IBM has announced two new Software Defined Storage offerings, Elastic Storage Server on Power and Elastic Storage for Linux on System z. These offerings will be available in three flexible models: Storage as Software, Integrated software and hardware storage solutions, and storage via the cloud. IBM also announced a handful of other storage solutions and updates.
IBM has announced two new Software Defined Storage offerings, Elastic Storage Server on Power and Elastic Storage for Linux on System z. These offerings will be available in three flexible models: Storage as Software, Integrated software and hardware storage solutions, and storage via the cloud. IBM also announced a handful of other storage solutions and updates.
With the growing adoption of software defined storage (due to advances in cloud, analytics, and mobile data growing at an unprecedented rate), IBM is adding to their SDS portfolio with new solutions with greater flexibility for their customers in how they receive, consume, and explore different options for data storage. IBM noted that not only are new SDS solutions needed the existing hardware-based storage model must change as well. IBM launched Elastic Storage, "a proven, scalable, high-performance data and file management solution (based upon GPFS technology). Elastic Storage provides simplified data management and integrated information lifecycle tools capable of managing petabytes of data and billions of files, in order to arrest the growing cost of managing ever growing amounts of data." Elastic Storage features enhanced security, increased performance, and improved usability.
IBM's two new offerings are:
Elastic Storage on Power – combing IBM POWER8 server systems, storage enclosures, and disks with Elastic Storage and with its native RAID technology. Benefits include:
- Scalable up to 100s of petabytes
- Data streaming up to 15GB/s from a single system
- Automated, policy-driven management of storage that will reduce costs up to 90%
Elastic Storage for Linux on System z – extends the benefits of Elastic Storage to the Linux environment on IBM System z servers. Benefits include:
- A fast, highly available, highly scalable cluster file system for System z
- Smooth, non-disruptive capacity expansion and reduction
- Concurrent high-speed, reliable file access from multiple nodes
- Improved data availability through data access even when the cluster experiences malfunctions
Along with the Elastic Storage offerings IBM also announced a few other new solutions and updates:
IBM Data Engine for NoSQL – enables deployment of NoSQL data stores at a significantly lower costs. Features include:
- Simplification through server consolidation, one POWER8 server can be used in place of 24 Intel servers for a "well sized" NoSQL store
- Smaller footprint making smaller costs
- 40TB of flash in a single rack enables customers to grow far larger NoSQL stores
TS1150 Tape Drive – an update to the TS1140 that allows 2.5 more data to be stored in the same space with improve performance.
Storwize family enhancements include:
- 50% more data in the same space
- New 6TB drives
- Increase security with data encryption on Storwize V7000 and V7000 Unified
- Improved real-time compression performance enabling more data in up 80% less space
Flash System V840 enhancements include:
- Real-time compress is two times faster
- Up to 1.2million data reduction IOPS
- Support for iSCSI, FCoE, and InfiniBand
- Certified with SmartCloud Virtual Storage Center
- Now comes with a 5-year warranty
