IBM Storwize

IBM Storwize
Company type	Brand / Product line
Industry	Computer data storage
Predecessor	Storwize (independent storage provider)
Founder	Storwize (original company)
Products	Virtualized RAID computer data storage systems, including V7000 series, V5000 series, V3700, V3500
Owner	IBM
Website	www.ibm.com/it-infrastructure/storage/storwize

IBM Storwize solutions provide virtualized RAID computer data storage with maximum raw capacities reaching 32 PB. The Storwize software platform is shared with the IBM SAN Volume Controller (SVC).

Storwize began as an independent storage provider before becoming part of IBM through acquisition.

Models

Timeline

The timeline illustrates the availability periods for IBM Storwize 'V' series models—including V3700, V5000, V5010(E), V5020, V5030(E), V5100, and V7000—with purchase availability denoted in light green. Despite varying types and models, all received ongoing support until early 2020. For details on the IBM SAN Volume Controller timeline, please refer to its dedicated section.

Architecture

The architecture of the Storwize V7000 closely aligns with that of the SAN Volume Controller, integrating RAID and SSD technologies derived from the IBM DS8000 series to facilitate internally managed disks and tiered storage structures.

Features and software

Every Storwize system offers:

Command line interface (CLI)
Graphical user interface (GUI) featuring near-complete functionality alongside CLI command display
Thin Provisioning through Space Efficient Volumes
Ability to resize volumes (expand or shrink depending on OS support)
RAID configurations including levels 0,1,5,6,10 and Distributed RAID (DRAID-5/6)
FlashCopy snapshots with versatile options such as incremental, space-saving, and writable snapshots
Non-disruptive migration of data across virtualized storage environments
Performance controls enabling bandwidth and transaction throttling by host or volume
SSH login capabilities for both interactive and scripted access
Multiple alert mechanisms including email, syslog, SNMP, and VPN connections to IBM
Security measures such as audit logging and encrypted access protocols

Additional features available on some models (requiring licenses) include:

Automated tiering via EasyTier technology for intra- and inter-tier hotspot management
Data-at-rest encryption utilizing self-encrypting drives
Peer-to-Peer Remote Copy functionality
Metro Mirror providing synchronous replication
Global Mirror and Global Mirror with Change Volumes supporting asynchronous replication optimized for low-bandwidth environments
Virtualization of external storage systems
Virtual disk mirroring capabilities
Real-time data compression
Data reduction pools combining deduplication with compression techniques
Clustering support for up to eight controllers enabling seamless volume migration
Stretched cluster deployments featuring site awareness for hardware redundancy across locations
Hyperswap automated failover leveraging standard multipathing drivers

Storwize V7000 Unified further extends functionality by adding:

File-level storage services (NAS)
Policy-driven file placement managed by Active Cloud Engine
Support for Global Namespace architectures
Asynchronous replication at the file level

Constraints

The majority of Storwize solutions are designed for particular use cases and often necessitate separate licenses for certain functionalities. Licensing structures differ depending on the model and may include:

Licensing based on net capacity (notably in SVC, facilitating tiered storage differentiation)
Licensing per enclosure (each controller and expansion unit requires an individual license)
Licensing per controller (a single license covers all connected enclosures)

Detailed restrictions for each model and licensed software version are provided on IBM’s official support resources, covering systems such as the V7000, V5000 series, and IBM SAN Volume Controller.

IBM also provides the IBM System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC), an interactive tool designed to confirm compatibility across various storage configurations.

Compatible storage media

As of November 2016, Storwize arrays accommodate 2.5" flash SSDs with capacities up to 15.36 TB and 3.5" Nearline-HDDs reaching 10 TB. These drives are supported across Storwize 5000, 7000 series, and SAN Volume Controller native attachments. The IBM Storwize Easy Tier technology enhances data placement by dynamically managing mixed pools consisting of nearline disks, standard disks, read-intensive Flash drives, and enterprise-class Flash SSDs, including virtualized storage devices.

Hardware

Storwize hardware configurations consist of control and expansion enclosures interconnected via wide SAS cables supporting four lanes at either 6 or 12 Gbit/s speeds. Enclosures can accommodate both 2.5" and 3.5" drives. Control enclosures include two autonomous control units built on SAN Volume Controller architecture, linked through an internal high-speed network. Each enclosure is equipped with dual redundant power supplies for reliability.

