Configuration and Tuning GPFS for Digital Media ... - IBM Redbooks

1.6.1 Advanced tape management with Enterprise Removable Media
Manager
The Enterprise Removable Media Manager (eRMM) is a service offering for tape
management which provides features deriving from similar mainframe
implementations for the open systems environment. It complements the
infrastructure to provide storage virtualization and advanced storage
management for removable media.
In addition, eRMM can be configured as an advanced library manager for tape
libraries with SCSI media changer (e.g., IBM TotalStorage® Ultra Scalable
Library 3584) to enable tape drive sharing across heterogeneous applications.
Managing tape storage in a complex environment
Today’s heterogeneous open system environments face the problem that there is
no central management for removable media resources (tape). As a result, each
application dealing with such removable media (e.g., backup systems) must
directly interface with the physical resource (drive, library).
Therefore each application must include its own removable media management
system. Hence, access control, administration and reporting of these resources
is spread across multiple applications. This makes its difficult (or nearly
impossible) to efficiently share libraries, cartridges and drives across
heterogeneous application and library boundaries.
On the other hand, customers demand improved manageability in order to
handle the rapidly growing removable storage resources. Customers want to add
storage or upgrade storage without making changes to each application, also
demand centralized removable media resource allocation to increase the
utilization of drives, and recycling the cartridges. Centralized administration is
required, as well as reporting and auditing to improve the productivity of storage
management personnel.
The list of issues to be addressed in complex storage environment includes:
► No central access control, administration, and reporting.
► Media management has to be done by every application.
► Difficult or nearly impossible to share libraries, drives, and scratch pools.
This is especially true in heterogeneous environments.
► Multitude of media changer and/or management interfaces
(SCSI, IBM 3494, STK ACSLS/LS, ADIC, etc.)
► Adding storage or upgrading storage technologies requires changes to every
application.
Chapter 1. Introduction to digital media 17