Also new is the X9000 IBRIX Storage System for large utility-based file storage environments. The IBRIX system, which scales to more than 16 petabytes of storage capacity, is based on technology from HP’s 2009 acquisition of IBRIX, a maker of file management software. The X9000 will be available sometime this month starting at $89,500.
HP VirtualSystem is a new dashboard for provisioning and managing virtual environments, and is a companion to a previously released HP CloudSystem for cloud computing. VirtualSystem supports Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix Xen and VMware virtual environments. Three variations of VirtualSystem are designed for small, midsize and large configurations. The small system pairs HP Proliant servers and storage virtualization software from LeftHand Networks, which HP acquired in 2008. The midsize solution pairs LeftHand software with HP BladeSystem servers, while the solution targeted at large configurations pairs BladeSystem and management software from 3Par, which HP acquired in September 2010 for $2.35 billion after a highly publicized bidding war with Dell.
HP has been active in acquiring key companies and integrating their technology into HP products, says Jeff Boles, an analyst with The Teneja Group, “almost to the point where it is difficult to step back and take it all in.
It may be too early in the game to tell for sure whether HP is making the most of all of the pieces they have, but it looks like there is solid strategy and vision here.”
The continued development of the HP EVA storage line should assure legacy customers that HP will continue to support the platform for some time, he adds. The EVA line has a reputation for delivering low-cost and reliable storage technology, but it has fallen behind competitors in delivering new features, such as thin provisioning, which it has now added to the fifth generation product.
“While the actual use of thin provisioning on the data center floor is still in early adoption phases by the enterprise, it has become a de facto checklist requirement for new storage purchases,” Boles wrote in an e-mail interview.
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