TSM & Virtual Tape Libraries

[ags3614]

i am supposed to analyze the impact of implementing a Virtual Tape Library in our TSM backup environment. i have the technical aspects fairly well in hand (i think) but need some help figuring the SW licensing impact (cost), can anyone help from a big-picture perspective? i dont even know where to start!

thanks in advance

 

[PJ]

When it comes to TSM Licensing, a virtual library should have no impact at all with TSM EE. To the server its just another library. If you're not running EE, you'll have to upgrade.



Cheers

PJ



I may be marketing resistent to the point of stubborness - but I still fail to see the relevance of virtual libraries for TSM at all - however that's another story, of course.

 

[ags3614]

Thanks - and the technical assessment we did agrees with your "marketing resistance" statement....

 

[nbs03]

A VTL allows you to dynamically share a few TB of primary storage among several TSM servers.

You can eliminate disk pools and have all of your TSM servers configured in a library master/client relationship where a single master allocates resource use (VTL drives & tapes) among the TSM server (and SAN Agent) library clients. The end result is more efficient use of storage resources and reduced management and configuration burden.

All of this depends, of course, on having a SAN.

Cheers,

Neil

 

[PJ]

We're doing all of that without VTLs - eventually much faster and simpler and definately much cheaper. But lets not elaborate. The VTL discussion always tends to become a religious war before you know it



Cheers

PJ

 

[nbs03]

What do you use to share disk space between servers?

 

[PJ]

It used to be GPFS, but we'll move to SANFS, soon.



Cheers

PJ