All About the New IBM XIV Storage System

The hardware IBM Model A14 is designed to support enterprise-class storage requirements for FCP and iSCSI capable hosts.

The base order will always include the following hardware:

• One hundred and eighty 1 TB disk drives
• Fifteen total modules: Nine data modules ans six interface modules
• Twenty-four 4Gb FC ports for host attachment
• Six 1Gb iSCSI ports for host attachment
• Three uninterruptible power supplies
• Eighty terabytes of useable capacity
• One hundred and twenty gigabytes of cache

Here is the only orderable physical configuration.

A patch panel is integrated into the IBM XIV Storage System for ease of customer connectivity. The optical cables that connect the patch panel to the rest of the device are .50 micron optical cables. Ideally, the cables that connect to this patch panel should also be .50 micron optical cables.

There are two methods of ordering the 2810-A14. One is a fully entitled order, and the other is a Capacity on Demand (CoD) order. They are mutually exclusive of each other.

A fully entitled order always consists of six Interface Modules (1100) and nine Data Modules (1105).

A CoD order will always consist of six CoD Interface Modules (1110) and nine CoD Data Modules (1115). In addition, a minimum of four activation features must also ordered.

All CoD increments must be activated within a twelve-month period from the date of installation; all such activation is permanent.

Product positioning
The IBM XIV Storage System (2810-A14) provides the hardware platform required for the IBM XIV Storage System Software. The combination of hardware and software enables a revolutionary grid-based architecture designed to provide an exceptionally easy to use, high performance, scalable, reliable enterprise disk system for UNIX, Linux, Windows, and other supported distributed open server platforms. It can provide a platform to address the need for reducing complexity while keeping pace with midrange to high-end disk capacity demands. This system is a great addition to the IBM disk storage family, core products in the IBM Information Infrastructure. It is a good fit for clients who want to be able to grow capacity without managing multiple tiers of storage to increase performance and reduce cost. These users also may want to improve their backup capabilities, as well as reduce the task load on storage administrators. The XIV system is especially well suited as a consolidated utility storage for fast growing, dynamic mixed, and emerging workloads.

Statement of general direction
IBM intends to provide best practice configuration guidance, change management, asset awareness, capacity utilization, performance trending, and operational reporting capabilities via IBM TotalStorage Productivity Center software support for the IBM XIV Storage System.

In addition, IBM intends to provide single sign-on capabilities for many IBM devices, including the IBM XIV Storage System and storage software applications that enable the administrator to use a single set of secure credentials to authenticate across all products via a single centralized point-of-control.

IBM plans, during the second half of 2008, to add support for XIV as a disk system managed by IBM System Storagetm SAN Volume Controller. This additional support will provide connectivity for XIV systems to the very broad range of operating system environments supported by SVC.

This statement of direction is based on Tivoli’s current development plans.

Planned availability dates
All functions and features except Data Migration
August 15, 2008

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemborg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States
September 12, 2008

Brazil, China, India, Russia, and South Korea
August 29, 2008

All other countries
December 12, 2008

Data Migration: Argentina, Peru, Taiwan, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Venezuela
October 17, 2008

The Data Migration function will be provided by IBM to existing installations in a software installation update.

Height-Weight Limits
November 14, 2008