Features - Storage Innovations:

IBM's NEWEST ENTERPRISE STORAGE SERVER DRIVES OPEN STANDARDS

IBM has announced the delivery of the first industry standard interface for the IBM Enterprise Storage Server (codenamed "Shark") based on "Bluefin," a specification designed to help customers more easily manage storage systems in a multi-vendor storage network. IBM is also expanding storage support for mainframe customers running the open Linux platform, one of the fastest growing customer segments.

"Today we are demonstrating our ability to deliver truly open storage technologies," said Brian Truskowski, general manager of Storage Software for IBM's Systems Group. "This is only the beginning of a series of product announcements that re-affirm IBM's leadership in helping to solve one of our customers' leading problems -- the issue of interoperating in today's increasingly heterogeneous environment."

Highlights of today's announcement include:

• A "Bluefin" compatible interface for the IBM Enterprise Storage Server, supporting easier management in multi-vendor storage networks
• "Bluefin" demonstrations with independent software vendors (ISVs)
• Expanded Linux support for eServer zSeries and S/390 mainframe customers, including open systems advanced copy and disaster recovery functions
• IBM Tivoli Storage Resource Manager support for CIM/Bluefin on the IBM Enterprise Storage Server
• New disk drives speeding drive performance by up to 50 percent.

Open Standard Leadership -- from Products to Relationships

IBM is now introducing the TotalStorage Enterprise Storage Server Application Programming Interface (ESS API). The ESS API is designed to be compatible with the "Bluefin" interface, evolved now to the Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMIS) and endorsed by the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA).

The Bluefin, or SMIS, specification is intended to provide a common interface for the discovery and management of storage resources in a multi-vendor storage network. It is based on the Distributed Management Task Force Common Information Model and Web Based Enterprise Management technology. With SMIS, customers and vendors can develop applications to a single standard, helping to reduce reliance upon unique, proprietary interfaces unable to communicate with other devices.

The initial release of the ESS API is available for the AIX, Linux, and Windows 2000 operating environments and supports routine LUN management activities.

IBM is also announcing with several key ISVs the success of its Bluefin/SMIS initiative announced in October 2002. At the IBM Business Partner conference on February 17, 2003, IBM with select ISVs will be demonstrating the improved ESS in a SMIS-based storage network. ISVs that support IBM's Bluefin/SMIS initiative or will be demonstrating at Partnerworld include Computer Associates, BMC Software, InterSAN, McDATA, Tivoli Software, and VERITAS.

"The SMIS interface will be a critical factor in enabling customers to cost-efficiently manage their heterogeneous enterprise storage resources," said Dan Hoffmann, director, Enterprise Storage Management, BMC Software. "Integration of BMC's PATROL Storage Management suite with IBM's Shark using the new ESS API puts BMC and IBM together on the forefront to offer our mutual customers improved storage management through an open interface."

"Open standards such as Bluefin, now evolved to SMIS, enable the cost-effective management of heterogeneous enterprise storage resources, and are critical to CA's strategy of helping customers achieve optimized storage efficiency," said Nigel Turner, senior vice president of BrightStor solutions at Computer Associates. "CA will continue to work closely with IBM and other SMIS supporters to ensure that users of CA's BrightStor SAN solutions enjoy the full benefits of SMIS-based interoperability."

"Customers need to be able to cost-effectively provision, manage, and monitor their expanding and increasingly complex storage environments," say Karen Dutch, vice president of marketing for InterSAN. "As a leading provider of storage area management solutions, InterSAN is pleased to support IBM's Bluefin/SMIS initiative to achieve interoperability and ultimately deliver to our mutual customer comprehensive, policy-driven automated management solutions that full-fill their needs."

"McDATA is a strong proponent of standards and interoperability, and to that end believes that the ability to access information through a standardized interface will provide value through applications that are more flexible and can be more easily integrated," said Gary Gysin, vice president software, McDATA. "IBM's Bluefin/SMIS initiative to promote cross-industry cooperation means that we can demonstrate to our mutual customers all the benefits of SMIS-based interoperability using products available today."

"IBM's Tivoli Software was instrumental in the co-development of the ESS API," said Laura Sanders, vice president, IBM Tivoli Storage Software. "Standards based management through SMIS can enable storage management software vendors to bring additional value to customers through investment protection that proprietary vendor interfaces cannot provide. At Partnerworld, we will demonstrate some of these benefits using the SMIS interface with IBM Tivoli Storage Resource Manager."

"The value of the SMIS specification is to ensure interoperability and simplify the management of multi-vendor networked environments such as SANs," said Brenda Zawatski, vice president of product marketing, VERITAS Software. "Using this specification, VERITAS SANPoint Control and IBM's Enterprise Storage Server together provide a cost-effective storage management solution for a wide range of SAN customers."

Expanded Linux Support

As the use of Linux across customer's e-business infrastructure expands, storage needs will grow, especially in mainframe environments. IBM's ESS now supports IBM eServer zSeries customers running the Linux operating system with new FICON attachment for increased throughput, FlashCopy support for copying data and Peer to Peer Remote Copy support for disaster recovery.

New ESS Technology Options

IBM will also offer 15K rpm, 72.8GB disk drives, providing disk drive performance increases of up to 50 percent. IBM has also announced plans for support of the use of 15K rpm and 10K rpm disks of the same capacity within the IBM ESS Model 800, F10 and F20 by the second half of 2003.

IBM is also offering Fibre channel attachment for Silicon Graphics Inc (SGI) Origin Servers with the IRIX operating system, expanding customer's choice of operating systems.

These enhancements will be made generally available on February 21, 2003.

About IBM

IBM is a leader in storage systems, software, services and technology. IBM's open storage solutions are designed for the rigors of e-business collaboration utilizing next- generation concepts for open storage by integrating modular technologies, including disk, tape and optical storage media, powerful processors, and rich software. For more information, visit www.ibm.com/totalstorage.