We currently have two 3494 libraries with 6 3590-H drives in each that have each been paid for and depreciated and are still working well for the most part. One of the libraries is offsite but accessible via dark fiber we own and is setup as a copy storage pool for DR. We are looking into upgrading the tape components of our TSM system to two libraries with 4 LTO-4 drives in each because the speed and capacity difference with LTO-4 drives is so much larger than the 3494 library. We will also save lots of floor space as newer libraries are a fraction of the size of the 3494s we have that currently have 7 frames each. The 3494 is partitioned so that part is for TSM and part for the mainframe but when this is all said and done, the mainframe will be going away so a newer tape library will only be used for open systems. So far we have talked to several vendors about their products including: IBM,STK and EMC and have even looked at some third party vendors like Overland. Right now everything is open to suggestion but we are severely budget challenged. Some of the questions I'm looking for advice about are:
If we currently have 6 3590-h drives in the 3494 library, do you think can we get by with 4 LTO-4 drives in the new libraries given that speed and storage capacity is so much better with LTO-4 drives? Most of the tape activity is backups only. Occasionally we have a file restore or two. We are hoping to keep the new tape library for 5+ years so reliability is a big factor. Any LTO-4 libraries more reliable than others? Do tapes last 5 years? Any advice or ideas are very welcome as everything is undecided right now. John
