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Tape Drives
IBM 3590-A60 Total Storage Enterprise Tape Controller
IBM 3590-A60 Total Storage Enterprise Tape Controller

The IBM TotalStorage Enterprise Tape Controller 3590 Model A60 is a controller designed for attaching 3590 Tape Drives or 3592 Tape Drives to ESCON and FICON channels on host systems. It can be installed in an IBM TotalStorage Enterprise Automated Tape Library 3494, IBM TotalStorage Enterprise Tape Drive Frame 3590 Model A14, IBM TotalStorage Enterprise Silo Compatible Tape Drive Frame 3590 Model C10, or standard 19" rack (such as the IBM 7014 RS/6000 Rack Models S00, T00, or T42). It offers significant performance improvements over the Model A50 Controller.

The 3590 Model A60 Controller provides a high-performance ESCON and FICON attachment of the Enterprise Tape System 3590 to S/390 and zSeries servers. The 3590 Model A60 provides the following benefits:

  • Provides up to four times the performance of the 3590 Model A50 Controller, which can enable a reduction in backup window processing
  • Provides building block granularity with up to four dual-ported ESCON adapters, up to two FICON adapter cards, or an intermix of ESCON and FICON adapters
  • Includes improved application performance and capacity utilization
  • Enables the exploitation of the higher performance of the 3590 E Model or H Model Tape Drives
  • Includes an Ultra SCSI tape drive attachment with the ability to attach up to ten 3590 H Model, E Model, or B Model Tape Drives in an Enterprise Tape Library 3494, or up to eight tape drives in a 3590 Model A14, stand-alone rack, or StorageTek ACS environment
  • Provides an optional Fibre Channel tape drive attachment feature with the ability to attach up to ten 3590 H Model or E Model Fibre Channel Tape Drives in an Enterprise Tape Library 3494, or up to twelve tape drives in a 3590 Model A14, stand-alone rack, or StorageTek ACS environment
  • Provides an optional Fibre Channel tape drive attachment feature with the ability to attach up to 12 3592 Model J1A Tape Drives Tape Drives in an Enterprise Tape Library 3494, 3590 Model A14, stand-alone rack, or StorageTek ACS environment
  • Incorporates redundant power supplies with automatic failover capability and the ability to "hot swap" one out without an outage, improving reliability and availability
  • Operationally coexists with its predecessor control units (Model A50 or A00) to provide an easy migration path to Model A60 performance levels
  • Flexibly offers the option of presenting attached 3592 or 3590 Tape Drives as 3590 devices, or emulated 3490E devices, enabling you to remain at 3490E software levels if you prefer to take advantage of 3592 or 3590 benefits
  • Enables ESCON and FICON host attachment of 3592 or 3590 Tape Drives for automated operation with an Enterprise Tape Library 3494
  • Enables ESCON and FICON host attachment of 3590 or 3592 Tape Drives inside a StorageTek Silo extending 3590 or 3592 benefits to users of StorageTek automation
  • Enables ESCON and FICON host attachment of 3590 Model Tape Drives in a 3590 Model A14 Frame or standard 19-inch rack for stand-alone non- automated use

The Model A60 Controller has remote support capabilities. Features #2710 - #2712 enable quick diagnostics, problem determination and verification, and a means to upgrade 3590 microcode from remote sites via modem. IBM supplies the modem to enable remote support.

Up to four Dual ESCON Attachments (feature #3412) can be specified on the Model A60, with each feature providing two ESCON adapters for attachment for ESCON host channels. The ESCON adapter has an instantaneous data rate of 17 MB/sec. Up to two FICON attachments can be specified on each Model A60, with each feature providing one FICON adapter for attachment to a FICON host channel. The Model A60 also supports intermix of ESCON and FICON channel attachments (refer to the Features -- Specify/Special/Exchange section for details on intermix capabilities). Each ESCON or FICON adapter can have up to 64 logical channels (up to 128 logical channels with the 2-Gbps FICON attachments) and they support multiple logical paths per MVS image. Performance varies with application and configuration used, but the Model A60 can provide up to eight times the performance of what was achieved in the predecessor Model A50 Controller. The 3590 Model A60 provides configuration flexibility to tailor a 3590 or 3592 solution to your specific requirements. The Model A60 can be featured to present attached tape drives as either native 3590 or emulated 3490E devices.

The "Call Home" function automatically opens a service alert when a problem occurs with the 3590 Model A60 or A50 Controller. A service representative can be sent to the installation and status information can be transmitted to the Support Center for problem evaluation. In addition, "Call Home" allows these alerts to be sent to a pager service so that multiple people, including the customer, can be notified. This function is implemented without new hardware, utilizing the Remote Support Features #2710, #2711, or #2712 already installed. The service representative can activate this function at the installation of the 3590 Model A60 or A50, and service menus can be used to activate or deactivate this function.

