The virtual tape mount question in the SMF JWT thread prompted me to post this:
We're thinking about moving off virtual tape, to Tape Mount Management. We've been kicking the idea around because: 1. We think we have the DASD to accomodate an x-day buffer of user tape 2. All of our important backups and migrations (we are FDR/ABR) go directly to 9840 3. DR of virtual tapes is kind of a pain 4. Since the advent of PC workstations and servers, users "grasp" the idea of online disk datasets, but don't quite grasp files on tape. Plus their DASD datasets would be available faster (no tape mounts), TMM and virtual tape are conceptually identical (to us anyway) - both use a DASD buffer to eliminate tape mounts and both use system-managed storage techniques to manage that DASD buffer. The main difference is that a VTS / VSM system uses SMS logic defined by the vendor rather than by us. We think we would use the savings from dropping the virtual tape hardware to purchase more drives and/or another STK LSM if we needed it to accomodate increased backup activity (although in our case we might not need it). Additional drives would shorten our backup and migration times, which is a plus for this scenario. So - that's _our_ thinking on the topic, but I'd be interested to hear the opinions - and we _know_ this list has them - on the topic of migrating away from virtual tape... Tim Hare Senior Systems Programmer Florida Department of Transportation (850) 414-4209 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
