HP OpenVMS Systems

OpenVMS storage



OpenVMS Tape Library Connectivity Strategy

The primary method for connecting tape libraries into an OpenVMS server is through the use of a shared Fibre Channel SAN environment. Placing enterprise and modular tape libraries into a SAN allows shared connectivity from both AlphaServer and Integrity server OpenVMS systems, as well as other heterogeneous server environments. All of the backup and archival software solutions for OpenVMS allows for management of these shared library environments.


Some earlier AlphaServer environments supported direct-attach of enterprise and modular tape libraries through a SCSI connection. However, newer libraries are not supported in this fashion (see the OpenVMS Operating System Software Product Description for specifics). Integrity servers do NOT support direct attachment of ANY tape library.


For direct-attach tape connectivity outside of a shared SAN environment, OpenVMS supports individual tape drives, as well as certain Autoloader tape configurations, on AlphaServer and Integrity server systems. (See the OpenVMS Operating System Software Product Description for specifics.)


Support matrix for HP StorageWorks Tape Libraries with ABS and SLS

The following matrices describe the supported tape libraries and tape drives for the Archive Backup System (ABS) and Storage Library System (SLS) products. Included are restrictions and the status of qualifications that may be in progress. This matrix is updated frequently as new support is declared. Each of the two matrices below has the minimum version of ABS or SLS (as the table may be) that may be used with the corresponding tape library and tape drive combination.


ABS - Minimum Version
Tape Library
Tape drive type
 Restrictions  
  LTO6 LTO5 LTO4 LTO3 LTO2 SDLT SDLT
2		 SDLT
600		 DLT DD
S-3		 DD
S-4		  
Enterprise Class Libraries
ESL-E
Series		 NA NA 4.4A 4.3A 4.3A NA 4.3A 4.3A NA NA NA R1, R2
ESL
9595		 NA NA NA NA 4.3A 4.3A 4.3A 4.3A NA NA NA R1, R2
ESL
9322		 NA NA NA NA 4.3A 4.3A 4.3A 4.3A NA NA NA R2
ESL
9326		 NA NA NA NA NA 4.3A NA NA 4.3A NA NA R2
ESL
9198		 NA NA NA NA NA 4.3A NA NA 4.3A NA NA R2
ESL G3 Series 4.5(1202) 4.5(1201) 4.5(1201) NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA R1,R2
VLS 12000 NA NA 4.4A 4.4A 4.4A NA 4.4A NA 4.4A NA NA  
VLS 12200 NA NA 4.4A 4.4A 4.4A NA 4.4A NA 4.4A NA NA  
SKM NA NA 4.4A NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA ESL/EML libraries only
EML
 E-Series		 NA NA 4.4A 4.3A 4.3A NA NA NA NA NA NA R1,
R2,
 R4
Business Class Libraries
MSL
50XX		 NA NA NA NA NA 4.3A 4.3A NA 4.3A NA NA ABS
-R2
MSL
60XX		 NA NA 4.4A 4.3A 4.3A NA NA 4.3A NA NA NA R1,
R2,
R3
MSL
2024		 4.5 (1202) 4.5 (1201) 4.4A 4.4 4.4 NA NA NA NA NA NA  
MSL
4048		 4.5 (1202) 4.5 (1201) 4.4A 4.4 4.4 NA NA NA NA NA NA  
MSL
8096		 4.5(1202) 4.5 (1201) 4.4A 4.4A NA 4.4A NA NA NA NA NA  
MSL
LTO-4
Encry-
ption kit 		NA   4.5 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA MSLG3
libraries
only (MSL 8096/
4048/
2024)
VLS
 6000		 NA NA 4.4A 4.3A 4.3A NA 4.3A NA 4.3A NA NA R1, R2,
R4, R5
VLS
9000		 NA NA 4.4A 4.4A 4.4A NA 4.4A NA 4.4A NA NA  
VLS 9200 NA NA 4.5 4.5 4.5 NA NA NA 4.5 NA NA R1, R2, R4, R5
DAT
72 10 Autoloader		 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 4.5(1200) 4.5(1200)  
D2D 4004fc/ D2D4009fc NA NA 4.5 (1200) 4.5 (1200) 4.5 (1200) NA NA NA NA NA NA R1,
R6
ABS does not support tape-to-tape copy feature, there is a limitation
from D2D  itself where, the number
 of entries that can be stored in the history information
 is limited
D2D4312fc NA 4.5(1201) 4.5(1201) 4.5(1201) NA NA NA NA NA NA NA R1, R2
D2D4324fc NA 4.5(1201) 4.5(1201) 4.5(1201) NA NA NA NA NA NA NA R1, R2
Tape Autoloaders
1X8 Autoloader*** NA 4.5 (1201) 4.4A 4.3A 4.3A NA 4.3A NA NA NA NA v1.20 or later firmware required





