IBM Spectrum Scale Reviews

Vendor: IBM

4.2 out of 5

11 reviews
100% willing to recommend

351 followers

What is IBM Spectrum Scale?

IBM Spectrum Scale is a cluster file system that provides concurrent access to a single file system or set of file systems from multiple nodes. The nodes can be SAN attached, network attached, a mixture of SAN attached and network attached, or in a shared nothing cluster configuration. This enables access to this common set of data to support a scale-out solution or to provide a high availability platform. IBM Spectrum Scale has many features beyond common data access including data replication, policy based storage management, and multi-site operations. You can create a cluster of AIX nodes, Linux nodes, Windows server nodes, or a mix of all three. IBM Spectrum Scale can run on virtualized instances providing common data access in environments, leverage logical partitioning, or other hypervisors. Multiple IBM Spectrum Scale clusters can share data within a location or across wide area network (WAN) connections.

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IBM Spectrum Scale is the #3 ranked solution in top Cloud Software Defined Storage solutions and #7 ranked solution in top Software Defined Storage (SDS) solutions. PeerSpot users give IBM Spectrum Scale an average rating of 8.4 out of 10. IBM Spectrum Scale is most commonly compared to Red Hat Ceph Storage: IBM Spectrum Scale vs Red Hat Ceph Storage. IBM Spectrum Scale is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 68% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 20% of all views.

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Featured reviews

JanithRanasinghe

Depute CIO at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees

We are using GPFS Scale for parallel file access. It's primarily for file management We use GPFS Scale for parallel file access, the file management, and it's an essential part of our operations. It's the only feature we are using since we have not explored other options. I wish there were some…

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Janith Ranasinghe

Senior Manager - IT at LankaClear

The profile share is a valuable feature. We only use the parallel file system at my company I rate this solution a nine out of ten. I believe there is no graphic user interface, so they should include it. We have been using this solution since 2014, and it is deployed on-premises. It is stable…

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reviewer1249170

Senior Expert Solution Architect at Vodafone

The biggest problem is that it is not able to provide block storage. It can consume block storage, you can put it on from the storage and present the span over the fiber channel or iSCSI. The problem is that they have not been able to provide block storage consumable to the customer host. This is only a side-based solution. We can install the GPFS into the customer environment but I don't think that is the best solution. The initial setup has room for improvement, it is not straightforward. Spectrum scale is very good from the performance perspective, but from the application perspective, you have to take care if you want to use a database as a service that you can consume. For example, a database, or being able to read and write it, doesn't have a deployment solution. It is missing.

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IBM Spectrum Scale mindshare

Product category:

As of February 2025, the mindshare of IBM Spectrum Scale in the Software Defined Storage (SDS) category stands at 4.9%, down from 7.7% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Software Defined Storage (SDS)

PeerAnalyst reports

Type	Title	Date
Category	Software Defined Storage (SDS)	Feb 1, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Feb 1, 2025	Download
Comparison	IBM Spectrum Scale vs StarWind Virtual SAN	Feb 1, 2025	Download
Comparison	IBM Spectrum Scale vs Red Hat Ceph Storage	Feb 1, 2025	Download
Comparison	IBM Spectrum Scale vs Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)	Feb 1, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Red Hat Ceph Storage	4.1	20.3%	81%	23 interviews Add to research
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)	4.3	5.7%	94%	197 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

"We use GPFS Scale for parallel file access, the file management, and it's an essential part of our operations."
"It is a scalable solution."
"The profile share is a valuable feature."

Room for Improvement

"I wish there were some graphical user interface to access the GPFS file system creation and monitoring."
"The solution's pricing could be better."
"I believe there is no graphic user interface, so they should include it."

Pricing

"The solution is costly but reliable."
"The licensing model is complex and depends on factors such as the number of processing cores and the amount of storage."
"The licensing is based on the number of terabytes."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations use IBM Spectrum Scale primarily for data sharing across multiple systems, including SAS work and virtualization. It supports distributed file systems, high-availability storage, and parallel file systems. Enterprises integrate it with Red Hat, AIX, and Windows platforms for streamlined access to files from a single location. With successful deployment in both on-premise and offsite data centers, it facilitates large-scale environments with numerous nodes and supports a diverse range of business applications.

Service and Support

IBM Spectrum Scale's customer service is generally effective, providing quick solutions during technical issues. Users frequently commend IBM's support team for being knowledgeable and responsive. Those who interact with them describe experiences as positive, noting their helpfulness and prompt problem-solving skills. However, some users, having minimal direct interaction, cannot extensively evaluate the service quality. Problems, when present, often pertain to other IBM offerings rather than Spectrum Scale itself.

Scalability

IBM Spectrum Scale demonstrates strong scalability across various environments. Many users highlight its capability to expand storage and integrate with multiple servers, while some mention concerns about future growth. It is employed by numerous companies, including those with sizable user bases and diverse infrastructure needs. Some place significant trust in its stability and scalability, giving it high ratings. Others indicate its robust scalability outperforms alternatives they have previously utilized. Overall, reports indicate general satisfaction with its scalability credentials.

Stability

IBM Spectrum Scale is generally perceived as stable by multiple users. Upgrading can be tedious due to node-by-node updates, affecting time efficiency. Users note it has been reliable across various environments, including clusters, with minimal issues. Some experienced unexpected server downtimes, yet clusters mitigated impact. Stability remains a key factor for its use, highlighted by high ratings up to ten out of ten. Users in different sectors report IBM Spectrum Scale as dependable and trouble-free.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our IBM Spectrum Scale Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.