IBM TS7700 Virtualization Server TS7720 TS7740
The IBM TS7700 Virtualization Server provides customizable and scalable architecture for IBM Mainframe System z platform to meet demanding storage and management requirements of application storage and permanent archive media. The TS7700 is an integrated, tiered storage hierarchy of disk and tape, that stores recent, frequently accessed IBM z data on disk to maximize performance in backup-and-restore operations, while moving older, less accessed data to tape, minimizing storage costs and securing long term retention. The TS7700 can also fulfill long term archive storage requirements on tape, which also require disk performance and capabilities. The TS7700 will reduce batch processing time, total cost of ownership, and storage management overhead.
When the TS7700 is attached to a tape library, the TS7700 Server manages the physical tape drives, or physical volumes, in the tape library and controls the movement of data between physical and virtual volumes. The TS7700 Cache temporarily holds data before writing it to tape, caches the data after a read or write operation to provide fast subsequent access, and provides source data when replicating to another cluster in a Grid. When a virtual volume is read from the TS7700 Cache DDMs and written to a physical volume, data migration is said to have occurred and the virtual volume becomes a physical volume. Conversely, when a virtual volume is moved from a physical volume to the TS7700 Cache, a recall is said to have occurred and the virtual volume again becomes a virtual volume. A physical volume can contain one or more virtual volumes; a physical volume that contains more than one virtual volume is referred to as a stacked volume.
When the TS7700 is not attached to a tape library, all data is held in virtual volumes in the TS7700 Cache. In both configurations (with or without an attached physical library), caching algorithms ensure the cache is full of the most recently created and/or accessed data. The caching algorithms may also be influenced by cache management policies as part of the advanced policy management functions. In both configurations, the replication of a virtual volume from one site to another across the connecting infrastructure (grid network) is referred to as a copy.
The TS7700 is made up of the following components:
- TS7700 Virtualization Server, includes System Unit and Expansion Unit with I/O drawers TS7720 & TS7740
- TS7700 3956-CS9 Cache Controller
- TS7700 3956-XS9 Cache Drawers (optional depending on configuration)
- IBM 3952 Tape Frame
A TS7700 is enclosed by a IBM 3952 tape frame, containing the TS7700 Server and TS7700 Cache, as well as additional components such as switches and power distribution units for connection to independent power sources. The 3952 Tape Frame can house either a TS7720 or a TS7740. A 3952 Tape Frame used with a TS7720 can be designated as a TS7720 Storage Expansion Frame. When attached to a TS7720, the TS7720 Storage Expansion Frame expands the TS7720 Cache by adding two additional TS7720 Cache Controllers, each with the capacity to support up to five additional TS7720 Cache Drawers.
Note: A TS7720 must be fully configured (contain a complete seven-drawer TS7720 Cache) before it can attach to a TS7720 Storage Expansion Frame.
The TS7700 Virtualization Server (3957-V07 or 3957-VEB) facilitates data transfer between the host and data storage, as well as to and from physical tape drives when the TS7700 connects to a physical tape library. The TS7700 Server comprises a server and two drawers for I/O adapters. The TS7700 Server controls virtualization processes such as host connectivity and device virtualization, and hierarchical storage management (HSM) functions such as storage, replication, and organization of data across physical media and libraries. The TS7700 Server System Unit (3957-V07 or 3957-VEB) includes gigabit copper and optical fiber Ethernet adapters for grid configuration connection. The TS7700 Server performs the following major functions:
- Host connectivity
- Virtualization of tape drives and media, when connected to a physical tape library
- Storage, replication, and organization of data, including organization across tape libraries and physical media when connected to a physical tape library
The TS7700 Server Expansion Unit for the 3957-V07 or 3957-VEB includes two input/output (I/O) drawers, which are identically configured and simultaneously active. The I/O drawers contain ports for connection to the host, to other internal component interfaces, and to tape drives when the TS7700 Server is connected to a tape library.
The TS7700 Cache Drawer acts as an expansion unit for the TS7700 Cache Controller, and collectively both are referred to as the TS7700 Cache. The amount of cache available per TS7700 Cache Drawer depends on your configuration. The TS7700 Cache Controller consists of a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) controller and associated Security Encryption Drive (SED), encryption-capable disk storage media, which act as cache storage for data. The TS7700 Cache Controller contains up to 24 disk drive modules (DDMs), depending on your configuration.
The TS7720 Cache Controller contains 12 DDMs, which each have a capacity of 3 TB (2.73 TiB). Total usable capacity per controller is 24 TB (21.83 TiB) when used with RAID-6 formatting. The base TS7720 Cache (contained by the TS7720 Base Frame) can be configured to contain up to nine TS7720 Cache Drawers attached to one TS7720 Cache Controller. Fully configured, the base TS7720 Cache has a total usable capacity of 238.79 TB (217.18 TiB). The TS7720 virtual tape system has two configuration options: The TS7720 tape attach connects to a physical library, and the disk-only TS7720 system does not connect to a physical library. Both TS7720 options ship with the TS7720 Server model 3957-VEB. This model can be also used as a replacement in any of the current 3957-VEA configurations. The TS7720 Cache ships with 3 TB (2.73 TiB) SAS drives and can contain up to 240 TB (218.28 TiB) of raw disk cache in the TS7720 Base Frame. An option is available to expand the disk cache to a maximum of 1007.86 TB (916.65 TiB) of usable capacity by attaching to a maximum of two TS7720 Storage Expansion Frames. This option enables each additional TS7720 Cache Controller to function as a "head" of its own "string" of TS7720 Cache Drawers, creating a TS7720 Cache that operates with multiple heads of cache strings.
