IBM Storwize Family Scaling Capabilities and Value

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1 Technology Insight Paper IBM Storwize Family Scaling Capabilities and Value By Randy Kerns January, 2013 Enabling you to make the best technology decisions

2 IBM Storwize Family Scaling Capabilities and Value 1 Introduction: IBM Storwize Family

3 IBM Storwize Family Scaling Capabilities and Value 2 The IBM Storwize family represents a single architecture applied across several market segments as independent storage systems. This approach of delivering storage systems optimized to meet price, performance, and capacity demands for different markets delivers benefits for Information Technology across many areas. Commonality of administration, reduced risk when deploying a Storwize system, integration and support from software vendors, and use of unique Storwize features are just a few of the advantages. Systems delivered at competitive prices based on leverage from a single architecture and use of common underlying hardware may be the most evident benefit. A high-value result of Storwize systems based on a single architecture is the availability of features designed originally for demanding, high-end enterprises for use in other segments. The Information Technology needs from storage systems continue to increase and capabilities developed in one environment can be applied across Storwize systems because of the common architecture. As needs change, IT will benefit from capabilities leveraged economically across multiple Storwize systems. Evolving Storage System Demands Demands for storing information continue to change over time, which has been evidenced by changes in storage systems and their capabilities. Continued advances in storage technology and storage systems provide incremental improvements in efficiency and performance in meeting information storage and retrieval requirements. Business demands have led to development of advanced features for storage systems. Features such as snapshots for point-in-time copies and remote replication for disaster recovery and business continuity increase the operational value of storage. Initially delivered in large enterprise storage systems, these advanced capabilities are needed across all environments. Continued advances that can leverage capabilities across multiple products in a family allow these functions to be applied to all environments. Storage System Characteristics Storage systems were originally designed for specific usages with system characteristics to match needs. Features were added to systems to enhance the value and differentiate products. Usage areas were defined very generally as three classes of storage systems across multiple market segments. Characteristics of these storage systems were generally seen as: High-end storage systems for large enterprises / data centers o Advanced data protection snapshots, asynchronous and synchronous remote replication with support for consistency groups

4 IBM Storwize Family Scaling Capabilities and Value 3 o Integration with operating systems such as z/os or enterprise UNIX o Thin provisioning and space reclamation for capacity efficiency o Extensive scalability of performance and capacity o Highly reliable and available systems Mid-range storage systems served small and mid-size enterprise markets o Dual controller systems and redundancy for high availability o Scaling of capacity from small to moderate size o Integration with applications and software systems such as VMware and through Microsoft VSS o Snapshot feature for data protection Entry level storage systems served mid-size business and small enterprise markets o Inexpensive with limited availability features o Limited connectivity and scaling o Simple administration with limited choices

5 IBM Storwize Family Scaling Capabilities and Value 4 Figure 1: Feature Migration As demands have changed, characteristics and features expected from storage systems have changed. Changes have been delivered in high-end systems first and offered in mid-range and, in some cases, in entry level systems as the operational needs of customers have converged across the different segments. Some of the areas that have seen changes include: Availability Availability is measured in percentage of up time where % is referred to as five nines, which amounts to 5 minutes of downtime per year. This level of availability requires

6 IBM Storwize Family Scaling Capabilities and Value 5 access to data stored with no interruption and has been achieved with the addition of many improvements: o Recovery from device failures has improved with introduction of RAID 6 protection using an additional parity drive. With larger capacity drives available, use of RAID 6 is seen as a pervasive requirement. o Support for dual active controllers or multiple controllers and redundant components to enable non-disruptive upgrades of embedded software, expansion of capacity with addition of more devices and storage modules, and increased availability by limiting causes for potential interruptions. o Non-disruptive data movement allowing continued access while information is relocated for load or capacity balancing, asset relocation or retirement, or changes in operations. Continued operations while data is being moved have improved operational procedures, enhancing overall availability. Scale Demand to increase capacity occurs more frequently in higher-end segments but has become a pervasive issue. The ability to scale capacity up to some point before adding new systems is offered with most storage systems. Scaling with capacity initially and adding controllers as needed to meet capacity and performance demands is an effective means of managing costs while meeting demands. Efficiency Using thin provisioning to allocate disk capacity only when it is needed rather than pre-allocating based on potential usage was a major capacity efficiency improvement when released on high-end storage systems. Advantages coming from thin provisioning are being offered in mid-range storage and are starting to be a differentiator in entry level systems. Data protection Improving the ability to protect data and provide business continuance and disaster recovery operations for storage led to high-end systems offering snapshots for point-intime copies, remote replication over distance using synchronous and asynchronous technologies, integration with applications for coherent copies of data, and support for consistency groups of volumes used by applications. Initially delivered on high-end storage with sophisticated management software, these data protection features are now generally available in mid-range and entry level storage systems as needs for protection due to business or regulatory requirements have led to operational integration. New Demands on Storage

