IBM Storwize V series

IBM Storwize is the platform of storage systems from the Blue giant.

History

2017: Spread of a virus

At the beginning of May, 2017 IBM warned the clients that some USB drives delivered together with IBM Storewize storage systems are infected with a virus. The American IT giant strongly recommends to get rid of potentially dangerous USB sticks.

According to the ZDNet edition with reference to the message in technical support service of IBM, in a flash drives for initialization of IBM Storwize disk arrays the file infected with the malicious software is detected. All devices in which the virus is found have number 01AC585 and go complete with models of V3500, V3700 and V5000 Gen 1 storages.

Disk storage IBM Storwize V3700

This trojan appears in anti-virus bases under different names. For example, in Kaspersky Lab called it Trojan.Win32.Reconyc and noted that the malware, first of all, is aimed at users from Russia and India, though extends worldwide.

This virus, getting on the computer of the victim, sets himself in the temporary folder (%TMP % \initTool — for Windows and / tmp/initTool — for Linux and Mac) and after accomplishment loads other malware. The malicious code is not started during initialization and loaded not on storage systems, and on the PCs used for setup of a configuration of disk storages.

The malicious code does not concern all disk IBM Storwize systems and data which are stored in them. Systems which are not stated above and the USB drives used for enciphering key management are not subject to this problem, says IBM.

To save the infected computer from a trojan, IBM recommends to use an antivirus in most current release and also in case of need to delete the temporary folders created at start of the drive. At the same time "USB sticks" need to be destroyed.^[1]

2012

In 2012 the Storwize platform was expanded due to release of two solutions: younger Storwize V3700 system and integrated solution of Flex System Storwize V7000. In the last, thanks to the additional SAN Volume Controller controller, became possible to work with clusters, expanding with that the capacity of the created disk storages.

2010

The first product of this platform left in October, 2010, then the IBM company announced release of the first model of a series - Storwize V7000. In 2011 IBM produced the following model - Storwize V7000 Unified in which file access was added with means of block data transfer which was ground in high-end before products of corporation where the SONAS technology was applied.

IBM Storwize V5000

On November 13, 2013 the IBM company announced a new solution of a lineup of Storwize - DWH of IBM Storwize V5000.

IBM Storwize V5000

Description

In new model of DWH of IBM Storwize V5000 hard drives of three levels can be used: SSD, SAS and Near-Line SAS. Connection is made on SAS 2.0 technology, and due to use of virtualization data programmatically move in an array of disks taking into account their optimal use.

Installation of hard drives of the form factor 2.5 inches and 3.5 inches - 24 or 12 pieces respectively is allowed. They can be brought together in level 0,1,5,6,10 RAIDs. Volume a cache memory – 16 Gbytes. Connection is performed, or on 8 channels 8Gb FC, or on 4 channels 10Gb iSCSI/FCoE.

Key factor not only for the new IBM Storwize V5000 model, but for all family is use of Easy Tier technology. Its appointment - active management at the programming layer of the choice of storage location of continuous data, moving them to the most suitable place of DWH according to the selected program algorithm.

It helps to provide the most effective placement of data at storage: for the data actively required from applications, the controller of DWH will automatically move them to the area of fast SSD disks. If a certain part of data becomes less demanded (and use of expensive SSD disks will be considered as inefficient), then they automatically (a program way) move to slower, but cheaper disks of SAS or Near-Line SAS.

In the maximum configuration the capacity of Storwize V5000 storage reaches 672 Tbyte if to conduct calculation on 4 Tbyte to the disks LFF (to 168 disks). When installing SFF disks the maximum capacity reaches 336 pieces.

The difference from younger V3700 model consists also in virtualization systems capabilities. So, in Storwize V5000, also as in V3700, work for virtualization of internal storages (Data Import) is supported. However in V5000 also the possibility of virtualization of external storages (SVC Style) appeared – still such opportunity was supported only in the senior Storwize V7000 model.

IBM Storwize V7000

IBM Storwize V7000 is the building block system of data storage developed as addition to virtual server environments, provides necessary flexibility and speed of a response for the changing business requirements.

Simplicity

The IBM Storwize V7000 system is simple in use thanks to following features:

• the preset software;
• the simplified providing access to resources;
• data transfer in a foreground mode;
• the simplified remote mirroring;
• the simplified setup of performance of applications.

