IBM TS2900 tape autoloader
The IBM TS2900 tape autoloader (Machine Type 3572) provides an efficient, high capacity, low-cost solution for unattended data backup. The library has a compact 1U form factor with easy access to tape cartridges through a removable magazine. The IBM TS2900 tape autoloader is an external stand-alone or rack-mountable unit that incorporates a single Ultrium 8, 7, 6, or 5, Half-High tape drive. It is equipped with a serial-attached SCSI (SAS) host adapter attachment that has a data transfer rate of up to 6 Gbps.
The IBM TS2900 tape autoloader has a removable cartridge magazine that provides nine data cartridge slots, including a configurable single slot I/O station. IBM TS2900 tape autoloader is an entry point for IBM Linear Tape-Open (LTO) tape automation. This autoloader uses the IBM patented high density (HD) slot technology.
The following features are standard:
•Application-Managed Encryption (AME) with LTO-8, LTO-7, LTO-6, and LTO-5 tape drives
•Bar code reader
•LCD display for local management
•Web User Interface (GUI) for remote management
•Configurable I/O station
•Removable magazine with IBM patented HD Slot technology
The following features are optional:
•Transparent System-Managed Encryption (SME) and Library-Managed Encryption (LME)
•Choice of rack-mount or desktop packaging
For the remainder of this chapter, the terms TS2900 and TS2900 tape autoloader are used as abbreviations for the IBM TS2900 tape autoloader.
This chapter includes the following topics:
8.1 Product description
The IBM TS2900 tape autoloader (Machine Type 3572 1U Autoloader) supports one LTO-8, LTO-7, LTO-6, or LTO-5 Half-High tape drive.
The following models are available for the TS2900 tape autoloader:
•The 3572-S8H comes with an Ultrium 8 Half-High tape drive that has a SAS interface with a data transfer rate of 6 Gbps. The SAS Ultrium 8 tape drive comes with an SFF-8088 interface. The Ultrium 8 tape drive provides a sustained native data transfer rate of
300 MBps.
300 MBps.
•The 3572-S7H comes with an Ultrium 7 Half-High tape drive that has a SAS interface with a data transfer rate of 6 Gbps. The SAS Ultrium 7 tape drive comes with an SFF-8088 interface. The Ultrium 7 tape drive provides a sustained native data transfer rate of
300 MBps.
300 MBps.
•The 3572-S6H comes with an Ultrium 6 Half-High tape drive that has a SAS interface with a data transfer rate of 6 Gbps. The SAS Ultrium 6 tape drive comes with an SFF-8088 interface. The Ultrium 6 tape drive provides a sustained native data transfer rate of
160 MBps.
160 MBps.
•The 3572-S5H comes with an Ultrium 5 Half-High tape drive that has a SAS interface with a data transfer rate of 6 Gbps. The SAS Ultrium 5 tape drive comes with an SFF-8088 interface. The Ultrium 5 tape drive provides a sustained native data transfer rate of 140 MBps.
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Important: The IBM TS2900 tape autoloader comes ready to be mounted in a standard 19-inch rack. Feature code 7006 must be ordered, which provides the rack mounting hardware. If you want to install the TS2900 tape autoloader as a desk side model, feature code 7010 must be ordered to provide covers.
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Figure 8-1 shows the front view of the TS2900 tape autoloader. The cartridge magazine can be seen in the center. The Operator Control Panel is visible on the right side.
Figure 8-1 IBM TS2900 tape autoloader
The following cartridges are supported in the TS2900 tape autoloader:
•IBM LTO Tape Cartridge Ultrium 8 (12 TB native physical capacity)
•IBM LTO Tape Cartridge Ultrium 7 M8 format (9 TB native physical capacity)
•IBM LTO Tape Cartridge Ultrium 7 (6 TB native physical capacity)
•IBM LTO Tape Cartridge Ultrium 6 (2.5 TB native physical capacity)
•IBM LTO Tape Cartridge Ultrium 5 (1.5 TB native physical capacity)
•IBM LTO Tape Cartridge Ultrium 4 (800 GB native physical capacity)
•IBM LTO Tape Cartridge Ultrium 3 (400 GB native physical capacity)
•Write Once Read Many (WORM) cartridges
Cartridge support depends on the tape drive that is installed in the TS2900 tape autoloader.
