Question of the WEEK - Storage - DS3000 Family

DS3000 Battery Life

Question of the week:

Before the DS3000 Storage Subsystem Firmware release 7.35, the life of the battery was based on an age counter. H, with the 7.35.x code, it is based on learn cycle. I need to explain to my customers (hopefully with a screenshot) that after the upgrade we will just need to reset the age counter by few screenshot which I could not get on the latest demo. Could you please send me a screenshot for the advance learn cycle after the upgrade which shows the battery is healthy, and also one that shows how to configure the learn cycle.
On top of this, I was told that some of the initial batch of DS3000 systems were not delivered with SMART batteries. Is this true? After I upgrade the Firmware to 7.35, will the Storage Manager tell me if the system does not have a smart battery? If not, how could I tell from the StorageManager whether the battery is smart or not?

Answer of the week:

First of all, a little background on batteries. There are “dumb” batteries like you put in flashlights, and there are “smart” batteries like the ones that go in laptops. The big difference is that the smart batteries can communicate and provide intelligence to the system like State of Charge and State of Health information. With dumb batteries, you don’t. So, smart batteries tell you when they need to be replaced, but with dumb batteries, you can either wait until the light grows dim (flashlight example) or the “average lifespan” time is up to replace the batteries.

The upside of smart batteries is that customers are not changing out perfectly good batteries. The downside to the smart batteries is complexity, cost, and the need to run periodic health checks (called the learn cycle). As with all “system maintenance” functions, it is best to run the learn cycle during a non-disruptive time (weekends, nights, etc) as it may have an impact on system performance (especially lower end systems

With the newer systems (DS3000’s, DS4000’s and DS5000’s), we’ve always utilized smart batteries (batteries with the smart circuitry). So, it is not necessary to try to determine if your system has smart or dumb batteries (DS4300 batteries are dumb, and DS3400 batteries are smart). With the older versions of firmware (pre-7.x), we didn’t implement the intelligence for taking advantage of the smart batteries. Instead, we just utilized the old method of checking their age (for various reasons). With the new version of firmware, the systems now take advantage of the smartness of the batteries. This does bring about changes to the StorageManager, and as pointed out above, those changes do not show up in the simulator (a simulator bug that will be resolved). So, below you will see a screenshot of the “Change Battery Settings” window (under Tools tab in the DS3000 StorageManager interface).

You will notice that you now can reset the age (which does very little), and also select when the learn cycle is run. I’ll also note that the learn cycle is run every 13 weeks, and the StorageManager displays when the next learn cycle will be executed.

NOTICE - Sell more BLUE SMB - GRID March UPDATE

The MARCH SMB (Sell more Blue) GRID pricing has been updated on March 12th.

GREAT NEWS - a lot of products going down with new products being added.

Products ADDED to the GRID - 54
Products REDUCED in PRICE - 462
Products INCREASED in PRICE - 0

Need more information - Call your IBM TEAM @ Tech Data

877-925-9983

ibmsolutions@techdata.ca

FULL DETAILS

INTERNAL Tech Data - huron/sales/ibm/sell more blue/20090312 xxxxxxxxxx

NEW CONTACT SHEET Available

We have just created a NEW contact sheet!

The NEW SHEET includes all of our VALUE ADD SERVICES as well as our LINE CARD of IBM products we sell.

Take a look

Internal: huron\sales\ibm\ssbu IBM Team\2009 IBM TEAM contacts

NEW - System x3500 Express Model

The Express Portfolio is revised with an additional System x3500 model

Overview

A new System x® configuration is being added to the IBM® Express Portfolio™, designed and priced to meet the needs of mid-sized businesses. Reliable and easy to manage, Express models and configurations vary by country. They further enhance the ease of doing business with IBM by offering a robust portfolio of products supported by aggressive pricing and simplified incentives.
The latest System x Express model consists of a relevant system configuration for the System x3500 server.
System x Express servers deliver robust capabilities while taking into account limited resources and budgets. Find the right hardware for your business needs today, while helping to protect your investments with flexible, scalable products that can grow with your business.

Note:IBM will not be accepting special bid requests for the Express models or options.