High-speed performance

IBM Storwize V7000 helps the organizations to raise the service level and provides the exclusive performance which is confirmed by results of reliable industry tests. IBM Storwize V7000 increases performance thanks to following features:

• System Storage Easy Tier technology;
• performance management;
• several levels of storage.

Efficiency

The IBM Storwize V7000 system includes the most advanced technologies of IBM for effective storage and has modular construction which allows to add new elements easily. The increased efficiency means higher utilization coefficient of storage system, expense reduction on the electric power and administration and also prevention of growth of infrastructure of data storage. The high efficiency of IBM Storwize V7000 is reached at the expense of following features:

• virtualization of storage systems;
• economical selection of resources;
• the FlashCopy function with economical use of disk space;
• storage resource management.

Profitability

IBM Storwize V7000 has modular, compact construction thanks to what sets the new standard for the cost-efficient disk systems of the average level. It is not necessary to buy the whole cabinet any more and to gradually fill it with disk modules — in IBM Storwize V7000 separate modular components which allow to lower requirements to space are used and provide additional flexibility. Additional capacities and functions are added as required, gradually and with smaller noises for work in comparison with the traditional disk systems of the average level.

IBM Storwize V7000 storage. Source: IBM.

Specific Features

IBM Storwize V7000 provides the modern functionality of storage system of a corporate class differing in ease of use for mid-size companies.

The integrated IBM System Storage Easy Tier function provides performance improvement to 200% thanks to automatic data transfer for high-performance solid-state disks (SSD). Economical resource allocation allows to buy the disk system of necessary volume. Function of dynamic migration provides permanent availability of applications during transfer of crucial data.

Replication using IBM FlashCopy provides more speed and effective copy of data for the purposes of backup, testing and data collection. The solution IBM Systems Director gives flexible opportunities for control of servers and storage systems.

The simple management tools data in use developed using the graphical user interface and graphic abilities to manage by systems. Metro Mirror and Global Mirror for synchronous or asynchronous replication of data between systems for the purpose of increase in efficiency of backup. Solid-state disks for the applications requiring high-speed and quick access to data. Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) 0, 1, 5, 6 и 10.

Short description of hardware opportunities

• The chassis for rack-mounting 2U.
• 24 compartments for 2.5-inch disks (model h24) or 12 compartments for 3.5-inch disks (model h12).
• Up to 24 TB physical capacities on the module when using the disk modules Nearline (NL) Serial * Attached SCSI (SAS) on 2 TB in model 2076-112 or up to 14 TB physical capacities on the module when using disks of SAS on 600 GB.
• Hard drives of SAS, NL SAS and solid-state disks.
• Redundant RAID intelligent controllers in the Active-Active configuration.
• 16 GB a cache memory (8 GB on the RAID controller) in a basic configuration.
• 8 host ports of the Fibre Channel (FC) of 8 Gbps (4 FC ports of 8 Gbps on the RAID controller), 4 ports of 1 Gbps and in addition the 4th host port of iSCSI of 10 Gbps (2 ports of 1 Gbps and doponitelno the 2nd host port of iSCSI of 10 Gbps on the RAID controller).
• The RAID controller supports connection to 9 expansion units in configurations with a capacity of physical memory up to 240 TB.
• Two power sources and components of cooling.

Advantages

• Data compression in real time with hardware acceleration: reduces purchase costs of data warehouses half - 80% less disk space and flash-drives is used.

• Support of files: consolidation of block and file data storage in one system for increase in simplicity and efficiency (only in Storwize V7000 Unified)

• Active cloud mechanism: provides highly effective file management on a basis the politician for cost reduction by means of separation of the data warehouse into levels (only in Storwize V7000 Unified)

• Cluster systems: a possibility of consolidation of systems in blocks for scaling for the purpose of increase in productivity and capacity

• Sure deployment: high performance of solutions of IBM will allow to focus on the solution of business challenges, but not data storage

• Automatic separation of storage into levels through IBM Easy Tier

• Replication of IP: cutting of costs for remote mirroring thanks to the innovation optimization of data

• Graphical interface of new generation: simple management tool data in use with the graphical interface and opportunities of quick access