Storwize V5000 - IBM's new storage system

In October 2013, IBM unveiled a new Storwize V5000 storage system for the global market, occupying a niche between the entry-level storage system V3700 and the powerful scalable V7000.

We turn immediately to the main features

Full virtualization of external storage systems : unlike the younger brother of the V3700, which can only use it for data migration;
Replication, including over IP : now you can use Metro- (synchronous replication) and Global Mirror (asynchronous) not only by FC / FCoE, but also through ordinary IP networks (more details after reviewing the storage system);
Clustering : By analogy with the older model, the V5000 can assemble into a cluster to increase performance and overall storage system capacity;
Easy Tier : increase in productivity due to automatic transfer of “hot” data blocks to SSD;
Configuration flexibility : the additional functionality is licensed separately, which allows you to select only those features that you plan to use, without overpaying for unnecessary ones;
Simple and intuitive graphical web user interface with mouse control capabilities.

Little about technical characteristics

Control node

Two active-active controllers;
16 GB cache (8 GB per controller) by default; 32 GB in a clustered system ;
Connection interfaces: 1 GB management / iSCSI, 6 GB SAS (each controller carries two ports for connecting hosts and two ports for expansion shelves), as well as 8 GB FC or 10 GB iSCSI / FCoE cards (mutually exclusive);

Extension node

Up to 6 expansion shelves per control is supported, respectively, 12 for the cluster;
Up to 672 TB capacity in a clustered storage system .

The system contains an extended set of functions.

Built-in graphical user interface;
Dual-system clustering;
Virtualization of the internal disk subsystem;
Economical provision of resources (Thin Provisioning);
Virtualization of external storage for one-way data migration;
Support for interaction with the main server platforms and operating systems.

Additional functionality

Easy Tier;
Virtualization of external storage systems;
FlashCopy;
Remote mirroring.

Available discs

SFF (2.5 "):

146 GB, 300 GB @ 15k rpm
600 GB, 900 GB, 1.2 TB @ 10k rpm
1TB @ 7.2k rpm SAS nearline

LFF (3.5 "):

300 GB @ 15k rpm, 2.5 "*
900 GB, 1.2 TB @ 10k rpm, 2.5 "*
2 TB, 3 TB, 4 TB @ 7.2k rpm

SSD (2.5 "):

200 GB, 400 GB, 800 GB

* 2.5-inch drive in a 3.5-inch adapter

In conclusion of the review, let's look at the summary table of the family:

	V3700	V5000	V7000
Clustering	Not	2 nodes	4 nodes
Maximum number of expansion shelves per node (cluster)	4 (4)	6 (12)	9 (36)
Maximum number of LFF disks	60	168	480
Maximum number of SFF disks	120	336	960
Maximum RAW Capacity	240 TB	672 TB	1920 TB
Connection Interfaces	1G iSCSI 8G Fiber Channel 10G iSCSI / FCoE 6G SAS	1G iSCSI 8G Fiber Channel 10G iSCSI / FCoE 6G SAS	1G iSCSI 8G Fiber Channel 10G iSCSI / FCoE
Virtualization (data import)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Virtualization of external storage systems (SVC-like)	Not	License	License
FlashCopy> 64	License	License	Yes
Easy tier	License	License	Yes
Realtime compression	Not	Not	License
Replication	License	License	License
Turbo performance	License	N / A	N / A

IP replication

Replication is available on the entire SVC-based lineup (i.e., all Storwize + directly to SVC itself), starting with version 7.2 microcode.

Available features

Use 1GbE (standard interface in the entire line) or 10GbE (available as an option);
Transparency for servers and applications;
Support for all modes of Remote Mirror;
Easy configuration in existing IP infrastructure;
Includes Bridgeworks SANSlide - using technologies used in artificial intelligence, data streams are transmitted in parallel, effectively utilizing the channel. Previously, SANSlide was available as a separate device as part of a partnership agreement with IBM, but now this product is integrated directly into microcode.

Schematic representation of conventional IP replication:

And an option using SANSlide:

Changes across the entire line of IBM Storwize

Version 7.2 microcode not only provided the line with IP replication, but added even more features:

Now IBM offers all possible types of mirroring: FC, FC-IP, IP + FlashCopy replication (instantaneous replication);
Replication has become possible on any products of the family. As an example - between V7000 and V3700 or SVC and V5000. This means even more flexibility in building fault-tolerant / disaster-proof solutions;
Improvements in Real-time Compression for V7000 / SVC: more settings to increase the flexibility of use and optimization of processing algorithms, as a result, improved performance. It also optimized performance and significantly improved performance in conjunction with EasyTier.