The library media capacity can be increased by using hardware compression (2:1 compression ratio for Ultrium 5 and below tape drives, and 2.5:1 for Ultrium 8, 7, and 6 tape drives).
The TS2900 tape autoloader has a 6 Gbps single-port SFF-8088 SAS connector. This is the same connector for all of the other IBM tape products that support the SAS interface. The tape drive is integrated into the library. There are no tape drive field-replaceable units (FRUs) or customer-replaceable units (CRUs) because the entire library is a CRU. Designed for tape automation, the TS2900 tape autoloader can be attached to many different systems. For more information and a list of supported operating systems, see this website:
Depending on which generation of IBM Ultrium tape drive is installed in the TS2900 tape autoloader, the following data cartridges can be used:
•IBM LTO Ultrium 12 TB data cartridge or 12 TB WORM cartridge when the IBM Ultrium 8 tape drive is installed. The Ultrium 8 tape drive can write up to 12 TB native capacity and up to 30 TB with a 2.5:1 compression ratio. IBM Ultrium 8 tape drives can read and write LTO Ultrium 7 data cartridges, it do not support earlier LTO Ultrium data cartridges.
•IBM LTO Ultrium 9 TB data cartridges are specially formatted LTO Ultrium 7 data cartridges which can be used in the LTO 8 drive. In this case these tapes will be formatted as media format M8 and labeled as M8 media. This allows the LTO8 drive to use Ultrium 7 media with the same performance as Ultrium 8 media and a higher capacity than Ultrium 7. M8 format media will provide native capacity of 9 TB. It has a compressed capacity of 22.5TB with a 2.5:1 compression ratio.
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Note: LTO7 media with the M8 format can only be used on LTO 8 drives, and cannot be reformatted for read in a LTO7 drive.
Using M8 media requires the latest version of drive and library FW to be installed.
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See “M8 format” on page 65 for more details about M8 format.
•IBM LTO Ultrium 6 TB data cartridge or 6 TB WORM cartridge when the IBM Ultrium 7 tape drive is installed. The Ultrium 7 tape drive can write up to 6 TB native capacity and up to 15 TB with a 2.5:1 compression ratio. IBM Ultrium 7 tape drives can read and write LTO Ultrium 6 data cartridges, read LTO Ultrium 5 data cartridges, and do not support earlier LTO Ultrium data cartridges.
•IBM LTO Ultrium 2.5 TB data cartridge or 2.5 TB WORM cartridge when the IBM Ultrium 6 tape drive is installed. The Ultrium 6 tape drive can write up to 2.5 TB native capacity and up to 6.25 TB with a 2.5:1 compression ratio. IBM Ultrium 6 tape drives can read and write LTO Ultrium 5 data cartridges, read LTO Ultrium 4 data cartridges, and do not support earlier LTO Ultrium data cartridges.
•IBM LTO Ultrium 1.5 TB data cartridge or 1.5 TB WORM cartridge when the IBM Ultrium 5 tape drive is installed. The Ultrium 5 tape drive can write up to 1.5 TB native capacity and up to 3.0 TB with a 2:1 compression ratio. IBM Ultrium 5 tape drives can read and write LTO Ultrium 4 data cartridges, read LTO Ultrium 3 data cartridges, and do not support earlier LTO Ultrium data cartridges.
The library has a capacity of a maximum of nine tape cartridges, which provides a maximum media capacity of up to 108 TB (270 TB with a 2.5:1 compression ratio) of data storage using LTO 8 media.
8.2 TS2900 tape autoloader components
The TS2900 tape autoloader has an improved robotic system that moves along an axis from front to back next to the cartridge magazine. This limited movement provides robust robotics. The standard bar code reader is installed on the picker.
