Ibm Flashsystem A9000 Product Guide Version 12 3 2

This IBM® Redbooks® Product Guide is an overview of the main characteristics, features, and technology that are used in IBM FlashSystem® A9000Model 425, with IBM FlashSystem A9000 Software V12.3.2. Software version 12.3.2, with Hyper-Scale Manager version 5.6 or later, introduces support for VLAN tagging and port trunking. IBM FlashSystem A9000 storage system uses the IBM FlashCore® technology to help realize higher capacity and improved response times over disk-based systems and other competing flash and solid-state drive (SSD)-based storage. The extreme performance of IBM FlashCore technology with a grid architecture and comprehensive data reduction creates one powerful solution. Whether you are a service provider who requires highly efficient management or an enterprise that is implementing cloud on a budget, FlashSystem A9000 provides consistent and predictable microsecond response times and the simplicity that you need. The A9000 features always on data reduction and now offers intelligent capacity management for deduplication. As a cloud optimized solution, FlashSystem A9000 suits the requirements of public and private cloud providers who require features, such as inline data deduplication, multi-tenancy, and quality of service. It also uses powerful software-defined storage capabilities from IBM SpectrumTM Accelerate, such as Hyper-Scale technology, VMware, and storage container integration.

This IBM® Redbooks® Product Guide is an overview of the main characteristics, features, and technology that are used in IBM FlashSystem® A9000Model 425, with IBM FlashSystem A9000 Software V12.3.2. Software version 12.3.2, with Hyper-Scale Manager version 5.6 or later, introduces support for VLAN tagging and port trunking. IBM FlashSystem A9000 storage system uses the IBM FlashCore® technology to help realize higher capacity and improved response times over disk-based systems and other competing flash and solid-state drive (SSD)-based storage. The extreme performance of IBM FlashCore technology with a grid architecture and comprehensive data reduction creates one powerful solution. Whether you are a service provider who requires highly efficient management or an enterprise that is implementing cloud on a budget, FlashSystem A9000 provides consistent and predictable microsecond response times and the simplicity that you need. The A9000 features always on data reduction and now offers intelligent capacity management for deduplication. As a cloud optimized solution, FlashSystem A9000 suits the requirements of public and private cloud providers who require features, such as inline data deduplication, multi-tenancy, and quality of service. It also uses powerful software-defined storage capabilities from IBM SpectrumTM Accelerate, such as Hyper-Scale technology, VMware, and storage container integration.

This IBM® Redbooks® Product Guide is an overview of the main characteristics, features, and technology that are used in IBM FlashSystem® A9000R Model 415 and Model 425, with IBM FlashSystem A9000R Software V12.3.2. Software version 12.3.2, with Hyper-Scale Manager version 5.6 or later, introduces support for VLAN tagging and port trunking.. IBM FlashSystem A9000R is a grid-scale, all-flash storage platform designed for industry leaders with rapidly growing cloud storage and mixed workload environments to help drive your business into the cognitive era. FlashSystem A9000R provides consistent, extreme performance for dynamic data at scale, integrating the microsecond latency and high availability of IBM FlashCore® technology. The rack-based offering comes integrated with the world class software features that are built with IBM SpectrumTM Accelerate. For example, comprehensive data reduction, including inline pattern removal, data deduplication, and compression, helps lower total cost of ownership (TCO) while the grid architecture and IBM Hyper-Scale framework simplify and automate storage administration. The A9000R features always on data reduction and now offers intelligent capacity management for deduplication. Ready for the cloud and well-suited for large deployments, FlashSystem A9000R delivers predictable high performance and ultra-low latency, even under heavy workloads with full data reduction enabled. As a result, the grid-scale architecture maintains this performance by automatically self-optimizing workloads across all storage resources without manual intervention.

