Introduction

Introductory information about IBM® Tape System Library Manager.

Management of tape drives and media can be a challenge in large open systems tape environments. The following issues are common with tape drives and tape media:

• Static links between tape resources and applications
• Limited resource sharing in heterogeneous and even in large homogeneous configurations
• Cartridge management must be done by each application

IBM Tape System Library Manager (TSLM) provides a resource management layer between applications such as IBM Spectrum Protect and the tape library hardware. Essentially, TSLM decouples tape resource from applications, which simplifies both the aggregation and the sharing of tape resources.

TSLM provides the following benefits:

• Consolidated, mainframe-class media management services
• Centralized repository, access control, and administration
• Management beyond physical library boundaries
  • Access multiple IBM System Storage® TS3500 Tape Libraries, or TS4500 Tape Libraries, as a single library image.
  • TS3500 Tape Libraries can be separate (at SAN distances) or connected in a shuttle complex.
• Dynamic sharing of resources across heterogeneous application boundaries
• Security features to permit or prevent application access to tapes
  • Helps to enable common scratch pool and private pools for every application
  • Ensures secure usage and visibility
• Policy-based drive and cartridge allocation
• Policy-based media-lifecycle management
• IBM Spectrum Protect enhancements
  • Simplified path management in IBM Spectrum Protect
  • Simplified device sharing
• 3494 Emulation
  • Emulation of an IBM 3494 library on top of an attached TS3500 library