Hardware withdrawal: IBM TS3500 Tape Library models L23 and L53 and select features

Do you remember when the TS3500 base frames were first announced ? No ?
I also had to look it up : the L23 and L53 were first announced in May 2006 and now their End of Marketing date was announced : 'Hardware withdrawal: IBM TS3500 Tape Library models L23 and L53 and select features - Some replacements available (ZG16-0129)'.

Effective October 7, 2017 you will no longer be able to order the L23 (base frame for 3592) and L53 (base frame for LTO) frames. This seems like a logical evolution. We have a replacement in the meantime with the TS4500 L25 and TS4500 L55 frames.

So I wonder who would still want to order a new TS3500 Tape Library for the moment, when the TS4500 is a valid replacement. But don't worry if you want to expand an existing TS3500 : since the D23 and D53 frames are not mentioned and no field installs are mentioned either, I assume that you can still order additional expansion frames on the TS3500 tape library.

Here's some information on the TS4500 Tape library

• The IBM TS4500 Overview page where you can find a demo, the Data Sheet and an Infographic on 'Why TS4500 for z Systems'
• The IBM Knowledge Center TS4500 documentation page

FLASH: Info Letter: Changes to ECC broadband callhome server IP addresses

This Flash concerns the call home function of the TSSC (TS3000 System Console), which is the console that's used for IBM tape products like the TS3500 Tape Library (3584), the TS7700 Virtualization Engine, the TS7650 Deduplication product(s) ... If you want a clear introduction to the TSSC and the Electronic Customer Care & Assist On Site, you can find a very good presentation by Joachim Müller over here.

ECC is used "to provide broadband connectivity for both Dial-in and/or Dial-out for the attached Tape Products. While TS3000 supports modem attachment for Dial-in and Dial-out as well, broadband connectivity is the recommended method in todays infrastructure".

Now, what's the Flash about ? I'm taking over most of the content

Abstract

The IP addresses for some of the ECC target server are being changed. 

Background:
As documented in the IBM Data Protection & Retention (DP&R) System Connectivity and Security Whitepaper v2.10 from 4/16, one server will be discontinued and replaced by a new server, for both basic ECC callhome as well as ECC Edge callhome. www.ibm.com/support/techdocs/atsmastr.nsf/WebIndex/WP102531
--> This link doesn't seem to work, so try V2.20 of the document over here.

Solution (Procedure):
Customer network configuration may need to be updated in order to allow the ECC client running on TSSC to be able to connect to the new server IP address through the customer firewall or proxy server.
Failure to update firewall/proxy rules may eventually result in failure to successfully call home.
Note: No changes are required to TSSC configuration itself. Updated ECC configuration is downloaded by the callhome process automatically.


For completeness, here are the products that are affected

• TS3500 Tape Library (3584)
• TS7700 Virtualization Engine)
• TS7650 Deduplication Appliance (3958-AP1) ProtecTIER Appliance Edition
• TS7650G Deduplication Gateway (3958-DD1-5) ProtecTIER Enterprise Edition

Recent security vulnerabilities

OK, I admit, you haven't heard much of me lately but I've been too busy with other stuff that was not all that mainframe related. Still, I couldn't help noticing that there were quite some security issues lately. So, I thought I'd put up a couple of links that might be helpful. And I hope I'll find the time to blog a little more again from now on.

• Security Bulletin: Vulnerability in SSLv3 affects IBM Virtualization Engine TS7700 (CVE-2014-3566)
  SSLv3 contains a vulnerability that has been referred to as the Padding Oracle On Downgraded Legacy Encryption (POODLE) attack. SSLv3 is enabled in IBM Virtualization Engine TS7700.
  
• Security Bulletin: Vulnerability in SSLv3 affects TS3500 (CVE-2014-3566)
  SSLv3 contains a vulnerability that has been referred to as the Padding Oracle On Downgraded Legacy Encryption (POODLE) attack. SSLv3 is enabled in TS3500.
  
• Security Bulletin: POODLE vulnerability in SSLv3 affects IBM Explorer for z/OS and IBM CICS Explorer (CVE-2014-3566)
  SSLv3 contains a vulnerability that has been referred to as the Padding Oracle On Downgraded Legacy Encryption (POODLE) attack. This vulnerability affects all versions of IBM Explorer for z/OS and IBM CICS Explorer.
  
