HP apes IBM's SVC

HP is introducing a SAN storage virtualisation platform, using LSI software, to combine mid-range HP and third-party drive arrays into a single pool of storage.

HP's SAN Virtualisation Services Platform (SVSP) mimics IBM's SAN Volume Controller (SVC) in being a Fibre Channel (FC) fabric-attached controller. It can aggregate HP MSA and EVA arrays, but not HP's high-end XP arrays, into one virtual storage pool and include selected but so far unspecified third-party arrays in the pool.

The software provides online migration between any of the virtualised arrays, thin provisioning, and replication functionality, including clones, snapshots, synchronous local mirrors and asynchronous remote mirrors. Like the SVC it separates the data path from the control path and is an out-of-band appliance.

HP's XP arrays, OEM'd from Hitachi Data Systems, can also virtualise third-party arrays, using an intelligent controller located at the edge of a FC fabric. HDS USP arrays have the same functionality. NetApp' V-series have similar functionality. EMC's InVista is a SAN storage virtualisation product that runs inside a fabric director. The company does not have virtualising storage array controllers that can include non-EMC storage in the virtual storage pool.

The SVSP will be available in December. No pricing information is available. ®