TS2900 tape autoloader houses a cartridge magazine, Operator Control Panel, accessor, library controller card, power supply, and a Half-High tape drive.
Figure 8-2 shows the top view of the TS2900 tape autoloader. The right side of the image is the rear of the library and the left side is the front. The TS2900 tape autoloader is not a modular system and does not allow you to change parts.
Figure 8-2 Internal top view of the TS2900 tape autoloader
The following components are shown in Figure 8-2:
1. Cartridge magazine: The front slot of the first column (far left) in the cartridge magazine can be configured as an I/O station or cleaning slot. The back slot of the first column of the cartridge magazine is used as the exchange slot. The I/O station is used to import and export cartridges without interrupting normal library operation. Cleaning cartridges are used to clean the tape drive heads.
2. Accessor: This component contains the library robot and the bar code reader. The accessor moves cartridges to and from the cartridge magazine.
3. Library control board: The library control board manages the entire library, including the Operator Control Panel and Accessor, and is responsible for monitoring the library to ensure that the library functions properly. It stores vital product data (VPD), such as library settings, the serial number, library logs, and Accessor calibration backup data.
4. Power supply: The power supply is the sole source of power for the library.
5. Tape drive: This library supports the Ultrium 8,7,6, and 5 tape drives. The tape drive in the library is packaged in a container that is called a drive sled. The drive sled is not a CRU.
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Important: There is no need to open the top cover of the TS2900 tape autoloader because there are no client serviceable components inside the library. The whole library is a CRU. IBM provides a replacement of the TS2900 tape autoloader if there is a failure.
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Figure 8-3 shows the components from the rear of the TS2900 tape autoloader.
Figure 8-3 Rear panel components of the TS2900 tape autoloader
The following components are shown in Figure 8-3:
1. Power connector: The library uses this power connector to connect to a 110/240 Volt AC power supply.
2. Power switch: The library is powered ON when the power supply switch on the rear panel is ON. The library has no independent power switch on the front panel.
3. SAS port: The serial-attached SCSI host interface cable connection. The Ultrium 8, 7, 6, and 5 SAS drives use the SFF-8088 connection at the drive end and the SFF-8088 or SFF-8470 connection at the host adapter end.
4. Ethernet port: Connects the library to the network by using this port.
5. Shipping lock screw: Used to restrain the accessor robot assembly during transportation. Store the shipping lock screw in the storage slot on the rear panel of the library and cover it with the label for future use.
6. Air vent: These vents allow air to escape from the power supply and tape drive sled.
8.2.1 Operator Control Panel
The library is equipped with an Operator Control Panel (OCP) with which you can perform simple actions with the medium changer. By using the OCP interface, you can monitor the medium changer operation, make configuration changes, and perform media access commands.
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Important: When a user runs a medium access command through the OCP interface, the medium changer reports Not Ready to Ready status on the SCSI bus.
For more information about the medium changer SCSI command, see IBM System Storage TS2900 SCSI Reference, GC27-2211.
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The Operator Control Panel interface
The Operator Control Panel (OCP) is on the front of the library and allows users to work locally on the library. The OCP features a monochrome 16-character LCD graphic display. Library operations and service functions are performed from this display. As shown in Figure 8-4.
Figure 8-4 TS2900 front panel
Figure 8-5 shows the top-level menu tree structure of the OCP on the front of the TS2900 tape autoloader. For more information about all of the OCP functions, see the specification in IBM System Storage TS2900 Tape Autoloader Setup, Operator, and Service Guide, GC27-2212.
Figure 8-5 Operator control panel menu tree
8.2.2 Robotics
The IBM TS2900 tape autoloader uses an independent tape loader, threader motors, and a positive pin retention. These features help improve the reliability of loading and unloading a cartridge and to retain the pin, even if tension is dropped. An independent loader motor, which is coupled with the positive pin retention, threads the tape with a higher level of reliability.
