IBM has unveiled its first write-once, read-many (Worm)
tape cartridge, which will help users address regulatory compliance
issues, and also announced a nearline disc array aimed at the
entry-level storage market.
The FAStT100 Storage Server, scales from 256GBytes to 56TBytes
and offers many of the same functions as its midrange FAStT600
array, but it uses lower-cost serial advanced technology attached
drives.
The products are part of a strategy aimed at on-demand computing
and an information lifecycle management strategy, according to Rich
Lechner, vice-president of IBM's storage division.
IBM said the products are part of a preview of its "offence plan
against EMC", which includes many tiers of storage and management
capabilities.
Lechner touted IBM's TotalStorage San Volume Controller software
which, it has said, can make disc arrays from EMC and Hitachi Data
Systems act like a single pool of storage capacity from which
applications users can draw.
EMC fired back by saying IBM is offering customers "vendor
lock-in", while EMC's strategy is to partner with industry leaders
to offer a lower total cost of ownership to its customers.
"We have not only opened up our [application programming
interfaces] to our partners, we also support SMI-S [industry
interoperability standards] throughout all Clariion products," said
Ken Steinhardt, EMC's director of technology analysis.
Lechner said the Fast100 works with IBM's eServer, pSeries and
eServer xSeries servers and Intel-based Unix servers. The system
will begin shipping by July, although pricing was not immediately
available.
IBM also touted its write-once, read-many tape cartridge for its
TotalStorage Enterprise Tape Drive 3592, which can be used in
existing IBM 3494 and 3584 tape libraries as well as in Storage
Technology silo tape libraries.
Each cartridge retails for about $220. The cartridge will be
available on 21 May.
The cartridge comes in 300GBytes and 60GBytes capacities and has
four times the access speed as IBM's previous 3590 enterprise-class
tape cartridge technology.
Lucas Mearian writes for Computerworld