Don,
To respond to your inquiry, here are some benefits that can be realized in
the environment that you have outlined below.
1) Although the SN6000 is present, it creates a problem when more logical
than physical drives are configured. This is a long standing problem and it
has been resolved by coupling EDT-DistribuTAPE with the SN6000 in a large
number of installs. For this reason, when you see an environment involving
an SN6000 and TSM, you should automatically include EDT-DistribuTAPE.
2) EDT-DistribuTAPE, in a multiple TSM server environment allows both TSM
servers to share the same set of drives as well as a single common pool of
media. This includes virtual resources. The SN6000 is not capable of
providing a single common pool of media to each TSM server.
3) EDT-DistribuTAPE eliminates the need to check-in a specific range of
volumes to each TSM server...this can be a large administrative time savings
feature.
4) EDT-DistribuTAPE automates tape labeling operations. When volumes are
mounted, the header is checked to verify that it contains a valid label. If
it does not, a valid label is written to the tape. This allows
non-initialized volumes to be purchased (an average savings of
$1-2/cartridge) and saves additional administrative time.
5) EDT-DistribuTAPE allows dynamic reconfiguration of the drives that are
available to each TSM server (this can be handy during drive maintenance
periods or the addition of new drives to the environment).
6) EDT-DistribuTAPE, due to its architecture, insulates each TSM server from
an outage that may occur on another server (were drives to be allocated to
each TSM server (dedicated), the outage of one server would cause those
drives to be unutilized. This is not the case with EDT-DistribuTAPE because
every server (if configured in such a fashion) can access every drive).
7) EDT-DistribuTAPE provides mixed media support allowing numerous device
types to be present in one library (a method of centralizing drive and media
management).
8) EDT-DistribuTAPE provides a more robust ACSLS interface than natively
available in TSM (this is a result of continuous efforts that Gresham
undertakes with STK to address issues in the interface and find solutions to
those problems).
There are further features and benefits that are present in the
EDT-DistribuTAPE product that make it worth the investment. Hopefully, the
above features alone convince you of this fact. Regardless, please let me
know what additional information I can provide you to facilitate your
efforts to "sell" the EDT-DistribuTAPE product in the environment you have
mentioned and other environments you are involved with.
Sincerely,
Christopher S. Young
Senior System Engineer
Gresham Enterprise Storage
www.greshamstorage.com
Office: 303.413.1799 x 205
Mobile: 303.717.2745
-Original Message-
From: Don France (TSMnews) [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2002 2:21 PM
To: ADSM: Dist Stor Manager
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: Re: ACSLS connection
Chris,
I have looked at the Gresham EDT-DT info, am trying to understand why a
customer
might want to use it in a non-LAN-free environment.
I have a client who's installing a StorageTek SN-6000, which virtualizes the
tape drives
in a Powderhorn silo; they will use two TSM servers, initially -- so, there
does not seem
to be a compelling reason to use EDT-DT. I have reviewed the online
material and the
latest install & user's guide -- except for SAN mgmt/monitor utilities, I am
still trying to
find ways to "sell" the client on installing it before deploying a broad,
LAN-free solution.
Can you please highlight some benefits of using EDT-DT in a context where
it's not
absolutely required?!? (In my client's shop, the TSM servers are on AIX,
the ACSLS
is on its own Solaris box.)
Thanx,
Don
Don France
Technical Architect - Tivoli Certified Consultant
Professional Association of Contract Employees (P.A.C.E.)
San Jose, CA
(408) 257-3037
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
- Original Message -
From: "Chris Young" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2002 6:45 AM
Subject: Re: ACSLS connection
> Craig,
>
> If you are using a single TSM server and you do not plan to use LAN-Free
> clients (which I believe you are from the message below), then you can use
> TSM's native ACSLS communication drivers. However, if you are using
LAN-Free
> clients in addition to your TSM server, where each client will access the
> same library as the TSM server, you need to obtain Gresham's
> EDT-DistribuTAPE product to enable this functionality. There are other
> reasons that you might want Gresham's EDT-DistribuTAPE in environments
that
> do not involve LAN-Free clients and employ only a single TSM server but it
> isn't required as it is when using LAN-Free clients. You can obtain more
> information on EDT-DistribuTAP
