How to configure Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) Tape Library with Multiple device type drives

Tivoli Storage Manager supports both single device type drives & multiple device type drives  for example, a StorageTek L40 library contains one DLT drive and one LTO Ultrium drive. In this post we will see how to configure Tape Library with multiple device type drives in TSM environment.

How to Configure Multiple device type drives in TSM

• Define a SCSI library named MIXEDLIB. The library type is SCSI because the library is a SCSI-controlled automated library. Use the following command:

        define library mixedlib libtype=scsi

• Define a path from the server to the library. The DEVICE parameter specifies the device driver's name for the drive, which is the device special file name.

          define path server1 mixedlib srctype=server desttype=library device=/dev/lb3

• Now, Define the drives in the library:

             define drive mixedlib dlt1
             define drive mixedlib lto1

• Both drives belong to the MIXEDLIB library. This example uses the default for the drive's element address. The server obtains the element address from the drive itself at the time that the path is defined. The element address is a number that indicates the physical location of a drive within an automated library. The server needs the element address to connect the physical location of the drive to the drive's SCSI address. You can have the server obtain the element address from the drive itself at the time that the path is defined, or you can specify the element address when you define the drive. Depending on the capabilities of the library, the server may not be able to automatically detect the element address. In this case you must supply the element address when you define the drive. 

• Define a path from the server to each drive. The DEVICE parameter specifies the device driver's name for the drive, which is the device special file name.

define path server1 dlt1 srctype=server desttype=drive library=mixedlib device=/dev/mt4

define path server1 lto1 srctype=server desttype=drive library=mixedlib device=/dev/mt5

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If you did not include the element address when you defined the drive, the server now queries the library to obtain the element address for the drive.

• Classify the drives according to type by defining Tivoli Storage Manager device classes, which specify the recording formats of the drives.

• This is the important step, Do not use the DRIVE format, which is the default. Because the drives are different types, Tivoli Storage Manager uses the format specification to select a drive. The results of using the DRIVE format in a mixed media library are unpredictable.

        define devclass dlt_class library=mixedlib devtype=dlt format=dlt40
       define devclass lto_class library=mixedlib devtype=lto format=ultriumc

• Verify your definitions by issuing the following commands

         query library
         query drive
        query path
        query devclass

• Define storage pools associated with the device classes. For example:

         define stgpool lto_pool lto_class maxscratch=20
        define stgpool dlt_pool dlt_class maxscratch=20

• Scratch volumes are empty volumes that are labeled and available for use. If you allow scratch volumes for the storage pool by specifying a value for the maximum number of scratch volumes, the server can choose from the scratch volumes available in the library, without further action on your part. If you do not allow scratch volumes, you must perform the extra step of explicitly defining each volume to be used in the storage pool.

• Collocation is turned off by default. Collocation is a process by which the server attempts to keep all files belonging to a client node or client file space on a minimal number of volumes. Once clients begin storing data in a storage pool with collocation off, you cannot easily change the data in the storage pool so that it is collocated.

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