TCO
Reinvented
Copyright IBM Corporation 2009
9
Hotspot-free
As described, the XIV system is fully virtualized, distributing data automatically and
maintaining perfect load balance at all times, without hotspots. The lack of hotspots
eliminates the need to pre-allocate volumes to achieve specific performance
requirements.
Hands-free scaling
Whenever new physical capacity is added, the XIV system automatically integrates the
new capacity across all the disks and modules and swiftly redistributes the load to
maintain perfect balance. For more information on IBM XIV volume distribution and load
balancing, see the
IBM XIV Performance Reinvented
white paper.
Space reclamation
XIV performs space reclamation automatically and offers easy management tools for
leveraging this capability to the fullest. The XIV system recognizes “zeroed out” space as
not being in use; it releases any space marked by zeros into the general pool, thus
reclaiming it. XIV management tools enable administrators to easily zero out space no
longer in use so that the XIV system can automatically reclaim it and allow its reuse.
Traditional system have a different approach to space reclamation; yet, most of these
approaches are not currently functioning and will not be available for a number of years.
This lack in traditional systems is one of the sources for inflated capacity requirements.
Simple pricing, with all-inclusive features
Simplicity is a key virtue of the XIV system; this simplicity applies to purchasing, as well.
Buying an XIV system is a simple matter of specifying the desired gross/net capacity, with
no other costs involved.
The XIV system takes an all-inclusive approach to features: every XIV rack comes with all
software built-in, as itemized below, at no extra cost and with no license fees whatsoever:
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Snapshots
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Consistency groups
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Remote mirroring
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Storage management
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Performance monitoring
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Thin provisioning
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Self-tuning
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Host connectivity packages
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Data migration
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Special host features, like MS VSS support
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Native multi-path support of the host operating system