7 IBM Storwize Family Scaling Capabilities and Value 6 Highlighting the technology developed for high-end storage systems and moving to mid-range and entry level systems leads to a discussion of more recent capabilities being developed. These capabilities are becoming important in high-end systems and will also be included in other systems. Data reduction, usually in the form of compressing data on primary storage systems was introduced in the IBM RAMAC Virtual Array but only recently has seen wider availability in disk storage, both in highend and mid-range systems. Data compression increases the efficiency of the storage system and results in reducing the cost of storing data as represented by $/TB. Storing more data on storage devices also reduces the number of devices, which means less power, cooling, and physical space required. Encryption of stored data is rapidly becoming a requirement for types of regulated data and for business practices of some companies and industries. Changing applications to encrypt data introduces a wide set of other changes required so encryption has been addressed by encrypting data in storage systems. Available in high-end enterprise storage systems initially, demand across industries and companies of many different sizes has led to encryption being needed in mid-range systems and eventually in entry level storage systems. Adding specialized features in storage systems for increasing performance of operating system environments was pioneered by IBM in mainframe storage systems. Now, features are being delivered in open systems storage to provide acceleration of server virtualization, with focus on VMware initially. These are advanced features performing special functions on behalf of the server system software in high-end and mid-range storage and will likely be required in entry level systems. As more advanced, specialized features are defined in server system software, storage systems will follow with implementations. IBM Storwize Architecture The IBM Storwize architecture was derived from the development of the SAN Volume Controller (SVC) storage virtualization system and has been expanded with capabilities and features in different products across different market segments. Software for Storwize family runs on standard Intel-based controller hardware and uses industry standard interfaces for connectivity to external hosts, and both internal storage devices and external storage systems. Software, typically called embedded software in the case of storage systems, operates as a storage controller with the capability of clustering multiple nodes which are other instances of Storwize software running on separate hardware controllers. The clustering capability meets both high availability requirements and enables performance and capacity scaling for Storwize family systems.

8 IBM Storwize Family Scaling Capabilities and Value 7 Storwize family, based on the SVC system, is a mature, proven architecture with thousands of systems in production over the last two decades. Major enhancements made to meet new demands and extend to multiple products for different usages include expanded RAID functionality, thin provisioning with storage pools, and storage tiering. Added features such as remote replication (Global Mirror and Metro Mirror), compression, and snapshots (FlashCopy) demonstrate flexibility and extensibility of the architecture. Customers benefit from the Storwize family use of underlying Intel-based hardware. Advances in technology can be delivered more quickly, enabling customers to gain the advantages new technology brings in performance and costs. Use of standardized hardware elements for the Storwize family allows customers to have a consistent operational environment across generations of systems. Very early on, IBM pioneered the flexibility and benefits that come with use of standardized hardware, which is being termed Software Defined Storage today. Storage Systems from a Single Architecture A strength of the Storwize family architecture is the ability to create optimized configurations to deliver storage systems for different usage requirements. These are delivered as different products with flexibility to scale capacity and performance as well as feature offerings in serving different purposes. The following diagram shows different products based on the Storwize architecture. In addition to Storwize V7000, Storwize V7000 Unified is offered, which adds controllers with Network-Attached Storage (NAS) software to create a combined block and file storage solution.

9 IBM Storwize Family Scaling Capabilities and Value 8 Figure 2: IBM Storwize Products Value of a Single Architecture IBM Storwize systems leverage investment in an architecture capable of meeting a wide range of requirements for customer needs such as performance, capacity, resiliency, and advanced operational features. The Storwize architecture is flexible and scalable enough for price and functionality expected for a range of customers from small enterprise to data centers. Economic advantages of the Storwize common architecture across multiple products are compelling with common, underlying components to drive down costs, a single R & D team and a single support team. Development can focus on the common elements and drive down expenses and extend product capabilities with advanced features and new technologies. Use of Storwize systems gives IT customers a

