Tuesday, September 30, 2008

NOTICE - IBM CORE Inventory @ TD - September 29th Update

New weekly update coming to you from your IBM team at Tech Data


The IBM CORE parts list are servers and options that IBM and distribution are working together to have them in stock at all times. For piece of mind and quick delivery, please review and make sure your using the following systems and options for all your configurations and quotes.

Even better, let your IBM team at Tech Data create your configurations and we will make sure the product we use are in stock.



IBM CORE LIST

Monday, September 29, 2008

Learning - IBM System Storage: How to Compete and Win against the Competition

IBM System Storage: How to Compete and Win against the Competition (CC0809-201)

IBM System Storage

One of the biggest challenges in selling IBM System Storage solutions today is understanding how to effectively overcome aggressive competition. Our overall portfolio has never been stronger. It is truly a great time to be selling Storage, but the competition has also never been more intense. There are many new competitors that fight for every qualified opportunity, but there are also some traditional competitors we've seen in and out of our accounts for many years.

The Q42008 Storage Sales Academy (SSA) -- "How to Compete and Win Against EMC" -- will drill down and focus directly on our most intense competitor across the Storage marketplace. Attendees will receive a wealth of insights and strategies to ensure you are ready to win new deals against the competition by leveraging some of our leading-edge products and comprehensive Storage solutions. First we'll provide some current guidance around the competition's latest sales strategies, tactics, and priorities. Then we'll introduce you to XIV -- one of our most strategic additions to the portfolio in many years. We've gotten many requests for in-depth updates on selling against competition as well as how to leverage the XIV acquisition. This SSA will help to address both of those issues in detail.

We'll also look at a variety of additional elements of our portfolio, and prepare you with a better understanding of what the competition has to offer against each, as well as the key insights you need to take to your customers to more clearly differentiate the IBM value. This will include our high end disk (IBM System Storage DS8000 verses DMX), IBM Tivoli Storage software (Total Productivity Center, in particular, verses Control Center), and some comprehensive, new IBM Global Technology Services to package into your deals against competition. We also plan to look closely at how to win with the IBM Tape portfolio against the latest strategies of our tape competitors. In addition, we'll highlight IBM midrange disk solutions with both the IBM DS5000 and the IBM N Series to compete against Clariion CX4 or Celerra NS/NSX solutions.

The Q408 Storage Sales Academy (SSA) agenda will be just over 1.5 days in length and will be delivered at the following six regional locations:

October 30-31...Toronto, ONT (Half day on 31st)

The registration Web site is available now for enrollments. Click here to access.

I encourage you to invest 1.5 days right now to learn how to win against competition -- and let's enjoy the benefits of more wins and more revenue beginning here in Q4. Good luck and good selling.

Learning - IBM DS Series vs Equallogic Offerings

The Equallogic PS5000 Series consists of four iSCSI based devices; the new SATA PS5500E, the SATA PS5000E, the SAS PS5000X and the SAS PS5000XV. All PS5000 storage arrays are based on the PS Series architecture and are the first products announced following Dell’s acquisition of EqualLogic. The "Peer Storage Architecture" is a system where each array (or peer) collaborates with other peers in the SAN in an equal-partner relationship. Data loads are distributed evenly between the peers to improve performance levels and data protection. Each array has built-in Peer Provisioning mechanisms, enabling new arrays to be automatically configured into the existing SAN.

Dell introduced the new EqualLogic PS5500E Storage Array in September 2008. Dell states it is targeted at small to medium-sized business environments. The PS5500E doubles the density and triples the capacity of the PS5000E Model. Dell promotes the PS5500E as possessing enhanced data protection for virtual infrastructure via Auto-Snapshot Manager/VMware Edition

Summary:

Dell acquired EqualLogic in the fall of 2007. They updated and reintroduced the product line under the current PS5000 moniker in early 2008. The line is comprised of identical looking systems. All systems share similarities:

· All models of PS5000/PS5500 support dual controllers.

· Dual controllers only operate in an active/passive mode

· Two models are sold with just a single controller, but may be upgraded to dual controllers

· Each controller possesses three 1Gb/s iSCSI ports.

