HP last week upped the ante on heterogeneous storage virtualization by unveiling a platform that pools storage across HP and non-HP arrays. The HP StorageWorks SAN Virtualization Services Platform, dubbed SVSP, is for users of Fibre Channel storage-area networks and incorporates HP StorageWorks Modular Smart Array (MSA) and the HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array (EVA).

The SVSP enables online data migration, thin provisioning, improved storage utilization and data replication. Based on software from LSI, SVSP is an out-of-band, split-path virtualization technology – in SVSP data flow is separated from the management process, thus facilitating the ability to handle larger workloads.

The SVSP makes use of a QLogic switch as a data mover. A separate management server is part of the package. SVSP supports EMC Clariion, IBM Fast and DS4000, SGI’s storage systems and Sun’s FlexLine and 6000.

SVSP competes with IBM’s SAN Volume Controller and EMC’s Invista as well as controller-based virtualization approaches from vendors such as Hitachi Data Systems. HP at present has controller-based heterogeneous replication in its high-end XP product line.

Earlier this year, TheInfoPro set its sights on storage virtualization – the research firm estimates that 35% of Fortune 1000 companies are using the technology. This figure, TheInfoPro says will increase to 50% by 2009.

The package is expected to be available in December. A starting package of 4TB will be $43,900.

Deni Connor is principal analyst for Storage Strategies NOW and host of both the Masters of Storage and Masters of Servers Solution Centers.