Comparison Features IBM Storwize V7000 EMC VNX Series (VNX5300/5500/5500-F/ 5700/7500)

•Native, integrated storage virtualization •Midrange unified SAN and NAS storage platform

•Both a midrange disk array with enterprise-class features and an external virtualization

platform •Dual active controllers with front-end cache and SAS back-end drive connections

•Leverages proven innovations from other IBM storage platforms •FC, iSCSI, and FCoE host connections for SAN

•Supports clustering up to eight controller nodes (four controller enclosures) •Up to eight X-Blades provide file access over NFS, CIFS, pNFS, and MPFS protocols

•Unified model features dual active File Modules providing file access over NFS, CIFS,

FTP, HTTPS, and SCP protocols

•Controllers and X-Blades support flexible plug-in UltraFlex modules for connectivity; UltraFlex

modules include FC, iSCSI, and FCoE options

•FC, iSCSI, and FCoE host connectivity •Supports high-capacity LFF SAS, high-performance LFF SAS, and high-performance SFF SAS

disk drives, in addition to LFF and SFF SSDs

•Supports high-capacity large-form-factor (LFF), high-capacity small-form-factor (SFF),

and high-performance SFF SAS disk drives, as well as SFF SSDs

•Impressive SPC-1 and SPC-2 benchmark results •No voluntary participation in SPC benchmarks

•Easy Tier optimizes performance by automating data movement among storage tiers in 16

MB to 8 GB chunks; bundled with the base software

•EMC claims up to three times faster than the previous-generation CLARiiON CX4; however, the

basis for this claim is questionable

•Clustered systems deliver up to four times the performance of the base model •FAST VP for automated block and file tiering in 1 GB increments; FAST Cache for up to 2.1 TB

SSD cache; both are costly options

•FlashCopy, Easy Tier, thin provisioning, data migration, multipathing, and Active Cloud

Engine are provided at no additional charge

•Compression, thin provisioning, and data migration provided at no extra charge, but point-in-time

copies, multipathing, and storage tiering are chargeable options

•File Modules and file-serving software are priced competitively •Lower-end models (VNX5300/5500) are very cost-competitive

•Standard warranty covers both three-year hardware and one-year software maintenance •Higher-end models (VNX5700/7500), in general, are more expensive per GB than the Storwize

V7000

•External storage virtualization capability extends lifecycle and allows for easy migration of

legacy systems, thus enabling a better return on investment (ROI) •Similar price per GB to the Storwize V7000 for mixed SSD and SAS configurations

•Standard warranty covers three years for hardware but 90 days only for software

•Virtualization of external SAN-attached heterogeneous storage systems •Up to 2,970 TB raw capacity

•Up to 1.44 PB internal storage and a total of 32 PB internal and external storage   •Underlying file technology based on Multi-Path File System (MPFS)

•Easy-to-use, intuitive GUI

Local Protection Suite (includes Snap View, VNX Snapshot, SnapSure, and RecoverPoint /SE) – full

clone (block), file and block snapshot copies, and continuous data protection (CDP) for any-point-in-

time recovery (block)

•Underlying file technology based on industry-leading General Parallel File System (GPFS)

•Remote Protection Suite (includes MirrorView, Replicator, and RecoverPoint /SE) – remote block

and file replication and continuous remote replication (CRR) with WAN deduplication and bandwidth

reduction

•FlashCopy for local point-in-time block volume copies •MirrorView is less scalable than Storwize V7000 Remote Mirroring

•File snapshots for local point-in-time file system and file set copies •RecoverPoint/SE supports both block and file replication but file replication is limited

•Thin provisioning with zero detection •Security and Compliance Suite includes file-level retention, host-based encryption, and antivirus

integration and provides additional legal compliance and data security options

•Remote Mirroring for remote block volume replication •EMC's Cloud Tiering Appliance enables ILM functionality on VNX arrays but increases solution

complexity

•Asynchronous file replication for remote file system replication •Drive spin-down on nearline SAS and select 10K rpm SAS drives

•Native in-line compression •Native postprocess compression

•Integrates with IBM Systems Director and TPC for advanced manageability; TPC for Disk

Select and TPC Select available as cost-effective solutions •Native postprocess file deduplication

•Integrates with Tivoli FlashCopy Manager and Tivoli Storage Manager FastBack for

advanced backup and disaster recovery solutions

•Supports thin provisioning, but zero detection solution only works with the Veritas File System

(VxFS)

•Active Cloud Engine enables policy-based file migration between storage tiers; bundled

with base software

•Virtual Storage Integrator Plug-in for VMware vCenter; plug-in for VAAI;  plug-in for vSphere

Storage APIs for Storage Awareness (VASA); plug-ins for SRM

•Plug-ins for VMware vCenter, Site Recovery Manager (SRM), and vStorage APIs for

Array Integration (VAAI) •VNX Management Pack for Microsoft SCOM

•Plug-in for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager (SCOM)

Architecture

Performance

Economics and Value

Features