IBM TotalStorage DS5000 Series: New 7th Generation Architecture for Enhanced Performance

Optimized To Meet Demanding Open-Systems Requirements

The IBM TotalStorage DS5000 series is built upon new 7th generation architecture that increases the performance capabilities as well as the life cycle longevity – expanding it past the standard 3 to 4 years. Designed for midrange disk storage requirements, the DS5000 series is ideal for applications including, concurrent workloads, consolidation and virtualization as well as transactional applications and high throughput applications. Offering a choice of host interface cards and a maximum of 448 drives, the DS5000 series is able to meet the demands of capacity requirements, service level agreements and open-systems requirements.

Highly Modular to Keep Pace with Tomorrow's Storage Needs

One of the biggest advantages that the DS5000 IBM series offers is its ability for quick adaptation, particularly in the DS5100 and the DS5300 models. These models allow host interfaces to be replaced, systems to be reconfigured, cache to be added and capacity to be expanded - all quickly and efficiently. Another key advantage is the investment protection offered by the DS5000 series, which is the result of numerous non-disruptive firmware upgrades, multi-dimensional scalability and an extended life cycle. The DS5000 series also provides support for many common operating systems (OS), such as Microsoft, UNIX and Linux, and allows for the intermixing of both Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) and Fibre Channel (FC) drives, as well as a choice of host interfaces.

The IBM TotalStorage DS5000 Disk Storage System Family

The IBM TotalStorage DS5000 series product line includes 3 disk storage system models: the DS5020, DS5100 and DS5300. The IBM DS5000 series also supports expansion shelves such as EXP5000, EXP520, EXP5060 as well as support for migrating EXP810 enclosures from DS4000 series arrays. The DS5100 model is a base system, although it can be field upgraded to the high-performance DS5300 model. Overall very similar, the main two ways in which these models differ are the size of the cache memory and the internal processor bus speeds. The DS5020, however, stands apart as its own base system with unique advantages such as more space-efficient form factor and a lower cost of consolidation.