IBM FlashSystem Software version 7.3 for AIX provides software-defined storage capabilities across IBM FlashSystem V840. These offerings help reduce the complexities and cost of managing storage in the following ways:

• Reducing the effective cost per capacity of flash through optional Real-time Compression

• Centralizing management of storage volumes to enable administrators to manage storage volumes from a single point

• Improving utilization of storage capacity with virtual volumes to enable businesses to tap into previously unused disk capacity

• Minimizing downtime for backups, maintenance, and upgrades

• Performing data migration without disruption to applications

• Enabling storage devices to be organized into storage pools from which virtual volumes, whether standard, compressed, or thin-provisioned, are created with the desired characteristics

• Restoring data access quickly with near and remote copy capabilities across Fibre Channel

IBM FlashSystem Software version 7.3 improves Easy Tier capabilities to allow for up to three tiers of storage. Easy Tier users can now define their tiers making it possible to turn on Easy Tier between more than just flash devices and hard disk drives. These Easy Tier capabilities offer more alternatives for optimizing the storage you use. As you expand storage pools, FlashSystem™ Software version 7.3 provides automation to re-stripe data across the pools for optimal performance.

These Easy Tier features apply to the FlashSystem Software version 7.3 for both the existing FlashSystem V840 Control Enclosure (9846-AC0 and 9848-AC0), as well as the newly introduced FlashSystem V840 Control Enclosure (9846-AC1 and 9848-AC1).

Real-time Compression has been enhanced to provide performance improvements with the delivery of new FlashSystem V840 Control Enclosure (9846-AC1 and 9848-AC1), including use of the compression accelerator card feature. Updates to the cache architecture provide further improvements to overall performance.

Find out more here.