The IBM FlashSystem is a family of block-storage systems, with the 5000 and 5200 models making up the entry and mid-range offerings as evolutions of the previous Storwize V5000 systems. The FlashSystem 5000 & 5200 models are storage systems based on the IBM Spectrum Virtualize (SAN Volume Controller) virtualization software. There are two models in the 5000 family, the 5015 and 5035, and a 5200 model all with differences in configuration and available features. The 5015 system is the most basic model, and features a dual controller architecture without any scale out ability. The larger 5035 model can scale out to two pairs of controllers, and the 5200 model can scale out to four controller pairs.
Differences between the FlashSystem 5000 and 5200 include NVMe SSDs, Storage Class Memory (SCM), Flash Core Modules (FCM), NVMeoF, and external storage virtualization. These features elevate the 5200 system as a more advanced mid-range product, while the 5015 and 5035 provide a range of competitive options as entry-level products.
The FlashSystem 5200 also differentiates itself by its compact 1U configuration. This is a notable difference between the other FlashSystem models, both the 5000 models and the higher end 7200 and 9200, as well as its predecessor the FlashSystem 5100. The compact design makes the 5200 a powerful appliance for the edge and other deployments with strict physical space constraints.
The three models (5015, 5035, and 5200) represent different price points and functionality. Feature enablement is different, which is primarily dependent on the different hardware (processors and memory) of the different models.
Competitive storage solutions for the FlashSystem 5000 and 5200 include the Dell EMC SC, HDS VSP midrange Series, and HPE MSA while the virtualization solutions competition includes Hitachi VSP Midrange, NetApp FAS with FlexArray, and DataCore. Additional information on these products is available in ESR to authorized subscribers.
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