Sun Microsystems Inc. Tuesday will announce new storage management software that is Common Information Model (CIM)-enabled and thus ultimately manageable by any other software that uses CIM.
The company’s StorEdge Enterprise Storage Manager (ESM) lets administrators view their storage environments from a single management interface. It incorporates discovery, device configuration, monitoring and diagnostics, as well as reporting into a single package intended to improve a company’s service levels and uptime.
The ESM software is based on Web-based Enterprise Management and CIM (WBEM-CIM), which resides in the Desktop Management Task Force. Recently, a WBEM-CIM specification called the Bluefin specification for storage management of heterogeneous devices was submitted to the Storage Networks Industry Association for standardization. It would allow storage administrators to manage multiple vendor hardware from a single interface of their choice.
Sun claims that it is the first vendor to deliver a WBEM-CIM based product.
Other vendors are working on CIM-related products in an effort to boost management interoperability. HP and EMC, as well as HP and IBM recently signed deals to exchange proprietary APIs for managing storage devices. Sun has not engaged in API swaps with any companies. Nor has Hitachi, from whom HP and Sun OEM or resell high-end storage arrays.
StorEdge ESM is based on the company’s Storage One strategy and incorporated into Sun’s Sun ONE environment.
The new software manages Hitachi Data Systems, QLogic and Brocade devices and is available for Solaris. It is remotely managed from Linux, HP-UX or Web-based interfaces.
In a related announcement the company also introduced two tape libraries for midrange businesses.
ESM is available immediately starting at US$15,000.
