IBM Storwize V7000F 2076-AF6 All-Flash Storage System

IBM Storwize V7000F 2076-AF6 Gen2+ All-Flash Storage – 24-Bay SFF, 12Gb SAS Flash, 16Gb Fibre Channel, Compression, Encryption and IBM Spectrum Virtualize

The IBM Storwize V7000F 2076-AF6 is an enterprise all-flash storage system based on IBM's enhanced second-generation V7000 architecture. The V7000F combines dual active-active node canisters, enterprise SAS flash drives, hardware-assisted compression, encryption and IBM Spectrum Virtualize storage services in a 2U rack-mounted control enclosure. The 2076-AF6 is the all-flash counterpart to the IBM Storwize V7000 Gen2+ 2076-624. While the 624 supports both flash and hard-disk media, the AF6 was designed specifically for all-flash configurations and was positioned for performance-sensitive databases, virtualization, IBM Power Systems, IBM i, AIX, SAP, Oracle and enterprise application workloads.

The IBM Storwize V7000F system uses 24 front-accessible 2.5-inch SFF 12Gb SAS drive bays and can be expanded using supported all-flash and high-density SAS expansion enclosures. IBM Spectrum Virtualize provides advanced functions including thin provisioning, FlashCopy, Easy Tier, compression, deduplication, encryption, Metro Mirror, Global Mirror, HyperSwap and external storage virtualization, depending on software level and licensing.

IBM Storwize V7000F 2076-AF6 Specifications

IBM V7000F All-Flash Architecture

The 2076-AF6 was introduced as an all-flash version of the V7000 Gen2+ architecture. IBM describes the V7000F as being based on the Gen2+ controller platform, but configured specifically for flash storage. This design provides several advantages over HDD-based V7000 configurations:

• Lower storage latency
• Higher random I/O performance
• Higher IOPS density per rack unit
• No mechanical seek latency
• More predictable response times
• Lower power requirements per IOPS
• Hardware-assisted compression
• Improved database and virtualization performance

IBM Storwize V7000F Performance

The V7000F was designed for performance-sensitive workloads and provides substantially higher backend I/O capability than HDD-based Storwize systems. IBM introduced the V7000F generation with improved controller performance over earlier Storwize systems and dedicated all-flash media.

IBM Storwize V7000F Capacity and Maximums

At IBM Spectrum Virtualize V7.8.x, Gen2 / Gen2+ V7000 systems including the 2076-AF6 support extensive system-level scale.

These are system-level Gen2 / Gen2+ Spectrum Virtualize limits, not necessarily the physical capacity of a single AF6 enclosure.

IBM V7000F Flash Drive Capacities

IBM offered multiple generations and capacities of 12Gb SAS enterprise flash drives for the V7000F. Later supply-continuity features included:

IBM specifies Spectrum Virtualize V7.8.1.7 or later for these later drive feature codes.

Maximum Internal Flash Capacity

With all 24 internal bays populated using 15.36TB drives, the nominal raw internal flash capacity is: 24 × 15.36TB = 368.64TB raw flash capacity

This is raw installed capacity before RAID, Distributed RAID, metadata, spare/rebuild space and other system overhead.

IBM Storwize V7000F Expansion Enclosures

The V7000F can expand beyond its 24 internal flash drives using supported all-flash and high-density expansion enclosures.

IBM 2076-AFF All-Flash Expansion

The IBM 2076-AFF is the dedicated all-flash expansion enclosure designed for the V7000F family. It provides additional SFF SAS flash-drive positions connected through redundant 12Gb SAS expansion paths. Typical uses include:

• Increasing all-flash usable capacity
• Adding additional flash parallelism
• Growing database storage
• Expanding VMware datastores
• Adding IBM i or AIX SAN capacity
• Increasing Distributed RAID drive counts

IBM V7000F High-Density Expansion

IBM also supports high-density expansion through the 2076-A9F and applicable 92-drive expansion families. High-density enclosures provide significantly more flash capacity per rack unit than standard 2U expansion shelves and can be useful where total capacity is more important than individual enclosure density.

