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The IBM XIV Storage System offers state-of-the-art “thin provisioning” capabilities: it allows administrators to flexibly define logical volume sizes that are larger than the physical capacity of the system. Unlike traditional approaches to storage, the XIV system’s physical capacity just needs to be larger than the actual written data, as opposed to larger than the logical volumes. Physical capacity needs to be increased only when actual written data increases. Using thin provisioning has several advantages: • Physical capacity can be purchased only when (and if) needed, reducing overall capital expenses and spreading them over a longer period • Systems are smaller at any given time; they consequently consume less power, generate less heat and need less space and therefore “greener” • There is no need to resize a volume, since logical size can be set as the final size from Day One, saving on administration efforts and reducing down-time When a volume is migrated from a legacy system, the IBM XIV system's thin provisioning mechanism will not allocate any unused space, magically "shrinking" existing volumes upon their migration. The XIV system is tuned towards preventing the system running out of space; • It provides detailed reports on usage, enabling the administrator to assess the situation and order more disk capacity before problems arise.
• It provides alerts via email, SMS or SNMP when usage levels exceed thresholds, giving adequate time to deal with the situation.
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