Tape automation provides satisfactory solutions for many of the problems that occur when tape library storage requires human intervention. Mount times are reduced from minutes to seconds. The number of lost, misfiled, or damaged tapes decreases. Security is enhanced because the tape library hardware and tape cartridges can be kept in a secure area. Customers experience the benefits of a cost-effective, efficient, and automated method for storing their tape media, and they drastically reduce the amount of human intervention required to maintain their tape storage environments.
The IBM Automated Tape Libraries and their supporting software streamline and automate the roles of the storage administrator, tape operator, and the tape librarian. They also use the concepts of SMS to manage the tape volumes within the library.
For a discussion of the IBM TotalStorage Enterprise Automated Tape Library (3495) and the IBM TotalStorage Enterprise Automated Tape Library (3494), see TotalStorage Automated Tape Library (3495) system attachment and TotalStorage Automated Tape Library (3494) system attachment. For a discussion of the System Storage Tape Library (3584), see System Storage Automated Tape Library (3584) system attachment.