· Theoretical maximum performance on all EqualLogic systems is less than 300MB/s

· EqualLogic systems cannot be expanded beyond the single enclosure they occupy

· EqualLogic systems have very limited individual flexibility

o An EqualLogic system (one enclosure) can only possess one drive type (SAS or SATA)

o An EqualLogic system (one enclosure) can only possess one drive size

o An EqualLogic system (one enclosure) can only possess one drive speed

o An EqualLogic system (one enclosure) can only possess one RAID level

o An EqualLogic system (one enclosure) automatically removes two drives to be used as hot spares

· Up to eight EqualLogic systems, in an IP SAN, may be automatically viewed as a single system

· Logical Drives (LUNs) may be spread across up to four EqualLogic systems in the same IP SAN

To get the entire word document please contact your IBM Team @ Tech Data – ibmsolutions@techdata.ca

(unofficial competitive bulletin)

Friday, September 26, 2008

Learning - DS3000 Storage Family support for REMOTE MIRRORING

Storage Question:

I’m currently involved in an opportunity that requires remote replication. I heard that there is a new update to the DS3000 line, and I was wondering if Remote Mirroring was included in the expanded enhancements. If not, any other suggestions?

Answer:

The short answer to the question is NO. The DS3000 series was not designed to support remote mirroring. Although it is loosely based on the same firmware as the DS4000, there are some key differences. These include:

- Limited number of host ports. The firmware on the DS4000 likes to allocate host ports for mirroring for a variety of reasons. With just two host ports/controller, the functionality of the system would be severely limited if mirroring was implemented.

- Limited Cache support. The DS3000 series can be uplifted to support 1GB of cache per controller. This is not a lot of cache if the controller is processing IO’s for hosts and acting as an initiator for remote mirroring.

- Limited host support. The limited number of partitions makes this box designed for the entry-level market. This is not usually a market that requires remote mirroring. On the occasion that remote mirroring is required, the bandwidth of controller based mirroring usually makes the solution cost prohibitive compared to host-level mirroring.

The upcoming enhancements will expand the capabilities of the DS3000 systems, but adding remote mirroring is not one of the additional features. To learn more about the new update, please attend the webcast on Oct 14th (see attached).

So, the question of which host-level mirroring would be suggested?

Well, there are a few that come to mind, so I’ll just mention the leaders of the pack. I believe all of those listed below are storage proven.

*) Tivoli Storage Manager FastBack

*) NSI DoubleTake

Please note an upcoming webcast to discuss this solution on Thursday, Oct 9th at 2:00 pm EDT (see attached doc)

*) CA XOsoft Replication

*) Symantec Veritas Volume Replicator

*) IBM Softek Replicator

LEARNING - LIVE WEBCAST!: IBM System Storage DS4000 / DS3000

IBM System Storage™
The Power to Break Through

IBM DS4000 / DS3000® series University Program:

SuperCharge your DS3000 series with
Storage Manager v3.35

About DS3000 Storage Manager v3.35: This NEW software release provides organizations with the same ease-of-use manageability with an ever increasing set of competitive features. The results are a highly stable and scalable foundation that provides maximum storage management flexibility as well as enhanced premium features and capabilities.

After attending this webcast, you should be able to:

  • Identify the new features and functions of the DS3000 Storage Manager 3.35 and customer benefits of each of these new features.
  • Communicate to your customer the key value propositions of the DS3000 Storage Manager Software.
  • Differentiate the new enhancements from previous versions.
  • List the new OS Currency and hard drive support updates
  • Determine the competitive offerings and the DS3000 “silver bullets

The VALUE comes in helping your customers solve their data and business issues with the RIGHT choice!

Target Audience for this series: IBM Business Partners- Sales and Technical, IBM System x and System Storage eSM, Brand Sales Specialists, S&D (SMB and LE) Client Reps, BPO, Channel Reps, and CTSS.

IBM DS3000 series Webcast:
Trainers: Bob Dalton, WW Marketing Manager - IBM Systems & Technology & Gina Geisel, Product Marketing Manager - LSI

Audio Portion (by phone):

Dial In # 1-800-375-2612– passcode IBMDS3000 (426373000)

International: 1-719-955-1670

Follow the URL below to Join this webcast:

http://sym6.centra.com/main/Customers/Engenio/fasttu/User/GuestAttend.jhtml?s_guid=00000125d92c0000011c69d5213683c9

October 14th, 2008 - Webcast will be presented at the time listed below:

8:00 am Pacific

9:00 am Mountain

10:00 am Central

11:00 am Eastern

2:00 pm Sao Paulo

4:00 pm London

5:00 pm Frankfurt

7:00 pm Moscow

If you receive an error when joining the webcast, follow the steps (Windows XP) below to reinstall the Centra Client Software:

Technical Information

• First time users please run a system check: http://sym6.centra.com/SiteRoots/main/SystemCheck/LaunchSystemCheck.jhtml?sessionid=1153854116937148099&locale=en_US

• Upon login you may need to hold the control key while the webcast client downloads or disconnect VPN.