• Security Bulletin: A Security vulnerability has been discovered in Apache Struts which impacts the DS8000 GUI (CVE-2014-0114)
  
  A security vulnerability has been discovered in Apache Struts which impacts the DS8000 GUI

IBM Announcement : Withdrawal of the 3953 Library Manager

I guess the title of the announcement says it all : 'Hardware withdrawal: IBM TotalStorage 3953 Library Manager Model L05, select features for IBM TotalStorage 3953 Tape Frame, and select features for IBM Virtualization Engines TS7510, TS7520, and TS7530 - Some replacements available (ZG11-0221)'.

Time goes fast, so I'll try to reconstruct some of the history behind this. The IBM 3494 Tape Library had its built-in library managament functions. When the TS3500 (3584) was introduced for the mainframe at around 2005, it didn't have these library functions. So IBM introduced the 3953 Library Manager with its own frame in which also tape controllers could be built in. It was also used to connect to the TS7700 Virtualization engine. By 2009, the TS7700 could have its own library management functions and did no longer need the 3953. Now, a couple of weeks ago IBM introduced the new 3592 C07 Tape Controller that also has its own library management functionality. So . . . exit the 3953 Library Manager.

This became effective August 9, 2011.

May 9 - Tape announcements

Monday there were 4 announcements around tape. If you've already seen some info about it, I'd say : don't get too excited when you work in a regular mainframe shop. Most (if not all) of them only apply to open systems. There's a new tape drive TS1140 (ZG11-0139), a new tape cartridge (ZG11-0152), a new TS3500 Tape Library Connector (ZG11-0138) and a new version of LTFS (ZP11-0215).

TS1140 Tape Drive Model E07
Tape Cartridge 3599
This is the successor of the TS1130 Tape Drive Model E06 and it drives up the native data rate performance from 160 MB/s to 250 MB/s. If formats uncompressed cartridges of up to 4TB, which more than doubles the capacity of the previous generation. Furthermore it has Dual 8Gb fibre channel interfaces with 650 MB/s max compressed data rate.

There are three new 3592 cartridge models :

• JC - 4 TB IBM Enterprise Advanced Data Tape
• JY - 4 TB IBM Enterprise Advanced WORM Tape
• JK - 500 GB IBM Enterprise Economy Data Tape

it's amazing how fast things evolve. Just a couple of years ago, the 500GB cartridge was the largest version. Oh well, I just looked it up, time flies, it was actually 2005. Is there some kind of Moore's law on the growth of data cartridge capacity ?

Remains the question : why only for open systems ? Is it because the TS1120 controller wouldn't be able to catch up with this speed ? If so, is there a new controller coming ? Or does IBM have something entirely new up its sleeve ? I don't know and my crystal ball doesn't seem to be working today.

Planned availability for the TS1140 is June 3, 2011. Planned availability for the cartridge is July 22, 2011. Strangely enough almost two months later than the tape drive for which it's designed.

TS3500 Tape Library enhancements
The are two things to tell about the TS3500 tape library. First of all it supports the new tape drive. Second, there's the new TS3500 Tape Library Connector Model SC1.

Click on image for larger version in new window

It "enables extreme scalability of over 300,000 LTO cartridges (or over 900 PB of uncompressed TS1140 data) in a single library image by supporting transport of cartridges from one TS3500 library string to another TS3500 library string". I guess the picture gives you a good idea if the concept.
Again, no mention of System z.

Planned availability varies. Take a look over here for more information.

Linear Tape File System
Last but not least, there was also a new version of LTFS (Linear Tape File System) which makes it available on Tape Libraries like the TS3500. In short, LTFS makes it possible to present the content of a tape as a directory and lets you simply pick the file you want to access. But for the moment it's only with LTO5 and Linux RHEL 5.5. More info on LTFS on the IBM site or on Wikipedia.

