IBM TS4300 Tape Library

IBM TS4300 Tape Library (Machine Type 6741) combines IBM enterprise tape automation and reliability with open system affordability. It is a high-density, highly scalable, easy-to-manage solution designed to keep data securely stored long-term, while helping reduce the costs associated with data center space and utilities.

The TS4300 utilizes modular design to meet growing long-term storage requirements. Starting with a single 3U base module, customers can scale the tape library by adding up to six 3U expansion modules for the overall capacity of up to 280 LTO cartridges. Each 3U base or expansion module can house up to 40 cartridges in two removable magazines.

Each 3U module can accommodate up to three half-height tape drives or a combination of one half-height tape drive and one full-height tape drive. The choice of the tape drives includes IBM LTO Ultrium 9, 8, 7, or 6 Tape Drives with SAS or Fibre Channel host connectivity interfaces.

Figure 1. IBM TS4300 Tape Library: Base module (bottom) with one expansion module (top)

Featuring the latest LTO Ultrium 9 technology, the TS4300 Tape Library provides up to 5.04 PB of native backup storage.

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The TS4300 tape library offers the following features:

• Scalable tape library that is designed for high capacity, high performance, and high reliability.
• Adherence to LTO specifications.
• Support for half-high (HH) or full-high (FH) LTO Ultrium 9, 8, 7, or 6 tape drives
• Support for up to three half-high tape drives or a combination of one full-high tape drive and one half-high tape drive in each 3U module. The maximum number of drives in the tape library ranges from up to 7 full-high and up to 7 half-high to up to 21 half-high tape drives.
• Native data transfer rate of up to 400 MB/s (Ultrium 9 FH), 300 MBp/s (Ultrium 9 HH), 360 MB/s (Ultrium 8 FH), 300 MB/s (Ultrium 8 HH or Ultrium 7), or up to 160 MB/s (Ultrium 6) per tape drive.
• Native cartridge capacity of up to 18 TB (Ultrium 9), 12 TB (Ultrium 8), 9 TB (Ultrium 7 initialized LTO 8 Type M), 6 TB (Ultrium 7), or 2.5 TB (Ultrium 6).
• 12Gb SAS, 6 Gb SAS or 8 Gb Fibre Channel attachments for connection to Lenovo servers that run Microsoft Windows or Linux server operating systems.
• Support for LTO 9 media specification tape cartridge compressed capacity of up to 45 TB, 30 TB compressed capacity for LTO8, and 15 TB compressed capacity for LTO7 with 2.5 to 1 compression per cartridge
• Data security and regulatory compliance through support for LME and WORM media on LTO 9, 8, and 7, and 6 tape drives
• Two removable magazines in each 3U module that can house up to 20 data cartridges each for a total of up to 280 cartridges in the tape library to enable quick population of the tape library and ease the storage needs for media.
• Flexibility in configuring a 5-slot I/O Station for each module, or one I/O Station can be accessed by several modules to help support continuous library operations, while importing and exporting media with little or no disruption to library operation.
• A standard high-speed bar code reader with which you can operate the TS4300 in random access mode. Sequential mode is not currently supported.
• Mixed media support, including IBM LTO Ultrium 9, 8, 7, and 6.
• Remote management capabilities to allow for remote administration of the TS4300 through a web interface.
• Multi-path feature to allow sharing of the library robotics across heterogeneous applications independently of each other. The library can be partitioned into up to 21 logical libraries (each partition must have at least one drive). It also can provide each logical library its own separate and distinct drives, storage slots, and control paths.
• Optional Path Failover that enables the host device driver to transparently switch to an alternative path if there is a communication path failure to the application.
• Extra power supplies for redundant operations.
• Support from an extensive ecosystem of backup software vendors.

