Cisco and IBM collaborate on network-hosted storage virtualization.Cisco (Nasdaq:CSCO CSCO Cisco Systems Incorporated (stock symbol) CSCO Chief Supply Chain Officer ) and IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) have introduced a jointly developed solution designed to help customers further drive down the costs and complexity of managing data by providing them flexible, storage area networking (SAN) options to improve storage resource utilization. The solution is based on the IBM TotalStorage SAN Volume Controller storage software which has been tailored to be hosted on the Cisco MDS MDS, n See temporomandibular pain-dysfunction syndrome. MDS 1 Maternal deprivation syndrome, see there 2 Myelodysplastic syndrome, see there 9000 Multilayer Intelligent Family of SAN directors and fabric switches. The new solution allows customers to administer volume management, data replication, and point-in-time copies directly from the network, giving them a single point of control and management across multiple storage subsystems. Using this solution, IT administrators will be able to consolidate, or "virtualize To cause a virtual technique to be performed. See virtualization. ," multiple and disparate storage subsystems into logical pools. By dynamically provisioning storage from the SAN switches, users can avoid taking servers or storage subsystems offline as changes are required. This capability is intended to reduce the amount of planned downtime normally associated with storage infrastructure changes and help simplify administration tasks. The ability to manage heterogeneous storage environments also allows customers to use lower-cost storage to address the requirements of their applications or business functions. "By integrating IBM's intelligent storage virtualization Treating storage as a single logical entity without regard to the hierarchy of physical media that may be involved or that may change. It enables the applications to read from and write to a single pool of storage rather then individual disks, tapes and optical devices. technology into Cisco's MDS 9000 switches, customers are now presented with more options to reduce the pain, complexity and administration of their storage networks," said Jens Tiedemann, Vice President Storage Software Marketing, IBM. "Today, customers have the choice and flexibility to maximize their storage investments through a SAN virtualization An umbrella term for enhancing a computer's ability to do work. Following are the ways virtualization is used. Hardware Virtualization Partitioning the computer's memory into separate and isolated "virtual machines" simulates multiple machines within one physical computer. layer using the IBM SAN Volume Controller The IBM SAN Volume Controller (SVC) is a block storage virtualization appliance. SVC implements an indirection or "virtualization" layer in a Fibre Channel Storage Area Network (SAN). Architecture SVC is deployed as a cluster of nodes. technology delivered as an appliance, integrated storage solution, or via the SAN fabric using the Cisco MDS 9000 family. Combined with the IBM TotalStorage SAN File System, customers are now offered the broadest family of virtualization solutions in the marketplace." The Cisco MDS 9000 has a modular design In the context of systems engineering, modular design — or "modularity in design" — is an approach aiming to subdivide a system into smaller parts (modules) that can be independently created and then used in different systems to drive multiple functionalities. that enables interchangeable modules to be inserted into their chassis. Cisco has developed a new module, the Caching Services Module (CSM CSM - ["CSM - A Distributed Programming Language", S. Zhongxiu et al, IEEE Trans Soft Eng SE-13(4):497-500 (Apr 1987)]. ) that will host the IBM TotalStorage SAN Volume Controller Storage Software for Cisco MDS 9000. The Caching Services Module, which includes two independent nodes for IBM's software, offers 8 gigabytes of cached memory and is hot-swappable, with redundantly configured components for high-performance, low-latency, and highly available SAN transactions. Customers can deploy this module in either the Cisco MDS 9500 series directors or in the Cisco MDS 9216 fabric switch. The software running on the CSM is based upon the IBM TotalStorage SAN Volume Controller Software, which was delivered earlier this year as an appliance operating on modified IBM eServer This article is about the IBM family of computer servers. For the open access electronic text archive, see EServer.org. IBM eServer was a family of computer servers from IBM Corporation. xSeries servers in the Storage Area Network (SAN) fabric. The SAN Volume Controller for Cisco MDS 9000 Solution has the same feature, function and interoperability as the appliance solution, with the advantage of being more tightly coupled and packaged inside the Cisco MDS 9000 switch instead of separately in the fabric. The SAN Volume Controller Software in both implementations is designed to provide centralized storage volume management and improves storage resource utilization across the entire SAN environment. The joint development of the IBM SAN Volume Controller for Cisco MDS 9000 Solution is the latest in a long line of global strategic alliance engagements between IBM and Cisco relating to storage networking. IBM was the first fully qualified Cisco OSM OSM Oregon Steel Mills, Inc. OSM Openstreetmap (free editable online world map) OSM Office of Surface Mining (US government) OSM Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (original storage manufacturer) to resell the Cisco MDS 9000 through its sales force and IBM Business Partners. IBM was also the first Cisco OSM to qualify and resell the Cisco MDS 9000 IP Storage Services Module. And IBM and Cisco are working together to deploy up to 8,000 Cisco MDS 9000 ports for the AXA AXA Anguilla, Anguilla (Airport Code) AXA Alpha Chi Alpha AXA Animal Crossing Ahead (online forum community/guide to the game Animal Crossing) AXA Auxiliary Artery Group, the largest planned implementation for the Cisco SAN switches to date. "The IBM SAN Volume Controller for Cisco MDS 9000 is a fulfillment of Cisco's strategy to make our SAN switches an open platform on which industry-leading storage software vendors can migrate their applications," said Soni Jiandani, vice president of Marketing for the Storage Technology Group at Cisco. "The solution is also another example of the value to customers and technological innovation that Cisco and IBM are working to deliver." The IBM SAN Volume Controller for Cisco MDS 9000 is expected to be generally available through IBM and IBM Business Partners beginning December 5, 2003. |
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