Today HDS and HP will announce the next generation enterprise storage array architecture from Hitachi (see details here and here). Both companies OEM the VSP (HDS name) or 9500 (HP name) and so the releases are co-ordinated to occur at the same time. I am currently in Santa Clara for the Hitachi Information Forum, at which the VSP will be announced.
As you can imagine, with the release of a new product, there’s a lot to take in. Fortunately I’ve been privileged to be provided with information from both HDS and HP on the hardware prior to release. Regardless of which vendor you take the hardware from, some of the highlights include:
- 2.5″ drive support
- Redesigned core processor architecture
- Overall 2x improved performance
- Reduced Power consumption
- Higher scalability
- Block level-tiering
If you want to get the low-down on the hardware itself, have a look at Nigel Poulton’s great post here.
What doesn’t seem immediately obvious is the difference in architecture between this and the predecessor USP V. With everyone’s focus on speeds and feeds, this fundamental change can easily be overlooked. I recommend you look at my first two posts on array architectures:
- Choosing Between Monolithic and Modular Architectures Part I
- Choosing Between Monolithic and Modular Architectures Part II
Part II will prove to be more useful for those people who are bound to want to compare the VSP/9500 with VMAX from EMC. Rather than rush into a post today, I’ll be posting on the details over the next 48 hours, as there are software changes that also are significant in this release. I’m also hoping to have some interviews in place, so look out for those too.
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