The promise of virtual tape has been generating unique interest in the mainframe world. An answer to many of the issues faced by todays data centers, the VTS is a constantly evolving technology. With online demands and user expectations reaching new limits, the VTS is a key technology in achieving your goals. Touting decreased processing times and high availability in a fully automated tape environment, VTS makes a remarkable impact from day one.
Benefits of having a VTS:
Reduced “real” tape mounts, as most mount requests are satisfied from the Tape Volume Cache (TVC)
Reduced number of physical tape cartridges required due to higher utilization of cartridge capacity
Reduced floor space required to support the tape process, as a result of fewer physical resources
Improved performance due to the elimination of most of the physical movement of tape
Reduced operating costs such as power, maintenance, operations, and support staff
IBM Launches New Breed of Virtual Tape Servers
On July 31st, IBM announced two new models to their TotalStorage Virtual Tape Server line. Here at eMag, we are very excited about these new products. What does this mean to you? Previously IBM had a fairly flexible B18 model as its sole Virtual Tape offering. The B18 has performed very well, but even at its smallest config was too expensive for the smaller data centers.
Enter the B10. The B10 provides a low cost solution that allows smaller data centers to answer his growing needs with a solid, long-term solution. This new breed of Virtual Tape Servers opens a world of new options to customers who simply couldnt justify the cost of previous models. The B10 is also fully upgradeable to B18 and B20 models, so it can grow as you do.
The B20 model offers a new, high performance, option. The B20 packs up to 256 virtual drives, 12 physical drives, up to 5.1 terabytes of cache (3:1), and 16 ESCON channels!
As you can see from the table2, the B10 is very versatile, while the B20 offers unmatched speed and capacity. IBMs VTSs can revolutionize the way you manage your tape library. Even smaller customers can now reap the benefits of a completely automated tape solution. If you would like to discuss a virtual solution for your data center, contact us!
The IBM TotalStorage Virtual Tape Server Model B10 at a glance
Minimum
Maximum
Tape Volume Cache (GB) 648*
1,296*
Virtual Drives 64
64
Physical Tape Drives 4
6
Virtual Volumes 250,000
250,000
ESCON-only Channels 2
4
SCSI-only Busses 8
8
ESCON/SCSI Channels 2 / 2
4 / 4
The IBM TotalStorage Virtual Tape Server Model B20 at a glance
Minimum
Maximum
Tape Volume Cache (GB) 2,592*
5,184*
Virtual Drives 128
256
Physical Tape Drives 6
12
Virtual Volumes 250,000
250,000
ESCON-only Channels 8
16
ESCON/SCSI Channels 8 / 8
8 / 8
*at a data compression factor of 3:1
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