IBM Offers New High-End Storage Array

IBM has announced the introduction of new and enhanced storage systems to address the information infrastructure needs of its clients, including availability of the newest model of its high-end storage array for enterprise clients.

IBM is introducing the System Storage DS8700, an advanced model in the DS8000 line-up, offering higher performance, reliability and resiliency, as well as greater energy efficiency. The DS8700 includes new dual IBM POWER6-based controllers, a new internal fabric interconnect, and upgraded device adapters. This enhances the DS8700’s ability to support demanding business applications and business analytics requirements.

The System Storage DS8700 enables clients to non-disruptively upgrade from base models to the most advanced models, allowing organisations to grow their systems as requirements increase without purchasing brand new systems. In addition to this flexible and scalable design, the DS8700 also allows clients to benefit from the investments they made in prior generations. For instance, the DS8700 offers full interoperability with the prior model’s hard drives, drive enclosures, tools, scripts, and copy services. The new System Storage DS8700 is also more energy efficient, offering more than a 50 percent increase in IOPS/ Watt than the previous DS8300 models.

IBM has also unveiled plans to deliver SSD technology that exploits SSDs on the System Storage DS8700 through use of smart data placement, an initiative IBM unveiled in May. To take advantage of SSDs in a tiered DS8700 system, IBM will enhance the DS8700’s ability to identify hot data and automatically migrate that data to and from solid state and fibre channel drives. This automated data relocation can help optimise data placement across tiers of drives with different price and performance attributes, helping clients more effectively balance system price and performance.