IBM V7000F 7.68TB and 15.36TB Expansion Flash Drives

IBM documentation for 92-drive expansion configurations lists the following representative enterprise flash FRUs:

IBM V7000F SAS Expansion Cables

IBM V7000F Fibre Channel Connectivity

The V7000F supports high-performance Fibre Channel SAN connectivity. Gen2 / Gen2+ V7000 hardware supports 16Gb Fibre Channel with supported Brocade and Cisco fabrics. Fibre Channel is commonly used for:

• IBM Power Systems
• IBM i
• AIX
• VMware
• Oracle databases
• SAP workloads
• High-availability clusters
• Enterprise SAN consolidation

IBM V7000F Ethernet and iSCSI

Supported V7000 Gen2+ configurations can use 10Gb Ethernet for iSCSI and FCoE workloads. IBM documents up to 1,024 iSCSI sessions per node in standard operation and up to 2,048 during IP failover conditions at applicable V7.8 code levels.

IBM V7000F Real-Time Compression

Hardware-assisted compression is one of the major architectural advantages of the Gen2+ platform. Dedicated compression acceleration reduces the controller CPU burden associated with inline data compression. Compression can increase effective usable flash capacity for compressible workloads such as:

• Databases
• Virtual machines
• ERP applications
• File systems
• General enterprise application data

The actual compression ratio depends entirely on the data being stored. Already-compressed, encrypted or multimedia data may achieve little additional reduction.

IBM Spectrum Virtualize Data Reduction

Later IBM Spectrum Virtualize releases added Data Reduction Pools, enabling features such as compression, thin provisioning and deduplication within supported configurations. IBM documents up to 2,048 compressed volume copies per Gen2 / Gen2+ system and up to 512 per I/O group when the required memory and compression acceleration configuration is installed.

IBM V7000F Encryption

The Storwize V7000F supports storage encryption at qualifying software levels. IBM identifies Spectrum Virtualize V7.4.0.2 as the minimum V7000 software level for encryption support. Encryption can protect data stored on the internal all-flash arrays while allowing the V7000F to retain enterprise storage services such as snapshots and replication.

IBM Distributed RAID

The V7000F supports IBM Distributed RAID at applicable software levels. Distributed RAID spreads data, parity and rebuild capacity across many flash drives rather than reserving one or more dedicated hot-spare drives.

External Storage Virtualization

Like the broader Storwize V7000 family, the V7000F can virtualize supported external storage systems behind IBM Spectrum Virtualize. This allows organizations to:

• Consolidate multiple storage systems
• Perform online data migration
• Apply selected Spectrum Virtualize services to supported external arrays
• Centralize provisioning
• Reduce dependence on individual storage-array management tools

IBM V7000F Scale-Out Clustering

IBM's later clustering architecture permits V7000 Gen2 and Gen2+ systems to participate in multi-I/O-group clusters. Supported cluster combinations can include:

• Storwize V7000 Gen2
• Storwize V7000 Gen2+
• Storwize V7000F
• FlashSystem 7200
• FlashSystem 9100
• FlashSystem 9200

IBM documents support for up to four I/O groups within qualifying V7000-family clustered systems.

IBM V7000F for IBM Power Systems

The IBM Storwize V7000F is well suited for IBM Power Systems running IBM i, AIX and Linux because it combines low-latency flash storage with enterprise Fibre Channel connectivity and Spectrum Virtualize data services. Common IBM Power workloads include:

• IBM i and Db2 for i
• AIX databases
• Oracle Database
• SAP
• ERP systems
• PowerVM environments
• High-availability applications
• Development and test
• Storage consolidation
• Disaster recovery

IBM V7000F for IBM i

In supported configurations, the V7000F can provide external SAN storage for IBM Power Systems running IBM i. The all-flash design can be particularly useful for:

• Db2 for i transaction workloads
• High-volume batch processing
• ERP applications
• SQL workloads
• Large IBM i logical partitions
• Storage consolidation

Compatibility should be verified against the specific IBM Power System, IBM i release, host adapter, multipathing configuration, Spectrum Virtualize level and SAN infrastructure.

IBM V7000F vs. V7000 2076-624

IBM V7000F vs. FlashSystem 7200

IBM lists the 2076-824 FlashSystem 7200 as the recommended replacement for the V7000F 2076-AF6.

