|
Virtual Tape replaces tape drive(s) with tape-on-disk system using
low-cost storage and emulates standard mainframe 3490 tape drives.
The Virtual Tape solution combines new technology from Bus-Tech,
Inc. called Mainframe Appliance for Storage (MAS) with very low
cost storage arrays formerly available only in Unix and Windows
NT systems.
The Mainframe Appliance for Storage is the latest innovation
from Bus-Tech to help you manage your constantly growing storage
requirements. Tape Virtualization provides the ability to implement
total tape automation.
The Mainframe Appliance for Storage emulates a standard
IBM 34xx tape drive and utilizes a “tape-on-disk” technique
to read and write mainframe tape data onto open-system storage devices.
The Mainframe Appliance for Storage supports SCSI, Storage
Area Network and Network Attached Storage devices.
There are two primary applications for the Mainframe Appliance
for Storage; Mainframe Virtual Tape and data exchange between mainframes
and open-systems.
MAINFRAME VIRTUAL TAPE
 |
 |
 |
| |
Virtual Tape Solutions offer:
- Shorter Batch Processing times -
disk writes much faster than tape.
- Elimination of high-
maintenance Tape Drives.
- Smaller Tape Libraries -
less floor space required in expensive raised floor environment.
- Reduced Operator Intervention -
another customer justified Virtual Tape System in one year
by being able to cut operations staff in half.
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Mainframe Appliance for Storage emulates 3490 tape drive
using an emulation from IBM called AWS. This allows the data set
to be written to an open-system storage device while maintaining
all the information necessary for the mainframe to read the “tape”
as if it were a standard 3490 cartridge.
Contention for tape drives and resource pend times are a thing
of the past. Because your data is stored in local disk arrays, tape
mount requests are satisfied nearly instantly.
In a SAN environment the data is written out to the disk device
via a Fibre Channel/Arbitrated Loop connection. Because of the FC/AL
architecture, the data can also be read by open system platforms
providing true data sharing capabilities.
In a NAS environment the Mainframe Appliance for Storage
is configured as an NFS (or CIFS) client and data is written to
an NFS (or CIFS) mount point.
DATA EXCHANGE
In many installations there is compelling requirement to exchange
mainframe data with open-system platforms. Typically this exchange
is in support of Data Warehousing or Data Mining applications. These
needs are satisfied with expensive and proprietary third party hardware
and/or software solutions.
The Mainframe Appliance for Storage makes this effort very
straightforward and simple, regardless of which mainframe operating
system you deploy or which open-systems platform you target.
In a data exchange environment the Mainframe Appliance for Storage
is configured as an NFS (or CIFS) client and data is written to
an NFS (or CIFS) mount point. The data is written to the NFS file
system as a flat file and is subsequently processed by the open-system
platform.
The Mainframe Appliance for Storage offers a cost-effective
solution to assist data centers in managing the enormous volumes
of data that is being generated by today’s ebusiness applications.
Contact Progress Systems To Learn more about Virtual Tape Solutions
for your mainframe configuration.
|
