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IBM Spectrum Scale pros and cons

Vendor: IBM
4.3 out of 5
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Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

IBM Spectrum Scale provides high availability and is used extensively for its capability in this area.
It allows seamless file sharing across multiple environments, including different continents, without performance degradation.
The scalability and stability of IBM Spectrum Scale handle heavy loads effectively.
Technical support is helpful, offering effective solutions promptly.
The high performance and fast parallel file system of IBM Spectrum Scale are highly valued features.

CONS

Upgrading IBM Spectrum Scale is challenging as each node must be upgraded individually, increasing time consumption.
Issues with encryption and integration of metrics are noted to not perform well.
The process of adding storage and file sets in IBM Spectrum Scale is not smooth, requiring improvements.
The Red Hat implementation of IBM Spectrum Scale is not straightforward and requires simplification.
The pricing and licensing model for IBM Spectrum Scale is complex and difficult to explain to customers.
 

IBM Spectrum Scale Pros review quotes

reviewer1249170 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 23, 2019
GPFS monitoring is the best feature.
PV
Jan 26, 2020
The most valuable feature is the ability to share files across different platforms.
it_user868248 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 21, 2018
It makes our file system sharing a lot easier, even across different continents. We have had file systems shared across different continents with no performance degradation.
Learn what your peers think about IBM Spectrum Scale. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
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it_user868245 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 6, 2018
Its great servicing high availability. That is what it is used for.
Bernd Stroehle. - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 17, 2025
I find IBM Spectrum Scale to be an excellent product known for its fast parallel file system.
it_user868251 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 6, 2018
Allows us to share files across multiple environments.
KK
Sep 27, 2020
The high performance of the solution is its most valuable aspect. If you compare it to other storage solutions, it's much better.
JanithRanasinghe - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 21, 2024
We use GPFS Scale for parallel file access, the file management, and it's an essential part of our operations.
KK
Apr 3, 2025
I would rate my overall experience with IBM Spectrum Scale as nine out of ten.
it_user868272 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 21, 2018
We can have multiple systems within the same file system.
 

IBM Spectrum Scale Cons review quotes

reviewer1249170 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 23, 2019
The biggest problem is that it is not able to provide block storage.
PV
Jan 26, 2020
The pricing and licensing model for this solution are complex and it is sometimes difficult to explain it to customers.
it_user868248 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 21, 2018
Maybe it needs integration with HA.
Learn what your peers think about IBM Spectrum Scale. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
847,862 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user868245 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 6, 2018
This is probably the biggest challenge, getting everything upgraded, because it just takes time. We wish it was a faster solution to be able to do everything at once, but you have do each node individually. The more nodes, the longer it takes.
Bernd Stroehle. - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 17, 2025
There can be improvements in fault tolerance and making erasure coding faster.
it_user868251 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 6, 2018
Making it a little easier to add bad file sets would help. There is a transition to how you add storage and how you add a file set, so making that a little smoother would probably be my recommendation.
KK
Sep 27, 2020
It would be helpful if there was a graphical user interface that could walk you through the deployment process. The instructions surrounding setup aren't the best. They need to be more step-by-step.
JanithRanasinghe - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 21, 2024
I wish there were some graphical user interface to access the GPFS file system creation and monitoring.
it_user868272 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 21, 2018
We do have some issues where Spectrum Scale does not work as expected. We have seen our Spectrum Scale servers go down unexpectedly, but because we have a cluster, it does not take out the entire organization.
AS
Jul 4, 2023
The solution's pricing could be better.