NVMe and FlashCore Module Compatibility

IBM Storwize V7000F Lifecycle

IBM Storwize V7000F Replacement Parts and Upgrades

Common replacement and upgrade requirements for existing 2076-AF6 systems include:

• SAS flash drives
• 2076-AFF expansion enclosures
• 2076-A9F high-density expansion enclosures
• Node canisters
• Node memory
• Compression accelerator hardware
• Fibre Channel adapters
• Ethernet adapters
• SFP transceivers
• SAS expansion cables
• Power supplies
• Batteries
• Fans
• Rails and enclosure hardware

Before ordering a replacement component, verify the 2076-AF6 machine type/model, installed Spectrum Virtualize level, feature code and physical FRU.

IBM Storwize V7000F 2076-AF6 Frequently Asked Questions

What is the IBM Storwize V7000F 2076-AF6?

The 2076-AF6 is an IBM Storwize V7000F Gen2+ all-flash storage control enclosure with 24 SFF 12Gb SAS flash-drive positions.

Is the IBM V7000F the same as the V7000 624?

No. They use closely related Gen2+ controller architecture, but the AF6 is an all-flash V7000F, while the 624 is a general-purpose V7000 capable of hybrid storage configurations.

How many internal flash drives does the AF6 support?

The control enclosure provides 24 internal SFF drive positions.

What is the largest internal flash drive supported?

IBM later offered 15.36TB 12Gb SAS flash drives for the AF6 generation at supported Spectrum Virtualize levels.

What is the raw capacity of 24 × 15.36TB drives?

Twenty-four 15.36TB drives provide approximately 368.64TB raw flash capacity before RAID and system overhead.

Does the IBM V7000F support FlashCore Modules?

No. The V7000F predates the NVMe FlashCore architecture and uses 12Gb SAS flash drives.

Does the IBM V7000F support NVMe?

No. NVMe internal storage was introduced in later V7000 Gen3 and FlashSystem platforms.

Does the V7000F support 16Gb Fibre Channel?

Yes. Gen2+ V7000 hardware supports 16Gb Fibre Channel in supported SAN configurations.

Does the V7000F support encryption?

Yes. Encryption is supported at qualifying Spectrum Virtualize software levels.

Does the V7000F support compression?

Yes. The Gen2+ architecture includes hardware-assisted Real-time Compression.

Does the V7000F support deduplication?

Yes, at applicable later Spectrum Virtualize software levels using Data Reduction Pools and appropriate controller resources.

Can the V7000F virtualize external storage?

Yes. External storage virtualization is one of the major Spectrum Virtualize capabilities supported by the V7000 family.

What expansion enclosure is used with the V7000F?

The 2076-AFF is the dedicated all-flash V7000F expansion enclosure. The V7000F also supports qualifying high-density expansion configurations including the 2076-A9F.

What are AHHG, AHHH, AHHJ and AHHK?

These are IBM V7000 flash-drive feature codes:

• AHHG – 1.92TB
• AHHH – 3.84TB
• AHHJ – 7.68TB
• AHHK – 15.36TB

Can the V7000F be used with IBM i?

Yes, in supported IBM Power Systems configurations using compatible Fibre Channel or other supported host attachment.

When did IBM support for the AF6 end?

IBM lists December 31, 2024 as the standard end-of-support date for the 2076-AF6.

What replaced the IBM V7000F?

IBM's lifecycle documentation recommends the 2076-824 IBM FlashSystem 7200 as the replacement for the V7000F 2076-AF6.

IBM Storwize V7000F 2076-AF6 Summary

The IBM Storwize V7000F 2076-AF6 is a Gen2+ enterprise all-flash storage platform built around 24 internal 2.5-inch 12Gb SAS flash drives, dual active-active controllers, hardware-assisted compression and IBM Spectrum Virtualize.

The V7000F supports 16Gb Fibre Channel, 10Gb Ethernet, encryption, compression, deduplication, Distributed RAID, FlashCopy, replication, HyperSwap and external storage virtualization at applicable software levels.

Later supported SAS flash capacities include 1.92TB, 3.84TB, 7.68TB and 15.36TB, providing up to approximately 368.64TB raw internal flash capacity using 24 × 15.36TB drives.

Capacity can be expanded through the dedicated 2076-AFF all-flash expansion enclosure and supported high-density V7000F expansion configurations.

The 2076-AF6 reached IBM standard end of support on December 31, 2024. Existing systems are therefore primarily maintained for continued production use, replacement hardware, capacity expansion or migration to newer IBM FlashSystem NVMe storage such as the FlashSystem 7200.