8.2.3 Bar code reader
The bar code reader is a part of the library Accessor. It reads each cartridge bar code label and the fiducial labels, which identify the types of cartridge magazines and tape drive that are installed in the library, and provides inventory feedback to the host application, OCP, and web User Interface. The library stores the customized inventory data in memory. Library firmware supports a six-character or eight-character volume serial number (VOLSER) on the bar code label on the tape cartridge.
8.2.4 Cartridge storage
The TS2900 tape autoloader has one removable magazine with 10 cartridge slots. The slots are organized as five High Density (HD) slots (2 × 5 = 10), but one of the 10 slots is reserved for library swap space, so the magazine has a total user capacity of nine cartridges. If a dedicated I/O slot is defined, the magazine has a capacity of eight cartridges.
When the magazines are filled with cartridges, the web User Interface (UI) can be used to log in to the TS2900 tape autoloader to look at which cartridges are stored and in which storage slot location, as shown in Figure 8-6.
Figure 8-6 Inventory of the magazine
The left part of the magazine is the I/O station and it can be opened by using the Operator Control Panel.
8.3 IBM LTO Ultrium Half-High tape drives
TS2900 tape autoloader houses the LTO 8,7,6, or 5 HH tape drive. This section describes several of the highlights of the Half-High Ultrium 7 tape drive. The TS2900 tape autoloader is an ideal tape autoloader for clients who want to have a reliable tape library with LTO technology.
8.3.1 LTO-8 Half-High tape drive
The following topics describe the characteristics of the LTO-8 Half-High tape drive. For more information, see 2.4.1, “The IBM LTO Ultrium 8 tape drive range” on page 74.
Platform support
For the latest list of supported platforms and operating systems, see the System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC):
Performance highlights
The TS2900 tape autoloader incorporates the eighth-generation of IBM Half-High Ultrium tape drive technology. The maximum tape drive throughput data rate is up to 300 MBps of native data. Data tracks are written 32 at a time and there are 6656 data tracks.
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Important: Although the TS2900 tape autoloader provides the capability for excellent tape performance, other components of the system might limit the actual performance that is achieved. Also, although the compression technology that is used in the tape drive can typically double the amount of data that can be stored on the media, the actual degree of compression that is achieved is highly sensitive to the characteristics of the data that is being compressed.
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The drive uses a technique called dynamic speed matching to adjust the tape drive native data rate as closely as possible to the net host data rate (after data compressibility is factored out). With speed matching, the drive operates at different speeds when it is reading or writing the Ultrium 8 or Ultrium 7 cartridge format.
For more information about LTO-8 Half-High tape drives, see 2.4, “IBM LTO Ultrium 8 tape drives” on page 71.
8.3.2 Encryption
The IBM TS2900 tape library supports data encryption with LTO-8 Half-High SAS tape drives. The following modes of encryption are supported:
•System Managed (available for AIX, Linux, Solaris, and Microsoft Windows)
•Library Managed (available for OS/400, i5/OS, AIX, Linux, HP-UX, Solaris, and Windows)
•Application Managed (IBM Spectrum Protect)
For LTO Ultrium 8, the Transparent LTO encryption feature is required for enabling encryption. The IBM Security Key Lifecycle Manager is required for enabling System Managed and Library Managed encryption.
The installation of an Ultrium 8 tape drive with encryption might require code updates for
IBM Power Systems supported open systems devices drivers or storage management software. An update of the open systems device drivers can be obtained from the Fix Central download portal at this website:
IBM Power Systems supported open systems devices drivers or storage management software. An update of the open systems device drivers can be obtained from the Fix Central download portal at this website:
For more information about Encryption, see 2.2.3, “LTO Ultrium tape encryption” on page 63.
8.3.3 IBM Spectrum Archive and LTFS
The TS2900 Models S8H, S7H, S6H, and S5H support IBM Spectrum Archive Library Edition (LE) software.
