IBM TotalStorage Ultrium LTO tape selection
Abstract This Hint and Tip defines the capabilities of the different Ultrium 2 LTO products and can help you differentiate and select the appropriate backup solution for your environment. We assume that you have an open systems environment and that a streaming data backup is prevalent. We use no comparison to other tape systems. For comparisons of other tape systems, refer to these IBM Redbooks: IBM TotalStorage Tape Selection and Differentiation Guide, SG24-6946, or IBM TotalStorage Solutions Handbook, SG24-5250, which can be found at: http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg245250.html
Contents General
The IBM LTO product set, presently based on the Ultrium 2 drive, has already shown significant enhancements above the original Ultrium 1 family. The published roadmap calls for further enhancements into the generations 3 and 4, each time doubling the tape performance. Although these generations ARE NOT announced and products utilizing them may not become available, the expected enhancements may still be included as part of the considerations for which tape system to choose.
Product Comparison
Tape unit LTO cartridge 3580 drive 3581 Autoloader 3582 Entry 3583 Scalable 3584 UltraScalable
Tape slots 1 7 24 18-72 141-2481
Tape drives 1 1 1-2 1-6 1-72
Max Capacity (Native) TB 100 or 200 GB 0.2 0.7 4.8 14.4 248.1 or 496.2
Ultrium Generation 1 or 2 2 1 2 1 and 2 1 and 2
Primary Range Backup Data 200 GB <500GB 0.5 – 4 TB 2 – 14 TB > 10 TB
For the 3584 UltraScalable Tape library, the total capacity will depend on the number of tape drives installed. The Ultrium 2 tape drives may be installed in the Ultrium 1 3583 or 3584 libraries for any combination of 1 and 2 drives. Ultrium 1 and 2 cartridges can also be intermixed freely in the libraries. In these cases support by TSM 5.2 is required. Other backup applications may impose restrictions to this scenario, and current information should always be looked up on the WEB. The digital speed matching capability of the Ultrium 2 drives further improves the performance and capabilities of the LTO backup system when host data transmission speed is less than the LTO optimum. This feature does not change the time required for backhitch/restart in start-stop environments, but it will greatly reduce the number of such intermissions, and may accordingly improve backup time significantly. For further details on the individual products, refer to the general tape URL: http://www.storage.ibm.com/hardsoft/tape/lto/index.html
3580
The external 3580 tape drive can be used in the low backup volume environments where manual changing of the tapes are normal and accepted. This single drive unit may also be an alternative to use with full system restore from the TSM Backupset. The initial models are not upgradeable, but the Ultrium 2 drives can read and write the Ultrium 1 cartridges and with improved speed.
3581
The 3581 Autoloader is also for the low backup volume environments. With the 7 slot capacity it offers increased backup storage, but may still require some manual interventions. Both the usage of Barcode and the use of a permanent slot for cleaning tape will reduce the available tape capacity with one slot each. This unit is a good choice when total backup requirements are within 500 GB or even up to 1 TB. The unit is cost/effective at the low backup volumes when low manual intervention is required.
3582
The 3582 Entry Library is also for the low backup volume environments, but it is a full function library which may reduce manual intervention to nil. It offers 24 slot capacity and 2 drives, providing a total of 4.8 TB native storage. The library can attach to native fibre or SAN and can be partitioned into two logical libraries. This unit is a good choice when total backup requirements are within 4 TB, and fully automated operation is requested. The Ultrium 2 tape drives can read and write Ultrium 1 cartridges, thus protecting the investments made in LTO technology.
3583
The Ultrium 2 3583 LTO unit will be the right choice for most medium backup volume environments. The capacity of 14.4 TB indicates a good growth potential, and with up to 6 tape drives it will also handle high data traffic and provide for high speed parallel data base backup and restore. This is an excellent solution for file and Data Base backup when the total backup requirements are within 10 TB, and it can also be evaluated for the 20 TB range. It may be cost/effective for backup requirements even starting at less than 1 TB when high growth is anticipated and minimal manual intervention is required. Ultrium 2 tape drives may be installed in the initial Ultrium 1 libraries, and may use the tape drives and cartridges intermixed when it is supported by TSM V5.2. The library supports partitioning, allowing concurrent usage from different servers and applications.
3584
Ultrium 2 tape drives may be installed in the initial Ultrium 1 libraries, and may use the tape drives and cartridges intermixed when it is supported by TSM V5.2. The Ultrium 2 tape drives will read and write Ultrium 1 cartridges with improved speed. Up to 496 TB (native Ultrium 2) is supported, with a configuration starting at 141 cartridges (e.g. 28.2 TB). This library is the excellent choice for any environment with backup requirements in excess of the 10 TB range, and may even be cost/effective with smaller systems when growth or consolidation is anticipated. The library supports extensive partitioning, allowing concurrent usage from many servers.