|
|
|
|
|
Instant Insight February 3, 2003 |
|
|
|
|
Everything Old Shall Be New Again: EMC
Introduces Symmetrix DMX The EMC Symmetrix DMX is available in the following
models: ▫
Symmetrix
DMX800: Described by EMC as the world’s first rack-mount high-end storage
system, the DMX800 can be installed in non-raised floor data centers in
distributed or centralized locations to support open systems apps and
enterprise infrastructure. The DMX800 scales from eight to sixteen front-end
ports, from 1.2 to 17.5TB of raw capacity, and from 4 to 32GB of global cache
for open systems. ▫
Symmetrix
DMX1000: A single bay integrated system, the DMX1000 scales from eight to forty-eight
front-end ports, from 3.5 to 21TB of raw capacity, and from 4 to 64GB of
global cache for mainframe and open systems environments. ▫
Symmetrix
DMX2000: A dual bay integrated system, The DMX2000 scales from eight to ninety-six
front-end ports, from 7 to 48TB of raw capacity, and from 8 to 128GB of
global cache for mainframe and open systems environments. EMC’s Direct Matrix Architecture provides a solution
that the company claims eliminates performance ceilings inherent in bus- and
switch-based storage architectures. The matrix interconnect is comprised of
128 point-to-point connections that directly link each of the front-end
channel directors to every region of global cache memory, and every region of
global cache memory to each back-end disk director. Each connection is
capable of transporting data at 500MB per second, for a total bandwidth path
of 64GBps, and total aggregate data path and messaging bandwidth of 72GBps.
According to EMC, the Direct Matrix Architecture is capable of supporting
more than 2,048 drives using available technology, and provides a three- to
six-fold performance increase in mixed workload environments over previous
Symmetrix 8000 systems. The Symmetrix DMX series offers 100% EMC software compatibility and consistency with existing Symmetrix systems, and can be managed with EMC’s ControlCenter software, as well as other vendors’ management applications. In addition, DMX systems are designed for full compliance with the Storage Management Initiative (SMI, previously CIM/Bluefin) specifications. Pricing/Availability All Symmetrix DMX systems are immediately available
with list prices ranging from $439,000 to $2.5 million, based on
configuration. Support for FICON mainframe connectivity will be available in
the third quarter of 2003. Net/Net Computer hardware vendors are seldom if ever shy
about trumpeting new advances and additions to their solutions. In fact, a
brief survey of high tech press releases offers a baffling hodgepodge of geekspeak
and naked PR bravado that usually delivers more IT attitude than provable business
benefits. As a result, it is wise to approach any press release dressed in
metaphorical sou’wester, gum boots, and elbow-length gloves, rather than risk
being spattered with excess technomarketing gibberish. So professional
skepticism fully in place, what should one make of EMC’s Symmetrix DMX
series? First, to establish a couple of ground rules, we
believe data storage is not really about storage but about access. A simple
measure of any IT solution is the degree to which it enhances existing business
processes and enables new business practices. Additionally, when a vendor
introduces the next generation of an existing solution, careful attention
should be paid to the homage it pays to previous products and their users.
From both of these standpoints, we see Symmetrix DMX as a formidable offering
that should please existing Symmetrix users, could drive a host of new
clients EMC’s way, and will likely offer fits to the company’s high-end
storage competitors (i.e., HDS and IBM). On the storage-as-access side, Symmetrix DMX offers
a pair of particularly interesting advances. First, the rack-mount DMX800
allows Symmetrix users to deploy or distribute focused high-end storage
solutions without the costs and hassles associated with raised floor datacenter
environments. While vendors including EMC have long offered clients
distributed storage models, they have tended to provide mid-range storage
arrays (such as EMC’s CLARiiON arrays) as the distributed agents that deliver
accumulated data back to Symmetrix-based datacenters. What the DMX800
provides that traditional distributed storage solutions do not is full
integration with and support for all Symmetrix applications and workloads,
and a potentially more powerful model for consolidating and protecting all of
an enterprise’s information assets. Additionally, if EMC’s Direct Matrix
Architecture works as impressively as advertised, it will significantly
enhance a range of critical processes including data protection and back up,
disaster recovery, and business continuity. What does the DMX series provide users of previous
Symmetrix generations? Two benefits in particular. Primarily, given its 100%
compatibility (based on EMC’s Enginuity operating environment) with Symmetrix
products, DMX offers EMC customers a host of powerful, scalable, and flexible
new solutions than can be easily integrated with existing Symmetrix
installations. Additionally, EMC’s decision to utilize the same disk array
enclosure for both the DMX800 and the CLARiiON CX600 will allow customers
with existing distributed CLARiiON storage environments to convert to
Symmetrix DMX by simply swapping controllers. While some may see this as an
opportunity for a potentially dangerous overlap between the CLARiiON and
Symmetrix markets, we believe the two solutions serve discreet user sets.
While the DMX800 might help to drive Symmetrix capabilities into the middle
market, its cost will likely require serious strategic consideration among
potential mid-market buyers. What does this mean in sum? The data storage market has been increasingly bloody over the past two years, as vendors who largely ignored or dismissed storage came to recognize it as key to enterprise business solutions and IT sales. Once alone at the top of the high-end storage mountain, EMC has seen its formidable market share erode as others have scrambled toward the summit. By significantly improving both the data capacity and throughput performance of its high-end storage solutions, EMC has provided existing customers myriad reasons to stick around, and offered potential customers a host of reasons to consider a change. What does this mean in practical terms? While competition between EMC, HDS, and IBM remains fierce in the high-end market, all three companies have focused an increasing amount of energy and attention to mid-tier offerings. In EMC’s case, the company’s strategic partnership with Dell has yielded notable success for both companies. With Symmetrix DMX, EMC appears to have regained the lead in high-end storage performance. Certain IT trends, particularly the continuing drive toward IT business solutions across a host of industries, rejuvenation of the mainframe market, and growing demand for commercial high performance computing solutions, are all right up the DMX alley. But exactly how enhanced performance translates in a highly competitive and difficult market is uncertain. With Symmetrix DMX, EMC has created an IT solution that is likely to turn some enterprise heads. Whether those same businesses will open their wallets remains to be seen. |