IBM System storage DS6000 Series, Redbooks

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DS6000 Series: Concepts and Architecture
1.1 The DS6000 series, a member of the TotalStorage DS Family
IBM has a wide range of product offerings that are based on open standards and share a
common set of tools, interfaces, and innovative features. The IBM TotalStorage DS Family
and its new member, the DS6000 series (see Figure 1-1), gives you the freedom to choose
the right combination of solutions for your current needs and the flexibility to help your
infrastructure evolve as your needs change. The TotalStorage DS Family is designed to offer
high availability, multiplatform support, and simplified management tools, all to help you cost
effectively adjust to an on demand world.
Figure 1-1 DS6000 series
1.1.1 Infrastructure simplification
Consolidation begins with compatibility. The IBM TotalStorage DS Family and the DS6000
support a broad array of IBM and non-IBM server platforms, including IBM z/OS, z/VM®,
OS/400®, i5/OS™, and AIX 5L™
operating systems, as well as Linux, HP-UX, Sun Solaris,
Novell NetWare, UNIX, and Microsoft® Windows environments. Consequently, you have the
freedom to choose preferred vendors and run the applications you require to meet your
enterprise’s needs while extending your previous IT investments.
Storage asset consolidation can be greatly assisted by virtualization. Virtualization software
solutions are designed to logically combine separate physical storage systems into a single,
virtual storage pool, thereby offering dramatic opportunities to help reduce the total cost of
ownership (TCO), particularly when used in combination with the DS6000 series.
1.1.2 Business continuity
The IBM TotalStorage DS Family and the DS6000 series as a member of this family, supports
enterprise-class data backup and disaster recovery capabilities. As part of the IBM
TotalStorage Resiliency Family of software, IBM TotalStorage FlashCopy point-in-time copy
capabilities back up data in the background, while allowing users nearly instant access to
information on both the source and target volumes. Metro and Global Mirror and Global Copy
capabilities allow the creation of duplicate copies of application data at remote sites.
1.1.3 Information lifecycle management
By retaining frequently accessed or high-value data in one storage server and archiving less
valuable information in a less costly one, systems like the DS6000 series can help improve
the management of information according to its business value—from the moment of its
creation to the moment of its disposal. The policy-based management capabilities built into
the IBM TotalStorage Open Software Family, IBM DB2®
Content Manager and IBM Tivoli®