10 IBM Storwize Family Scaling Capabilities and Value 9 common experience across a range of storage which may be utilized for different purposes and environments. For customers, continued advancements with new Storwize systems result in less disruption and risk compared to other vendors who introduce fundamentally different systems on a regular basis to remain competitive. Scaling to meet the demands for capacity and performance can be accomplished without new product evaluations or proof of concept, improving time to delivery of resources. Another benefit is the ability to utilize proven, high-end enterprise features for customers with increasing requirements for different classes of storage. Leverage of using features developed for more demanding environments gives customers of Storwize systems in other environments valuable features more quickly and with greater functionality than a new development for another storage system. Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) with applications and utility software will quickly support storage systems based on Storwize architecture because of the fewer qualifications required and less investment needed with consistent implementations. IT customers benefit with a greater number of software products available and improved timeliness because of the larger opportunity base for the ISV. IBM Unique Implementations with Storwize Architecture Differentiated features set Storwize systems apart from competing storage systems in various segments. The leverage of features discussed earlier enables unique value to be applied more widely than when limited to a single product model. Very notable features and their value are detailed below. Real-time Compression Storwize V7000, Storwize V7000 Unified, Flex System V7000, and SVC include an option for compressing data stored for block access. The Real-time Compression function compresses block data as it is received by these systems and stores it in compressed form. When data is accessed, it is decompressed before it is sent to the host. Compression is transparent to hosts and produces a capacity improvement (up to 5x) with more effective use of storage. Operating in real-time and transparent to applications with no performance impact gives customers a significant cost reduction for Storwize systems. Compression works for both internal storage in the case of Storwize V7000, Storwize V7000 Unified, Flex System V7000, and external storage systems attached to these systems or SVC. The Real-time Compression feature of all these Storwize systems is a significant milestone for IBM and has set the bar for other competitive products in open systems storage. Being transparent and with no performance impact gives customers real, significant cost advantages and a major differentiable feature for IBM.

11 IBM Storwize Family Scaling Capabilities and Value 10 Easy Tier Easy Tier is a software function executing on Storwize systems including SVC and the enterprise-class DS8000 to perform automated tiering of data across storage. In the case of SVC, tiering is for external storage; with Storwize V7000, Storwize V7000 Unified, and Flex System V7000, tiering is for both internal and external storage; and with Storwize V3700 1, tiering is across internal storage. Easy Tier software monitors storage accesses and moves most active portions of data to the highest performing tier of storage devices and moves less demanding data to higher capacity, lower performing (and lower cost) storage devices. Easy Tier is Flash optimized and allows for optimal usage of various Solid State Devices (SSDs) and hard disk drives. The size of the tiering element (sub-lun) is configurable to allow for optimization based on application usage. Easy Tier, with its simplicity and effectiveness, gives administrators an efficient means of optimizing devices in the storage system, producing increased performance without requiring monitoring and complex tuning as needed with some other tiering solutions. External Virtualization External virtualization implemented in SVC, Storwize V7000, Storwize V7000 Unified, and Flex System V7000 connects external storage systems from a variety of vendors to these systems and manages the resources of the external system. Capacity on external systems is configured as LUNs and utilized with all the advanced features offered with the Storwize systems. Existing LUNs on external storage can also be maintained and accessed from hosts through the Storwize systems. The advanced features of thin provisioning, replication, Real-time Compression, and Easy Tier automated data tiering can be exploited for external storage systems, which improves their value and can extend their useful life. Automated Migration and Capacity Efficiency Migration of LUNs from external storage systems attached to SVC or Storwize systems can be done nondisruptively, while data is being accessed from host systems. LUNs from external systems can be migrated to Storwize local storage or to a virtualized storage system attached to a Storwize system, typically for retiring attached external storage or for load balancing. Another use for migration is increasing capacity efficiency. A LUN configured without thin provisioning on an external storage system can be migrated to a thinly provisioned LUN on another storage system or the local storage of a Storwize system. The migration automates conversion of the LUN and increases 1 Currently a Statement of Direction.

