IBM FlashSystem 900 SAN Storage

IBM FlashSystem 900 is an extremely fast, enterprise class all-flash SSD SAN array. The IBM FlashSystem 900 is optimized to provide micro-second response times, has flexible flash storage capacity options, includes total system protection for enterprise class reliabiltiy and provides industry leading TCO. IBM's latest FlashSystem model delivers blistering performance results no other SAN can compete with, up to 1,100,000 IOPS and scales to 57 TB in 2U. IBM FlashSystems are the only flash storage SAN on the market that uses IBM's patented eMLC, one of the main reasons it out performs all the other vendor's flash storage SANs, especially those that use off the shelf SSDs.

Other IBM FlashSystem Models include:
IBM FlashSystem 5100 FS5015 2072-2N2 2072-2N4
IBM FlashSystem FS5100 FS5035 2072-3N2 2072-3N2
IBM FlashSystem FS5200 4662-6H2IBM FlashSystem FS5200 4662-6H2
IBM FlashSystem FS7200 2076-824 2076-U7C 
IBM FlashSystem FS7300 4657-924
IBM FlashSystem FS9500 4666-AH8
IBM FlashSystem FS9500R 4666-AH8
IBM FlashSystem V9000

The IBM FlashSystem 900 accelerates all types of applications and infrastructures, but it provides the most significant benefits for high-performance database applications (90 micro-second write latency and 155 micro-second read latency), such as Oracle, DB2, MSSQL, SAP, OLTP, VDI, Big Data, BI and Cloud environments. Adding a bit of flash storage is a great way to boost performance, especially when existing Tier 1 storage has latency and I/O bottlenecks. IBM FlashSystems will accelerate multiple workloads simultaneously, both physical and virtual. The FlashSystem 900 will undoubtedly have an immediately performance impact all users will notice, but will also reduce both CAPEX and OPEX costs, as well as improve customer satisfaction. IBM’s FlashSystems can take the place of multiple racks of HDDs, lowering your power, space and cooling costs. Flash storage will also increase server efficiency, which can further cut power and cooling costs and reduce software licensing expenses. It has been proven in many customer environments that IBM’s FlashSystems will significantly drive down the total cost of ownership for storage. Studies show typical heterogeneous enterprise workloads running on IBM FlashSystem yields an estimated 76% ROI over traditional storage.

The FlashSystem 900 provides configurable hot-swappable MicroLatency module capacity. IBM's 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, but cannot be intermixed. Capacity can be upgraded by purchasing the AF23 (1.2 TB), AF24 (2.9 TB) or AF25 (5.7 TB) IBM MicroLatency module feature codes as MES upgrades.

Organizations of all types and size are turning to IBM's FlashSystem for its ability to deliver the fastest, reliable and consistent access to critical data, and some are only swithicng to lower their operating costs. IBM's FlashSystem 900 enable companies to make faster decisions based on real-time data and unleash the power of the most demanding applications, including online transaction processing, analytical databases, virtual desktop infrastructures, technical computing applications, and cloud environments. Plus, FlashSystem 900 can lower operating costs and increase the efficiency of IT infrastructure by using much less power and space than traditional hard disk drive (HDD) and solid-state disk (SSD) solutions.

IBM FlashSystem 900 supports only one interface type per system in the same enclosure. The FlashSystem's Interface cards are sold in groups of two feature codes (providing a total of four cards), providing interfaces of either eight or 16 ports for each system. IBM FlashSystem 900 supports the following interface protocols and number of connections:

• Fibre Channel (16 ports of 8 Gbps; these ports also support 4 Gbps)
• Fibre Channel (eight ports of 16 Gbps; these ports also support 8 Gbps and 4 Gbps)
• FCoE (16 ports of 10 Gbps FCoE)
• Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) (16 ports of 10 Gbps iSCSI)
• InfiniBand (eight ports of QDR InfiniBand 40 Gbps)

