Catalogue · IBM
IBM Storage Scale System 3500
Midrange · all-flash / hybrid (ssd + hdd) · scale-out - 2U NVMe building block for IBM Storage Scale. Serves parallel file and object data for AI, HPC and analytics, scales linearly by adding nodes, and supports GPUDirect.
| Platform | |
|---|---|
| OEM | IBM |
| Family | Storage Scale System |
| Class | Midrange |
| Architecture | Scale-out cluster |
| Status | Current |
| Released | n/a |
| Operating system | IBM Storage Scale for Storage Scale System (RHEL-based) |
| Controllers | n/a |
| Nodes | n/a |
| Cache / memory | 1,024 GB |
| Availability | n/a |
| Capacity and media | |
| Media | All-flash, Hybrid (SSD + HDD) |
| Drive types | NVMe SSD, QLC NVMe, NL-SAS HDD |
| Drive note | 2.5-inch U.2 NVMe TLC SSDs (12 or 24 per node). The product page also lists a 24 x 61.44 TB QLC + 24 x 30.72 TB TLC option. Self-encrypting SAS HDDs go in Storage Scale HDD enclosures (4U, 102 drives). |
| Flash drive sizes | 3.84, 7.68, 15.36, 30.72, 61.44 TB |
| HDD sizes | 10, 14, 18, 20, 22 TB |
| Maximum drives | n/a |
| Controller enclosure | 2U, 24 drive bays |
| Expansion | IBM Storage Scale HDD Disk Enclosure 4U102 over 12 Gb SAS. The product page says up to 4 direct-attached JBODs; the 2024 datasheet says up to 8. - 102 bays, 4U |
| Raw capacity | 737 TB |
| Cluster maximum | n/a |
| Effective maximum | n/a |
| Data reduction | n/a |
| Protection | 3-way replication, 4-way replication |
| Protection note | IBM Storage Scale RAID declustered erasure coding. The 3500 datasheet names 3-way and 4-way replication schemas. |
| Performance and connectivity | |
| Maximum IOPS | 1,200,000 |
| Maximum throughput | 126 GB/s |
| Latency | n/a |
| Conditions | All figures are per 2U building block (dual active-active controllers). raw_tb_max is the published NVMe maximum per node; IBM publishes no cluster maximum, and HDD enclosures add up to 17.95 PB per rack. Usable capacity is up to 500 TB in 2U. 126 GB/s is sequential read. Power: 1,350 W empty / 2,000 W max per controller. |
| Protocols | NFS, SMB / CIFS, S3 object, HDFS, InfiniBand / RDMA file |
| Fibre Channel | - |
| Ethernet | 100 GbE |
| Host ports | n/a |
| Limits | |
| Volumes / LUNs | n/a |
| File systems | n/a |
| Snapshots | n/a |
| Management and support | |
| Management | n/a |
| Power | 2,000 W |
| Positioned for | AI / ML, HPC, Analytics, Edge / ROBO |
| Warranty | n/a |
| Design terms | Storage pool (file system) · LUN · Host group · AFM-DR |
| Data services | |
? Deduplication
? Compression
? Thin provisioning
✓ Snapshots
? Clones
✓ Asynchronous replication
✓ Synchronous replication
? Active-active / metro
✓ Encryption at rest
✓ Immutable snapshots
? Ransomware detection
? Quality of service
✓ Automated tiering
✓ Cloud tiering
? VMware vVols
✓ Kubernetes CSI
✓ Native file services
✓ Native object (S3)
? Non-disruptive upgrades
✓ Scale-out
✓ stated by the OEM · ✕ not offered · ? not stated | |
| Source | |
| Product page | https://www.ibm.com/products/storage-scale-system |
| Datasheet | https://www.ibm.com/downloads/documents/us-en/107a02e95d48f822 |