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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
TapeSaver supports tape robots and their accompanying software from the following vendors:
StorageTek HSC
Memorex (SUTMYN) LMS
GRAU Bosch ATL