• Audio is also available Voice over IP through the webcast provider.

• Webcasts are recorded for future playback.

==========================================================================================================
Please forward to IBM sales specialists, systems engineers and Business Partners. To be added or removed from the mailing list for IBM DS4000 University trainings brought to you jointly by IBM and LSI, please send an e-mail to: training@ds4000series.com

NOTICE - IBM ServicePac IMPLEMENTATION Services

BladeCenter Implementation

Implement one BladeCenter chassis, up to two BladeCenter ethernet switch modules, up to two BladeCenter fiber channel SAN switch modules, and up to 14 blade servers. Update BIOS and firmware as required. Install a supported Microsoft operating system or a supported Linux operating system and configure basic networking. Test and verify the operation of the BladeCenter.

  • Attach in configs that include BladeCenter with HS or LS blades.
  • Does not include switch module configuration (ie. VLANs, zoning, etc…)
  • If bundled with DS3K/DS4K, will configure boot-from-SAN

41E8856 - LIST $4,500

VMware ESX Server Implementation

Implement VMware ESX server on one supported system. Install and configure VMware ESX server to support up to four virtual machines within a single supported system. Test and verify the operation of VMware ESX sServer and virtual machines and provide up to two personnel with four hours of basic skills instruction.

  • Does not include VirtualCenter implementation

45T5913 - LIST $5,500

GTS onsite Implementation Services for System x

IBM will provide a service System x specialist at your site for one eight-hour day to perform mutually agreed-to tasks that may include any of the following: planning, installation, configuration assistance and training.

  • Max quantity 3 per order, otherwise custom SOW required
  • Example: Provide onsite troubleshooting assistance
  • Example: Install/Upgade BladeCenter with new/additional switch modules
  • Contact Steve Karan for more examples and to determine appropriate quantity

44J7699 - LIST $2,000/day

DS3000 Implementation

Install one (1) disk system controller and up to three (3) storage units. Install Storage Manager on one (1) server. Install IBM host agent software on up to two (2) hosts. Test and verify the operation of the System Storage disk system and provide up to two (2) of your designated personnel with two (2) hours of basic skills instruction.

  • Including unpacking, racking, cabling, and testing
  • Includes SAN planning, array/LUN configuration, and host attachment

51J9787 - $3,400

IBM Director Implementation

Implement IBM Director with one management server and up to two managed systems. Install and configure IBM Director Server on one supported system and IBM Director Agent and IBM Director Console for up to two supported systems. Test and verify the operation of IBM Director and provide up to two personnel with four hours of basic skills instruction.

  • Includes only 2 agents
  • Does not include any extensions (SDPE, RDM, VMM, etc…)
  • Basic skills transfer and alerting, not turnkey solution

45T5912 - LIST $5,500

These are just a few of the IMPLEMENTATION ServicePac's that are available from IBM. Others include Tower, Rack-Mount Servers, operating system, DS4700 standard and comprehensive along with GTS onsite implementation services for Storage.

Increase your sales, expand your touch and grow a stronger relationship with your enduser.

SELL IBM SERVICEPACS

NOTICE - IBM LEAD Program

Are you getting leads from IBM?

Did you know that only a very small percentage of partners are receiving IBM Sales Leads?

You see these partners have gone to PartnerWorld and have updated there company profile. Not only the general information, but they have included everything that they do, making sure they include things like Microsoft Certifications, Cisco, VOIP and any other manufacture certifications and solutions they sell. The IBM program is automated and searches key words to find the right reseller to forward the lead to. The system also looks at your WIN rate, reseller authorization level and locations.

Don’t you think taking 30 minutes to really update your IBM Profile and putting in as much detail as possible might be worth your time. We all could use sales leads to grow and find new business.

Talk to your IBM CRBP if you need assistance in updating your PartnerWorld PROFILE.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

NOTICE - IBM CORE Inventory @ TD - September 22nd Update

New weekly update coming to you from your IBM team at Tech Data


The IBM CORE parts list are servers and options that IBM and distribution are working together to have them in stock at all times. For piece of mind and quick delivery, please review and make sure your using the following systems and options for all your configurations and quotes.

