IBM this week will continue pushing its storage virtualization capabilities when it starts reselling DataCore Software Corp.s SANsymphony 4.0 product as an option for high-end Shark units.
The software adds block-level virtualization, logical volume management, and data snapshot functionality, said Chris Saul, Shark OEM program manager for IBM, in San Jose, Calif. Virtualization is the concept that many storage units can be managed as one.
IBM already has file-level virtualization, which was announced in December 2000 with its Storage Tank software. But “you should expect to be hearing from us in the not-too-distant future about how we plan to interface them together,” Saul said.
The software from DataCore will also help with long-distance disaster recovery over IP networks, Saul said.
Also, the software could still be used with other vendors software, Saul said. “It sits in middle between servers and disk systems. It really doesnt make any other changes to the environment,” he said.
Specific pricing was not immediately available, but a price for an average 5-terabyte duplex system is $120,000, Saul said.
The news comes on the heels of a new Shark capacity announcement from IBM last week. Sharks 36 GB drives are now available as 72.8 GB units, bringing the systems total capacity into the 20-terabyte range.
Meanwhile, DataCore, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will ship a major upgrade early next year, said CEO George Teixeira. Fujitsu Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Bell Microproducts Inc. also license SANsymphony, Teixeira said.