I would say yes, I'm currently in the process of doing this for 4 servers and/or LPAR's. I am going to connect all of them up to two LTO1 tape drives
in a different datacenter's library so that we wont have to send tapes offsite. They're only dev boxes that's why I want to stay with LTO1 tape
drives. They have a much lower data rate and less impact to our fibre ISL connections to that data center when feeding the drives.
But I'm a bit confused about you mentioning the second LPAR. Am I to understand that the second LPAR has it's very own 5704 card? If so then yes you
can point multiple servers to the same fibre connected tape drive. You will want to allocate them UNPROTECTED and BRMS will "understand" when they
are in use because the drive gets a lock condition that all servers in the BRMS network can see. By doing this, I'd recommend giving both LPAR's two
tape drives that way if one is busy the other LPAR will pick up the second and continue on it's merry way. That is unless you're proposing that your
first LPAR has two different classes of tape drives such as an LTO1 and an LTO2. But you only want to share the LTO1 between the two servers. If
that's the case then you'll have to remove the LTO2 from pointing to the second LPAR via the zone set. If the tape drive is currently busy when the
second LPAR issues it's save request it will just wait until the other server has relinquished control of the tape drive before it starts it's save.
Refer to IBM's documents about library management of devices under BRMS. You will need these servers to exist in the BRMS network for this to work.
Also with the servers in the same network, I believe they'll pick up different TAPMLB0* names. So server one will have TAPMLB01 and server two will
probably pick up the name TAPMLB02 even those the physical tape drive(s) under it is the same one that's connected to the first server. Another point
is that you can have more than one tape drive under the same TAPMLB0* library "device". So your first LPAR may have two TAP0* devices listed under
TAPMLB01. You'll see this because it's the same 5704 card connected to both of them. Just run a "WRKHDWRSC *STG" and look for the name TAPMLB0* to
see the library device that was created. I've removed tape drives, reconfig'd them and readded them with new names and I've never gotten a repeat. I
currently have TAPMLB01, 02, 04, 06, 08, 12, and MLB01 (which I'm working on fixing). This is speculation on this last response, anyone who has had
repeat names please speak up?
Good luck,
Bill Epperson Jr.
Systems Communications Analyst
Memorial Health System
(719) 365-8831
rob@xxxxxxxxx
Sent by: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx To
Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
cc
05/13/2009 12:24
Subject
5704 card to two tape drives.
Please respond to
Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
<midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
We have a 5704 fiber card. Currently the fiber goes to an IBM 2109-F16
SAN switch. From there to a tape drive.
Is it possible for one 5704 card to have two tape drives in the same zone,
and to back up to them at the same time?
For example
ZONE1
LPAR_1_5704_1
TAPMLB01
TAPMLB02
and have a SAV going to one and a SAVLIB going to the other at the same
time?
Now, if that is possible, is this possible:
ZONE1
LPAR_1_5704_1
TAPMLB01
TAPMLB02
ZONE2
LPAR_2_5704_1
TAPMLB02
and if LPAR1 is done with it's save can LPAR2 now do it's save? Or can I
not have one device (TAPMLB02) in two zones?
We routinely do this
ZONEA
LPAR_1_5704_1
LPAR_2_5704_1
TAPMLB01
and when lpar 1 is done then lpar 2 can have it's way with it. Both
lpar's have their own 5704 card. No vary off/on needed. Just leave them
varied on.
Rob Berendt
--
Group Dekko Services, LLC
Dept 01.073
Dock 108
6928N 400E
Kendallville, IN 46755
http://www.dekko.com
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