industry with up to 4x EMC’s new CLARiiON CX4 family
- DS4800 - Highest performance of DS4000 series for business-critical applications and efficient data replication and up to 2x the performance of EMC CX3-80
- DS4700 - Exceptional performance value for moderate replication and remote replication requirements
- DS4200 - Lower-cost, entry-level RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) storage based on SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) disks, for less demanding I/O (Input/Output) such as archiving and imaging
IBM DS4000 and DS5000 vs EMC CLARiiON: a closer look
IBM DS4000 and DS5000 vs EMC CLARiiON
| FEATURES | IBM DS4000/DS5000 | EMC CLARiiON |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic mode change (Synch to Asynch) for remote mirroring (Global and Metro) | YES | NO |
| Multi-pathing software included in base price | YES | NO |
| Published high performance ISV and industry standard benchmarks | YES | NO |
| Dynamic conversion of entire array groups from any RAID level to any RAID level | YES | NO |
| Mix and match all disk capacities and types (SATA or Fibre) within the same disk drawer | YES | NO |
| Single source for server, disk, tape, software, services, and financing | YES | NO |
| Encrypted disk drives for data at rest with no performance impact | YES | NO |
| 8 Gbps fibre channel host interface cards | YES | NO |
| Switched disk drive architecture | YES | NO |
| Call Home Autonomic Service Calling | YES | NO |
| No additional fees for software maintenance | YES | NO |
IBM DS4000 and DS5000 vs Oracle/Sun 6xxx disk systems: a closer look
While IBM and Oracle/Sun both offer a family of midrange disk systems based on technology from LSI, IBM advantages include its extensive information infrastructure portfolio, its broad range of industry-leading storage services, and its stability as a dependable company to partner with for the long-term.
For more information, download: IBM DS5000 Series. Real-World Performance for Virtualized Systems (PDF, 2.16MB)
Building materials supplier Foxworth-Galbraith puts IBM SAN (Storage Area Network) to work
Download storage hardware and software case study
DS3000: Affordable and reliable data protection for an on-demand world
The IBM System Storage™ DS3000 series provides industry leading SAS and SATA drive technology with the flexibility of SAS, iSCSI or FC server connectivity while leveraging the best-of-breed technology of the DS4000 and DS5000 series.
- DS3200 – SAS connections support affordable shared direct-attach storage or a SAS SAN (with BladeCenter®) for transitioning to external storage
- DS3300 - Simple IP SAN storage that is ideal for low-cost storage networks to increase efficiencies across your infrastructure
- DS3400 – Low-cost direct-attach or FC SAN solution that is well suited for a first-time FC SAN or additional storage for an existing FC SAN such as a remote office
| Features | IBM DS3000 Series | EMC AX4-5 |
|---|---|---|
| RAID 6 | Hardware-based RAID 6 does not require CPU cycles offering superior performance | Not supported |
| Host interface options | Offer with SAS, iSCSI and FC host interface options | Only iSCSI and FC host interface options offered with no SAS option available |
| Scalability | Scales up to 48 drives (3.5”) without an additional license key | Can scale up to 60 drives (3.5”) only with the purchase of an expansion enabler key |
| NEBs Compliant | Yes | Yes |
| FlashCopy /Snapshot Feature | 2 FlashCopy images per storage system offered standard and up to 8 per LUN supported as a premium feature upgrade | Optional feature (SnapView) supports only one snapshot per LUN providing minimal granularity for data recovery. |
| Single source for server, disk, tape, software, services, and financing | Yes | Yes |
IBM DS3000 vs Oracle/Sun 2xxx/3xxx disk systems: a closer look
While IBM and Oracle/Sun both offer a family of entry level disk systems based on technology from LSI, IBM advantages include its extensive information infrastructure portfolio, its broad range of industry-leading storage services, and its stability as a dependable company to partner with for the long-term.
Estes Trucking client video: http://www-01.ibm.com/software/info/television/index.jsp?lang=en_us&cat=storage&item=
xml/Q097062P96760P16.xml
1 See http://www.storageperformance.org/results/benchmark_results_all/#A00049 (link resides outside ibm.com) and http://www.storageperformance.org/results/benchmark_results_all/#B00006 (link resides outside ibm.com)
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