The features in the IBM LTO 9 tape drive:

• Servo and track layout technology: There are 6,656 data tracks in LTO 9 versus 3,584 data tracks in LTO 8. The high-bandwidth servo system features a low-mass servo to help more effectively track servo bands and improve data throughput with damaged media in less-than-optimal shock and vibration environments.
• Surface Control Guiding Mechanism: Designed to guide the tape along the tape path in the LTO 9, 8, 7, and 6 tape drive. This method is designed to use the surface of the tape, rather than the edges, to control tape motion to reduce tape damage (especially to the edges of the tape) and tape debris, which comes from the damaged edges and accumulation in the head area.
• Robust drive components optimized for automation environments: With the most robust components available, steel ball bearings in loader, robust leader block design, and single circuit card, the drives offer enhanced reliability and prolonged life.
• Separate writing of multiple filemarks: This is designed to cause any write command of two or more filemarks to cause a separate data set to be written containing all filemarks after the first. 
• LTO Data Compression (LTO-DC): The LTO 9 uses LTO-DC, which is an implementation of a Lempel-Ziv class 1 (LZ-1) data compression algorithm. LTO-DC is an extension of Adaptive Lossless Data Compression (ALDC) and an improvement over previous IBM lossless compression algorithms. Patented "Scheme-Swapping" compression from IBM is designed to look ahead at incoming data and determine the most efficient storage method (either ALDC or pass-through mode) to help optimize data compression and increase data throughput. The compressed ratio is up to 2.5 to 1 for LTO 9.
• LTO Cartridge Memory (LTO-CM): Contained within the LTO data cartridge is the LTO-CM, which is a passive, contactless silicon storage device that is physically a part of the cartridge. The LTO-CM is designed to hold information about that specific cartridge, the media in the cartridge, and the data on the media. The storage capacity of the Generation 9 LTO-CM is 16,320 bytes. Communication between the drive and the LTO-CM is through a low-level RF field transmitted by the drive to the cartridge.
• Statistical Analysis and Reporting System (SARS): The LTO 9 tape drive uses SARS to help isolate failures between media and hardware. SARS uses the cartridge performance history saved in the Cartridge Memory module and the drive performance history kept in the drive flash to help determine the likely cause of failure. SARS is designed to cause the drive to request a cleaner tape, to mark the media as degraded, and to indicate that the hardware has degraded.
• Highly integrated electronics using IBM-engineered copper technology: This technology is designed to reduce the total number of components in the drive, help lower chip temperatures, and reduce power requirements, resulting in a more reliable drive. The ninth-generation drive electronics are designed to provide error correction of soft errors in the memory arrays in data and control paths.

TS4300 base model has the following characteristics:

• Base module can be installed and operate on its own, providing capacity for 40 LTO cartridges.
• Cartridge capacity: configured to hold two removable magazines, one on the left side and one on the right side, holding 20 slots each for a total of 40 data cartridges. This enables quick population of the tape library, as well as ease of storage for media
• I/O station: The full group of five slots will be configurable as either import/export elements or as storage elements. This enables continuous library operation during import or export of data cartridges.
• Media options: Uses LTO Ultrium® 9 Data Cartridge (5-pack)
• Robotics: The base library will include scaling robotics with a barcode reader for identifying, locating, and moving LTO cartridges between storage locations and drives.
• Power supplies: Power supplies are rated 80 PLUS Silver. Each module can run with a single power supply for nonredundant operation. Power supplies will be hot swappable when two are installed in a single module.

TS4300 expansion module has the following characteristics:

The capacity of a base library can be increased by adding one or more expansion modules. Each expansion will add 40 slots of LTO cartridge capacity and can include an additional three half-height LTO drives or an additional one full-height drive plus one half-height LTO drive.

• Cartridge capacity: expansion modules are configured to hold two removable magazines, one on the left side and one on the right side, holding 20 slots each for a total of 40 data cartridges. You may order additional magazines as optional features to ease import/export tape cartridges on a regular basis.
• I/O station: The full group of five slots will be configurable as either import/export elements or as storage elements. This enables continuous library operation during import or export of data cartridges.
• Media options: Uses LTO Ultrium® 9 Data Cartridge (5-pack)
• Power supplies: Each module can run with a single power supply for nonredundant operation. An optional power supply will provide redundant operation. Power supplies will be hot swappable when two are installed in a single module.

The following figure shows the front view of the TS4300 Tape Library base module

Figure 2. Front view of the TS4300 Tape Library base module

The following figure shows the rear view of the TS4300 Tape Library base module

Figure 4. Rear view of the TS4300 Tape Library base module

The following figure shows the rear view of the TS4300 Tape Library expansion module.