Description

7977EBU

Xeon E5420 (2.50 GHz/1333 MHz), 12 MB L2 QC

2 x 2 GB PC5300 memory

Open bay 3.5-inch HS SAS/SATA

Half-high SATA Multi-Burner

Mouse and keyboard

Planned availability date: March 13, 2009

NOTICE - Tech Data Supports your IBM NMSO Business

“Tech Data double’s inventory to support your IBM NMSO business this March"

Make sure if you have any IBM NMSO business, that you come to Tech Data first. We will have the inventory and we can assist in confirming you are ordering the correct product through the translator as well as what process the orders need to take depending on the product family.

We are your IBM NMSO destination.

877-925-9983
ibmsolutions@techdata.ca

Tech Data NMSO Solutions Page

REMEMBER - YOUR NMSO ORDERS COUNT TOWARDS YOUR NUMBERS AND BALLOTS FOR THE TECH DATA - RESELLER ADVENTURE PROMO - TRIP TO LONDON ENGLAND.

Tech Data SEMINAR - March 18th

Come out to Tech Data in Mississauga to our ATSC (Advanced Solution Centre) for an afternoon filled with information.

Deliver on the PROMISE of an IBM VIRTUALIZED INFRASTRUCTURE

• How do you know when your customer should make the move to a virtual server and storage infrastructure?
• Does IBM have a set of infrastructure components that have been designed to build the right solutions for your customers?
• Does IBM have an advantage you can leverage to beat the competition?

IBM and Tech Data experts will help you answer these and other virtualization questions on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at Tech Data's Advanced Solution Centre in Mississauga.

You will get to touch and see the BLADECENTER S and H, you will get to touch and see the DS3400 and DS4700 storage units.

• Consolidation: the reseller opportunity
• VMware Virtualization update
• IBM Bladecenter S - why is it a great fit for SMB customers
• IBM DS3000 Family of Storage - why is it a great fit for SMB customers
• ATSC Opportunity - How we can help close business for you
• Light discussion with Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres

PLEASE RSVP BY FRIDAY, March 13 to Aida Maia @ aida.maia@techdata.ca

March 18th - 2PM - 2:30PM registration - 2:30 - 5:30 LEARNING - Cocktails start @ 5:30 - 7PM

LEARNING - 2009 KYI Launched

The KNOW YOUR IBM PROGRAM has started for 2009, get signed up and ready to LEARN and SELL to EARN. Program started on February 24th - start recording your sales.
Know Your IBM Rep Rewards – Learn & Earn

• $Earn points for successful completion of a wide selection of e-learning modules.
• $Designed to take 20 minutes or less to complete.
• $Available 24/7/365.
• $Focus of Key Selling messages with links to more in depth education.
• $You must complete at least one e-learning module before you are eligible to earn points for your qualifying sales
• $Complete all of the modules to increase your knowledge and skills while maximizing your earnings.

Know Your IBM Rep Rewards – Sell & Earn

• Earn points for recording sales of qualifying products featuring System x, System Storage, Express Products and Power Systems.
• $Reporting sales is quick & easy – it literally takes seconds to report a sale!!!
• $Points are assigned per product and are listed in the announcement letter and on the web site.
• $Check out the eligible product list and report all eligible sales to maximize your earnings!
• $Report your Sales in accordance to the schedule published in the announcement letter in order to receive points.

$The Know Your IBM Rep Rewards Web site is at www.ibm.com/partnerworld/knowyouribm.

Sign in with your PartnerWorld ID and Password.

LEARNING - Canadian BP Sales Teleconference March 5 11:30AM

Canadian Business Partners are invited to dial in to the Canadian BP Sales Teleconference conference call tomorrow, March 5, 2009 at 11:30 am ET. Call-in: 416-405-9300, 1-877-629-0392, confirmation code: 3275834.

Materials at www.ibm.com/partnerworld/ca/en/resources

As allows these will be recorded and you will be able to view at a later date.

LEARNING - IBM Economic Stimulus Opportunity Slide Deck

Could not be at a better time to take a look at the following SLIDE deck that was presented today at the Business Partner Monthly Newsline Teleconference.

Need some help understanding where all the governments money is going, need to compare the LEASE promotions from other vendors to IBM Globel financing, want to earn points and money through KYI.

