IBM Adds RAID-6 to System Storage DR550

IBM announced that IBM System Storage DR550 has been enhanced by a new capability, RAID 6 support.

• The default storage configuration has been changed from RAID 5 with RAID 6 spares set-aside to RAID 6. There are no new feature codes released and RAID 5 will continue to be offered as feature number 9402.
• This new RAID 6 capability is designed to make DR550 more reliable and safe as a data storage appliance. RAID 6 tolerates two simultaneous HDD failures by storing two sets of distributed parities.

  
  DR550

Orders for the IBM System Storage DR550 models must be configured using the eConfigurator to support accurate and complete order entry.

The IBM System Storage DR550 comes preloaded with IBM System Storage Archive Manager software (5608-ARM). The license for this software must be ordered at the same time as the DR550. This software is licensed per terabyte of primary storage pool capacity. Primary disk storage pool size is combined with the amount of utilized primary removable media storage used by the IBM System Storage Archive Manager server.

Orders for the DR550 model that include DR550 File System Gateway (feature number 4101) must also order the corequisite DR550 File System Gateway software (product 5639-DR1). This must be done on a one-for-one basis, where each unit of machine type 2233 feature number 4101 ordered requires one unit of product 5639-DR1 software ordered.

The eConfigurator allows for the IBM System Storage Archive Manager software and the DR550 File System Gateway software to be configured with the IBM System Storage DR550 (machine type 2233) via the Software Wizard.

All orders for DR550 are required to select a power cord using the appropriate 995x feature.

Availability date: October 28, 2008