IBM Spectrum Control

As a systems engineer for IBM Storage, I do not directly use IBM SC in my company, but install and operate it in many customer environments. SpectrumControl is, in my opinion, the optimal software for problem determination across the entire data path from the application to the single flash drive in the storage system, for managing the systems themselves (SAN switches, storage systems, VMs, hypervisors, etc.), and for permanently monitoring the performance of the entire setup. It also enables you to predict capacity usage and growth over the years, which helps a lot when sizing new systems for this customer, who has IBM SpectrumControl installed.

• ISC select license has been "upgraded" so that IBM StorageInsights for ISC can be used. That helps especially customers who cannot maintain an on-prem installation.
• ISC can monitor and manage many systems deployed across several distant locations, which keeps us from installing ISC on every system the customer maintains.
• ISC makes troubleshooting, performance, and capacity prediction very easy when the end of the lifecycle for the current SAN and storage infrastructure is reached. This spares time and money.

IBM Storage Insights, PRTG Network Monitor and Checkmk

IBM Storage Insights, Checkmk, PRTG Network Monitor

I have been using the IBM Spectrum Control since many years now when it was branded as Tivoli Storage Productivity Center. We use to manage the DS8000 systems using this product with very limited options. IBM has come a long way forward after rebranding the product as IBM Spectrum Control and have managed to provide us with the centralized management and monitoring of all of our storage systems as well as even from various vendors. There are certain limitations as we can use spectrum control to manage and monitor the block storage only. Files storage is not yet supported. Similarly, non IBM equipment has certain limitations as well when it comes to the monitoring and performance statistics. We have few DS8000s, v7000, FS 7200s, FS 900s along with few SVC clusters as well as the Unity and VNXs being configured on spectrum control. Hosts includes various clusters of ESXi, RHEL and IBM AIX.

• Integrated monitoring and Analysis
• Consolidated management of heterogeneous storage
• Capacity planning and load balancing

• The high licensing cost if offset buy the capacity savings and the accuracy of the analytics.
• It has a positive impact on our ROI and as improved it almost 9%.

IBM Spectrum Virtualize, IBM Spectrum Storage, IBM Storwize (now part of FlashSystems)

It monitors all our data storage platforms and regularly updates us on any system issue. The data analytics we get from this platform give our departments efficient time working on performance. It can easily consolidate to be stored in flash disks under a secured environment. It automatically sends feedback to our data analysis team, giving volume quantities from all data sources.

• Data virtualization from all departments.
• Remote data monitoring.

• It has secured positive ROI.
• It has effectively monitored our data from all departments.