IBM System Storage DS8900F vs. XenServer

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
IBM System Storage DS8900F
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
IBM System Storage DS8900F is a line of storage appliances.N/A
XenServer
Score 7.3 out of 10
N/A
XenServer (formerly Citrix Hypervisor) is a virtualization management platform optimized for application, desktop and server virtualization infrastructures.N/A
Pricing
IBM System Storage DS8900FXenServer
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
IBM System Storage DS8900FXenServer
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Features
IBM System Storage DS8900FXenServer
Server Virtualization
Comparison of Server Virtualization features of Product A and Product B
IBM System Storage DS8900F
-
Ratings
XenServer
6.6
11 Ratings
23% below category average
Virtual machine automated provisioning00 Ratings2.010 Ratings
Management console00 Ratings5.011 Ratings
Live virtual machine backup00 Ratings8.010 Ratings
Live virtual machine migration00 Ratings9.011 Ratings
Hypervisor-level security00 Ratings9.010 Ratings
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IBM System Storage DS8900FXenServer
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Score 9.3 out of 10
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Score 9.3 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
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VMware vSOM (discontinued)
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User Ratings
IBM System Storage DS8900FXenServer
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(10 ratings)
8.0
(11 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
6.1
(2 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
5.5
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
6.4
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
6.4
(1 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
2.7
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
5.5
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
5.5
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
6.4
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
IBM System Storage DS8900FXenServer
Likelihood to Recommend
IBM
Well suited for mainframe CKD based applications. There is unmatched synergy with IBM zSeries when compared to the competition, for example zHPF, SUPERPAV, zHyperLink, cache management and replication technologies. For distributed, the fact that Copy Services Manager comes with the box is a great move on IBMs part to provide replication capability no matter what the applicaiton. I think the DS8k is less suited for smaller distributed environments. I think product overlap with V9000 in this case
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XenServer
It can be really helpful & useful if we are using Citrix Hypervisor with other provisioning tools. Here are some specific scenarios where Citrix Hypervisor (formerly Citrix XenServer) is well-suited: Server Consolidation, Virtual Desktops, Disaster Recovery, Development & Testing Environments. On the other hand, there are some scenarios where Citrix Hypervisor may be less appropriate: Small-scale Deployments, Highly Heterogeneous Environments, and Limited Virtualization Requirements.
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Pros
IBM
  • Remote Copy -- The DS8k has decades of excellent code built to handle the most demanding environments for mainframe or open systems and can be combined with automation solutions like GDPS or Copy Services Manager
  • Reliability and Availability -- This is the platform that gets used for the most demanding environments, even when FICON attachment isn't required
  • Continued enhancement -- IBM continues to put resources into the DS8k and the platform has advanced with the technology from z and power
  • Mainframe synergy -- Poughkeepsie communicates and works very closely with the DS8k developers
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XenServer
  • Citrix hypervisor does price very well for small organizations. It is free.
  • Since this product is open source it does not have any type of vendor lockdown issues.
  • Allows live migration of VM's so you can keep systems up and running when changes are needed to the hardware in the background.
  • The GUI management tools are quite easy to learn.
  • Has Snapshot capability which is a great way to protect against malware as well as do risk-free upgrades.
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Cons
IBM
  • The DS8000 family still lacks deduplication and compression algorithms.
  • For best results on replication enablement, optional Copy Services Manager is suggested.
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XenServer
  • Adding or presenting additional storage to the host can often be a task that is far more involved than competitive products.
  • The product can require reboots more frequently than competitors due to the DOM kernel getting "hung up".
  • Sometimes when a virtual machine is deleted it still leaves behind orphaned vdisks.
  • Recovering from the loss of a host can sometimes cause virtual machines to require lengthy command prompt scripting to fix so they can be powered back on from another host.
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Likelihood to Renew
IBM
No answers on this topic
XenServer
With the knowledge and usage of solutions from VMware and Microsoft offering more compelling cloud integrated options it makes it more compelling in many environments which I consult. XenServer is a good product and fits the bill in many smaller environments but as clients look to the cloud or a hybrid cloud it can in some cases make it a bit more difficult.
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Usability
IBM
No answers on this topic
XenServer
XenServer is quite usable due to the simplicity the management and installation provide for an administrator. The console for management is very intuitive and can easily be installed on any Windows operating system. There is a relatively simple web console that can be implemented as well that enhances the usability to provide service to non-administrators.
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Reliability and Availability
IBM
No answers on this topic
XenServer
It's been a little problematic in the past at larger VDI deployments requiring a bit more care and feeding than other vendors. But the latest releases (6.5.x) have brought about huge improvements in the stability and availability.
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Performance
IBM
No answers on this topic
XenServer
When running like a top XenServer is a fantastic hypervisor. There is relatively low overhead on the Dom0 so workloads get the most of the resources.
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Support Rating
IBM
No answers on this topic
XenServer
The staff I've worked with are very knowledgeable or able to get a very well articulated and capable support team member on the phone or helping them if necessary and they always want to ensure the best experience possible for you on the platform. The ability for the support team to reach out to hardware vendors for assistance is a nice plus too.
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In-Person Training
IBM
No answers on this topic
XenServer
Part of a training for certification to become a trainer for Citrix included an in-person training with a Master CCI. The XenServer training at this time was pretty simplified due to the product primarily being installed however you did have to work with it and mildly configure the system.
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Online Training
IBM
No answers on this topic
XenServer
Haven't given it a real go with any online training however there are some options out there. I have taught a course following Citrix material for XenDesktop which leverages XenServer and it is pre-built so not the best for XenServer specifically for installation but configuration is mildly touched on
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Implementation Rating
IBM
No answers on this topic
XenServer
Ensure you review the HCL (hardware compatibility list) and reach out to the hardware vendors to ensure they support the platform and in case they have documentation that can be followed for the implementation. Also ensure the prerequisites are completed prior to implementation so that as few unexpected delays occur as you can control.
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Alternatives Considered
IBM
DS8882F provides CKD storage in a manageable footprint. Its advantage over FlashSystem is its interoperability with IBM Z Systems
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XenServer
Feature for feature they are neck and neck. I have used Hyper-V 2012 and 2016, VMware ESXi and XenServer evenly. XenServer is a fast install, good documentation, with enterprise features out the box that compare or exceed what VMWare offered with a higher cost of entry.
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Scalability
IBM
No answers on this topic
XenServer
The servers latest versions have made massive improvements to scalability. But from past experience there have been issues when running workloads for extended periods of time without reboot on the hosts. I would need to run similar workloads on the 6.5 release which has changed much of the bottlenecks or issues so I'd imagine its far more capable now, Perhaps able to stand near the best in the market.
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Return on Investment
IBM
  • I do not know the cost. If it prevents future system wide outages, it will be a great ROI for our company.
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XenServer
  • Xenserver is easy to learn. We paid for support only for installation and deployment in the first three years, and now our team has the knowledge to solve most problems.
  • Low CAPEX if you have a team that uses open source software day by day.
  • But paid support is necessary to solve critical problems. The open source community is not enough. Actually, we have difficulty solving some bugs without paying for support.
  • Medium OPEX if you have a team that uses open source software day by day.
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