by Todd Cox, Chief Technology Officer and Lead IT Architect
Recently, I've been getting a lot of questions on IBM's new announcement regarding the Storwize V3700... essentially the little brother to the Storwize V7000. While at first glance, the products seem very similar in terms of functionality, there are several important issues to consider when evaluating the two solutions:
External Virtualization
While the V3700 has the concept of internal virtualization and disk pools like it's older brother, there is no external virtualization capability with the V3700. This means that I cannot front end older fibre channel based disk subsystems like I can with the V7000. This functionality really sets the V7000 apart from the competition, allowing my customers to extend the useful life of their aging storage assets already on the floor. Even if you don't buy into virtualizing older storage subsystems, this capability greatly aids in the migration of data through built in migration wizards.
Unified Option
One of the best features of the V7000 is the unified option which combines block and file-based subsystems into one full-function solution. With the V7000 unified comes Active Cloud Engine; functionality that allows me to tier my files across multiple media types based on straightforwardpolicies. ACE allows me to reduce the
cost of my overall storage footprint by storing files on the right type of media based on file type or usage pattern. The V3700 does not have a unified option and is block-based storage only. So no Active Cloud Engine either.
Scalability
Overall growth and scalability is limited on the V3700 as compared with it's older sibling. I can scale out up to 4 controllers on the V7000, with a total of 960 disk bays. On the V3700 I only have 120 drive bays before I max out.
Don't get me wrong; the V3700 is an amazing entry level addition to the Storwize family from IBM with functionality like thin provision and remote mirroring; functionality typically reserved for enterprise-class storage. That said, it is important to understand the main differences between the two offerings before heading down a particular solution path.
Learn more about the right Storage solution for your Environment at our seminar on January 29th at 11am.