Figure 5. Rear view of the TS4300 Tape Library expansion module

The following table lists the TS4300 Tape Library system specifications.

The following table lists the ordering information for the TS4300 Tape Library models.

The TS4300 Tape Library models include the following items:

• One TS4300 module with the following components:
  • Power supply (base module only)
  • Bar code reader (base module only)
  • Expansion cable (expansion module only)
• Two removable 20-cartridge magazines
• Documentation package

The following table lists the rack mount kit for the TS4300 units.

Figure 6. TS4300 tape library connectivity topology

Each TS4300 module (base or expansion) can accommodate up to three LTO Ultrium half-height tape drives or a combination of one LTO Ultrium half-height tape drive and one LTO Ultrium full-height tape drive.

The following table lists the supported tape drives for the TS4300.

A wrap tool is a loopback connector that provides the ability to run port tests and isolate sled problems in tape drives. The Fibre Tape Drive Support is required when at least one Fibre Channel tape drive is installed in the tape library, and the SAS Tape Drive Support is required when at least one SAS tape drive is installed in the tape library.

A SAS cable or Fibre Channel cable is required to attach a tape drive in the TS4300 Tape Library to a host.

The following table lists supported cable options for LTO9 connectivity.

The following table lists supported cable options for LTO8 and LTO7 connectivity.

* The interposer is used on the host side to connect up to four SAS tape drives to a single Mini-SAS x4 port on a SAS HBA with up to four 2 m Mini-SAS to Mini-SAS cables (part number 00NA009).
** The Y SAS HD cable is used to connect up to two SAS tape drives to a single Mini-SAS HD x4 port on a SAS HBA.

The TS4300 3U module supports up to 40 data cartridges and comes standard with two removable tape magazines with 20 cartridge slots each. More removable tape magazines can be ordered for the TS4300, if needed.

Note: The first release of the TS4300 tape library supported up to 32 cartridge slots, including up to four I/O station slots, in the single-module configurations and in the lowest module in the multi-module configurations. The second release of the TS4300 tape library supports up to 40 cartridge slots, including up to five I/O station slots, in the single-module configurations and in the lowest module in the multi-module configurations. Please contact a Lenovo service representative in your area for additional details.

The following table lists tape media options and extra magazines that can be ordered for the TS4300.

LTO Ultrium tape drives support the following backward compatibility for previous generations of tape media:

• LTO 9 Tape Drives can read and write LTO 9 and LTO 8 data cartridges.
• LTO 8 tape drives can read and write LTO 8, LTO 7, and LTO 7 initialized LTO 8 Type M data cartridges.
• LTO 7 tape drives can read and write LTO 7 and LTO 6 data cartridges, and can read LTO 5 data cartridges.
• LTO 6 tape drives can read and write LTO 6 and LTO 5 data cartridges, and can read LTO 4 data cartridges.

Configuration notes:

• A 5-Pack of the Ultrium 6, 7, 8 or 9 Data Cartridges includes five unattached barcode labels.
• An LTO 7 initialized LTO 8 Type M data cartridge is a new (unused) LTO 7 data cartridge labelled and initialized to support 9 TB native storage capacity in the LTO 8 tape drive. Once initialized, an LTO 8 Type M cartridge cannot be used in the LTO 7 tape drives, and it cannot be changed back to a 6 TB LTO 7 cartridge.
• LTO M8 Uninitialized Data Cartridges 5-Pack (02JH005) includes five uninitialized LTO 7 data cartridges and five M8 barcode labels. These cartridges will be automatically initialized by the tape library firmware while under the control of ISV applications that recognize the M8 barcode label.

The functionality of the TS4300 can be expanded with the following optional software features:

• Path Failover
• Library Managed Encryption

The TS4300 offers an optional path failover feature that enables the host device driver to resend the command to an alternative control path for the same logical library to ensure smooth library operations if there is a communication error. With control path failover, the alternative control path can include another HBA, SAN, or library control path drive. The device driver starts error recovery and continues the operation on the alternative control path without interrupting the application.

