TapeSaver®

Intelligent Storage Management Software

The need for storage continues to grow at an increasing rate. The challenge for the data center professional is clear-store data as cost-effectively as possible, while guaranteeing its security, integrity and availability. While enhanced tape technologies have delivered increased capacity and more reliable, automated operation, they continue to be constrained by the need for improved tape cartridge utilization. The Gartner Group reported in a study of more than one million volumes, more than 50% contained small, single-volume datasets. Overall, only a fraction of available cartridge capacity was being utilized. The problem is compounded by the vast amount of expensive raised floor space required to store these volumes.

TapeSaver is a rule-based system, with rules that are easy to define and maintain, giving you complete control over the stacking process. Using Boolean logic and any attribute of the tape management catalog, you define rules that determine what gets stacked, when stacking occurs and placement of data to the appropriate device. Extensive wild-card capabilities help automate the selection of input and output files and volumes.

  • OVERVIEW
    OVERVIEW
    OVERVIEW
    OVERVIEW
    OVERVIEW
    OVERVIEW
  • AT-A-GLANCE
    AT-A-GLANCE
    AT-A-GLANCE
    AT-A-GLANCE
    AT-A-GLANCE
    AT-A-GLANCE
  • FEATURES
    FEATURES
    FEATURES
    FEATURES
    FEATURES
    FEATURES
  • REQUIREMENTS
    REQUIREMENTS
    REQUIREMENTS
    REQUIREMENTS
    REQUIREMENTS
    REQUIREMENTS
  • SUPPORTED ROBOTICS
    SUPPORTED ROBOTICS
    SUPPORTED ROBOTICS
    SUPPORTED ROBOTICS
    SUPPORTED ROBOTICS
    SUPPORTED ROBOTICS

OVERVIEW

TapeSaver will maximize the long-term benefits of virtual tape technology by consolidating datasets before stacking logical volumes on physical devices.

This will "clean" your existing library and provide a comprehensive analysis of your environment. It will simulate the capacity requirements for a virtual tape subsystem (VTS or VSM) implementation, identifying candidates and capacities.

TapeSaver will load and unload datasets, based on a logical and simulated approach. It will automatically move and stack disaster recovery tapes, and electronically vault the data to off-site devices.

Tape dataset management is an industry-accepted practice. More than 50% of MVS data centers save thousands of dollars a day by consolidating under-allocated and low-use tape datasets. The issue facing data centers today is not whether, but how to stack tape datasets to achieve maximum consolidation without affecting production cycles.

Determining which datasets to stack and on which tapes to stack them requires intelligent and robust decision support tools. For example, datasets that have to be used at the same time cannot be stacked on the same tape. And you want to ensure that tapes hold datasets with like retentions.

Flexibility and Control

TapeSaver is a rule-based system, with rules that are easy to define and maintain, giving you complete control over the stacking process. Using Boolean logic and any attribute of the tape management catalog, you define rules that determine what gets stacked, when stacking occurs and placement of data to the appropriate device. Extensive wild-card capabilities help automate the selection of input and output files and volumes.

Once the stacking criteria is defined, TapeSaver simulates the entire process before any data movement actually occurs. A detailed forecast report shows which datasets will be stacked, where they will reside, the number of mounts required and the duration of the stacking run. Their "what if" capability gives you complete control over the outcome. You can even use it to analyze hardware that is not currently on the floor, as in determining the effect of moving from 18-track to 36-track drives.

Evaluate New Media and Devices

TapeSaver will help you to proactively manage your storage environment. For example, the forecasting facility will clearly show the impact of moving deep archive data to enhanced capacity devices, such as StorageTek's Eagle, Redwood and IBM's Magstar. So you can make informed decisions on acquiring new hardware and which datasets to migrate.

Optimizing Virtual Tape Technology

TapeSaver will maximize the long-term benefits of virtual tape technology by consolidating datasets before stacking logical volumes on physical devices.

