Originally, in 1998 IBM released the
IBM 2105 Versatile Storage Server (VSS). It did not meet commercial success and the successor came in 1999 in the form of the ESS, based on the same Seascape architecture. The Seascape architecture was an IBM storage architecture that included off-the-shelf components, including
RS/6000 processors and the
Serial Storage Architecture (SSA). The ESS was also widely known by its IBM internal codename Shark. The 2001 lineup have a redesigned case; this version won
IF design award. It has been superseded by the
IBM DS8000 series of storage servers. ==Models==