Primary Storage

Originally posted by: Kimmel

Several times in a row, Mainz once again had been selected to become the core ITSO Redbooks site for the updates of the main DS8000 Redbooks publications. In Q4/2012, we had hosted the Redbooks for the first generation of DS8870. In Q2/2013, updates on the Easy Tier Redpapers were done. along with the Copy Services books. Now October and November 2013, the updates dealt with the second generation of DS8870 (sixth generation of DS8000), which has been announced 19 November 2013.

In detail, we described and updated (with the new editions set to appear soon):

• The main DS8870 Architecture and Implementation Redbook, describing the new POWER7+ DS8870 model. POWER7+ comes with more L3 cache, a lot more transistors (2.1 vs. 1.2 bn per core), more cycle speed (GHz), compared to the previous POWER7-based DS8870. The new DS8870 can deliver 20% more max. IOps and has additional optimisations for flash configurations, also a new Business Class line has been introduced for it, and additional drive types.
• We have done a new Redpaper on NIST SP 800-131a security compliance of the DS8870. This is a new standard demanding a higher encryption key strength (112-bit), and certificates for all communication with the DS8870, starting 2014.
• The DS8000 Encryption Redpaper has undergone a major overhaul.
• OpenStack is an upcoming hot topic for all our storage landscape, giving a subsystem-independent interface for automated provisioning at the cloud environments of very large clients. The DS8870 supports OpenStack Cinder by RPQ now, and we're preparing a Solution Guide for this.
• The DS8000 Easy Tier Redpaper has been updated with latest enhancements, like the Cooperative Caching (Easy Tier Server) functionality for extending Easy Tier into a Power server landscape, or with the new reporting functions that we get with the R7.2 code release for Easy Tier.

As usual, the Redbooks participants for this ITSO Residency came from all parts of the world -- we hosted guests from Brasil, Canada, Indonesia and USA, together with participating authors from Mainz.
Consider joining us next time?