IBM FlashSystem 900 Product Manual
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IBM FlashSystem 900 Product Manual

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FlashSystem 900 Product Guide
IBM Redbooks Product Guide
Today's global organizations depend upon the ability to unlock business insights from massive volumes of
data. Now, with IBM FlashSystem 900, they can make faster decisions based on real-time insights and
unleash the power of the most demanding applications, including online transaction processing (OLTP)
and analytics databases, virtual desktop infrastructures (VDIs), technical computing applications, and
cloud environments.
Easy to deploy and manage, the IBM FlashSystem 900 is designed to accelerate the applications that
drive business. Powered by IBM FlashCore™ Technology, IBM FlashSystem provides the following
characteristics:
Extreme performance with IBM MicroLatency™ delivers 90 µs write latency and 155 µs read latency
Macro efficiency lowers operating costs and increases efficiency of IT infrastructure by using much
less power and space than traditional hard disk drive (HDD) and solid-state disk (SSD) solutions
Enterprise reliability protects critical assists with two-dimensional RAID protection, IBM Variable
Stripe RAID, redundant and hot-swappable components, and concurrent code loads
FlashSystem 900 can be configured in capacity points as low as 2.4 TB usable after RAID 5 protection.
Coupled with 10 Gbps iSCSI, FlashSystem is positioned to bring extreme performance to small and
medium businesses (SMBs) and growth markets. Figure 1 shows FlashSystem 900.
Figure 1. FlashSystem 900
At the heart of FlashSystem 900 is IBM FlashCore Technology, which consists of the following three key
elements:
Hardware-accelerated architecture that is engineered for flash, with hardware only data path
IBM MicroLatency modules that are designed for low latency, density, and reliability
IBM Advanced Flash Management that improves MLC flash endurance 9x over standard
implementations without sacrificing latency
FlashSystem 900 Product Guide
®
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  • Page 1 Stripe RAID, redundant and hot-swappable components, and concurrent code loads FlashSystem 900 can be configured in capacity points as low as 2.4 TB usable after RAID 5 protection. Coupled with 10 Gbps iSCSI, FlashSystem is positioned to bring extreme performance to small and medium businesses (SMBs) and growth markets.

  • Page 2: Did You Know

    Did you know? FlashSystem 900 has these characteristics: FlashSystem 900 is configurable with 2.4 - 57 TB of usable capacity for scalability and flexibility. FlashSystem 900 provides flexible interface types including Fibre Channel, Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), iSCSI, and InfiniBand to easily integrate into existing SAN environments.

  • Page 3: Key Features

    Up to 16 ports of 10 Gbps iSCSI Up to eight ports of 40 Gbps quad data rate (QDR) InfiniBand Slots for up to 12 hot-swappable IBM MicroLatency storage modules (1.2 TB, 2.9 TB, or 5.7 TB) Configurable 2.4 - 57 TB of capacity for increased flexibility...
  • Page 4 All components are easily accessible from the front or rear of the unit, so IBM FlashSystem 900 does not need to be moved in the rack, and any top access panels or cables do not need to be extended. This configuration makes servicing the unit easy. The front...
  • Page 5 Figure 4 shows the components of IBM FlashSystem 900 from the rear. One of the two canisters is removed, and you see two interface cards and two fan modules. The power supply unit to the right of the fans provides redundant power to the system. All components are concurrently maintainable except for the passive midplane, enclosure LED board, and power interposer board.

  • Page 6: Specifications

    2U rack-mounted enclosure. IBM MicroLatency module Up to 12 IBM MicroLatency modules in increments of 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12 quantity for the 1.2 TB module, and 6, 8, 10, or 12 for the 2.9 TB or 5.7 TB modules.
  • Page 7 Dimensions Width: 445 mm (17.5 in.) (19-inch Rack Standard) Depth: 761 mm (29.96 in.) Height: 86.2 mm (3.39 in.) Weight 34 Kg ( 75 lb ) for fully configured machine ( 12 IBM MicroLatency modules ) FlashSystem 900 Product Guide...