IBM Spectrum Archive provides software to manage, monitor, archive, and restore files. Linear Tape File System (LTFS) is the file system that works with the multiple partitioning that is available on LTO Ultrium 8, 7, 6, and 5 tape drives and brings a new level of use and portability to open systems tape storage.
This storage software helps to reduce complexity in data management and access time through the enablement of a self-describing tape that includes a simple file index. IBM Spectrum Archive and LTFS allow files and directories to be shown on the desktop, directory listings, and drag-and-drop of files to and from tape. It also supports data exchange and has a simple, one-time installation.
IBM Spectrum Archive LE allows cartridges in the TS2900 Autoloader to be mounted and viewed as a single file system with the individual tape cartridge viewed as subdirectories within the file system. It is the perfect solution for those in the Media and Entertainment industry and other fields that need massive data storage on tape for long retention periods, such as banking, scientific research, and government sectors.
For more information about IBM Spectrum Archive LE and LTFS, see this website:
For more information about IBM Spectrum Archive and LTFS, see IBM Spectrum Archive Single Drive Edition and Library Edition: Installation and Configuration Guide, SG24-8090.
8.3.4 Notifications
The TS3200 has the following options available for sending notifications to the host:
•Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) automatically sends an email that contains event information to the email addresses that are specified whenever an event of a certain level occurs.
•Simple Network Management Protocol
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a set of protocols for managing complex networks. SNMP works by sending messages that are called protocol data units (PDUs) to various parts of a network. Agents, which are SNMP-compliant devices, store data about themselves in Management Information Bases (MIBs) and return this data to the SNMP requesters, such as the host’s monitoring application.
8.4 Physical attachments
The TS2900 tape autoloader is only available with a serial-attached SCSI (SAS) interface that has a data rate of 6 Gbps.
8.4.1 SAS interface
The SAS Half-High tape drives that are installed into the TS2900 tape autoloader come with one SFF-8088 interface, this interface is on the rear of the TS2900, above the power connection. on the back of the TS2900tape drive as shown in Figure 8-3 on page 213. For more information about SAS, see “Serial-attached SCSI history” on page 54.
Verify that the HBA of your server is supported. Check the IBM interoperability matrix at the System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC) page at this website:
8.5 Media
To ensure that the IBM Ultrium tape drive conforms to the IBM specifications for reliability, use only IBM LTO Ultrium tape cartridges. Other LTO-certified data cartridges can be used, but they might not meet the standards of reliability that are established by IBM.
8.5.1 Data cartridges
The TS2900 tape autoloader with LTO-8 Half-High tape drives uses the Ultrium 8 data cartridge. It has a native capacity of 12 TB, and compressed capacity of 30 TB with a 2.5:1 compression ratio. It uses a linear, serpentine recording format.
Table 8-1 Ultrium compatibility among the generations
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IBM Ultrium
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IBM LTO Ultrium data cartridge
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12 TB
(Ultrium 8)
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9 TB
(Ultrium 7 format M8)
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6 TB
(Ultrium 7)
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2.5 TB
(Ultrium 6)
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1.5 TB
(Ultrium 5)
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800 GB
(Ultrium 4)
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400 GB
(Ultrium 3)
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Ultrium 8
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Read/write
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Read/write
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Read/write
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Ultrium 7
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Read/write
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Read/write
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Read only
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Ultrium 6
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Read/write
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Read/write
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Read only
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Ultrium 5
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Read/write
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Read/write
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Read only
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Ultrium 4
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Read/write
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Read/write
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Ultrium 3
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Read/write
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8.5.2 Write Once Read Many cartridges
Certain records retention and data security applications require a WORM method for storing data on tape. To meet this data storage requirement, a WORM feature is available on IBM LTO Ultrium generation 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3 drives. You can enable the WORM feature by upgrading to WORM-capable drive firmware and by using a special WORM tape cartridge.
A specially formatted WORM tape cartridge is required because standard read/write media are incompatible with the WORM feature. Each WORM cartridge has a unique, worldwide cartridge identifier (WWCID), which comprises the unique Cartridge Memory (CM) chip serial number and the unique tape media serial number.