Storwize V7000 product line

There are eight enclosure variants available:

Model 2076-112: Control enclosure supporting up to twelve 3.5" drives (2010–2015)
Model 2076-124: Control enclosure supporting up to twenty-four 2.5" drives (2010–2015)
Model 2076-212: Expansion enclosure supporting up to twelve 3.5" drives (2010–2016)
Model 2076-224: Expansion enclosure supporting up to twenty-four 2.5" drives (2010–2016)
Model 2076-312: Control enclosure with up to twelve 3.5" drives plus 10 Gb iSCSI connectivity (2012–2018)
Model 2076-324: Control enclosure with up to twenty-four 2.5" drives plus 10 Gb iSCSI connectivity (2012–2018)
Model 2076-524: Control enclosure featuring up to twenty-four 2.5" drives plus 10 Gb iSCSI (V7000 Generation 2) (2014–2017)
Model 2076-624: Control enclosure with support for up to twenty-four 2.5" drives plus 10 Gb iSCSI (V7000 Generation 2+) (2016–current)
Model 2076-724: Control enclosure supporting up to twenty-four 2.5" drives, NVMe flash drives or FlashCore modules alongside 10 Gb iSCSI and 25 Gb iSER connectivity (V7000 Generation 3) (2018–current)

Storwize V7000 Generation 3

The IBM Storwize V7000 Small Form Factor Enclosure Model 724, unveiled on November 6, 2018, introduces support for NVMe and FC-NVMe protocols via adapters operating at either 16 or 32 Gbit/s, as well as iSER (iSCSI Extensions for RDMA) or traditional iSCSI over 25 Gb Ethernet interfaces. This control enclosure accommodates twenty-four 2.5" NVMe flash drives or FlashCore modules that incorporate IBM’s MicroLatency technology featuring hardware-level compression and encryption capabilities.

Key specifications include:

Dual node canisters, each powered by two Intel Skylake processors clocked at 1.7 GHz with eight cores per processor and hardware-accelerated compression functions
Cache memory: Standard configuration offers 128 GiB per I/O group; optional upgrades provide either 256 GiB or up to 1.15 TiB per I/O group (node pair)
Connectivity options: Support includes NVMe-enabled fibre channel at speeds of both 32 Gbit/s and 16 Gbit/s, alongside iSER at 25 Gbit/s and onboard iSCSI at 10 Gbit/s
Clustering capabilities via Ethernet utilizing RDMA alongside Fibre Channel protocols
Backward compatibility allowing clustering integration with previous Storwize V7000 generations as well as IBM FlashSystem 9100 arrays

Software:

Debuted with Storwize V7000 software release version 8.2.0.2

Storwize V7000 Gen 2+

Unveiled on August 23, 2016, the IBM Storwize V7000 SFF Control Enclosure Model 624 features dual node canisters and delivers up to 256 GiB of cache within a 2U rack-mounted chassis. It comes standard with 1 Gbit/s iSCSI connectivity, while optional interfaces include 16 Gbit/s Fibre Channel and 10 Gbit/s iSCSI/FCoE. The system accommodates up to twenty-four 2.5" SAS drives and supports connectivity to as many as twenty expansion enclosures.

Improvements over the Gen 2 model comprise a more advanced CPU, doubled cache capacity, enhanced Fibre Channel speeds, built-in compression acceleration, and greater scalability:

Dual node canisters equipped with 10-core Broadwell processors and hardware-accelerated compression
Cache: Baseline of 128 GiB per I/O group; upgradeable to 256 GiB optimized for Real-time Compression workloads
Connectivity: Supports 16 Gbit/s Fibre Channel, 10 Gbit/s iSCSI/FCoE, along with standard 1 Gbit/s iSCSI

Software Compatibility:

Supported beginning with Storwize V7000 software version 7.7.1

Storwize V7000 Gen 2

Released on May 6, 2014, the IBM Storwize V7000 SFF Control Enclosure Model 524 incorporates two node canisters and offers up to 128 GiB cache within a compact 2U form factor. Standard interface includes 1 Gbit/s iSCSI; optional connections are available for 8 Gbit/s Fibre Channel and 10 Gbit/s iSCSI/FCoE. The enclosure supports up to twenty-four SAS drives and can connect to as many as twenty expansion units.

Prominent features include:

Form Factor: Rack-mountable, occupying two rack units
Dual node canisters powered by Intel Xeon E5-2628lv2 processors based on an 8-core Ivy Bridge architecture with hardware compression acceleration
Cache: Default allocation of 64 GiB per I/O group; optionally expandable to 128 GiB for Real-time Compression tasks
Connectivity: Options encompass 8 Gbit/s Fibre Channel, 10 Gbit/s iSCSI/FCoE, plus standard 1 Gbit/s iSCSI
- Each node includes four native 1 Gbit/s Ethernet ports dedicated to iSCSI traffic and management; one port is reserved for technician access
Storage Capacity: Supports SAS expansion enclosures configured with either twelve 3.5" or twenty-four 2.5" drives
- Scales up to a maximum of 504 drives per I/O group through expansion units; clustering four systems enables support for up to 1,056 drives
- Compatible with earlier Storwize V7000 generation clusters and IBM Storwize V7000 Unified File Modules for unified storage solutions
Comes with a three-year warranty featuring customer replaceable units (CRUs) and on-site support; extended warranty options are available