  • Page 8: Interface Cards

    License CD Interface cards IBM FlashSystem 900 supports only one interface type per system. For example, it is not possible to use two Fibre Channel interface cards and two InfiniBand interface cards in the same enclosure. Interface cards are sold in groups of two feature codes (providing a total of four cards), and supply interfaces of either eight or 16 ports for each system.
  • Page 9 IBM FlashSystem 900 enclosure. Figure 6 shows the Fibre Channel interface card. Figure 6. Fibre Channel interface card ( example shows a 16 Gbps Fibre Channel card ) IBM FlashSystem 900 supports the 16 Gbps Fibre Channel connection speed through the standard Fibre Channel interface card.
  • Page 10 Channel over Ethernet iSCSI interface card FlashSystem 900 supports 16 ports of 10 Gbps iSCSI for clients looking for alternatives to SANs. The iSCSI interface card looks similar to the FC/FCoE cards with fiber optical connections as shown in Figure 5 on page 5.
  • Page 11 FlashSystem 900 can be populated with up to 12 x 1.2 TB IBM MicroLatency modules in increments of 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12; or up to 12 x 2.9 TB or 5.7 TB IBM MicroLatency modules in increments of 6, 8, 10, or 12.
  • Page 12 Variable Stripe RAID data protection is a unique, self-healing data protection that is managed independently by each flash controller on each IBM MicroLatency module. With Variable Stripe RAID, every flash controller creates a striped data layout across its set of chips similar to a n+1 RAID 5 array with rotating parity.
  • Page 13 Scalable configurations FlashSystem 900 can scale usable capacity from as low as 2.4 TB to as high as 57 TB in its compact 2U enclosure. With FlashSystem 900, many granular capacity points are possible due to the three choices in IBM MicroLatency module capacity: 1.2 TB, 2.9 TB, and 5.7 TB.

  • Page 14: Network Cables

    10 m Mlnx QSFP Opt FDR14 IB A2YN Encryption FlashSystem 900 storage system provides support for AES-XTS 256 bit data-at-rest encryption when the Encryption Enablement Pack, feature AF14, is ordered. In addition, the FlashSystem 900 has the following functions: Hot Encryption Activation - Adding an encryption license to a previously initialized system Encryption Re-key - Changing the encryption key on a previously initialized system Both of these operations can be done concurrently and do not cause loss of access to data.

  • Page 15: System Management

    IBM FlashSystem 900 includes the usage of the common IBM FlashSystem 900 CLI and the IBM FlashSystem 900 GUI, which is based on the IBM XIV® GUI. IBM FlashSystem 900 supports SNMP, email forwarding (SMTP), and syslog redirection for complete enterprise management access.

  • Page 16: Web Interface

    In the upper right corner is the Help button, which provides information about licenses and gives access to the FlashSystem 900 Knowledge Center. On the far left of the window are five function icons, from top to bottom:...
  • Page 17 Throughput in megabytes per second (MBps), IOPS, and latency in a tri-pane indicator (center) The health status of the system ( lower right ) Figure 7. IBM FlashSystem 900 Management GUI (front view of the system) FlashSystem 900 Product Guide...
  • Page 18 1, the left canister ID 1, Fibre Channel port ID 1, and the power supply unit ID 1. Figure 8. IBM FlashSystem 900 Management GUI ( rear view of the machine ) Additional FlashSystem 900 management software improvements make system management and performance health monitoring even more effective in FlashSystem's already intuitive GUI.
  • Page 19 Performance menu overview Enter the FlashSystem 900 performance monitor by clicking Monitoring -> Performance. The first time after the browser window is opened, system latency is displayed as shown in Figure 9. Figure 9. Improved GUI - Performance monitoring window The horizontal part of the graph displays the timeline.

  • Page 20: Supported Platforms

    Restoring configuration settings Supported platforms IBM FlashSystem 900 supports a wide range of operating systems (Windows Server 2003 and 2008, Linux, and IBM AIX®), hardware platforms (IBM System x®, IBM Power Systems™, and x86 servers not from IBM), HBAs, and SAN fabrics. For specific information, see the IBM System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC) at: http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/storage/ssic/interoperability.wss...

  • Page 21: Physical And Electrical Specifications

    FlashSystem microcode updates. The Technical Advisor conducts a Welcome Call with the client and provides a statement of work for this support. Flash media within IBM FlashSystem is covered in full during the warranty and maintenance period. The system is also Energy Star certified.
  • Page 22 IBM Global Financing offerings are provided through IBM Credit LLC in the United States, and other IBM subsidiaries and divisions worldwide to qualified commercial and government customers. Rates are based on a customer's credit rating, financing terms, offering type, equipment type, and options, and can vary by country.
  • Page 23 Web sites. The materials at those Web sites are not part of the materials for this IBM product and use of those Web sites is at your own risk.IBM may use or distribute any of the information you supply in any way it believes appropriate without incurring any obligation to you.
  • Page 24 (® or ™), indicating US registered or common law trademarks owned by IBM at the time this information was published. Such trademarks may also be registered or common law trademarks in other countries. A current list of IBM trademarks is available on the web at http://www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml.

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