Lots of reasons to look this slide deck over and review the replay in a few days.

THE DECK

Need to have IBM PARTNERWORLD sign in to view

You are invited to join IBM Channel Marketing on March 4, 2009 for an exciting Business Partner Advantage Newsline webcast. While you may have read about the 2009 US economic stimulus opportunity, you are probably wondering what opportunities it offers your business. Gain valuable insight into these announcements and how your firm can participate. IBM Global Financing (IGF) will review the latest IBM stimulus financing programs available to help you close the deal. And finally, we will present what's new in the Know Your IBM (KYI) program for 2009. Be sure to share this notice with colleagues who won't want to miss this call.

Agenda

Welcome
The 2009 Economic Stimulus Opportunity -- what does it mean to your business
Global Financing Stimulus program to close the deal
2009 Know Your IBM (KYI) program
Q&A

Canadian Business Partners are invited to dial in to the Canadian BP Sales Teleconference conference call tomorrow, March 5, 2009 at 11:30 am ET. Call-in: 416-405-9300, 1-877-629-0392, confirmation code: 3275834. Materials at www.ibm.com/partnerworld/ca/en/resources

NOTICE - EOL SERVER Products

Hardware withdrawal: Selected IBM System x and BladeCenter servers -- Replacements available

Effective March 31, 2009, IBM will withdraw from marketing the following IBM® System x® and BladeCenter® servers. After this date you can no longer obtain these products directly from IBM

8849AC1 x306m

8849MC1

436722U x3200 M2

436822U

419262U x3350

419362U

8877AC1 x3750

8877MC1

88774RU

71412RU x3950 M2

71413RU

71413SU

71414RU

71414SU

7141E3U

71413HU

NOTICE - Tech Data STOCKING TOP 50 IBM PARTS

Take a look at the IBM STOCK @ Tech Data

Tech Data has made a large purchase of the TOP 50 IBM parts which includes both Servers and server options, so you have availability and can deliver to your customers today.

Tech Data is trying to assist you in this tough selling time, give us a 2nd look and you will be surprised.

