IBM DS8900F AFA Up to 6TB for Z Mainframes

This blog was posted on September 12, 2019 by Chris Dittmer, VP high end storage, IBM Corp.

Powerful new storage for your mission-critical hybrid multicloud

Cloud computing and mainframes processors are two of the most important contributors in information technology solutions.

They are increasingly being linked together to unlock value for clients.

85% of companies are already operating in multicloud and by 2021, most existing apps will have migrated to the cloud. [1] At the same time, mainframe utilization has remained robust – IBM Z mainframes process 30 billion transactions each day, including 87% of all credit card transactions on the planet.[2]

IBM Storage is announcing a new solution designed to provide stronger synergy between Z mainframes and the cloud, the IBM DS8900F storage systems. This new family of AFAs provides enhancements in performance, data protection, resiliency, availability and cost-efficiency demanded in mission-critical hybrid multicloud mainframe environments.

More about and DS8900F
“IBM has been a leader in the enterprise mainframe storage market for years,” observes Ashish Nadkarni, group VP, WW infrastructure, IDC. “The increased performance and capacity of the newly announced DS8900F storage system along with key security features that enhance the value proposition of the new z15 and LinuxONE platforms will enable it to stay as a preferred storage system for enterprise mainframe storage market for years to come.”

“The DS8000 family has been our preferred storage solution for our mission critical applications,” notes Ron Argent, CEO, Cognition Foundry. “The launch of the next generation DS8900F model with increased performance plus improved security will make our system even more resilient for our multicloud environments.”

The DS8900F family is designed to match the mission-critical capabilities of Z and LinuxONE servers. Built with POWER9 processors, the new systems benefit from years of trailblazing research and collaboration between the IBM Storage and IBM Z teams to deliver business value for mainframe deployments. It also offers transparent hybrid multicloud connectivity for infrastructure simplification, massive capacity, and data protection through the cloud.

Video to learn more about the announcement for Z and DS8900F

The enduring value and popularity of both Z and LinuxONE servers means that the supporting storage infrastructure must continue to evolve and innovate in unison with these systems in order to ensure high performance, broadest functionality, and greatest security possible.

With the introduction of DS8900F, the DS8000 family of data systems continues to be a complement to both mainframe and distributed computing environments. Not only is DS8900F the leader in the external storage market for mainframe environments,[3] but family members offer an additional advantage-deep integration with Z mainframes.

The new DS8900F family replaces the venerable DS8880 line. It is designed to reduce complexity while addressing a variety of workloads at the lowest DS8900F family entry cost. It updates the previous generation DS8882F and DS8884F models while providing performance, cyber resiliency and hybrid multicloud improvements.

DS8950F is intended to consolidate all mission-critical storage workloads for Z, LinuxONE, Power Systems, and distributed environments under a single all-flash storage solution.

More details on the announcement from IBM Z

Both DS8900F solutions offer advantages:
Low application response times
DS8900F processes huge volumes of Z transactions faster while unlocking the unmatched value for mission critical workloads with storage latencies of 18 μs, twice the throughput, and IO/s increased up to 60%.
Secure authentication across trusted systems
IBM technology makes data only accessible by authorized systems. This capability creates a trusted storage network across data centers that encrypts data both in flight and at rest without requiring application changes.
Maximum system uptime
With more that ‘seven 9’s’ availability and multi-site data replication for DR, DS8900F provides continuous access to data for mission-critical environments. HyperSwap technology provides no-data-loss capabilities within metro distances, and at more than 1,000 miles, IBM Geographically Dispersed Parallel Sysplex can help recover business operations within 3 to 5s RPO and less than 60s RTO.
Cyber resilience with Safeguarded Cop
DS8900F prevents data from being modified or deleted due to user errors, malicious destruction or ransomware attacks with immutable point in time copies of production data and dual management control for increased security.

DS8900F enables hybrid multicloud as a new storage tier for backup and archive operations on IBM Z environments with no impact to I/O performance and without the need of additional servers or gateways. Transparent Cloud Tiering protects data with AES-256bit encryption and provides a maximum of 50% savings in mainframe CPU utilization when migrating large datasets.[4]

“The new DS8900F storage systems offer real advantages for our customers and our own bottom line,” states William Roman, CTO, Truenorth Corp., a long-time IBM business partner. “They help reduce system complexity, and they continue the relentless IBM focus on greater cost-efficiency. Most importantly, they offer the hybrid multicloud functionality and data security our customers demand.”

The IBM DS8900F data systems bring the security, performance and cloud functionality demanded in mainframe-driven mission-critical hybrid multicloud environments. Build with flexibility, deliver with confidence, and protect the future of business with these new solutions from IBM Storage.

More about this announcement in the IBM Z and IBM DS8900F press release or video.
[1] IBM Institute for Business Value: Assembling Your Cloud Orchestra, October 2018
[2] IBM: 2018 Annual Report
[3] IDC WW Quarterly Enterprise Storage Systems Tracker, June 13, 2019.