Ultrium 9, 8, and 7, and Ultrium 6 tape drives are encryption-capable, and they support the following modes of encryption management:

• Library Managed: Available for Linux and Windows; requires the IBM Security Key Lifecycle Manager (SKLM).
• Application Managed: Available with third-party software such as IBM Spectrum Protect.

Library Managed Encryption requires an optional encryption license. Application Managed Encryption does not require a license.

The TS4300 modules support up to two redundant hot-swap 230 W AC power supplies. The base module comes with one power supply, and the second power supply can be ordered for redundancy. The expansion module comes without power supplies, and the first power supply is required when at least one tape drive is installed in the expansion module.

The following table lists the power supply options for the TS4300.

The TS4300 modules and the power supply options ship without power cables. The power cables for the TS4300 are listed in the following table.

The 3U module of the TS4300 Tape Library has the following dimensions and weight (approximate):

• Width: 446 mm (17.6 in.)
• Depth: 873 mm (34.4 in.)
• Height: 133 mm (5.2 in.)
• Weight:
  • Base module: 21 kg (46.3 lb)
  • Expansion module: 13 kg (28.7 lb)

The TS4300 Tape Library is supported in the following environment:

• Air temperature:
  • Operating: 15 °C - 32 °C (59 °F - 90 °F)
  • Non-operating: 5 °C - 45 °C (41 °F - 113 °F)
  • Maximum altitude: 3,050 m (10,000 ft)
• Humidity:
  • Operating: 20% - 80%
  • Non-operating: 8% - 80%
• Electrical power:
  • 100 V AC - 240 V AC (5.0 A to 3.5 A)
  • Frequency: 50 Hz / 60 Hz
  • Power consumption: 350 watts

The TS4300 Tape Library (machine type 6741) has a three-year Customer Replaceable Unit (CRU) warranty.

The standard warranty terms are customer-replaceable unit (CRU) and onsite (for field-replaceable units FRUs only) with standard call center support during normal business hours and 9x5 Next Business Day Parts Delivered.

Lenovo’s additional support services provide a sophisticated, unified support structure for your data center, with an experience consistently ranked number one in customer satisfaction worldwide. Available offerings include:

• Warranty Upgrade (Preconfigured Support)

  Services are available to meet the on-site response time targets that match the criticality of your systems.

  • 3, 4, or 5 years of service coverage
  • 1-year or 2-year post-warranty extensions
  • Foundation Service: 9x5 service coverage with next business day onsite response
  • Essential Service: 24x7 service coverage with 4-hour onsite response or 24-hour committed repair (available only in select markets)
  • Advanced Service: 24x7 service coverage with 2-hour onsite response or 6-hour committed repair (available only in select markets)
• Managed Services

  Lenovo Managed Services provides continuous 24x7 remote monitoring (plus 24x7 call center availability) and proactive management of your data center using state-of-the-art tools, systems, and practices by a team of highly skilled and experienced Lenovo services professionals.

  Quarterly reviews check error logs, verify firmware & OS device driver levels, and software as needed. We’ll also maintain records of latest patches, critical updates, and firmware levels, to ensure you systems are providing business value through optimized performance.

• Technical Account Management (TAM)

  A Lenovo Technical Account Manager helps you optimize the operation of your data center based on a deep understanding of your business. You gain direct access to your Lenovo TAM, who serves as your single point of contact to expedite service requests, provide status updates, and furnish reports to track incidents over time. In addition, your TAM will help proactively make service recommendations and manage your service relationship with Lenovo to make certain your needs are met.

• Enterprise Server Software Support

  Enterprise Software Support is an additional support service providing customers with software support on Microsoft, Red Hat, SUSE, and VMware applications and systems. Around the clock availability for critical problems plus unlimited calls and incidents helps customers address challenges fast, without incremental costs. Support staff can answer troubleshooting and diagnostic questions, address product comparability and interoperability issues, isolate causes of problems, report defects to software vendors, and more.

