Edit: Are there many still out there? Some links no longer work.
Originally posted June 12, 2012 on AIXchange
Are you running IBM’s XIV disk storage system?
If you’re not familiar with this solution, Anthony Vandewerdt’s blog is a good starting point. Anthony, an IBM storage solutions specialist who’s based in Australia, has covered, among other things, XIV history, XIV Release 3.1 materials (including a really cool video) and the XIV Release 3.1 SSD read cache.
Anthony also explains how to load the latest XIV GUI (Version 3.01).
Relatedly, if you check the release notes, you’ll find this summary:
“IBM XIV Management Tools v3.0.1 contains all the utilities required to manage and monitor your XIV system: IBM XIV GUI for graphic management and control, IBM XIV Top for real time monitoring, and IBM XIV XCLI for CLI access and scripting.
“Version 3.0.1 offers support for IBM XIV Storage System Gen3, as well as enhanced GUI functionality and usability and internal updates for XIVTop and XCLI utilities. The Management Tools package can be used to manage all generations of the XIV system from a single console.”
The tools run on different versions of Windows, MAC OS, Linux, AIX, Solaris, and HP-UX. Check the readme for more details, and download the GUI. (Note: The relevant management tools and their fix packs are listed in the middle of the page under the Management Tools heading.)
In my case I selected the Windows version, and after my 300 MB download, I had a GUI to play with.
If you don’t have an XIV system, you can still get a glimpse of its functionality. There’s an option to select demo mode on your management console that allows you to simulate an XIV environment and its storage-provisioning features. (Note: Registration with IBM.com is required to download the management tools or fixes.)
So have you considered XIV for your shop?