IBM E16RMLL-I Implementation Guide - Page 456
Storage media management
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13.7 Storage media management This section shows you how to use Tivoli Storage Manager removable media (tapes or optical media), how to label them, and how to manage the many possible stages a tape can have. When the Tivoli Storage Manager accesses a removable media volume, it checks the volume name in the label header to ensure that the correct volume is accessed. Although we use the term tape for simplicity, this section applies equally to optical media. Tape is a vital component of the storage hierarchy. When you start using Tivoli Storage Manager, you have to create storage pools to hold all your data. After a storage pool is defined, you also need to define volumes to the storage pool so that you have space to store the data. Tivoli Storage Manager allows you to use and reuse removable media to store data. 13.7.1 Tape use overview All tape volumes must be labeled before they can be used. A volume can be either explicitly defined or not. If you want a volume to be used only when it is requested by name, then you define it to Tivoli Storage Manager. A defined volume is a private volume and is assigned to a specific storage pool. A volume that is not defined is a scratch volume. A storage pool can request available scratch volumes up to the number specified for that storage pool. How does a tape get used in Tivoli Storage Manager? Tapes are labelled and checked into the library. In a manual library, checking in simply means storing them (for example, on shelves). Checking in to an automated library means adding media to the library volume inventory. You have to decide whether to check in as private or scratch volumes. Using scratch volumes is more convenient in most cases. Tapes get used in a number of Tivoli Storage Manager operations (client backup, archive, and HSM operations, server database backups, storage pool backups, migrations, and reclamations). Tapes are selected automatically for each of these operations according to server policies and availability. Some tapes are kept onsite and others are sent off-site for disaster recovery purposes. The data on a tape volume changes over time as a result of: - Expiration of files. - Movement and deletion of file spaces by an administrator. - Automatic reclamation of media. The amount of data on the volume and the reclamation threshold set for the storage pool affects when the volume 426 IBM Tivoli Storage Manager Implementation Guide