If you weren't maxing out your existing fiber adapter/ports, you could combine your backups onto one possibly two fiber adapters.
My question would be does reducing your fiber adapter count from four down to one/two gain you. Does it reduce an expansion tower? Does it allow you to gain needed ports on your switch versus buying another one? Basically, does the reduction of physical I/O footprint justify the "admittedly low" administrative overhead of a VIOS partition. I am a proponent for virtualization but there are times when it doesn't always justify the complication.
Patrick Bingham | Principal Power Systems Engineer
Office: 402.965.2381 | Mobile: 402.212.2944 | Patrick.Bingham@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sirius Computer Solutions | www.siriuscom.com
14301 FNB Parkway, Suite 400, Omaha, NE 68154
-----Original Message-----
From: rob@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:rob@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2013 9:05 AM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: RE: Fibre Channel Tape Sharing on Guest Partition
Currently, without vios, I have
Device/
Resource Status Allocation
TAPKVL01 VARIED ON
TAP02 OPERATIONAL UNPROTECTED
TAP01 OPERATIONAL UNPROTECTED
TAP03 OPERATIONAL UNPROTECTED
I do not vary any item off/on.
If lpar1 is doing a backup it backs up to TAPKVL01. And one of the drives randomly goes active.
If lpar2 is doing a backup it also backs up to TAPKVL01. And one of the drives randomly goes active.
If lpar3 is doing a backup it also backs up to TAPKVL01. And the remaining drive is used.
If lpar4 tries to do a backup it's not going to end well. We do schedule that one's backup to run later.
This all works great. All set up with BRMS. The only problem is that each lpar has their own fiber card all going to the same switch and then to the same tape library.
From what everyone here is saying virtualizing the tape brings nothing
to
the party unless I just want to use older tape cards which may not be supported on IBM i but may be supported on VIOS. I would still need to have the same number of cards?
Rob Berendt
--
IBM Certified System Administrator - IBM i 6.1 Group Dekko Dept 1600 Mail to: 2505 Dekko Drive
Garrett, IN 46738
Ship to: Dock 108
6928N 400E
Kendallville, IN 46755
http://www.dekko.com
From: "Patrick.Bingham@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <Patrick.Bingham@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 11/22/2013 09:38 AM
Subject: RE: Fibre Channel Tape Sharing on Guest Partition
Sent by: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
It's just terminology so please don't take offense. The concept below is
correct.
The tape library device can be varied on in more than one partition at one
time. It's the drive device description that can only be varied on in one
partition at a time. If you use the library description in your backup
commands, the system will manage the device vary on/off.
Patrick Bingham | Principal Power Systems Engineer
Office: 402.965.2381 | Mobile: 402.212.2944
| Patrick.Bingham@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sirius Computer Solutions | www.siriuscom.com
14301 FNB Parkway, Suite 400, Omaha, NE 68154
-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Oberholtzer [mailto:midrangel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2013 8:26 AM
To: 'Midrange Systems Technical Discussion'
Subject: RE: Fibre Channel Tape Sharing on Guest Partition
Rob,
Each tape library can only be varied on at one partition at a time, but
you would not need to move the card at all.
With respect to VOIS, you can run a VIOS partition solely for the sake of
virtualizing the tape and other items like that and still run you IBM
partitions in native hardware or as Guest partitions to IBM i. Just
because you have VIOS does not mean you have to put everything there. I'm
thinking a long discussion with an technical architect with the
appropriate
experience is in order. Your business partner has a couple of those guys
working for them and of course you can guess the multiple people on this
list might be in that category as well.
--
Jim
-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of rob@xxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2013 7:10 AM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: RE: Fibre Channel Tape Sharing on Guest Partition
So, with VIOS, I could have one fiber card supporting multiple lpars, all
using the same card at the same time? I know that modern tape drives,
with modern attachments, often run faster than IBM i can drive them.
Assuming that the library has multiple drives (like ours does) at which
point can you start saying perhaps a second card is needed?
We will probably be going the VIOS route with our next hardware round
(probably 1Q 2014). We're just hoping to put it off until then.
Rob Berendt
--
IBM Certified System Administrator - IBM i 6.1 Group Dekko Dept 1600 Mail
to: 2505 Dekko Drive
Garrett, IN 46738
Ship to: Dock 108
6928N 400E
Kendallville, IN 46755
http://www.dekko.com
From: "Jim Oberholtzer" <midrangel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "'Midrange Systems Technical Discussion'"
<midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 11/22/2013 07:48 AM
Subject: RE: Fibre Channel Tape Sharing on Guest Partition
Sent by: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
That's what NPIV does for you Rob.
-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of rob@xxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2013 6:16 AM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: Fibre Channel Tape Sharing on Guest Partition
Do you have san fiber tape support set up through VIOS also?
Rob Berendt
--
IBM Certified System Administrator - IBM i 6.1 Group Dekko Dept 1600 Mail
to: 2505 Dekko Drive
Garrett, IN 46738
Ship to: Dock 108
6928N 400E
Kendallville, IN 46755
http://www.dekko.com
From: DrFranken <midrange@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 11/21/2013 11:40 PM
Subject: Re: Fibre Channel Tape Sharing on Guest Partition
Sent by: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
If you have VIOS in the mix you can virtualize like crazy. Both tap and
disk. I just finished a major install with Pete that's all Fiber Channel
storage through SAN Switches and VIO to V3700. Once a few bits are set
up in VIOS you simply create storage on the SAN and attach it to
whichever partition that needs it. Shazam more disk. Tape is the same.
Since VIOS is needed for other advanced functions as well such as
mobility, memory sharing and more, it makes sense that VIOS would bring
all that support first.
- Larry "DrFranken" Bolhuis
www.frankeni.com
www.iDevCloud.com
www.iInTheCloud.com
On 11/21/2013 12:29 PM, Paul Raulerson wrote:
Slightly OT, but I wonder if anyone knows why Fibre Channel support is
so difficult to virtualize? Just in general terms.
Fibre connected SAN storage is a huge benefit to most business
configurations.
Even a tiny system like a DS3500 can support the i - rather the DS3500
supports IBM VIOS 2.1.3 wit h IBM i 6.1 or later. And it can support flash
copy and other. (Okay, for comparison, you can can configure 18TB of raw
storage (i.e. about 13TB in RAID 5) for about $16K. That's significant
change, but how much would it cost to put that much storage directly on an
i?
Or are there just better solutions than I, being way out of date, am
unaware of?
Anyways, it would seem that fibre connections would be one of the first
things virtualized, but it usually seems to be one of the last. Judging by
"i" and VMWare. The zSeries machines can all virtualize fibre connections
(FICON and FibreChannel) without breaking a sweat, but then, those
machines do not have any internal DASD options. :)
-Paul
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