SERVERS
8853G6U 30899F BC HS21 QC X/3.00-12MB 2GB NO HD
7978BDU 30939F X3550 RM X/2.66 2GB SAS NO HD COMBO
7979B9U 74481H SYSTEM X3650 RACK 3.00GHZ 1333 MHZ/120W
7979BDU 74484H SYSTEM X3650 RACK 2.66GH 1333
7978B5U 74742H IBM SYSTEM X3550 2.83GHZ 2GB/32GB
7978BCU 74745H IBM SYSTEM X3550 2.50GHZ 2GB/32GB
8853EHU 30894F BC HS21 QC X/2X3.00-24MB 4GB
7979EHU 44125I X3650 EXPRESS RM X/2.5 1P 4GB SAS
SERVER OPTIONS
43X0837 02112G 73GB SAS 15K SFF HS
25R5785 027649 2.8M 200-240V TRPL 16A IEC 320-C20 PC
26K5777 028180 73GB 10KRPM U320 HD SFF SAS NHS
42D0519 05691N IBM 450GB 15K SAS 3.5" HS HDD
42D0560 06359N IBM EXPRESS 450GB 15K SAS 3.5" HS HDD
39M4508 13953C 250GB SATA HD 7200RPM
43X0845 30363F SVR BLADE 73GB SAS 15K SFF NHS
32R2815 30560B X3550 RPS 670W
40K1905 30561B 835 WATT HOT-SWAP POWER SUPPLY
39M5782 30566B 1GB PC2-5300 CL5 ECC DDR2 CHPKL
32R2816 30569B IBM PCIX RISER CARD FOR 1U SYSTEMS
41Y2771 30805F 4GB (2X2GB) PC2-5300 CL5 ECC DDR2
39Y8487 31741C REDUNDNT. PWR. COOLING OPTION
39Y9566 33069D IBM REMOTE SUPV ADPT II SLIMLINE
25R8064 33481D SERVERAID-8K SAS CTRL
41Y2762 41028D 2GB(2X1GB)PC2-5300 CL3 RDIMM
41Y2768 42057D 8GB(2X4GB)PC2-5300 CL3 RDIMM
43W7626 44190I IBM SVR 1TB 7200RPM
40K1043 53422C 73GB HOT-SWAP 3.5IN 15K RPM
40K1052 53425C IBM 73GB 10K HS 2.5 SAS SFF
43W4324 67902G IBM ULTRA 320 SCSI PCIE CONTROLLER
39Y6066 89866D NETXTREMEII 1000 EXPRESS ETHERNET
39Y6126 89867D PRO/1000 PT IOAT DUAL PORT SERVER
40K7545 89937D REDUN FAN KIT X3755
43X0824 92020E IBMSERVER 146GB SAS 10K SFF HS
41Y8527 93607E QLOGIC 4GB FC EXPN CARD
46C7418 95379M 2GB 2X1GB SGL RANK CL5 PC2-5300 ECC
46C7419 95380M 4GB 2X2GB DUAL RANK CL5 PC2-5300
46C7420 95381M 8GB 2X4GB QUAD RANK CL5 PC2-5300
39R6525 97436D IBM 4GBPS FC SINGLEPORT
42C8923 97512D 5U X 20IN TWR TO RACK CONVERSION
43W7576 97583D DS3000 750GB HOT SWAP SATA II
43W7580 97585D 750GB HOT-SWAP SATA DUAL PORT
42D0421 97768D 146GB SAS 10K SFF NHS SERVERBLADE
39Y9306 97794D QLOGIC ETH AND 4GB FC
43W7481 30281F 73.4GB 15KRPM HSWAP SAS EXPRESS
43W7482 30282F 146B 15KRPM HSWAP SAS EXPRESS
43W7598 30285F 250GB SATA/300 HS HD EXPRESS
43W4280 30806F SERVERAID-MR10K SAS/SATA CNTRL
43W7506 30808F EXPRESS 300GB 15K HSWAP SAS
40K1044 53423C 146GB HOT-SWAP 3.5"15K RPM ULTRA320
25R8060 89988D IBM SAS HBA CONTROLLER
43X0802 97775D 300GB SAS HSWAP 15KRPM ESERVER

The extra buy has been placed - we are starting to see the product arriving and it will continue to come in over the next week or so. If you require more details call your IBM team @ Tech Data - 877-925-9983 or ibmsolutions@techdata.ca

EVENT - IBM System x and BladeCenter Technical Conference

IBM System x and BladeCenter Technical Conference

Need to get educated on IBM products?
Want to hear from the experts from IBM?
Want to find out what's coming down the road?

This is the conference you should attend.

Date 27 Jul 2009 to 31 Jul 2009

Location Chicago, Illinois, USA

Duration 4.5 days

IBM System x and IBM BladeCenter® platforms are moving to the next generation of technology to deliver the mission-critical design and performance needed for growing application loads.

Attend this conference to hear about new product announcements and technologies that deliver the leading-edge capabilities users have come to expect. Come away from this event with the strategic and tactical knowledge of how to optimize every aspect of your x86 server network.

Over 100 sessions will cover the next generation of servers based on eX4 and BladeCenter technology, including:

• Hands-on test drives of the latest technologies
• IBM iDataPlex™ solution as the next-generation data server
• Cloud computing
• Major advancements in virtualization, VMware and IBM® Systems Director
• Mission-critical capability and scalability
• IBM System x™ eX4 generation processor
• Advantages of x86 and blade architectures
• IBM BladeCenter® Open Fabric Manager and IBM BladeCenter S chassis — a perfect fit for the small office
• Steps to a seamless virtual enterprise with BladeCenter technology
• New high-speed, low-latency interconnect technology for BladeCenter
• Leading advancements for green IT initiatives
• Web application design and optimization in a System x world
• Expanded options for IBM System i™ and IBM System z™ workload integration
• VMware ESXi

Don't miss our Solution Center filled with IBM and Business Partner products and solutions for System x and BladeCenter.

