IBM® Spectrum Scale is software that is used to manage storage, provide massive scale, a global namespace, and high performance with several enterprise features. IBM SpectrumTM Scale is used in clustered environments and provides file protocol (POSIX, NFS, and SMB) and object protocol (Swift and S3) with unified access capabilities. OpenStack is open source software that is widely used as a base to build cloud and infrastructure as a service solutions. OpenStack often is deployed on commodity hardware and is used to virtualize various parts of the infrastructure (compute, storage, and network) to ease the sharing of the infrastructure across applications, use cases, or workloads. Configuring IBM Spectrum ScaleTM in systems that use OpenStack software offers benefits that are provided by the many enterprise features in IBM Spectrum Scale. It also consolidates storage for various OpenStack components and applications that are running on top of the OpenStack infrastructure under a single storage management plane. This IBM RedguideTM publication describes the benefits and best practice recommendations of the use of IBM Spectrum Scale in OpenStack environments. The intended audience for this publication is technical decision makers, cloud architects, IT architects, and those readers who want to learn more about deploying an OpenStack cloud environment with Spectrum Scale storage.

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Because of the explosion of unstructured data that is generated by individuals and organizations, a new storage paradigm that is called object storage has been developed. Object storage stores data in a flat namespace that scales to trillions of objects. The design of object storage also simplifies how users access data, supporting new types of applications and allowing users to access data by using various methods, including mobile devices and web applications. Data distribution and management are also simplified, allowing greater collaboration across the globe. OpenStack Swift is an emerging open source object storage software platform that is widely used for cloud storage. IBM® Spectrum Scale, which is based on IBM General Parallel File System (IBM GPFSTM) technology, is a high-performance and proven product that is used to store data for thousands of mission-critical commercial installations worldwide. Throughout this IBM RedpaperTM publication, IBM SpectrumTM Scale is used to refer to GPFS. The examples in this paper are based on IBM Spectrum ScaleTM V4.2.2. IBM Spectrum Scale also automates common storage management tasks, such as tiering and archiving at scale. Together, IBM Spectrum Scale and OpenStack Swift provide an enterprise-class object storage solution that efficiently stores, distributes, and retains critical data. This paper provides instructions about setting up and configuring IBM Spectrum Scale Object Storage that is based on OpenStack Swift. It also provides an initial set of preferred practices that ensure optimal performance and reliability. This paper is intended for administrators who are familiar with IBM Spectrum Scale and OpenStack Swift components.

The Swift High Latency Media project seeks to create a high-latency storage back end that makes it easier for users to perform bulk operations of data tiering within a Swift data ring. In today's world, data is produced at significantly higher rates than a decade ago. The storage and data management solutions of the past can no longer keep up with the data demands of today. The policies and structures that decide and execute how that data is used, discarded, or retained determines how efficiently the data is used. The need for intelligent data management and storage is more critical now than ever before. Traditional management approaches hide cost-effective, high-latency media (HLM) storage, such as tape or optical disk archive back ends, underneath a traditional file system. The lack of HLM-aware file system interfaces and software makes it difficult for users to understand and control data access on HLM storage. Coupled with data-access latency, this lack of understanding results in slow responses and potential time-outs that affect the user experience. The Swift HLM project addresses this challenge. Running OpenStack Swift on top of HLM storage allows you to cheaply store and efficiently access large amounts of infrequently used object data. Data that is stored on tape storage can be easily adopted to an Object Storage data interface. This IBM® RedpaperTM publication describes the Swift High Latency Media project and provides guidance for installation and configuration.

Today, new business models in the marketplace coexist with traditional ones and their well-established IT architectures. They generate new business needs and new IT requirements that can only be satisfied by new service models and new technological approaches. These changes are reshaping traditional IT concepts. Cloud in its three main variants (Public, Hybrid, and Private) represents the major and most viable answer to those IT requirements, and software-defined infrastructure (SDI) is its major technological enabler. IBM® technology, with its rich and complete set of storage hardware and software products, supports SDI both in an open standard framework and in other vendors' environments. IBM services are able to deliver solutions to the customers with their extensive knowledge of the topic and the experiences gained in partnership with clients. This IBM RedpaperTM publication focuses on software-defined storage (SDS) and IBM Storage Systems product offerings for software-defined environments (SDEs). It also provides use case examples across various industries that cover different client needs, proposed solutions, and results. This paper can help you to understand current organizational capabilities and challenges, and to identify specific business objectives to be achieved by implementing an SDS solution in your enterprise.

This IBM® RedpaperTM publication takes you on a journey that surveys cloud computing to answer several fundamental questions about storage cloud technology. What are storage clouds? How can a storage cloud help solve your current and future data storage business requirements? What can IBM do to help you implement a storage cloud solution that addresses these needs? This paper shows how IBM storage clouds use the extensive cloud computing experience, services, proven technologies, and products of IBM to support a smart storage cloud solution designed for your storage optimization efforts. Clients face many common storage challenges and some have variations that make them unique. It describes various successful client storage cloud implementations and the options that are available to meet your current needs and position you to avoid storage issues in the future. IBM CloudTM Services (IBM Cloud Managed Services® and IBM SoftLayer®) are highlighted as well as the contributions of IBM to OpenStack cloud storage. This paper is intended for anyone who wants to learn about storage clouds and how IBM addresses data storage challenges with smart storage cloud solutions. It is suitable for IBM clients, storage solution integrators, and IBM specialist sales representatives.

The IBM® System Storage® Solutions Handbook helps you solve your current and future data storage business requirements. It helps you achieve enhanced storage efficiency by design to allow managed cost, capacity of growth, greater mobility, and stronger control over storage performance and management. It describes the most current IBM storage products, including the IBM SpectrumTM family, IBM FlashSystem®, disk, and tape, as well as virtualized solutions such IBM Storage Cloud. This IBM Redbooks® publication provides overviews and information about the most current IBM System Storage products. It shows how IBM delivers the right mix of products for nearly every aspect of business continuance and business efficiency. IBM storage products can help you store, safeguard, retrieve, and share your data. This book is intended as a reference for basic and comprehensive information about the IBM Storage products portfolio. It provides a starting point for establishing your own enterprise storage environment. This book describes the IBM Storage products as of March, 2016.