This IBM® Redbooks® Product Guide is an overview of the main characteristics, features, and technology that are used in IBM FlashSystem® A9000R Model 415 and Model 425, with IBM FlashSystem A9000R Software V12.3.2. Software version 12.3.2, with Hyper-Scale Manager version 5.6 or later, introduces support for VLAN tagging and port trunking. IBM FlashSystem A9000R is a grid-scale, all-flash storage platform designed for industry leaders with rapidly growing cloud storage and mixed workload environments to help drive your business into the cognitive era. FlashSystem A9000R provides consistent, extreme performance for dynamic data at scale, integrating the microsecond latency and high availability of IBM FlashCore® technology. The rack-based offering comes integrated with the world class software features that are built with IBM Spectrum"!Accelerate. For example, comprehensive data reduction, including inline pattern removal, data deduplication, and compression, helps lower total cost of ownership (TCO) while the grid architecture and IBM Hyper-Scale framework simplify and automate storage administration. The A9000R features always on data reduction and now offers intelligent capacity management for deduplication. Ready for the cloud and well-suited for large deployments, FlashSystem A9000R delivers predictable high performance and ultra-low latency, even under heavy workloads with full data reduction enabled. As a result, the grid-scale architecture maintains this performance by automatically self-optimizing workloads across all storage resources without manual intervention.

The success or failure of businesses often depends on how well organizations use their data assets for competitive advantage. Deeper insights from data require better information technology. As organizations modernize their IT infrastructure to boost innovation rather than limit it, they need a data storage system that can keep pace with highly virtualized environments, cloud computing, mobile and social systems of engagement, and in-depth, real-time analytics. Making the correct decision on storage investment is critical. Organizations must have enough storage performance and agility to innovate as they need to implement cloud-based IT services, deploy virtual desktop infrastructure, enhance fraud detection, and use new analytics capabilities. At the same time, future storage investments must lower IT infrastructure costs while helping organizations to derive the greatest possible value from their data assets. IBM® FlashSystem storage solutions can accelerate the transformation of the modern organizations into an IBM Cognitive BusinessTM. FlashSystem all-flash storage arrays are purpose-engineered to support the organization's active data sets. FlashSystem solutions offer a broad range of industry-leading storage virtualization and data management features that can provide improved storage system performance, efficiency, and reliability. Even better, FlashSystem can be less expensive than conventional enterprise storage solutions. This IBM Redbooks® Product Guide describes IBM FlashSystem® V9000, which is a comprehensive all-flash enterprise storage solution that delivers the full capabilities of IBM FlashCoreTM technology. In addition, it provides a rich set of software-defined storage features, including IBM Real-time CompressionTM, dynamic tiering, thin provisioning, snapshots, cloning, replication, data copy services, and IBM HyperSwap® for high availability. With the release of FlashSystem V9000 Software V7.7.1, extra functions and features are available, including support for new and more powerful FlashSystem V9000 control enclosure Model AC3 and new SAS-based small form factor (SFF) and large form factor (LFF) expansion enclosures that provide a mixture of nearline hard disk drives (HDDs) and flash mdisks in a pool that can be used for IBM Easy Tier®. The new IBM FlashSystem V9000 SFF expansion enclosure Model 24F offers new tiering options with low-cost solid-state drive (SSD). Up to 20 serial-attached SCSI (SAS) expansions are supported per FlashSystem V9000 controller pair, providing up to 480 drives with expansion Model 24F and up to 240 drives with expansion Model 12F. Also new with FlashSystem V9000 Software V7.7.1 is N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) support, which virtualizes worldwide port names (WWPNs) for zero path reduction during controller maintenance and outages. FlashSystem V9000 Software version 7.7.1 replaces version 7.7, and is available to all IBM FlashSystem V9000 customers with current warranty or software maintenance agreements.

