IBM and EMC have embraced and extended their API swapping arrangement to form stronger ties between IBM's iSeries servers and EMC's Symmetrix storage systems.

Once bitter API enemies, IBM and EMC have agreed to a five-year tie-up with the iSeries/Symmetrix pact. The companies will have engineering teams work on letting EMC's storage boxes tap into IBM's i5/OS. They declined to release financial arrangements tied to the deal.

Back in Oct. 2003, IBM and EMC ended their storage API battle by signing a broad interface swapping agreement. Until that point, the two vendors stood as the only major storage makers not to open up their APIs to each other.

In 2005, they extended the partnership to cover cooperating on support issues - a clear win for customers.

EMC has long been working to create storage management software that can tap into a wide variety of hardware. It will now have access to the midrange iSeries line that is a bit more specialized that IBM's Power- and x86-based servers. ®