IBM TS7700 R4.1.2 Virtual Tape

IBM TS7700 R4.1.2 supports enhanced compression and 16Gb/s FICON attachment

IBM TS7700 R4.1.2 delivers:

Enhanced compression: Two new compression options are available to deliver the ability to balance performance and storage requirements
16Gb/s FICON: TS7760 now supports faster host throughput by using the same 16Gb/s FICON adapters used by DS8000 to further increase the synergy between these IBM Z storage offerings
Reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) improvements:
- System event redesign and SYSLOG server support
- Grid resiliency improvements
- Control-unit initiated reconfiguration (CUIR) functionality to improve ease of use when varying devices offline and online for activities such as service prep

Data is a source of a significant business value and differentiation. The ability to rapidly derive actionable insights will enable progressively smarter business decisions and improve customer experiences, leading to new revenue streams. Data protection is paramount for trust across the ecosystem.

TS7700 is the a virtual tape offering that delivers data protection for tape data on IBM Z, while providing rapid access to that data to facilitate those business decisions.

Release 4.1.2 improves host throughput and data management capabilities by introducing enhanced compression options that are up to two times more effective than standard compression options for some data, support for 16Gb/s FICON adapters, and enhanced RAS attributes of the TS7700.

It builds on the capabilities of release 4.0 and earlier phases of release 4.1.

Key prerequisites

TS7700 servers attach to FICON channels on select IBM z Systems servers and require the appropriate levels of z Systems software.
TS7700 R4.0, and higher, requires a minimum of 32GB RAM. Memory Upgrade feature number 3462 is required on TS7720 Server Model VEB and TS7740 Server Model V07 before R4.0, or higher, machine code can be installed.
16Gb FC switches are required when connecting TS7760 Model VEC with a TS3500 or TS4500 tape library.
Additional features may be required on the TS7760 components or automation frames.

Planned availability date: March 9, 2018

Read also:
Capacity of IBM TS7700 Increased to 2.45PB
With 8TB HDDs
2017.05.17 | Press Release
IBM TS7700 Integration With Cloud-Based Storage Solutions
And TS1150 tape drive now with up to 15TB media
2016.07.05 | Press Release