Network requirements

The library supports an independent customer network.

It is the customer’s responsibility to provide the proper length Ethernet cable for this connectivity.

The base module controller card has two Ethernet ports, which offer primary and redundant customer network connectivity. See Rear panel.

These connections allow remote viewing and management of the library with the Management GUI.

Note: Have your network settings handy to use for entering on the Operator Panel. Your network settings can also be stored as hardcopy on Library Configuration Forms.

The secondary Ethernet port might be used for service. Three models are available for connection:

No Ethernet port - Service personnel can connect a laptop to the customer network to use the Management GUI.
Dedicated secondary Ethernet port - The secondary network port that is dedicated only for service personnel to connect a laptop directly to the library.
Secondary Ethernet port - The secondary network port can be disconnected and service personnel can use it to connect a laptop directly to the library.

IP range selection

For internal communication between modules, the tape library uses an Ethernet connection with an internal IP address range. To prevent any conflict between the internal IP address range and the external IP addresses, you must select the internal IP range. Choosing the Internal IP address range, and also entering the external IP address information is part of the initial setup of the library.

Supported browsers

IBM supports higher versions of the browsers if the vendors don’t remove or disable functions that the product relies upon. For browser levels higher than the versions that are certified with the product, customer support accepts usage-related and defect-related service requests. As with operating system and virtualization environments, if IBM support can’t re-create the issue in the lab, the client might be asked to re-create the problem on a certified browser version to determine whether a product defect exists. Defects aren’t accepted for cosmetic differences between browsers or browser versions that don’t affect the functional behavior of the product. If a problem is identified in the product, defects are accepted. If a problem is identified with the browser, IBM might investigate potential solutions or workarounds that the client can implement until a permanent solution becomes available.

Supported interfaces

This tape library supports the Gigabit Ethernet interface in either auto negotiation or fixed modes of 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, and 1 Gbps by using half or full duplex. The library supports the following TCP/IP protocols:

IPv4 and IPv6 support: This tape library supports Internet Protocol (IP) addresses in both IPv4 and IPv6 format. Both the integrated management console (IMC) and the management GUI allow the definition of IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. The key proxy determines the IP version that is used and presents the correct IP address and parameters to the IP Stack.
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP): SNMP traps are supported for drive and library events. SNMP management query functions are supported by using a standard Management Information Block (MIB).
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP): An embedded web server provides a management GUI for library management and query capabilities.
Secure Socket Layer (SSL): The tape library supports SSL, a protocol for transmitting private documents through the internet.
Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KMIP): Used for communicating with the IBM® Security Lifecycle Key Manager and other security key management software.
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP): The tape library supports SMTP for sending email alerts.
Network Time Protocol (NTP): The tape library supports NTP for external time-and-date synchronization.
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP): The tape library supports LDAP for centralized authentication.
Domain Name System (DNS): The tape library supports DNS for flexible IP addressing.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP): The library supports DHCP for automatically providing an Internet Protocol (IP) host with its IP address and other related configuration information, such as the subnet mask and default gateway.