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Tape Storage

The decision for the type of tape drive that is required in the enterprise space demands that a number of parameters in the IT Center be addressed. Examples of these parameters fall into a range of categories. Is the requirement for fast access of data, or for archival storage of a large amount of data? Is the system an open systems solution or a mainframe, or both? Answers to these questions not only define the possibilities for a tape drive but also define the choice of tape libraries or stand-alone autoloader. Not all of the drives can be used in all of the available choices of tape library. It is important therefore to understand your needs prior to settling on a specific tape technology.

In general, tape can be separated into a few categories:

Enterprise tape: tape that will be used in a mainframe or a very large open systems environment and tape mount times and file access are issues.

Backup and archive tape: tape that will not be accessed on a regular basis and mount time plus file access are not issues.

Enterprise tape drives:

IBM 3592 (300 GB)- FC, ESCON, FICON, 2 Gb FICON

IBM 3590, E (20 GB), EX 40 GB) , H (30 GB), HX (60 GB) - SCSI-2 F/W, Diff PCI, Ultra SCSI, FC, ESCON, FICON, 2Gb FICON

Archival/backup for open systems:

Ultrium 3: 400 MB uncompressed
Ultrium 2: 200 MB uncompressed
Ultrium 1: 100 MB uncompressed

SDLT 160 GB

Interface SCSI or FC

Tape libraries and the choice of a tape library are similarly accessed via the need for storage of data but in this instance, the amount of data is the consideration. In general sizing a tape library is a function of the policies in place at the data center. An example: A data center requires three full backups and three weekly incremental backups (three generations) for its data before the tape is returned to a scratch pool in order to be reused. A second data center of the same size requires four generations of tapes before returning the tapes to the scratch pool. Additionally, the data centers may have differing needs for off-site storage of tape for disaster recovery purposes. In other words, we have two data centers with functionally differing capacity requirements and therefore different tape needs regarding library sizes and tape drives. IBM solves these issues through flexible design and expandable tape libraries.

Mainframe and large enterprise tape Libraries: IBM 3494 maximum of 16 frames and more than 6000 tapes. Utilizes either 3590 or 3592 tape drives. Supported platforms include the following: iSeries, AS/400, pSeries, RS/6000, zSeries, S/390, Linux, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Sun, HP

IBM 3584 Designed for mixed media, either LTO or 3592 tape drives, maximum number of tape cartridges is 6,881 and up to 191 Drives. Supported platforms include the following: xSeries, Netfinity, iSeries, AS/400, pSeries, RS/6000, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, Sun, HP, Linux

IBM 3583 Designed for smaller needs: up to 6 LTO drives and up to 72 Cartridges. Supported platforms: xSeries, Netfinity, iSeries, AS/400, pSeries, RS/6000, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, Sun, HP, Linux

IBM 3582: up to 2 drives and 24 tape cartridges. Supported platforms: xSeries, Netfinity, iSeries, AS/400, pSeries, RS/6000, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, Sun, HP, Linux