Who should ATTEND

The IBM System x and BladeCenter Technical Conference is intended for IBM customers, IBM Business Partners, IBM employees, Independent Software Vendors and System Integrators. The conference is primarily intended for technical specialists including:

• IT Managers
• System administrators
• System programmers
• Application programmers
• IT Architects
• Technical support managers
• Hardware planners
• Data center managers
• Performance analysts
• Capacity planners

LINK TO IBM Page for full details

NOTICE - Tech Data - Exclusive REBATES

Take advantage of these great savings only from Tech Data.

LIMITED Quantities - save from $15 - $1200

Call your Sales representative or email the IBM team @ ibmsolutions@techdata.ca for more details.

HOT DEALS
ITEM_NO	Vendor #	Description	Remaining Qty
57699M	7943E1U	EXPRESS IBM SYSTEM	1
44406I	4192E1U	X3350 EXPRESS X/2.33 RM	1
30264F	7975E6U	X3400 EXPRESS X/2.0 2GB	1
74429H	7973J2U	SYSTEM X3400	1
811986	797342U	X3400 TWR X/1.60-4M 1GB	1
30263F	7973E4U	X3400 EXPRESS X/1.6 2GB	1
74472H	44R5631	QUAD CORE PRO E5410	1
95386M	44E4472	X/2.4 PROC E7450 6 CORES	2
44799K	71635RU	X3755 RM OPT/8360 2P 4GB	2
30688F	8886E1U	EXPRESS BLADECENTER S	2
44523K	44E5133	X/2.5 QC PROC L5420	2
30898F	8853G5U	BC HS21 QC X/2.83-12MB	2
44810K	44E4250	4-CHAS CBL KIT	2
30819F	7977E2U	X3500 EXPRESS X/1.6 DC	3
44122I	7977E8U	X3500 EXPRESS TWR X/2.66	4
44287I	7979EMU	X3650 RM X/1.86 1P 2GB	5
08370K	8028E3U	EXPRESS BLADECENTER	5
44795K	794334U	X3655 RM OPT/2352 1P 2GB	5
08369K	8014EBU	EXPRESS BLADECENTER	6
44311I	4367E1U	X3200 M2 TWR X/2.4 2GB	8

LEARNING - Hyper-V Server R2 on BladeCenter S Tutorial

"Enterprise Virtualization in a Box" which was essentially an example of how to create a BladeCenter-contained VMware-enabled data center in a box (including servers, storage and networking). Using the Blade Center S with storage and Networking with Hyper-V.

FULL ARTICLE

NOTICE - URGENT Servers & Options with NO MORE SUPPLY @ IBM

The following products have moved to NO SUPPLY with EOL dates in the future. The issue is around supply of key parts for the Servers and no supply of 160G drives left.


No further supply on 3850/3950 M2 - 7141xxx - moving to 3850/3950 M2 - 7233xxx


No further supply on 160GB SATA drives, transition to 250GB SATA
39M4504 - 160G moved to 39M4508 - 250GB
43W7590 - 160G Express moved to 43W7594 - 250GB
39M4522 - 160G moving to 39M4526 - 250G
41Y8208 - 160G HS moving to 43W7598 - 250G HS

NOTICE - IBM CORE Inventory @ TD - March 3rd 2009

Weekly update coming to you from your IBM team at Tech Data

The IBM CORE parts list are servers and options that IBM and Tech Data 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

Internal Tech Data access to file: Huron\sales\IBM\blog data\20090303 core xxx

Server Virtualization on BLADES

Blades and server virtualization have become very hot topics within IT organizations and the data center as strong foundational building blocks to address issues that have been challenging IT for years. A lot of users are out of, or running out of, space in their data centers. Many are maxed out on their power consumption. Both blades and virtualization address these challenges in different ways.

One of the top projects that a lot of users are dealing with is consolidation: For example, they have a large number of servers, many running only one application to create separation and isolation, so if they have a failure it doesn't affect other things. Each of those servers tends to have a very low-utilization rate, so they are running 5 or 10% CPU utilization. They have a lot of hardware, very poorly utilized, taking up a lot of space and using a lot of power.

IT organizations required to do more with less are saying why do I need this? Can't I consolidate into fewer servers, take up less space and use less power? When blades and virtualization are used together as part of a revamping implementation project, they deliver a lot of value, both for the effort required in the implementation and for the hardware and software dollars spent.

