Shared storage pool clusters
Shared Storage Pool (SSP) clusters are a feature in PowerVM® Classic and Enterprise Editions and were introduced in Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) Version 2.2.0.11 Fix Pack 11 Service Pack 1. It is a server-based storage virtualization method that provides distributed storage access to a VIOS for client partitions.
A shared storage pool is a pool of storage area network (SAN) storage devices that can be used among Virtual I/O Servers. It is based on a cluster of Virtual I/O Servers and a distributed data object repository with a global namespace. Each VIOS that is part of a cluster represents a cluster node.
- Improve the usage of available storage.
- Simplify administration tasks.
- Simplify the aggregation of large numbers of disks among the Virtual I/O Servers.
Shared storage pools provide better usage of the available storage by using thin provisioning. The thinly provisioned device is not fully backed by physical storage if the data block is not in actual use.