IBM has launched all-flash versions of its DS8880 monolithic arrays, aimed at mid- midrange and large enterprises for use cases such as transactional processing and cognitive as well as real-time analytics. The new family of DS8880 all-flash storage systems is designed to provide the speed and reliability required for workloads ranging from enterprise resource planning (ERP) and financial transactions to cognitive applications such as machine learning and natural language processing.
The earlier systems were the DS8884, DS8886 and DS8888. Now they have all-flash variants, denoted by an “F” suffix.
The DS8884F is designed for traditional applications like ERP, order processing,OLTP, database, customer relationship management and human resources information systems. There is 256 GB DRAM cache and 6.4 – 154 TB of raw flash.
The DS8886F is desinged for enterprise class storage. It has a 2 TB cache and 6.4 – 614.4 TB of flash.
It supports high speed transactional operations that include high-performance online transaction processing, high-speed commercial data processing, high-performance d
ata warehouse and data mining and critical financial transaction systems.
The DS8888F is or analytics-class storage, offering better performance and capacity for predictive analytics, real time optimisation, machine learning, cognitive systems, natural language speech and video processing. It has 2 TB Cache and 6.4 TB – 1.22 PB of flash.
The arrays are tailored to offer all-flash storage for mainframe z Systems and the POWER mid-range servers.
IBM Storage and Software Defined Infrastructure general manager Ed Walsh said the DS8880 All-Flash family is aimed at users that have experienced poor storage performance due to latency, low server utilisation, high energy consumption, low system availability and high operating costs.
“These same users have been listening, learning and understand the data value proposition of being a cognitive business.
“In the coming year we expect an awakening by companies to the opportunity that cognitive applications, and hybrid cloud enablement, bring them in a data driven marketplace.”
The new family of DS8880 all-flash storage systems will be available globally on 20 January 2017 from IBM and via IBM Business Partners.