For example: I take this large number of underutilized servers, I consolidate them using server virtualization – so now I can run four to 20 virtual servers on one physical server. I can implement those on blades, which gives me very high density for the physical servers that I do have, plus the sharing of all of the components that blade servers offer. I am now providing the same, or more horse power to run my business applications, in less space, with less power, less cooling, shared, modular components, providing high availability, and a flexible and agile infrastructure. Now if I need to move things around for availability, maintenance or load balancing, I have strong management tools offered both by blade server systems and virtualization software. And I have modular hardware components with a lot of hot swap, redundant, high availability capabilities built into them.

READ FULL ARTICLE

Question of the week : Storage DS On/Off Command

Question of the week:

I’ve Can you verify there is no way to power down the SAN controllers? I have a customer looking to script shutdown sequences in case the UPS runs low on power, is it possible to do anything beyond powering off the hosts and flushing caches?

Answer of the week:

Yes, I will verify that there is no “power down” command for the DS3000/DS4000/DS5000 series storage arrays except for the physical switch on the power supply.

The engineering team has argued both for and against this feature for a long time. I, in fact, argued for a long time for the inclusion of a power-down command, but generally tend to agree with the engineering stance against it (which means they’ll probably add the capability someday)

The “downside” of having this seems to outweigh the convenience of having the feature. Downside being the unwanted result of someone accidently, or maliciously, executing a command which remotely turns off the SAN storage.

For the power-down situation mentioned above, the system is well prepared. Unlike our competitors, our system will automatically flush the write cache to disk after 10 seconds of inactivity (adjustable on a LUN-by-LUN basis). This means there are no worries from the storage side. As long as the servers are shut down in an orderly manner; applications are exited and the servers are shut down. The memory will be flushed to the storage array, and the storage array will push everything to disk. This is exactly the desired sequence and state of the machines for a controlled power-down. All data is consistent, and a smooth startup will occur.

Question of the WEEK - DS Storage Simulator

This simulator that IBM and LSI have put together is a great selling tool. You can prove to your clients just how easy it is to configure and make changes to your SAN product without damaging the real thing. This can also be used to train your staff how to get the IBM DS3000/4000/5000 products up and running before going to your clients. This is also a great tool for you clients to learn how to manager their new storage products, again without damaging the real install.

Question of the week:

I’ve been looking on PartnerWorld for the latest simulators, but have had no luck finding them. The latest I have are Pre-7.x code, so there is no RAID6. I also don’t have any that show the DS5100 or the DS5300. Is there a newer version available, and if so, where?

Answer of the week:

I’m not exactly sure where the simulators are on PartnerWorld also. There are two newer versions of the simulator available.

One version has simulators for the DS3200/DS3300/DS3400/DS4700/DS5000(?).

The second version has just the DS4000’s and DS5000 systems.

I’ve posted both versions on my website, so I know exactly where you can get them.

Simulators DS3000 & DS4000

As always, I am available to host a webex to cover the simulators if so desired, just let me know. I also highly suggest that you play with the simulators for a while before performing a demo, or giving them to customers (so you can answer questions that will arise).

A message from:

James Latham

DS3000/DS4000 Product Specialist

Storage Solutions Engenio Storage Group

LSI Logic Corporation

NEW - Microsoft ROK - Enterprise 2008 Product

When you purchase IBM servers from Tech Data you can also get your Microsoft product at the same time.

Microsoft OEM - Enterprise 2008

4849DSE
Windows 2008 ROK Standard Edition
Per 1-4 Processor Server (5 CALs)

4849DEE
Windows 2008 ROK Enterprise Edition
Per 1-8 Processor Server (25 CALs)

4849EFE
Windows 2008 ROK Enterprise Edition
Per 1 Processor Server (25 CALs)
4849EGE
Windows 2008 ROK Enterprise Edition
Per 2 Processor Server (25 CALs)

4849EHE
Windows 2008 ROK Enterprise Edition
Per 4 Processor Server (25 CALs)

4849KCM
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 CAL
(5 user) – Multi-lingual

4849KDM
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 CAL
(5 device) – Multi-lingual

Depending on if they were doing user or device connections.