The IBM XIV Storage System is built as a grid-based storage system of independent modules, connected in any-to-any topology by means of massively paralleled non-blocking Gigabit Ethernet. The modules are implemented using off-the-shelf Intel-based servers within a customized Linux-based architecture, and are interconnected over redundant Gigabit Ethernet switches. The modules act jointly as a large data grid devoid of a common backplane. The grid is managed by sophisticated distributed algorithms and delivers enterprise-class performance reliability and functionality