12 IBM Storwize Family Scaling Capabilities and Value 11 capacity efficiency of the storage system. As mentioned above, Real-time Compression adds another level of improved capacity efficiency. Administrative Efficiency with Advanced User Interface Usage of storage systems in customers of different size requires administrative tools to match the expectations and training of staff in each case. With IBM Storwize systems and SVC, as well as other IBM products, the user interface from IBM XIV has been utilized to provide intuitive management, greatly simplifying the administration. This advanced user interface has set the standard for efficiency of administration for storage systems. Integration into Management Environments Within an enterprise, IT administrators have multiple responsibilities which include managing storage with interactions from applications, hypervisors and operating environments. Integrating storage systems into these environments with the consistent implementation of the Storwize family, benefits IT with greater visibility for managing storage and applications. Data Protection FlashCopy Manager IBM Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager is a software product that integrates with specific applications to exploit capabilities of the FlashCopy replication function in Storwize and SVC systems. With FlashCopy Manager software, point-in-time copies of application data can be taken while the application is active to almost eliminate backup windows where an application must be quiesced. FlashCopy Manager can be used to create clones of data for applications for both backup and test copies. FlashCopy Manager is also used to restore copies as needed. Integrated with VMware, Oracle, SAP, Microsoft SQL, and Microsoft Exchange applications, FlashCopy Manager enhances usability of Storwize family systems in creating coherent copies of data for applications. Management vcenter and vsphere Increased usage of server virtualization has centralized administration such that managing server operating systems, storage, and networking is accomplished by administrators through a common interface. In these environments, it is important for the storage system to provide a consistent management experience for administrators by integration with management software. In the case of VMware server virtualization software, Storwize family systems have integrated management with plug-

13 IBM Storwize Family Scaling Capabilities and Value 12 in software for vcenter. Additionally, features such vsphere APIs for Array Integration (VAAI) have been implemented to integrate with vsphere to offload some VMware functions to the Storwize system to improve overall performance and reduce server and SAN load. OpenStack support IBM has delivered device drivers for the OpenStack cloud platform to allow Storwize family storage systems to be managed by OpenStack software. As an example, for Storwize V7000, the features of thin provisioning, Real-time Compression, Easy Tier and other settings can be controlled by OpenStack management software. Support of OpenStack by IBM Storwize family simplifies storage management for enterprises using this cloud platform. Flex System Manager IBM Flex System Manager software runs on the management node in an IBM PureFlex system and integrates management of physical elements of the system including IBM Flex System V7000 Storage Node. Flex System Manager Storage Control performs discovery, inventory, monitoring, configuration and provisioning of Flex System V7000 and external virtualized storage. Integrating management for Flex System V7000 with Flex System Manager centralizes and simplifies administration of PureFlex systems. Summary IBM has used the Storwize architecture to produce multiple storage systems across different usage segments to meet different customer needs. The ability to scale with a common underlying architecture has proven to deliver multiple benefits to IBM customers. Features developed for high-end enterprise systems now meet customer needs in other, more price conscious segments. The leverage from a common base for systems helps reduce development and support costs which are reflected in product costs for customers. The Storwize architecture also builds on Intel-based hardware, which provides continued advances with each new generation yet retains the same fundamental architecture. Customers also benefit from a storage architecture that provides a consistent experience across multiple products and generations. The longevity of a storage system, based on an architecture with the ability to scale and investments leveraged across multiple products, reduces risks for customers with new products, allows for continued use of developed procedures, and benefits from broad support from applications and systems software. The variety of system types in the Storwize family, including enterprise storage virtualization, storage systems, and storage integrated with servers helps to address diverse customer requirements with consistent function and ease of use.

14 IBM Storwize Family Scaling Capabilities and Value 13 IBM Storwize systems deliver unique implementations of high-value features that stand out from competing solutions. The inline, Real-time Compression feature is unique in its capabilities. Easy Tier, external storage system virtualization, automated migration for increased capacity efficiency and the intuitive, advanced GUI are examples of advanced feature implementations serving to differentiate Storwize systems. Use of a common architecture in the Storwize family allows new developments to span multiple products and benefit more customers. The premise of delivering an IBM Storwize family of products based on a single architecture has benefits for customers in many areas and allows IBM to focus on continued advances in integrating new technologies, adding new features, and improving the multiple storage systems based on the Storwize architecture. About Evaluator Group Evaluator Group Inc. is dedicated to helping IT professionals and vendors create and implement strategies that make the most of the value of their storage and digital information. Evaluator Group services deliver in-depth, unbiased analysis on storage architectures, infrastructures and management for IT professionals. Since 1997 Evaluator Group has provided services for thousands of end users and vendor professionals through product and market evaluations, competitive analysis and education. Follow us on Copyright 2013 Evaluator Group, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or stored in a database or retrieval system for any purpose without the express written consent of Evaluator Group Inc. The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. Evaluator Group assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Evaluator Group makes no expressed or implied warranties in this document relating to the use or operation of the products described herein. In no event shall Evaluator Group be liable for any indirect, special, inconsequential or incidental damages arising out of or associated with any aspect of this publication, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. The Evaluator Series is a trademark of Evaluator Group, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. This document was developed with IBM funding. Although the document may utilize publicly available material from various vendors, including IBM, it does not necessarily reflect the positions of such vendors on the issues addressed in this document.