"Call Home" is supported on the 3590 Model A60 and A50 in stand-alone, Silo, and Enterprise Tape Library 3494 solutions. As an added benefit, in the 3494 environment, you can initiate the "Call Home" process via the 3494 library manager operator panel.

To improve serviceability, the 3590 Model A60 Controller can be connected to an IBM TotalStorage Master Console on a dedicated, private local area network. The IBM TotalStorage Master Console enables remote monitoring of each attached unit to enhance remote support by expediting microcode updates, reducing service times, and enhancing local service. It can also improve availability and enable early detection of problems and unusual conditions. Summary information is sent to IBM after monitoring is complete. The same master console for service may be shared between the 3590 Model A60 Controller, 3494 Virtual Tape Servers, and 3494 Virtual Tape Controllers.

The 3590 Model A60 is a re-usable storage asset which can be placed in multiple 3590 storage solutions. The Model A60 can attach 3590 H Model, E Model, or B Model Tape Drives with Ultra SCSI attachment, or it can attach 3590 H Model or E Model Tape Drives with Fibre Channel Attachment features (#3510 or #9510). The 3590 A14 Frame with an integrated 3590 Model A60 Controller provides a frame attachment of up to four 3590 Tape Drives. It can be installed in a standard 19-inch rack such as the IBM 7014 Models S00, T00, or T42 with up to four 3590 Tape Drives. The 3590 Model A60 can also be integrated in a 3494 Model D14 Tape Drive Expansion Frame to automate up to four 3590 Tape Drives located in that frame. A Model A60 in a 3494 Model D14 Tape Drive Expansion Frame can attach to drives in an adjacent 3494 Model L12 or L14 frame, thereby attaching up to a total of six tape drives. Or a Model A60 in a 3494 Model D14 Tape Drive Expansion Frame can attach to drives in an adjacent 3494 Model D12 Tape Drive Expansion Frame, thereby attaching up to a total of ten tape drives. If you wish to leverage your StorageTek automation investment, up to two Model A60 Controllers can be placed in an IBM TotalStorage Silo Compatible Tape Controller Frame Model C10 with ESCON or FICON attachment of up to eight SCSI attached or up to twelve Fibre Channel attached 3590 Tape Drives per controller using multi-frame support. A 3494 can be configured with up to 15 3590 Model A60 Controllers and 60 3590 Tape Drives, or with Adjacent Frame Support the 3494 can be configured with up to eight 3590 Model A60 Controllers and 76 3590 Tape Drives. As performance and capacity requirements grow, you can add additional control units and/or adapter cards to connect multiple hosts through the controller to 3590 Tape Drives.

The 3590 Model A60 can also attach 3590 Model J1A Tape Drives. It can be installed in a standard 19-inch rack, such as the IBM 7014 Models T00 or T42. Up to 12 3592 Model J1A Tape Drives can be installed in a 2.0 m rack with the 3590 Model A60, or up to eight 3592 Model J1A Tape Drives can be installed in a 1.6 or 1.8 m rack with the 3590 Model A60. The 3590 Model A60 can also be integrated in a 3494 Model D24 Tape Drive Expansion Frame to automate up to eight 3592 Model J1A Tape Drives located in that frame. A 3590 Model A60 in a 3494 Model D24 Tape Drive Expansion Frame can attach to up to four 3592 Model J1A Tape Drives in an adjacent 3494 Model L22 or D22 Frame, thereby attaching up to a total of 12 tape drives. If you wish to leverage your StorageTek automation investment, up to two 3590 Model A60 Controllers can be placed in a Silo Compatible Tape Controller Frame 3590 Model C10, with ESCON or FICON attachment of up to 12 3592 Model J1A Tape Drives per controller. A 3494 can be configured with up to 15 3590 Model A60 Controllers and 124 3592 Tape Drives, or with Adjacent Frame Support the 3494 can be configured with up to eight 3590 Model A60 Controllers and 96 3592 Tape Drives. As performance and capacity requirements grow, you can add additional control units and/or adapter cards to connect multiple hosts through the controller to 3592 Tape Drives.

Maximum

  • One Model A60 Controller can be installed in a Model A14 frame box
  • One Model A60 Controller can be installed in a 3494 Model D14 or D24
  • Up to two Model A60 Controllers can be installed in a Model C10 Silo Compatible Frame

Devices Supported

The following devices can be attached to the Model A60:

  • 3592 Model J1A Tape Drives
  • 3590 Model B11 Tape Drives
  • 3590 Model B1A Tape Drives
  • 3590 Model E11 Tape Drives
  • 3590 Model E1A Tape Drives
  • 3590 Model H11 Tape Drives
  • 3590 Model H1A Tape Drives

 
 
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