Standard Components

The IBM XIV Storage System is the first and almost only storage system to be built from standard, off-the-shelf components. It offers customers a single, high-end solution that is exceptionally cost-effective and future-proof. It also allows any given IBM XIV release to always feature cutting edge technologies in its disks, modules and interconnects.

Other enterprise-class storage systems typically comprise proprietary, special-purpose hardware, such as backplanes, shared memory architecture, and disk shelves. Huge amounts of resources are spent on developing and testing these products -- with the associated costs passed on to the user. Moreover, special-purpose hardware quickly becomes obsolete, with a long wait time until new-generation processors, switches, and other components are integrated.

Off-the-shelf components allow the XIV system to considerably reduce costs and, at the same time, effortlessly adopt any new technology relevant to its hardware components after they are fully tested and available.

The XIV system's use of standard components further enables easy migration from existing hardware to new hardware in the customer's already running XIV system. This is achieved through an easy and completely seamless, non-disruptive procedure that requires no management effort. The upgraded system immediately produces increased storage capacity and performance, with no workload degradation whatsoever.