Even better, let your IBM team at Tech Data create your configurations and we will make sure the product we use are in stock.

IBM CORE LIST

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

New IBM System x memory options offer lower power consumption

IBM Canada Ltd. Hardware Announcement A08-1364
September 16, 2008

Planned availability – September 16th, 2008

The following are key points to this announcement:

  • Lower power for a greener solution
  • Greater module densities for memory growth
  • Greater chip density
  • Lower voltage for lower power draw
  • Higher performance for greater throughput

Ove`rview

The new low-power DIMMs for IBM® System xtm memory options help to lower the power costs of the servers by reducing the power draw of the memory and, hence, the overall server power draw. These DIMMs operate at 667 MHz in DDR2 mode with up to 40% power reduction comparing the new 2 GB DIMMs to the previous generation of 2 GB DIMMs.

Low-power fully buffered DIMMs

Fully buffered DIMMs (FBD) enable servers to benefit from their highest possible memory density and bandwidth. Servers equipped with FBDs can get up to 16 GB per channel of total systems memory. This unique memory architecture requires one-third fewer pins than registered DIMMs. They also deliver excellent throughput and low latency. These new low-power 1 GB FBDs offer a combination of outstanding performance with improved thermal characteristics that contribute to a lower total cost of ownership and help ensure long-term IT Investment protection. These new low power 1 GB DIMMs will be available in 1 GB and 2 GB memory capacities.

4 GB Quad Rank Fully Buffered DIMM

This new low-power FBD is the cost-efficient, high-speed memory solution for high-performance blade servers, compute clusters, high-end enterprise servers and telecommunications applications. This DIMM is designed for use in high performance System x server and blade solutions for today's most demanding enterprise applications.

 
 
2 GB (2x1GB kit) Single Rank PC2-5300 CL5 ECC Low Power
46C7418
4 GB (2x2GB kit) Dual Rank PC2-5300 CL5 ECC Low Power
46C7419
8 GB (2x4GB kit) Quad Rank PC2-5300 CL5 ECC Low Power     
46C7420
4 GB (2x2GB kit) PC2-6400 ECC DDR2 800 VLP RDIMM          
46C0509
 

Hardware requirements

The announced memory FBDIMMs are supported on the following platforms:

System name HS21______ Machine type 8853/1885

HS21xm____ 7995/1915

x3650_____ 7979/1914

x3550_____ 7978/1913

x3400_____ 7973/7974/7975/7976

x3500_____ 7977/7978

 

NEW - System x3850 M2 servers feature four-core and six-core Intel Xeon MP processors



IBM Canada Ltd. Hardware Announcement A08-1191
September 16, 2008


Planned availability: October 31st, 2008


New IBM® System x3850 M2 servers incorporate high-performance, quad-core and six-core Xeon® MP processors:



  • Models are powered with quad-core and six-core Intel® Xeon MP processors at up to 2.66 GHz with 9 MB of L2 cache and 16 MB L3 cache

  • Up to 256 GB of high-speed, lower-power, PC2-5300 ECC double data rate 2 (DDR2) SDRAM system memory

  • Seven 2.5 Gb PCIE x8 I/O slots (two are hot-plug)

  • Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) controller

  • Integrated Broadcom 5709 Dual-port 10/100/1000 Megabit Ethernet

  • Four 2.5-inch hot-swap bays for flexible installation of HDDs, supporting up to 584 GB1 internal data storage

  • Standard Remote Supervisor Adapter II Slimline, enabling remote, full-band systems management

  • Two 1440-watt, voltage sensing, rear access, hot-swap power supplies

  • UltraSlim Enhanced SATA CD-RW / DVD-ROM Combo drive

  • Five USB ports (two can be used for USB keyboard and mouse), SVGA video port, one serial port, and two Gb Ethernet ports per chassis

Warranty: Three years, customer replaceable unit (CRU) and on-site2 service, limited warranty3; optional warranty service upgrades available.


The new models of the x3850 M2 server are powered with quad-core and six-core Intel Xeon MP processors at up to 2.66 GHz with 9 MB of L2 cache and 16 MB L3 cache.



Overview



The x3850 M2 server is the fourth generation of the Enterprise X-Architecture®, delivering innovation with enhanced reliability and availability features to enable optimal performance for databases, enterprise applications, and virtualized environments.