For extended cache capacity you can order “FC 7323, TS7720 Storage expansion frame” against a new 3952 Tape Frame and “FC 9323 Expansion frame attachment” against the TS7720 Base Frame to attach a fully configured TS7720 to the TS7720 Storage Expansion Frame. This cache expansion frame contains one additional TS7720 Cache Controller with the capacity to support up to 15 TS7720 Cache Drawers.
Note: Raw capacity shown is that of the RAID subsystem. The General Parallel File System (GPFS) formatted capacity is the capacity that remains after the RAID is divided into logical unit numbers (LUNs), which are assigned to usable file systems. Usable capacity is that which exists after microcode introduces a read-only usage ceiling. A fully-configured base TS7720 Cache can be expanded by attaching to a TS7720 Storage Expansion Frame using 7332 TS7720 Encryption-capable expansion frame. The TS7720 Storage Expansion Frame adds one TS7720 Cache Controllers (3956-CS9), which can attach to a maximum of 15 TS7720 Cache Drawers (3 TB 3956-XS9). In the TS7720 Storage Expansion Frame, each TS7720 Cache Controller and its attached TS7720 Cache Drawers are referred to as "strings", with each TS7720 Cache Controller acting as the "head of the string".
The TS7720 Storage Expansion Frame is a 3952 Tape Frame designated as a cache expansion frame for use with a fully-configured TS7720 Base Frame. The TS7720 Storage Expansion Frame enables expansion of the TS7720 Cache by attaching up to two additional storage frames. Each frame contains one additional TS7720 Cache Controller, which can attach to a maximum of 15 additional TS7720 Cache Drawers, resulting in a maximum addition of 16 TS7720 Cache units within each TS7720 Storage Expansion Frame. A maximally configured TS7720 Base Frame with two attached and maximally configured TS7720 Storage Expansion Frames contains 42 total cache units.
A new TS7720 Storage Expansion Frame can be added to a TS7720 Base Frame fully-configured with a 3956-CS9 cache controller and nine 3956-XS9 cache drawers using 7332 TS7720 Encryption-capable expansion frame. A TS7720 Base Frame that contains 3956-CS7 or 3956-CS8 cache controllers but is not fully-configured can add a TS7720 Storage Expansion Frame containing a 3956-CS9 cache controller and up to 15 3956-XS9 cache drawers.
The TS7720 Cache Controller provides RAID-protected virtual volume disk storage for fast retrieval of data from cache. The TS7720 Cache Controller is a self-contained 2U enclosure that mounts in the 3952 Tape Frame.
The TS7740 Cache Controller contains 22 DDMs, which each have a potential capacity up to 600 GB (558.78 GiB). Total usable capacity per controller is 9.33 TB (8.49 TiB) when used with RAID-6 formatting. The TS7740 Cache Controller is a self-contained 2U enclosure that mounts in a 3952 Tape Frame. The TS7740 Cache Controller provides RAID-protected virtual volume disk storage to temporarily hold data from the host before writing to physical tape, then caches the data to allow fast retrieval from the disk. The TS7740 virtual tape system connects to a physical library and ships with the TS7740 Server model 3957-V07. This model can be used as a replacement in any of the current 3957-V06 configurations using 300 GB (279 GiB) or 600 GB (558 GiB) Fibre Channel drives. The TS7740 Cache ships with 600 GB (558 GiB), encryption-capable, SAS drives and can contain up to 28.8 TB (26.21 TiB) of raw disk capacity.
The TS7700 can be used in conjunction with tape library attachments, drives, and media attached to a IBM z system. The TS7740 and the TS7720 tape attach provide storage virtualization for host systems attached to the IBM TS3500 tape library (3584 Tape Library). The TS7740 provides storage virtualization for IBM z systems attached to the 3494 tape library.
A TS7740 or a TS7720 tape attach attached to a TS3500 tape library or 3584 Tape Library, and interfaces directly with tape drives in the library. When attached to a TS3500 tape library, the TS7700 can attach only to 3592 Tape Drives. Up to 16 3592 Tape Drives can be attached; the tape drives must reside in either Model L22, L23, D22, or D23 frames in the tape library. Each frame can contain up to 12 3592 Tape Drives. Attachment of the TS7700 to the 3494 tape library involves power control, interface to tape drives in the tape library, and communication with the Library Manager in the tape library. The 3494 tape library contains an internal Library Manager, so there is no need for an external Library Manager that the TS3500 tape library requires.