LTO Ultrium 5 announcement

Last week I told you about a webcast next Thursday talking "about a host of new offerings". Well, despite the fact that it's only Monday, I see we already have the first announcements about storage. IBM announces the LTO Ultrium 5 tape and tape drive. Here's a summary of the several announcements about it. Browsing through the announcement for the TS3500 library ('IBM System Storage TS1050 Tape Drive offers an Ultrium 5 Tape Drive for the TS3500 Tape Library - ZG10-0101)', here are the main characteristics :

• Increases maximum data transfer rate, providing to up to 140 MB/sec native as compared to LTO Ultrium 4
• Provides up to 1.5 TB native physical capacity per cartridge (3.0 TB with 2:1 compression) with Ultrium 5 1.5 TB cartridge
• Includes a 8-Gbps Fibre Channel dual-ported interface attachment
• Supports LTO5 media partitioning and self-describing tape
• Supports encryption capabilities and requires IBM Tivoli® Key Lifecycle Manager (TKLM) for encryption key management
• Adheres to LTO specifications
• Mounts in TS3500 Tape Library Model L53 or D53, and in 3584 Tape Library Models L52, L32, D52, or D32

I think that's pretty much following the roadmap for the LTO drive technology.

Planned availability date : April 16, 2010

TS7700 and TS3500 : new functions

For the TS7700 and TS3500 there wasn't actually a real announcement last week. As far as I can see, there were only firmware upgrades for which no announcement is needed.

You can find the new functions for the TS3500 Tape Library R9A on the IBM support pages or on the TS3500 Information Center. Here's a short summary :

• Support for greater than 6260/6887 slots : you can now have 15.000 slots for 3592 media and 20.000 slots for LTO media.
  
• Inventory Self-Correction
• Key Path Diagnostics via the Web Specialist
• Automatically set HD slot offline for specific errors
• SNMP Audit Logging
• SNMP traps for EKM/TKLM communication failure, tape drive TapeAlert 18, new unassigned cartridge, and all doors closed
• Added Offline slot count on System Summary web page

The new functions of the TS7700 R1.6 can be found in the data sheet. Here's a short summary :

• 2-way grid has been enhanced up to 4-way grid support
  
• TS7720 and TS7740 can now be combined in the same grid. This "allows a TS7720 to use a TS7740 as an archival installation providing full back end tape functionality"
• Virtual WORM Tape media are supported : "microcode capabilities allow the TS7700 Virtualization Engine to support a virtual equivalent of write once read many (WORM) tape media".
• Machine code install should be improved and installation time should be significantly reduced.

New frames for the TS3500

Yesterday IBM made an announcement of two new, driveless frames for the TS3500 or 3584 Tape Library : 'New IBM System Storage TS3500 Tape Library Models S24 and S54 support higher density' (ZG08-0632). These driveless frames offer a higher density and therefore a higher capacity per frame. For the LTO frames there's the S54 frame with up to 1.320 slots offering a 3:1 increase in capacity. Replacing a model D23 by a S24 gives you a 2,5:1 increase with up to a thousand slots instead of 400. 600 slots are ready for use and you need an additional HD (High Density) CoD (Capacity on Demand) feature in order to use the next 400 slots.

Now don't think you can have up to 15.000 slots with all S24 frames. Apparantly it's limited to six frames and the maximum slots is 6.887 slots. I'm not exactly sure how this number is reached and I can't find much additional information for the moment.

The structure seems to be a tiered architecture. Up to now a cartridge cell only contained one cartridge. These cells are 'tiered' and can contain more than one cartridge. How this is actually operated in the TS3500, I'm not sure for the moment, but I guess pretty soon, more information will be coming our way about this.

Planned availability : November 7, 2008 (some additional features will be later).

Techdocs & 3584 Slot Calculator

Techdocs is one of those places IBM created which to me are underestimated. I try to check it out quite regularly as you can find lots of information, white papers, tools etc. on Sytem z and storage. In fact it's broader than that also e.g. covering System i and p. You find techdocs here
One document (excel sheet) that caught my attention today is the 3584 calculator. You can give in your configuration of your 3584 and it gives you how much TB you have available. You can also use it for sizing a 3584 playing with number of drives, number of I/O slots, number of frames etc. Here's where you can find the slot calculator