Hitachi Universal Volume Manager
Hitachi Universal Volume Manager (UVM) lets a local storage system connect external block storage and present mapped volumes to hosts as though they were loc…
What Hitachi Universal Volume Manager is
Hitachi Universal Volume Manager (UVM) lets a local storage system connect external block storage and present mapped volumes to hosts as though they were local. Documented uses include assigning external volumes to hosts, backup and migration from an older storage system. Connections use Fibre Channel, with iSCSI also available for VSP One Block. UVM documents supported external systems from other vendors and a generic Fibre Channel profile for systems that conform to part of the standard SCSI Primary Commands set. Operations are available through REST API, Storage Advisor Embedded and CCI. Mapped volumes can also be used with products such as Dynamic Provisioning, TrueCopy, ShadowImage, Universal Replicator, Global-active device and Volume Migration. On VSP One Block, up to 4,096 external storage systems can be connected, with up to eight mapping paths per external volume. The documented maximum mapped volume capacity is 256 TB; data beyond that limit cannot be accessed. A license on the local storage system is required, and pricing is on request.
Good
- Hosts can use mapped external volumes like local volumes
- Supports backup and migration use cases
- Provides REST API, Storage Advisor Embedded and CCI interfaces
- Documents supported third-party storage systems
Watch out
- Only block storage can connect as external storage
- Mapped volumes are limited to 256 TB
- A local storage system license is required
Who it suits
UVM is for teams configuring and managing storage connections and volumes on a local storage system, with hosts accessing external volumes through it. It supports block-storage workloads and migration, backup and provisioning uses.
Verdict
UVM presents external block storage through a local storage system and supports several storage-management workflows. Check storage compatibility and the 256 TB per-volume limit before planning a connection.
Plans and prices
From Hitachi Universal Volume Manager's own pricing page, checked 2 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Universal Volume Manager license | Priced on request | Requires a license on the local storage system |
The facts
Each one read from Hitachi Universal Volume Manager's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Compatible storage type
- Only block storage can be connected as an external storage system; non-block storage is unsupported.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Connections
- External paths use Fibre Channel, with iSCSI also available for VSP One Block 85.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Interoperability
- The guide documents supported external systems from other vendors and provides a generic Fibre Channel profile for systems conforming to a subset of standard SCSI Primary Commands.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Limits
- For VSP One Block, up to 4,096 external storage systems can be connected and each external volume can have up to eight mapping paths.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Management interfaces
- The documentation identifies REST API, Storage Advisor Embedded, and CCI as interfaces through which UVM operations can be performed.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Universal Volume Manager virtualizes storage devices so different storage system models can be used as one storage system.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Related storage software
- Mapped external volumes can be used with products including Dynamic Provisioning, Global-active device, ShadowImage, TrueCopy, Universal Replicator, and Volume Migration.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Support
- The guide advises contacting customer support for connection type details and says support can install and connect external storage using the generic UVM profile.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Use cases
- The documentation lists backup, allocating external volumes to hosts, and migrating data from an older storage system as uses for external volumes.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Volume capacity
- The documented maximum mapped external volume capacity is 256 TB per volume, and data beyond that capacity cannot be accessed.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Who it is for
- The documentation describes the feature for configuring and managing storage connections and volumes on a local storage system, with hosts accessing external volumes through that system.checked 2 Oct 2026
The company
- Headquarters
- Santa Clara, California, USAchecked 28 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Volume mapping
- Mapped external volumes can be used from the host in the same way as volumes in the local storage system.checked 2 Oct 2026
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