So it seems that all three drives are acceptable for DLT operations.
Observing that usually TSM picks drives in alphabetical order and later
does some sort of round-robin, I would name them to have DLT drive
preceding SDLTs. This ought to give it slightly better priority for DLT
operations but I would expect still the round-robin to mount often in SDLT
drives :-()

About the usage of drive for specific media, I would expect TSM to query
somehow the library what media technology is this cartridge. The library
being able to work with many types ought to be able to recognise them and
respond if properly queried. So order ought to be:
- TSM receives checkin request
- library is queried about the media technology of the cartridge
- TSM selects an available drive compatible with the cartridge
- mount request is sent to the library

Zlatko Krastev
IT Consultant






Kurt Beyers <kurt.beyers AT PANDORA DOT BE>
Sent by: "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU>
08.11.2003 19:32
Please respond to "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager"


        To:     ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
        cc:
        Subject:        Re: device class mount point mixed library (DLT7000 and 
SDLT320)


IBM guarantueed me that a mixture of DLT7000 and SDLT is supported in the
same library. I've given them the same remarks as you've made during the
discussion.

It is already a bit more clear to me, but not yet completely.

If you do a 'query drive f=d', you see all the formats that the drive can
read and can write to. In the device class definition, the format is
specified explicitly this time (DLT35C or SDLT320C). The storage pools
have
a specific device class, so TSM can determine which drive can be used for
a
read or write operation. This explains why the SDLT320 drives are used as
well for the read operation of a DLT7000 tape. TSM doesn't have any
preference for the drive to be used, any drive that can read the tape has
the same chance to be used.

But why I do get the warning 'ANR1145W ' from time to time, is still not
clear to me.

And if you label a new tape and check it in as scratch, how does TSM knows
which drive should be used. The tape doesn't belong to a storage pool yet.

Kurt

----- Original Message -----
From: "Zlatko Krastev" <acit AT ATTGLOBAL DOT NET>
To: <ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU>
Sent: Saturday, November 08, 2003 5:26 PM
Subject: Re: device class mount point mixed library (DLT7000 and SDLT320)


> I am afraid you might have an unsupported configuration.
> Looking to ITSM v5.2 Administrator's Guide, Chapter 5 "Configuring
Storage
> Devices", section "Mixing Device Types in Libraries":
> "While the Tivoli Storage Manager server now allows mixed device types
in
> a library, the mixing of different generations of the same type of drive
> is still not supported.
> ...
> Mixing generations of the same type of drive and media technology is
> generally not supported in a Tivoli Storage Manager library.
> ...
> If you need to transition from an older generation to a newer generation
> of media technology, consider the following guidelines:
> - Upgrade all drives in a library to the new generation of media
> technology."
>
> For me the problem is that both "def dev" statements are using same
> devtype=dlt!!! Thus the server does not distinguish between drives. If
you
> look in the example, it is not with DLT+SDLT but with DLT+LTO, and
> difference is made by devtype parameter of the drives.
>
> --> IBM said that the mixed drives are supported in the same library.
>
> But not all mixtures are supported. So either you or IBM had to check
will
> be your configuration supported or not!
> Hope I am wrong.
>
> Zlatko Krastev
> IT Consultant
>