This IBM® Redbooks® publication describes the new IBM i Midrange External Storage solutions available for IBM POWERTM Systems POWER6TM servers with IBM i being a client of IBM Virtual I/O Server (VIOS). It introduces the VIOS virtualization concepts and IBM DS Midrange External Storage Systems architecture of the supported models DS3400, DS4700, DS4800, and DS5000, discusses planning and sizing for IBM i Midrange External Storage, and provides detailed implementation procedures including IBM DS Midrange Storage Copy Services. Finally, it provides monitoring, maintenance, and troubleshooting hints for the triumvirate of IBM i, VIOS, and IBM DS Midrange External Storage. The information provided by this book will help customers, business partners, and IBM service professionals with planning and implementing IBM i Midrange External Storage solutions.

This IBM® Redbooks® publication represents a compilation of best practices for deploying and configuring IBM Midrange System StorageTM servers, which include the DS4000® and the DS5000 family of products. This book is intended for IBM technical professionals, Business Partners, and customers responsible for the planning, deployment, and maintenance of the IBM Midrange System Storage family of products. We realize that setting up DS4000 and DS5000 Storage Servers can be a complex task. There is no single configuration that will be satisfactory for every application or situation. First, we provide a conceptual framework for understanding the hardware in a Storage Area Network. Then we offer our guidelines, hints, and tips for the physical installation, cabling, and zoning, using the Storage Manager setup tasks. After that, we turn our attention to the performance and tuning of various components and features, including numerous guidelines. We look at performance implications for various application products such as DB2®, Oracle, Tivoli® Storage Manager, Microsoft® SQL server, and in particular, Microsoft Exchange with IBM Midrange System Storage servers. Then we review the various tools available to simulate workloads and to measure, collect, and analyze performance data. We also consider the AIX® environment, including High Availability Cluster Multiprocessing (HACMPTM) and General Parallel File System (GPFSTM). Finally, we provide a quick guide to the storage server installation and configuration using best practices. This edition of the book also includes guidelines for managing and using the DS4000 and DS5000 with the IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller (SVC).

The use of external storage and the benefits of virtualization became a topic of discussion in the IBM® i area during the last several years. The question tends to be, what are the advantages of the use of external storage that is attached to an IBM i environment as opposed to the use of internal storage. The use of IBM PowerVM® virtualization technology to virtualize Power server processors and memory also became common in IBM i environments. However, virtualized access to external storage and network resources by using a VIO server is still not widely used. This IBM Redbooks® publication gives a broad overview of the IBM Storwize® family products and their features and functions. It describes the setup that is required on the storage side and describes and positions the different options for attaching IBM Storwize family products to an IBM i environment. Basic setup and configuration of a VIO server specifically for the needs of an IBM i environment is also described. In addition, different configuration options for a combined setup of IBM PowerHA® SystemMirror® for i and the Storwize family products are described and positioned against each other. Detailed examples are provided for the setup process that is required for these environments. The information that is provided in this book is useful for clients, IBM Business Partners, and IBM service professionals who need to understand how to install and configure their IBM i environment with attachment to the Storwize family products.

This IBM® RedpaperTM publication explains how you can connect the IBM XIV® Storage System server to the IBM i operating system through the Virtual I/O Server (VIOS). A connection through the VIOS is especially of interest to IT centers that have many small IBM i partitions. When using the VIOS, the Fibre Channel host adapters can be installed in the VIOS and shared by many IBM i clients by using virtual connectivity to the VIOS. This paper also includes guidance for sizing XIV logical unit numbers (LUNs) when attached to the IBM i client.

This IBM® Redbooks® Product Guide publication describes the IBM FlashSystem® 5200 solution, which is a next-generation IBM FlashSystem control enclosure. It is an NVMe end-to-end platform that is targeted at the entry and midrange market and delivers the full capabilities of IBM FlashCore® technology. It also provides a rich set of software-defined storage (SDS) features that are delivered by IBM Spectrum® Virtualize, including the following features: Data reduction and deduplication Dynamic tiering Thin provisioning Snapshots Cloning Replication Data copy services Transparent Cloud Tiering IBM HyperSwap® including 3-site replication for high availability (HA) Scale-out and scale-up configurations further enhance capacity and throughput for better availability. The IBM FlashSystem 5200 is a high-performance storage solution that is based on a revolutionary 1U form factor. It consists of 12 NVMe Flash Devices in a 1U storage enclosure drawer with full redundant canister components and no single point of failure. It is designed for businesses of all sizes, including small, remote, branch offices and regional clients. It is a smarter, self-optimizing solution that requires less management, which enables organizations to overcome their storage challenges. Flash has come of age and price point reductions mean that lower parts of the storage market are seeing the value of moving over to flash and NVMe--based solutions. The IBM FlashSystem 5200 advances this transition by providing incredibly dense tiers of flash in a more affordable package. With the benefit of IBM FlashCore Module compression and new QLC flash-based technology becoming available, a compelling argument exists to move away from Nearline SAS storage and on to NVMe. With the release of IBM FlashSystem 5200 Software V8.4, extra functions and features are available, including support for new Distributed RAID1 (DRAID1) features, GUI enhancements, Redirect-on-write for Data Reduction Pool (DRP) snapshots, and 3-site replication capabilities. This book is aimed at pre-sales and post-sales technical support and marketing and storage administrators.

This IBM® Redbooks® publication consolidates, in one document, detailed descriptions of the hardware configurations and options offered as part of the IBM Midrange System StorageTM servers, which include the IBM System Storage DS4000® and DS5000 families of products. This edition covers updates and additional functions available with the IBM System Storage DS® Storage Manager Version 10.60 (firmware level 7.60). This book presents the concepts and functions used in planning and managing the storage servers, such as multipathing and path failover. The book offers a step-by-step guide to using the Storage Manager to create arrays, logical drives, and other basic (as well as advanced) management tasks. This publication also contains practical information about diagnostics and troubleshooting, and includes practical examples of how to use scripts and the command-line interface. This publication is intended for customers, IBM Business Partners, and IBM technical professionals who want to learn more about the capabilities and advanced functions of the DS4000 series of storage servers with Storage Manager Software V10.60. It also targets those who have a DS4000 and DS5000 storage subsystem and need detailed advice about how to configure it.

Companies need to migrate data not only when technology needs to be replaced, but also for consolidation, load balancing, and disaster recovery (DR). Data migration is a critical operation, and this book explains the phases and steps to ensure a smooth migration. Topics range from planning and preparation to execution and validation. The book explains, from a generic standpoint, the appliance-based, storage-based, and host-based techniques that can be used to accomplish the migration. Each method is explained through practical migration scenarios and for various operating systems. This publication addresses the aspects of data migration efforts while focusing on fixed block storage systems in open environment with the IBM® FlashSystem 9100 as the target system. Therefore, the book also emphasizes various migration techniques using the Spectrum Virtualize built-in functions. This document targets storage administrators, storage network administrators, system designers, architects, and IT professionals who design, administer or plan data migrations in large data Centers. The aim is to ensure that you are aware of the current thinking, methods, and products that IBM can make available to you. These items are provided to ensure a data migration process that is as efficient and problem-free as possible. The material presented in this book was developed with versions of the referenced products as of February, 2020.