This will "clean" your existing library and provide a comprehensive analysis of your environment. It will simulate the capacity requirements for a virtual tape subsystem (VTS or VSM) implementation, identifying candidates and capacities.

TapeSaver will load and unload datasets, based on a logical and simulated approach. It will automatically move and stack disaster recovery tapes, and electronically vault the data to off-site devices.

Maximizing Robotics

TapeSaver will optimize your robotic tape devices. It ensures that every cartridge is filled to maximum capacity, freeing up slots and increasing the amount of data that each silo holds. It can track the activity levels of tape datasets, or ensure that high-activity datasets are in the silo, ATL, or VTL, and available for immediate access, improving both response times and operator productivity.

Disk Savings

DiskSaver consolidates datasets as it moves them from DASD to tape. It scans datasets on whatever volumes you specify, automatically stacking them to tape based on size and date-last-used information. As a result, tape mounts are dramatically reduced, and storage is optimized on both tape and disk.

DiskSaver will reduce mount requirements when stacking datasets. Instead of mounting both the input and target tapes at the same time to copy stacked datasets, it temporarily store datasets on disk, then scans the disk and intelligently migrate the datasets to tape. Applications can access the data directly from tape without costly recalls.

Easy Implementation

TapeSaver is easily installed and easy to use. It interfaces to all major tape management and robotic systems and require no modifications to the operating system, JCL, or the tape management catalog. Ownership of the data remains with the MVS system. TapeSaver will not impact production processing. Implementation does not require extensive MVS knowledge. Stacking jobs are built and maintained through a fill-in-the-blanks ISPF interface.

Once a job is defined, it generates all the necessary JCL and control statements. The job can be loaded into a scheduler and run as a fully automated task.

AT-A-GLANCE

  • Tape dataset consolidation
  • Dramatically reduce number of offsite tapes
  • Interactive definition of rules based administration
  • Flexible, selective stacking
  • Scratch protection

FEATURES

  • Tape Dataset Consolidation
    TapeSaver is usually implemented in phases. Initially, TapeSaver should be used to reduce the number of volumes in your tape library. You can combine multiple datasets onto one tape, reel, or cartridge. Consolidation results in fewer tape volumes within the library and frees up tapes that can be returned to the scratch pool. Consolidation more than pays for the cost of TapeSaver in most data centers.
  • Reduce Number of Offsite Tapes
    In the second phase, you can use TapeSaver to reduce the number of required offsite storage slots. Because you need fewer slots, you save money. Also in the second phase, many users group related files in their tape libraries to improve its organization.
  • Improved Efficiency from ATLs
    As a third phase, TapeSaver users begin to manage the contents of any available automated tape library (ATL). Simple stacking tape datasets onto ATL cartridges can increase the capacity of the ATL from two to ten-fold, depending on the make-up of the tape datasets contained in the ATL. Increased automated capacity results in lower operator interventions.

