HP StoreEver ESL G3 Tape Libraries - Manual (Page 13)

Libraries shipped after May 2013 and running library firmware version 663H or later offer
additional features and configuration options, including:
•
Support for HDEMs
•
A new command-line interface (CLI)
•
Anti-malware checks to make sure that firmware is certified by HP
•
Active/Active robots, when dual robots are present
•
More flexible drive placement among modules
•
Two new boards, the MCB2.0 and RCU2.0, required to run firmware version 663H or later
NOTE: To enable these features, HW REV 2 libraries shipped between June 2012 and May
2013 require a Controller Board Upgrade Kit, purchased separately. HW REV 1 libraries, shipped
before June 2012, cannot access these features without first converting to the HW REV 2
architecture.
Library features
Density
The storage density of a library is dependent on several factors, including the type of expansion
modules utilized (standard or high density), the number of drives an expansion modules contains,
and I/E station usage. The maximum storage density of an EM is 758 cartridges (LTO) per square
meter. The maximum storage density of an HDEM is 1444 cartridges (LTO) per square meter. Each
module, also referred to as a frame, has two storage racks: one on the drive side and another on
the door side. A rack consists of up to 10 horizontal sections and three or four columns of
magazines, depending on the rack configuration. Each magazine, located at the intersection of
a particular section and a particular column, consists of six cartridge slots.
Centralized management
The Library Management Console (LMC) gives you a single point from which to view all library
components, including robotics, drives, storage, I/E stations, and network connectivity. You can
use this graphical user interface both locally from the library OCP and remotely from a remote
client. The LMC communicates with the LMC server that runs on the library. The LMC uses a simple
and intuitive graphical style that is secure and provides library managers with native partitioning
ability.
Proactive availability
The library can alert you about problems before they occur. The library also monitors its six major
subsystems (drives, power, robotics, cooling, connectivity, and control). You can configure the
library to send notifications of problems to one or more e-mail accounts. For more information
about the library monitoring and reporting capabilities see,
“Maintaining the library” (page 132) .
Data Path and Control Path Failover
For high availability on the Fibre Channel fabric, the ESL G3 tape library offers licensed failover
features for the drive data paths and the robot control paths. For both data path and control path
failover, basic and advanced failover modes are available.
Basic path failover uses library and drive firmware to create a new Fibre Channel path to a drive
or robot if the original path is lost. Most applications recognize the new path and some will
automatically retry commands after the original path is lost. Other applications may require user
intervention to begin using the new path.
Advanced path failover uses host drivers in conjunction with library and drive firmware to manage
multiple paths across multiple SANs, present a single drive or robot path to applications, and
Library features 13