IBM FlashSystem Features

• Accelerate critical applications with the scalable performance of IBM FlashCore technology
• Deploy all-flash storage for less than the cost of hard disk drives with Real-time Compression
• Harness the power of data with storage virtualization powered by the ultra-low response times of IBM MicroLatency
• Accelerate time to value with agile, easy-to-implement, fully-integrated systems
• Leverage macro-efficiency for higher storage density, lower power consumption and greater resource utilization
• Protect critical assets and ensure enterprise reliability with IBM Variable Stripe RAID, redundant components and a full suite of disaster-recovery tools, including snapshots, clones and replication
• Secure sensitive data at rest via AES-XTS 256 Encryption
• Hardware-accelerated AES-XTS 256-bit data at rest encryption including Hot Encryption Activation and Hot Encryption Re-key
• Intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) and command-line interface (CLI) which is available in any supported browser
• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
• Email alerts
• ​Syslog redirect to send system log messages to another host

Ideal workloads and scenario specific reasons for IBM FlashSystems:

Database - Entire DBs ‘Oracle, MSSQL, MySQL, Sybase, SAP Hana & DB2’, Logs, Temporary Files, Hot Table spaces, OLAP/OLTP/Key:Value, Bare Metal/Virtual, Real-time/Batch processes

Virtual Desktop Infrastructures – Enables more virtual desktops per server, Fewer VD licenses, Simplify management, Stateless, Stateful, Prevent boot storms, Latency Sensitive Applications - Metadata for file systems, Video transcoding, Rendering, Enterprise messaging, Enterprise search, Security analytics, Threat detection

Consolidate Workloads - Improve infrastructure productivity, consolidate applications onto a platform with the capacity and performance scalability capable of supporting multiple applications, Avoid scale out hassle with high density flash, Centralize and virtualize, don’t create new silos

Infrastructure - Centralized data centers, Virtualized servers, Storage services

IBM offers two flash storage models. The FlashSystem V9000 includes advanced storage services like data reduction, replication, snapshots and other software-defined functionality for environments that don’t already have virtual storage capabilities. For companies that already have virtualized storage area networks and do not want to pay for duplicative software features, IBM offers the FlashSystem 900, which is designed to run at extreme performance without any software bottlenecks which impact peak IOPS, bandwidth and latency.

IBM FlashSystem Platform Support:  Intel and AMD processor-based servers, IBM Power Systems, IBM Flex System, IBM BladeCenter, IBM Power System blades.

For iSeries "AS400" systems with V7R1 and higher (without VIOS or with VIOS): direct attach via IBM SVC, Storwize SAN or using the IBM FlashSystem V9000. V6R1 systems requires VIOS, plus SVC or Storwize SAN or v9000 "virtualed flash"

Capacity (usable):  from 2.4 TB to 57 TB at RAID 5
Min. Latency:  Write = 90 µs / Read = 155 µs
Max. IOPS (4K):  Write (100% random) = 600,000, Read (100% random) = 1,100,000, Read/Write (70%/30% random) = 800,000
Max. Bandwidth 256 KB:  Read (100% sequential) = 10 GB/s,  Write (100% sequential) 4.5 GB/s

Enterprise-class reliability features:

• Concurrent code load enables customer applications to remain online during firmware upgrades to all components, including the IBM MicroLatency modules.
• Hot-swappable IBM MicroLatency modules by way of tool-less front panel access. If a MicroLatency module failure occurs, critical customer applications can remain online while the defective module is replaced.
• All active components are redundant and hot-swappable, including IBM MicroLatency modules, RAID controllers, management modules, interface, batteries, fans, and power supplies.
• All components are easily accessible through the front or rear of the enclosure, so IBM FlashSystem 900 does not need to be moved in the rack and no top access panels or cables need to be extended.
• Two-dimensional (2D) Flash RAID, which consists of IBM Variable Stripe RAID and system-wide RAID 5. Variable Stripe RAID technology helps reduce downtime and maintain performance and capacity in the event of partial or full flash chip failures. System-wide RAID 5, with easily accessed hot swappable flash modules, helps prevent data loss and promote availability.
• IBM Advanced Flash Management improves flash endurance 9x over standard implementations with IBM engineered ECC, advanced wear leveling, and proprietary garbage collection, relocation, and block picking algorithms.

​IBM Flash System 900 Product Details  IBM Flash System 900 Data Sheet  IBM Flash System 900 FAQs