    You buy an automated tape device to reduce operator intervention and smooth out service levels; TapeSaver lets you focus that capability where it counts!
  • Interactive Definition of Rules
    All TapeSaver actions are performed according to a set of rules that you create and maintain. These rules specify which datasets are candidates for stacking or moving, how related files are grouped on tapes, and other operational parameters. You create and maintain these rules through TapeSaver’s simple, easy-to-use ISPF panels. Context-sensitive help is always available from the panels.
  • Standardized Rules
    In addition to rules designed for specific tasks, you can define a set of rules that TapeSaver applies to every execution. This allows you to enforce company-wide standards. For example, if you want to make sure that datasets created by proprietary software are never moved, specify this in the @MASTER set of rules. Since TapeSaver applies this set of rules to every execution, company standards are always enforced at all times. You can have two separate sets of standards; one for tape datasets and another for DASD datasets.
  • Unattended Implementation of Rules
    Once you have a set of rules that meet your objectives, you can run a job without any user intervention. You run the TapeSaver job at off-peak hours. TapeSaver integrates with any scheduling package so once your rules are set up, the execution of these rules can be automated.
  • Analysis of the Effectiveness of Rules
    TapeSaver lets you review the potential effectiveness of a set of rules through its Analysis feature. You run the analysis, review the results, and decide which set of rules most efficiently achieves your processing goals.
  • Generate Pull Lists
    After determining which set of rules you want to process, you can generate two pull lists:
    • Tape Pull List in Volser Order allows you to retrieve the tapes from the library in VOLSER order.
    • Tape Pull List in Usage Order allows you to sequence the tapes in the order they will be used during stacking.
    • Together, these two reports make stacking easy to implement. You retrieve the correct tapes quickly and sequence them so that they are easy to find when they must be mounted.
  • Flexible, Selective Stacking
    TapeSaver gives you adaptable control over the data in your tape library because it offers great flexibility in the kind of rules you create. You can choose the tape medium, the hardware type, and the other datasets with which a dataset is stacked.
  • Advanced Handling of Cycle Control Datasets
    TapeSaver provides a facility that improves on the CA-1 TMSCYCLE facility. Without TapeSaver, multi-file volumes containing CCDs may be scratched before all the datasets on the volume have expired. With the TapeSaver TSCYCLE facility, tapes are not scratched until all of the files on the volume have expired.
  • Dual Copy
    TapeSaver allows you to create an extra copy of critical datasets after they are stacked or moved. This dual copy can act as a back-up.
  • Stacking from DASD
    DiskSaver is an optional component of TapeSaver that allows you to free up space on DASD volumes. With DiskSaver, you select candidate disk datasets, stack them on tape, and delete the original disk copy. DiskSaver lets you select the DASD volumes that you want to use for your selection.
  • Scratch Protection
    TapeSaver prevents a problem that occurs only in CA-1 environments. In CA-1 environments, when the first file on a multi-file tape expires, the entire tape is considered expired - even if secondary files on the same volume have not expired. Scratch Protection prevents premature expiration of secondary files by resetting the tape’s expiration date to the expiration date of the oldest file on the tape. When incorporated into the nightly CA-1 maintenance job, Scratch Protection ensures that the tape is not scratched until alldatasets are expired.

REQUIREMENTS

  • Mainframe
    IBM z/Architecture and compatible
  • Operating System
    MVS/ESA
    OS/390 2.10 or later
    z/OS 1.8 or later 
  • Host System
    CICS Transaction Server 3.2 or later
  • Hardware Requirements:
    TapeSaver product files are distributed on a standard label 3480 cartridge tape and FTP.

    Your site must have a tape drive capable of reading a 3480-format cartridge.

    At least 10 cylinders of 3390-compatible disk space is required to unload the contents of the TapeSaver product tape.

    TapeSaver supports all tape devices that use the following media:
    • IBM 3420 reel including compatible products offered by other vendors
    • IBM 3480 cartridge including compatible products offered by other vendors
    • IBM 3490 cartridge including compatible products offered by other vendors
    • IBM 3490E cartridge including compatible products offered by other vendors
    • IBM 3590B cartridge (Magstar), uncompacted 128 track
    • IBM 3590E cartridge (Magstar), compacted 256 track
    • StorageTek SD-3 cartridge (Redwood), including all StorageTek compatible media
    • StorageTek 9840 cartridge
    • Virtual Tape Systems (VTS, VSM)
  • Software Requirements:
    The following software must be fully operational on the systems supporting TapeSaver:
    • Tape Management System

    TapeSaver can operate with the following tape management systems:
    CA-1/TMS Release 5.2 and above 
    CA-Dynam/TLMS Release 5.5 and above 
    DFSMSrmm Release 1.5 and above 
    Zara Release 1.3 and above
    • TSO
    • ISPF

SUPPORTED ROBOTICS

TapeSaver supports tape robots and their accompanying software from the following vendors: 

StorageTek HSC 
Memorex (SUTMYN) LMS
GRAU Bosch ATL