Software Enhancements:

Initially supported from Storwize V7000 software version 7.3.0
Version 7.4.0 introduced capabilities such as data protection with SCSI T10 DIF, encryption at rest, and support for drives using 4 KiB blocks

Storwize V7000 (Gen 1)

The original Storwize V7000 supports configurations ranging from one to four control enclosures alongside up to thirty-six expansion enclosures, totaling forty enclosures in all. It scales to accommodate as many as nine hundred sixty disks and delivers up to approximately 1.44 petabytes of raw internal storage capacity. Core hardware attributes include:

Form Factor: Rack-mountable chassis occupying two rack units
Two node canisters each powered by a quad-core Intel Xeon C3539 processor
Cache: Provides sixteen GiB of memory per control enclosure (eight GiB allocated per controller)
Connectivity: Features eight ports at 8 Gbit/s Fibre Channel speed, four ports at 1 Gbit/s iSCSI, plus optional interfaces including four ports of either 10 Gbit/s iSCSI/FCoE or four ports at 25 Gbit/s iSER per control enclosure
Storage Capacity: Supports up to forty-eight terabytes per enclosure using near-line SAS drives of four terabytes each or up to twenty-eight point eight terabytes with SAS drives spinning at ten thousand RPM and sized at 1.2 terabytes
Each control enclosure can connect up to nine expansion enclosures, enabling physical storage capacities reaching three hundred sixty terabytes per enclosure cluster
Power Supply: Equipped with dual power supplies complemented by battery-backed cache protection mechanisms
The file module (V7000 Unified) allows attachment to NAS environments operating at either one or ten gigabits per second

Storwize V5100

The Storwize V5100 system consists of a control enclosure along with a maximum of 20 standard or 8 high-density expansion enclosures. It offers support for NVMe and FC-NVMe via 16 Gbit/s and 32 Gbit/s adapters, as well as iSCSI/iWARP/RoCE through 25GbE adapters, accommodating up to 760 drives and delivering a raw capacity of 23.34 PB. Key hardware features include:

Chassis: Rack-mountable 2U form factor
Dual-active intelligent controllers with redundancy
Cache: Starting at 64 GiB per control enclosure (32 GiB per controller), expandable up to 1152 GiB
Connectivity: Each control enclosure provides eight 16 Gbit/s Fibre Channel ports, eight 32 Gbit/s FC-NVMe ports, eight 10 Gbit/s iSCSI ports, plus optional eight 25 Gbit/s iSCSI/iWARP/ROCE host interfaces
Power supply: Equipped with dual power supplies featuring battery-backed cache retention

Storwize V5030E

The Storwize V5030E model includes a control enclosure and supports expansion with up to 20 standard or 8 high-density enclosures. It scales to accommodate as many as 760 disks and offers a raw internal storage capacity of 23.34 PB.

Storwize V5010E

Featuring a control enclosure, the Storwize V5010E supports expansion through up to 10 standard or 4 high-density enclosures. It can manage up to 392 disks and provides a raw capacity of 12.04 PB.

Storwize V5030

The Storwize V5030 configuration comprises a control enclosure plus the option of up to 20 standard or 8 high-density expansion enclosures, supporting a total of up to 760 disks and delivering a raw capacity of 23.34 PB.

Storwize V5020

This model includes a control enclosure with support for as many as 10 standard or 4 high-density expansion enclosures. It can scale to hold up to 392 disks with a raw storage capacity of 12.04 PB.

Storwize V5010

The Storwize V5010 consists of one control enclosure paired with up to 10 standard or 4 high-density expansion enclosures, scaling storage to support a maximum of 392 disks and providing up to 12.04 PB in raw capacity.

Storwize V5000

The Storwize V5000 supports configurations involving one or two control enclosures and up to twelve expansion enclosures, allowing for a maximum total of eighteen enclosures. It can scale to accommodate up to 480 disks with a raw internal capacity reaching 960 TB.