Potential benefits include:



  • Increased performance

  • Memory reliability and availability

  • Low-power cost-effective memory with Advanced Buffer eXecution chip delivering power savings as much as 37% in power usage in the memory subsystem and lower latency for optimal performance

  • Enhanced systems management capabilities

  • Power management savings

  • Quad-core and six-core processing performance

Power



  • Active Memorytm with hot-swap support: Memory ProteXion, Chipkilltm, memory mirroring, and hot-swap and hot-add memory, for high performance with 256 MB XceL4v cache per chassis

  • Up to 32 DIMM slots per chassis delivering up to 256 GB of high-speed PC2-5300 double data rate (DDR2) memory

  • Serial Attach SCSI (SAS) plus RAID to maximize throughput and ease installation of a RAID card

  • Four 2.5-inch SAS HDDs, up to 584 GB1 of maximum internal storage

  • High-performance integrated dual Megabit Ethernet built-in, high-speed networking with support for latest technologies

  • Integrated Remote Supervisor Adapter II Slimline

  • 4 U rack-optimized, tool-free chassis that strikes the balance between rack density and ease of maintenance

  • Rear access power supplies for easy access

Fourth-generation eX4 technology features



  • Advanced fourth-generation Chipkill ECC memory controller to help correct single-, two-, three-, and four-bit memory errors

  • Memory ProteXion and memory mirroring support

  • Active PCIE x8 I/O slots, as well as hot-add and hot-swap adapters

  • Hot-swap drive bays and redundant fans to replace select components without powering down the server

  • Two hot-swap, rear access, redundant power supplies with 220 V ac input

  • Predictive Failure Analysis® (PFA) on processors, memory, fans, power supply, and HDD options to help warn of problems before they occur

  • Innovative light path diagnostics and top access design; easy to service and configure
System x3850 M2 Non-scalable Models - 3 year warranty
 
System x3850 M2 - 2 x 2.13 GHz/6 MB L2/8 MB L3, 4 core,
72332RU          E7420, 90W, 4x1 GB w/2 memory cards
System x3850 M2 - 2 x 2.4 GHz/9 MB L2/12 MB L3, 6 Core,
72335RU          E7450, 90W, 8x1 GB w/4 memory cards
System x3850 M2 - 2 x 2.66 GHz/9 MB L2/16 MB L3, 6 Core,
72336RU          x7460, 130W, 8x1 GB w/4 memory cards
System x3850 M2 - 2 x 2.13 GHz/6 MB L2/12 MB L3, 4 Core,
72337RU          L7445, 50W, 4x1 GB w/2 memory cards
 
System x3850 M2 Express Model
 
System x3850 M2 - 2 x 2.4 GHz/9 MB L2/12 MB L3, 6 Core, 
7233E5U          E7450, 90W, 8x2 GB w/4 memory cards
 

NEW - System x3950 M2 servers featuring latest Intel Xeon MP processors



IBM Canada Ltd. Hardware Announcement A08-1184
September 16, 2008


Planned availability – October 10th, 2008


New IBM® System x3950 M2 servers incorporate high-performance, Xeon® MP processors:



  • Models of the x3950 M2 server are powered with quad-core and six-core Intel® Xeon MP processors at up to 2.66 GHz with 9 MB of L2 cache and 16 MB L3 cache

  • Up to 256 GB of high-speed, lower-power, PC2-5300 ECC double data rate 2 (DDR2) SDRAM system per chassis memory with the ability to scale to 1 TB

  • Seven 2.5 Gb PCIE x8 I/O slots (two are hot-plug) per chassis with ability to scale to 28 slots in a 4-chassis configuration

  • Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) controller

  • Integrated Broadcom 5709 Dual-port 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet

  • Four 2.5-inch hot-swap bays for flexible installation of HDDs, supporting up to 584 GB1 internal data storage

  • Standard Remote Supervisor Adapter II Slimline, enabling remote, full-band systems management

  • Two 1440-watt, voltage sensing, rear access, hot-swap power supplies

  • UltraSlim Enhanced SATA CD-RW / DVD-ROM Combo drive

  • Five USB ports (two can be used for USB keyboard and mouse), SVGA video port, one serial port, and two Gb Ethernet ports per chassis

Warranty: Three years, customer replaceable unit (CRU) and on-site2 service, limited warranty3; optional warranty service upgrades available.