SLS - Minimum Version
Tape Library
Tape drive type
 Restrictions
  LTO4 LTO3 LTO2 SDLT SDLT2 SDLT600 DLT  
Enterprise Class Libraries
ESL-E Series NS NS NS NS NS NS NS R1, R2
ESL9595 NA NA 2.9H 2.9H 2.9H 2.9H NA R1, R2
ESL9322 NA NA 2.9H 2.9H 2.9H 2.9H NA R2
ESL9326 NA NA NA 2.9H NA NA 2.9H R2
ESL9198 NA NA NA 2.9H NA NA 2.9H R2
EML E-Series NS NS NS NA NA NA NA R1, R2, R4
Business Class Libraries
MSL50XX NA NA NA 2.9H 2.9H NA 2.9H ABS-R2
MSL60XX NS NS NS NS NS NS NS R1, R2, R3
MSL2024 NS NS NS NS NS NS NS  
MSL4048 NS NS NS NS NS NS NS  
MSL8096 NS NS NS NS NS NS NS  
VLS 6000 NS NS NS NA NS NA NS R1, R2, R4, R5
VLS 9000 NS NS NS NA NS NA NS  
VLS 12000 NS NS NS NA NS NA NS  
Tape Autoloaders
1X8 Autoloader***   NA Y NA Y NA NA v1.20 or later firmware required

Table key

  • NA—Not applicable
  • NS—Not supported

  • R1— The SMS products will support these devices only when the devices are set to have a barcode label length of 6 characters. With this series of devices, the barcode label on the tapes will be 7-8 characters in length, qualifying as a restriction. In order to support this device without any changes to our products (MRU/ABS/MDMS), we need to ensure that the barcode label on these devices is 6 characters in length. This is because OpenVMS supports only 6 character tape volume labels, and this restriction carries up to the layered products.


  • R2—The MDMS LOAD VOLUME command uses the same drive which is used while initialization of volume irrespective of its state and media type. The details are given below:
    • If the drive is full with a particular volume and a load command is performed on this volume without using /DRIVE=<drivename>, the command will run successfully by loading the volume in the same drive. The command fails if the /DRIVE qualifier has a drivename other than the drive where the volume is present. The command completes without error if the drivename is the same drive where the volume is currently present.
    • If the drive is already full, the volume will be unloaded and the given volume will be loaded. This happens even if other empty drives are available with the same media type.
    • If the media type of the drive is changed after initializing a volume, the volume uses the same drive irrespective of its media type. If a drive is deleted, the load command for volumes which used this drive for initialization fail with a " %MDMS-E-NOSUCHDRIVE, specified drive does not exist" error even if other drives with same media type are available.

  • R3—If there are two jukeboxes J1 and J2, and two magazines M1 and M2 which are placed in J1 and J2 respectively, and if one of the jukeboxes (for example, J2) is deleted and an MDMS INVENTORY command is issued, the placement of the magazine M2 does not get cleared. The placement field of M2 still shows jukebox J2, although J2 does not exist in the MDMS database. If an MDMS MOVE command is subsequently used to move the magazine into another jukebox, the command fails with %MDMS-E-INVSRCDEST.


  • R4—Moving volumes from one magazine to another magazine fails with an "MDMS-E-INVSLOT" error when the first slot of the target magazine is not empty.


  • R5—For VLS Libraries:
    • The volumes should be created in uppercase.
    • No volumes can be moved to the OFFSITE location because there is no involvement of physical tape.

  • R6—For D2D devices:
    • D2D device works well with Open VMS with a restriction that the barcode length has to be 6 characters in length.
    • If D2D has to be used with ABS, a Customer has to keep the following restriction in mind:
      When a device is attached to VMS node (Tape Attach to VMS), ABS will not be able to copy data from D2D cartridge to a physical cartridge/tape. ABS does not support tape-to-tape copy feature due to which the restriction will be placed.
    • D2D web interface maintains entries about D2D cartridge to a physical cartridge/tape copies in job history information. But there is a limitation from D2D itself, where the number of entries that can be stored in the history information is limited.

    • Table notes

      *** The 1/8 Autoloader is supported ONLY in a SCSI direct-attach configuration with AlphaServer systems and Integrity servers.