Detailed hardware specifications:

Chassis: Designed for rack mounting at 2U height
Six enclosure variants available:
- Type 2078-12C: Control enclosure supporting up to twelve 3.5" drives
- Type 2078-24C: Control enclosure supporting up to twenty-four 2.5" drives
- Type 2078-212: Expansion enclosure accommodating twelve 3.5" drives
- Type 2078-224: Expansion enclosure accommodating twenty-four 2.5" drives
- Type 2078-12C: Control enclosure with twelve 3.5" drives plus integrated 10 Gb iSCSI connectivity
- Type 2078-24C: Control enclosure with twenty-four 2.5" drives plus integrated 10 Gb iSCSI connectivity
Cache: Begins at sixteen GiB per control enclosure (eight GiB per controller)
Storage capacity: Up to forty-eight TB per enclosure using four TB near-line SAS drives, or twenty-eight point eight TB using twelve hundred GB (1.2 TB) ten-thousand RPM SAS drives
Dual-active intelligent controllers configured for redundancy
Host connectivity: Each control enclosure offers eight Fibre Channel ports at eight Gbit/s (split evenly between two controllers), four one Gbit/s iSCSI ports, with an option for four ten Gbit/s iSCSI/FCoE host connections
Control enclosures are capable of connecting up to six expansion enclosures each
Power system: Includes dual power supplies along with cooling mechanisms for reliable operation

Storwize V3700

The Storwize V3700 system consists of a single control enclosure and can be expanded with up to four additional enclosures, accommodating as many as 240 drives sized 2.5" or 120 drives sized 3.5", delivering a maximum raw storage capacity of 480 TB. Its principal hardware characteristics include:

Chassis: Rack-mountable in a 2U form factor
Four enclosure variants:
- 2072-12C - Dual Control Enclosure supporting up to twelve 3.5" drives
- 2072-12E - Expansion Enclosure for up to twelve 3.5" drives
- 2072-24C - Dual Control Enclosure accommodating up to twenty-four 2.5" drives
- 2072-24E - Expansion Enclosure with capacity for twenty-four 2.5" drives
Cache: Each control enclosure provides a base cache of 8 GiB (4 GiB per controller), expandable to a total of 16 GiB
Connectivity: The control enclosure includes four 1 Gb iSCSI ports and six 6 Gbit/s SAS host interfaces, with optional upgrades for 8 Gbit/s Fibre Channel, additional SAS connections, or 10 Gb iSCSI/Fibre Channel over Ethernet ports
Storage: Employs dual-port, hot-swappable 6 Gb SAS drives; supports expansion up to 240 drives at 2.5" or 120 drives at 3.5"
Power: Features redundant, hot-swappable power supplies and cooling fans; operates on AC power ranging from 110 to 240 volts
- In October 2013, IBM launched models powered by DC that comply with NEBS and ETSI standards, designed specifically for telecommunications and service providers. These models include remote mirror over IP functionality optimized with Bridgeworks SANrockIT technology for enhanced bandwidth efficiency

Additional capabilities encompass dual controllers that support RAID configurations including levels 0,1,5,6, and 10; internal storage virtualization; thin provisioning to maximize resource utilization; and one-way data migration facilitating smooth transfer of data into the Storwize V3700 platform.

SAN Volume Controller

The SAN Volume Controller (SVC) entry-level configuration begins with a single I/O group and can expand up to four I/O groups, enabling support for as many as 4,096 host servers, 8,192 volumes, and virtualized storage capacity reaching up to 32 petabytes.

Per node hardware specifications (each I/O group consists of two nodes):

Chassis: Rack-mountable in a 2U size (based on the IBM System x3650 M4 server)
Processor: Equipped with one or two Intel Xeon E5-2650v2 CPUs running at 2.6 GHz with eight cores each
Optional compression accelerator cards available (up to two per node)
Memory: Standard configuration includes 32 GiB RAM, expandable to a maximum of 64 GiB
Connectivity: Four native Fibre Channel ports operating at 8 Gbit/s, expandable to eight or twelve ports
Storage interfaces: Includes three native 1 Gbit/s iSCSI/FCoE ports plus optional four additional ports at 10 Gbit/s; supports connection of up to two SSD expansion enclosures with a maximum of forty-eight SSDs per I/O group
Power: Incorporates dual power supplies alongside integrated battery backup units

Flex System V7000 Storage Node

Introduced in 2012, the Flex System V7000 Storage Node supports scaling up to a maximum of 240 disks sized at 2.5" within a single control enclosure or as many as 960 disks in clustered configurations. Its notable hardware features include:

Redundant dual-active intelligent controllers ensuring high availability
Cache: Provides a total of 16 GiB cache per control enclosure (divided as 8 GiB per internal controller)
Connectivity: Offers SAN connectivity via 8 Gbit/s Fibre Channel along with host interfaces supporting both 10 Gigabit Ethernet FCoE and iSCSI protocols
Control enclosures can connect up to nine expansion enclosures—internal or external—allowing configurations that scale to as many as 960 drives
Software Support: As of version 7.3.0, this system does not support software features

Designed for enterprise-level storage demands, the Flex System V7000 delivers scalable capacity combined with versatile connectivity options.

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