Potential benefits include:



  • Increased performance

  • Memory reliability and availability

  • Scalability up to 16 sockets

  • Low-power cost-effective memory with Advanced Buffer eXecution chip helps lower power usage by the memory subsystem as much as 37% and low latency for optimal performance

  • Enhanced systems management capabilities

  • Power management savings

  • Quad-core and six-core processing performance

Power and scalability



  • Fourth-generation EXA chipset powering XpandOnDemand up to 16-socket (64-core)

  • Active Memorytm with hot-swap support: Memory ProteXion, Chipkilltm memory mirroring, and hot-swap and hot-add memory, for high performance with 256 MB XceL4v cache per chassis

  • Up to 32 DIMM slots per chassis delivering up to 256 GB of high-speed PC2-5300 double data rate (DDR2) memory per chassis; expandable to 1 TB in a 16-socket (64-core) complex

  • Serial Attach SCSI (SAS) plus RAID to maximize throughput and ease installation of a RAID card

  • Four 2.5-inch SAS HDDs, up to 584 GB of maximum internal storage

  • High-performance integrated dual Gigabit Ethernet built-in, high-speed networking with support for latest technologies

  • Integrated Remote Supervisor Adapter II Slimline

  • 4U rack-optimized, tool-free chassis that strikes the balance between rack density and ease of maintenance

  • Rear access power supplies for easy access

Fourth-generation EXA features



  • Advanced fourth-generation Chipkill ECC memory controller to help correct single-, two-, three-, and four-bit memory errors

  • Memory ProteXion and memory mirroring support

  • Active PCIE x8 I/O slots, as well as hot-add and hot-swap adapters

  • Hot-swap drive bays and redundant fans to replace select components without powering down the server

  • Two hot-swap, rear access, redundant power supplies

  • Predictive Failure Analysis® (PFA) on processors, memory, fans, power supply, and HDD options to help warn of problems before they occur

  • Innovative light path diagnostics and top access design; easy to service and configure
 
System x3950 M2 Scalable Models - 3 year warranty
 
System x3950 M2 - - 2 x 2.13 GHz/6 MB L2/8 MB L3, 4 core,
72332SU             E7420, 90W, 4x1 GB w/2 memory cards
System x3950 M2 - - 2 x 2.4 GHz/9 MB L2/12 MB L3, 6 Core,
72335SU            E7450, 90W, 8x1 GB w/4 memory cards
System x3950 M2 - - 2 x 2.66 GHz/9 MB L2/16 MB L3, 6 Core,
72336SU            x7460, 130W, 8x1 GB w/4 memory cards
System x3950 M2 - - 2 x 2.13 GHz/6 MB L2/12 MB L3, 4 Core,
72337SU            L7445, 50W, 4x1 GB w/2 memory cards


Tuesday, September 16, 2008

SHIPPING - DS5000 Storage System


IBM System Storagetm DS5000 series highlights include:

The initial offering consists of DS5100 and DS5300 high-performance 4 Gbps Fibre Channel (FC) storage controllers and high-capacity EXP5000 storage expansion unit that deliver scalable configurations up to 256 terabytes (TB).

Modular architecture provides flexibility, scalability, and investment protection.

Modular host port building blocks: Initial options of eight or sixteen 4 Gbps FC host ports (four or eight ports per controller).

Modular cache memory blocks: Initial options of 8 GB or 16 GB cache memory.

Description

IBM expands its midrange disk storage offerings of high-performance, high availability, business-critical storage solutions with the introduction of the IBM System Storage DS5000 series.

The System Storage DS5000 series disk system is IBM's newest midrange disk offering, specifically designed to meet the needs of midrange/departmental storage requirements, delivering high performance, advanced function, high availability, modular and scalable storage capacity, with SAN-attached 4 Gbps Fibre Channel (FC) connectivity, and support for RAID 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, and 10, with up to 256 TB physical storage capacity.

The DS5000 series is designed to deliver up to a two-fold IOP performance increase over the current generation DS4800 offerings and represents the seventh-generation architecture within the midrange disk family.

DS5000 series members

DS5100 Storage Controller (1818-51A)
DS5300 Storage Controller (1818-53A)


EXP5000 Storage Expansion Unit (1818-D1A)
The EXP5000 Expansion Unit (1818-D1A) base model includes a 3U, rack-mount 16-bay disk enclosure, two SW SFP transceivers, dual power supplies, redundant cooling, rack mounting rails, softcopy documentation, and two rack PDU power cords (36L8886).