• Health Check

  Having a trusted partner who can perform regular and detailed health checks is central to maintaining efficiency and ensuring that your systems and business are always running at their best. Health Check supports Lenovo-branded server, storage, and networking devices, as well as select Lenovo-supported products from other vendors that are sold by Lenovo or a Lenovo-Authorized Reseller.

Examples of region-specific warranty terms are second or longer business day parts delivery or parts-only base warranty.

If warranty terms and conditions include onsite labor for repair or replacement of parts, Lenovo will dispatch a service technician to the customer site to perform the replacement. Onsite labor under base warranty is limited to labor for replacement of parts that have been determined to be field-replaceable units (FRUs). Parts that are determined to be customer-replaceable units (CRUs) do not include onsite labor under base warranty.

If warranty terms include parts-only base warranty, Lenovo is responsible for delivering only replacement parts that are under base warranty (including FRUs) that will be sent to a requested location for self-service. Parts-only service does not include a service technician being dispatched onsite. Parts must be changed at customer’s own cost and labor and defective parts must be returned following the instructions supplied with the spare parts.

The TS4300 Tape Library conforms to the following regulations:

• FCC: Verified to comply with Part 15 of the FCC Rules, Class A
• Canada ICES-003/NMB-03, Class A
• CISPR 32, Class A
• EN 55032, Class A
• Japan VCCI Class A statement
• People's Republic of China Class A Electronic Emission statement
• Taiwan Class A compliance statement
• Korea KCC Class A statement
• Russia Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Class A Statement

Lenovo provides end-to-end storage compatibility testing to deliver interoperability throughout the network. The TS4300 Tape Library supports attachment to Lenovo servers by using SAS or Fibre Channel connectivity.

Note: End-to-end storage configuration support (including adapters, network switches, and operating systems) must be verified through the System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC) for the TS4300

Fibre Channel SAN switches

Lenovo offers the ThinkSystem DB Series of Fibre Channel SAN switches for high-performance storage expansion. See the DB Series product guides for models and configuration options:

• ThinkSystem DB Series SAN Switches:
  https://lenovopress.com/storage/switches/rack#rt=product-guide

Operating systems

For the list of supported operating systems, refer to the IBM System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC):
http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/storage/ssic

Note: The LTO tape drives are supported when attached and run from the host operating system, however, in virtualization environments (for example, Hyper-V, KVM, Xen), the tape drives are not supported in the guest operating systems.

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We are dedicated to delivering a positive finance experience for customers like you who want to maximize your purchase power by obtaining the technology you need today, protect against technology obsolescence, and preserve your capital for other uses.

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The following sales training courses are offered for employees and partners (login required). Courses are listed in date order.

1. Lenovo Data Center Product Portfolio
   2024-04-22 | 20 minutes | Employees and Partners
   Details
   Lenovo Data Center Product Portfolio
   
   

   This course introduces the Lenovo data center portfolio, and covers servers, storage, storage networking, and software-defined infrastructure products. After completing this course about Lenovo data center products, you will be able to identify product types within each data center family, describe Lenovo innovations that this product family or category uses, and recognize when a specific product should be selected.

   Published: 2024-04-22
   Length: 20 minutes
   Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
   Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning
   Course code: SXXW1110r7
2. Lenovo Data Center Product Portfolio
   2023-07-21 | 15 minutes | Employees and Partners
   Details
   Lenovo Data Center Product Portfolio
   
   

   This course introduces the Lenovo data center portfolio, and covers servers, storage, storage networking, and software-defined infrastructure products. After completing this course about Lenovo data center products, you will be able to identify product types within each data center family, describe Lenovo innovations that this product family or category uses, and recognize when a specific product should be selected.

   Published: 2023-07-21
   Length: 15 minutes
   Employee link: Grow@Lenovo
   Partner link: Lenovo Partner Learning
   Course code: SXXW1110r6

For more information, see the following resources:

• Storage Options for ThinkSystem Servers
  https://lenovopress.com/lp0761-storage-options-for-thinksystem-servers
• Lenovo Data Center Solution Configurator (DCSC)
  http://dcsc.lenovo.com/
• IBM System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC)
  http://ibm.com/systems/support/storage/ssic
• IBM Redbooks publication, IBM Tape Library Guide for Open Systems
  http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg245946.html?Open