HP, EMC trade storage secrets

Hewlett-Packard and EMC announced Wednesday that they have exchanged information that will allow each company's storage management software to control storage systems from both companies. The move bolsters EMC's WideSky software initiative to profit from other companies' storage hardware, not just its own.

The agreement extends an earlier deal EMC signed with Compaq Computer before its merger with HP. The new pact also covers HP's XP storage line, which is based on the top-end Lightning models from EMC's top rival, Hitachi Data Systems. However, the license agreement gives access only to the additional HP features built into the Hitachi system, not to the Hitachi system itself, an HP representative said.