This IBM® Redbooks® publication introduces the IBM Storwize® V7000 Unified Disk System, a virtualized storage system that consolidates block and file workloads into a single storage system. Advantages include simplicity of management, reduced cost, highly scalable capacity, performance, and high availability. It also offers improved efficiency and flexibility through built-in solid-state drive optimization, thin provisioning, IBM Real-time Compression™, We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the following Redbooks publications to get the most from this book: Implementing the IBM Storwize V7000 V6.3, SG24-7938 Implementing the IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller V6.3, SG24-7933 Real-time Compression in SAN Volume Controller and Storwize V7000, REDP-4859 SONAS Implementation and Best Practices Guide, SG24-7962 SONAS Concepts, Architecture, and Planning Guide, SG24-7963

To meet today's complex and ever-changing business demands, you need a solid foundation of server, storage, networking, and software resources. It must be simple to deploy and able to quickly and automatically adapt to changing conditions. You also need access to, and the ability to take advantage of, broad expertise and proven best practices in systems management, applications, hardware maintenance, and more. IBM® PureFlex™ System is part of the IBM PureSystems™ family of expert integrated systems. It combines advanced IBM hardware and software along with patterns of expertise and integrates them into three optimized configurations that are simple to acquire and deploy. With the PureFlex System, you can achieve faster time to value. If you want a pre-configured, pre-integrated infrastructure with integrated management and cloud capabilities, factory tuned from IBM with x86 and Power hybrid solution, IBM PureFlex System is the answer. In this IBM Redbooks® publication, the examples use a Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switch, although any configurations should also apply to the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switch too. However, it is wise to check as there might be minor differences. This book also covers the different variations for the implementation of these use cases when you use Cisco Catalyst Series Switches.

To meet today's complex and ever-changing business demands, you need a solid foundation of server, storage, networking, and software resources that are simple to deploy and can quickly and automatically adapt to changing conditions. You also need access to, and the ability to take advantage of, broad expertise and proven best practices in systems management, applications, hardware maintenance, and more. IBM® PureFlex™ System, which is a part of the IBM PureSystems™ family of expert integrated systems, combines advanced IBM hardware and software along with patterns of expertise and integrates them into three optimized configurations that are simple to acquire and deploy so that you can achieve faster time to value. If you want a preconfigured, preintegrated infrastructure with integrated management and cloud capabilities, factory tuned from IBM with x86 and Power Systems™ hybrid solution, IBM PureFlex System is the answer. In this IBM Redbooks® publication, which is aimed at system and network administrators, we show the design and architecture, how to configure hosts and switches, maintain, and troubleshoot using the IBM Flex System™ Ethernet I/O modules (EN2091 1Gb Ethernet Scalable Switch and EN4093R 10Gb Scalable Switch).

To meet today's complex and ever-changing business demands, you need a solid foundation of server, storage, networking and software resources that is simple to deploy and can quickly and automatically adapt to changing conditions. You also need access to, and the ability to take advantage of, broad expertise and proven best practices in systems management, applications, hardware maintenance and more. IBM® PureFlex™ System, which is a part of the IBM PureSystems™ family of expert integrated systems, combines advanced IBM hardware and software along with patterns of expertise and integrates them into three optimized configurations that are simple to acquire and deploy so you can achieve faster time to value. If you want a pre-configured, pre-integrated infrastructure with integrated management and cloud capabilities, factory tuned from IBM with x86 and Power hybrid solution, IBM PureFlex System is the answer. In this IBM Redbooks® publication, we use EX4500 core switches to demonstrate interoperability with the System Networking switches (RackSwitch™ G8264 top of rack switch and the Flex system fabric EN4093 10Gb scalable switch). We also describe a redundant environment using QFX3500 switches running IBM Virtual-Link Aggregation Group (MC-LAG/vLAG) and Juniper Multi- Chassis-Link Aggregation Group.

The deployment of server virtualization technologies in data centers requires significant efforts in providing sufficient network I/O bandwidth to satisfy the demand of virtualized applications and services. For example, every virtualized system can host several dozen network applications and services, and each of these services requires certain bandwidth (or speed) to function properly. Furthermore, because of different network traffic patterns relevant to different service types, these traffic flows may interfere with each other, leading to serious network problems including the inability of the service to perform its functions. The IBM® Virtual Fabric solution for IBM BladeCenter addresses these issues. The solution is based on the IBM BladeCenter H chassis with a 10-Gb Converged Enhanced Ethernet infrastructure built on 10-Gb Ethernet switch modules in the chassis and the Emulex or Broadcom Virtual Fabric Adapters in each blade server.