Version 12.3.2 This IBM® Redbooks publication presents the architecture, design, concepts, and technology that are used in IBM FlashSystem® A9000 and IBM FlashSystem A9000R. FlashSystem A9000 and FlashSystem A9000R deliver the microsecond latency and high availability of IBM FlashCore® technology with grid architecture, simple scalability, and industry-leading IBM software that is designed to drive your business into the cognitive era. The Hyper-Scale Manager highly intuitive user interface simplifies management. Comprehensive data reduction capabilities, including inline deduplication and a powerful compression engine, help lower total cost of ownership. With software version 12.3.1 and Hyper-Scale Manager version 5.5.1 (or later) the system can compute reclaimable and attributed capacity information, without performance impact. Software version 12.3.2, with Hyper-Scale Manager version 5.6 or later, introduces support for VLAN tagging and port trunking. From a functional standpoint, FlashSystem A9000 and FlashSystem A9000R take advantage of most of the software-defined storage features that are offered by the IBM SpectrumTM Accelerate software, including multi-tenancy and business continuity functions. FlashSystem A9000 and FlashSystem A9000R supports HyperSwap and Multi-site High Availabilty / Disaster Recovery (HA/DR) configurations. This publication is intended for those individuals who need to plan, install, tailor, and configure FlashSystem A9000 and FlashSystem A9000R. For detailed information about configuration, management, host attachment, and replication functions and their usage, see the following publications: IBM Spectrum Accelerate Family Storage Configuration and Usage for IBM FlashSystem A9000, IBM FlashSystem A9000R, and IBM XIV Gen3, SG24-8376 IBM FlashSystem A9000 and A9000R Business Continuity Solutions, REDP-5401 IBM HyperSwap and Multi-site HA/DR solution for IBM FlashSystem A9000 and A9000R, REDP-5434 IBM Spectrum Accelerate Family: Host Attachment and Interoperability, SG24-8368.

This edition applies to FlashSystem A9000 and A9000R, Model 415 and 425, with system software Version 12.3 IBM® FlashSystem A9000 and IBM FlashSystem® A9000R provide copy functions suited for various data protection scenarios that enable you to enhance your business continuance, disaster recovery, data migration, and backup solutions. These functions allow point-in-time copies, known as snapshots, and also include remote copy capabilities in either synchronous or asynchronous mode. Furthermore, support for IBM Hyper-Scale Mobility enables a seamless migration of IBM FlashSystem A9000 or A9000R volumes to another with no interference to the host. Starting with software level V12.1, the IBM HyperSwap® feature delivers always-on, high availability (HA) storage service for storage volumes in a production environment. Starting with version 12.2, asynchronous replication between the IBM XIV® Gen3 and FlashSystem A9000 or A9000R is supported. Starting with Version 12.2.1, Hyper-Scale Mobility is enabled between XIV Gen3 and FlashSystem A9000 or A9000R. Version 12.3 offers Multi-site replication solution that entails both High Availability (HA) and Disaster Recovery (DR)function by combining HyperSwap and Asynchronous replication to a third site. This IBM RedpaperTM publication is intended for anyone who needs a detailed and practical understanding of the IBM FlashSystem A9000 and IBM FlashSystem A9000R replication and business continuity functions.

This IBM® Redpaper® Product Guide describes the IBM FlashSystem® 9500 solution, which is a next-generation IBM FlashSystem control enclosure. It combines the performance of flash and a Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe)-optimized architecture with the reliability and innovation of IBM FlashCore® technology and the rich feature set and high availability (HA) of IBM Spectrum® Virtualize. Often, applications exist that are foundational to the operations and success of an enterprise. These applications might function as prime revenue generators, guide or control important tasks, or provide crucial business intelligence, among many other jobs. Whatever their purpose, they are mission critical to the organization. They demand the highest levels of performance, functionality, security, and availability. They also must be protected against the modern scourge, cyberattacks. To support such mission-critical applications, enterprises of all types and sizes turn to the IBM FlashSystem 9500. IBM FlashSystem 9500 provides a rich set of software-defined storage (SDS) features that are delivered by IBM Spectrum Virtualize, including the following examples: Data reduction and deduplication Dynamic tiering Thin-provisioning Snapshots Cloning Replication and data copy services Cyber resilience Transparent Cloud Tiering IBM HyperSwap® including 3-site replication for HA Scale-out and scale-up configurations that further enhance capacity and throughput for better availability With the release of IBM Spectrum Virtualize V8.5, extra functions and features are available, including support for new third-generation IBM FlashCore Modules NVMe-type drives within the control enclosure, and 100 Gbps Ethernet adapters that provide NVMe Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) options. New software features include GUI enhancements and security enhancements, including multifactor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO), and Fibre Channel (FC) portsets.