Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) and IBM have extended their technology interoperability agreement and have also agreed to increase the compatibility of their storage systems.

Under the agreement, Hitachi"s storage systems will support IBM"s mirroring and replication software, including Global and Metro data mirroring functions, z/OS Global Mirror, FlashCopy, parallel access volumes and IBM"s GDPS (Geographically Dispersed Parallel Sysplex) clustering technology.

The companies will also collaborate on product interoperability testing to support compatibility between Hitachi"s storage systems and IBM"s zSeries mainframe. IBM has already licensed its FICON and ESCON mainframe attachment specifications for its high-end TotalStorage DS8000 Series and Shark storage array to Hitachi. IBM officials said the new agreement goes beyond previous interoperability agreements in that the two companies will work to make sure their systems are compatible.