IBM System Storage Ideas Portal


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Status Submitted
Workspace IBM Storage Deep Archive
Created by Guest
Created on Oct 8, 2026

RELATED IDEAS

Provide native GPFS filesystem access to IBM Storage Deep Archive

Expose IBM Storage Scale (GPFS) filesystem on IBM Storage Deep Archive

IBM Storage Deep Archive currently does not provide direct access to the underlying IBM Storage Scale (GPFS) filesystem, even though IBM Storage Scale is a fundamental component of the Deep Archive architecture.

This request is different from exposing the Storage Scale GUI, which is covered by a separate idea. The request here is to evaluate the possibility of exposing the GPFS filesystem itself through an appropriate, supported access mechanism, allowing clients to access Deep Archive data through a file-system interface in addition to the existing S3 interface.

Providing GPFS access would offer an alternative protocol for environments where applications and workflows are already based on a parallel file system rather than object storage.

This capability would be particularly valuable for migration scenarios. In vertical markets such as media and broadcasting, large-scale workflows commonly rely on parallel file systems such as Quantum StorNext. These environments may contain existing applications, production workflows, and archive-management systems that expect file-system semantics and cannot be easily migrated to an S3-only interface.

Exposing the Deep Archive Storage Scale filesystem could therefore provide a more direct migration path from existing GPFS/StorNext-based environments, reducing the need for an intermediate object-storage layer or for substantial modifications to existing workflows.

The request is not necessarily to expose all internal GPFS functionality or administration capabilities. IBM could evaluate a controlled, supported filesystem access mechanism that preserves the operational and security model of Deep Archive while allowing suitable clients to access the underlying filesystem.

In summary, please evaluate the opportunity to provide supported access to the IBM Storage Scale (GPFS) filesystem on IBM Storage Deep Archive, alongside S3. This would significantly broaden the integration options for Deep Archive and make it a more practical target for migration of established parallel-filesystem-based archive workflows, particularly in the media and broadcasting industry.

Idea priority Medium

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