The DS5000 series initial offering consists of the DS5100 and DS5300 high-performance storage controllers and the mating EXP5000 storage expansion unit. DS5100 and DS5300 controllers come packaged in 4U rack-mountable enclosures and have dual-active RAID controllers that operate at 4 Gbps FC speeds. The EXP5000 is a high-capacity 16-drive bay expansion unit packaged in a 3U rack-mountable enclosure.

DS5100 and DS5300 controllers can attach up to 16 EXP5000 expansion units, providing modular and highly scalable storage solutions that range up to 256 TB physical storage capacity.

ASK YOUR IBM TEAM HOW TO QUOTE AND ORDER THIS NEW PRODUCT FROM IBM.

ibmsolutions@techdata.ca
877-925-9983

NOTICE - IBM CORE Inventory @ TD - September 15th Update

New weekly update coming to you from your IBM team at Tech Data


The IBM CORE parts list are servers and options that IBM and distribution are working together to have them in stock at all times. For piece of mind and quick delivery, please review and make sure your using the following systems and options for all your configurations and quotes.

Even better, let your IBM team at Tech Data create your configurations and we will make sure the product we use are in stock.



IBM CORE LIST

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

NEW - IBM BladeCenter S SAS RAID Controller Module supports SAS expansion, availability and connectivity



IBM Canada Ltd. Hardware Announcement A08-1338
September 09, 2008




IBM BladeCenter S SAS RAID Controller Module


The IBM BladeCenter S SAS RAID Controller Module integrates SAS switching and RAID controller function in a legacy switch form factor, and includes the following features:



  • Redundant configuration (dual RAID Controller, dual-switch and dual-BBU)

  • RAID 0, 1, 0+1, and 5

  • Supports two disk storage modules (DSM) with up to 12 x 3.5 in SAS drives and NL SAS drives

  • SAS boot and shared storage in IBM BladeCenter S chassis

  • Six local processor blade support in IBM BladeCenter S chassis

  • Two internal 4X SAS 3.0 Gbps to 2 DSM systems; 6 internal 1X SAS 3.0 Gbps host connectivity to 6 blade slots

  • Customer hot-swappable components

  • Managed by IBM Storage Configuration Manager (SCM), IBM's storage management application component for server and storage management integration.

  • The IBM BladeCenter Start Now Advisor chassis setup tool that ships with BladeCenter-S will be upgraded with RSSM and be available as a download at the same time.

IBM BladeCenter S SAS RAID Controller Module competitive advantages:


  • BladeCenter is a leader the industry, delivering integrated storage solutions to the blade server environment. Integrated storage solution helps ease deployment, simplify the datacenter, reduce cabling, and lower costs.

  • Each BladeCenter server provides redundant connections to the storage system. Customers can configure their blade servers with dual-port host bus adapters. No other tier one blade server vendor delivers this dual-port capability, which now includes the addition of the SAS expansion card.

  • Through integration, BladeCenter eliminates the cables from the server to the I/O module. This not only reduces the opportunity for misconfiguration, it helps to lower the expense for cables and to reduce potential points of failure, while helping increase storage availability.

  • IBM Storage Configuration Manager provides an upwardly compatible path for server and storage integrated management with IBM Director. This helps reduce overall TCO through unified systems management applications.

Planned Availability – October 24th, 2008


Product positioning


IBM BladeCenter is the industry's premier tier one server portfolio, and has been helping clients simplify IT, making it easier to deploy, own, and manage servers, storage, and IO. Today, IBM extends that promise by announcing the BladeCenter SAS RAID Controller Module. Quite simply, the RAID Controller Module can enable the benefits of a SAN, right inside the BladeCenter S chassis.



The IBM BladeCenter S SAS RAID Controller Module is an innovative approach to efficient IT. Rather than manage RAID at several adapters, the SAS RAID Controller consolidates this function at the switch level, simplifying management and minimizing costs. Combine this with the ability to deliver RAID 0, 1, 0+1, and 5 while also allowing shared storage for up to six blade servers, the SAS RAID Controller Module is the only slide-in way to get your SAN up and running in no time.



IBM BladeCenter continues to lead the industry in delivering levels of function and integration not seen on any other blade offering in the industry today. These new BladeCenter options provide additional capabilities and function allowing customers to meet the needs of today's enterprise server applications and next-generation network and storage applications.


IBM BladeCenter S SAS RAID Controller Module (43W3584)