For more information about WORM media, see “WORM tape format” on page 42.
8.5.3 Cleaning cartridges
A specially labeled IBM LTO Universal Ultrium Cleaning Cartridge cleans the drive in your library. The drive determines when it needs to be cleaned and notifies the library. When notified, the library indicates that the drive needs cleaning by turning on the Clean Drive LED on the front panel of the library and posting a message on the library display.
The TS2900 tape autoloader supports automatic cleaning and manual cleaning. The library also can be configured for dedicated cleaning cartridge slots, which is achieved by reducing the number of active slots. A reserved slot is not accessible to any host application. In fact, the host has no knowledge that the slot even exists.
A reserved slot that contains a cleaning cartridge is referred to as a dedicated cleaning slot. These slots can be used for automatic cleaning or for manual cleaning. To remove a cleaning cartridge, move it to the I/O slot.
IBM Cleaning Cartridges are valid for 50 uses. The cartridge’s LTO-CM chip tracks the number of times that the cartridge is used.
8.5.4 Cartridge Memory chip
All generations of the IBM LTO Ultrium data cartridges include a Linear Tape-Open Cartridge Memory (LTO-CM) chip that contains information about the cartridge and the tape (such as the name of the manufacturer that created the tape), and statistical information about the cartridge’s use.
The LTO-CM also helps determine the reliability of the cartridge by storing data about its age, how many times it was loaded, and how many errors it accumulated. Whenever a tape cartridge is unloaded, the tape drive writes any pertinent information to the cartridge memory. The storage capacity of the Ultrium 8 Tape Cartridge Memory Chip is 16320 bytes.
For more information about the LTO-CM, see “Cartridge memory” on page 47.
8.6 Specifications
The technical specifications of the TS2900 are described next.
8.6.1 Physical specifications
Table 8-2 lists the physical specifications for the TS2900 tape autoloader.
Table 8-2 Physical specifications for the TS2900 tape autoloader
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Parameter
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Measurement
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Front panel width (chassis/bezel)
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445 mm (17.52 in.)/483 mm (19.02 in.)
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Depth
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850 mm (33.3 in.)
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Height
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43.6 mm (1.7 in.)
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Weight (library only)
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13 kg (28.66 lbs)
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8.6.2 Power specifications
Table 8-3 lists the power specifications for the tape autoloader.
Table 8-3 Power specifications for the TS2900 tape autoloader
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Parameter
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Measurement
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Voltage
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100 - 240 Vac.
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Frequency
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50 - 60 Hz
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Power consumption
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110 W
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8.7 Feature codes
Table 8-4 lists the available feature codes for the TS2900 tape autoloader.
Table 8-4 Feature codes for the TS2900 tape autoloader
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Feature code
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Description
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5402
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2.0 m SAS/Mini-SAS 1x Cable
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5502
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2.0 m Mini-SAS/Mini-SAS 1x Cable
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5507
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4m Mini-SAS HD/Mini-SAS 1X Cable
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5901
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Transparent LTO Encryption
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7006
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3572 Rack Mount Kit with Device to PDU line cord
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7010
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3572 Deskside Covers
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7703
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OEM - No IBM Logo
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8002
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Ultrium Cleaning Cartridge L1 UCC
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8067
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TAA Compliant
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8111
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3572 Additional Magazine
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8505
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Ultrium 5 Data Cartridge (5-Pack)
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8605
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Ultrium 6 Data Cartridge (5-Pack)
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8706
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Ultrium 7 Data Cartridge (5-Pack)
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9210
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Attached to HP-UX System
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9211
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Attached to Oracle Solaris System
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9212
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Attached to Windows System
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9215
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Attached to Linux System
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9400
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Attached to i5/OS or IBM OS/400 System
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9600
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Attached to AIX System
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9800-9847
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Power cord (different feature code for each country)
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For more information, see the TS2900 tape autoloader model website at:
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