SL8500 CAPs

Bulk CAP

Newer SL8500 libraries are designed for faster, more efficient enter and eject operations for data centers where large and frequent vaulting activities are common. There are eight Bulk CAPs on each SL8500 library, with one CAP on each side of each rail. Each CAP contains three removable 12-slot magazines.

ACSLS uses Bulk CAPs to efficiently enter and eject cartridges. Volumes entered from a CAP are moved to a slot on the same side and on the same rail as the CAP. If that side is full, an empty slot on the other side is selected. If the rail is full, an adjacent rail is selected. This strategy minimizes robotics movement and prevents contention between robots. Similarly, if ejecting.sh ejects a list of volumes, each volume is ejected to the nearest CAP among the CAPS that you specified. See "ejecting.sh".

To reserve an open slot in each magazine to serve as a handle during ejects, set the dynamic variable, BULK_CAP_EJECT_HANDLE, to TRUE using dv_config.

$ dv_config -p BULK_CAP_EJECT_HANDLE  -u

When ejecting cartridges to an SL8500 Bulk CAP, leave a slot in each CAP magazine empty so it can be used as a handle. (TRUE/FALSE) [FALSE]: TRUE

Updating configuration file.

When this variable is set to TRUE, eleven storage cells in each magazine are used for eject operations. The bottom cell in each magazine on the top three rails remains empty, and the top cell in each magazine on the bottom rail is empty. This enables you to use the empty slot as a handle. This setting does not affect behavior during enter operations.

With eight CAPs per module, there can be eight Bulk CAPs in a ten-string SL8500 configuration. In larger SL8500 complexes, CAP operations could delay mount and dismount operations when multiple enters and ejects are in progress. To mitigate this problem, the dynamic variable, LIMIT_CAP_CONCURRENT_MOVES, can limit the number of concurrent enter and eject robotic moves, allowing mounts and dismounts to proceed. To engage this feature, set the dynamic variable, LIMIT_CAP_CONCURRENT_MOVES, to TRUE using dv_config.

$ dv_config -p LIMIT_CAP_CONCURRENT_MOVES  -u

When using large numbers of CAPs for ejects and/or enters in an ACS with multiple libraries, limit the number of concurrent moves to/from CAPs to reserve library resources for mounts and dismounts. (TRUE/FALSE). [FALSE]: TRUE

Updating configuration file

Upgrading the SL8500 to Handle Bulk CAPs with ACSLS

To update ACSLS when installing Bulk CAPs in one are more SL8500s:

Install ACSLS 8.5.
This can be done far in advance of installing the Bulk CAPs.
The Oracle Field Service Engineer (FSE) must load and activate the SL8500 firmware that supports Bulk CAPs onto the affected SL8500s.
The minimum SL8500 firmware level is 8.50.
Before installing the Bulk CAP hardware, use ACSLS cmd_proc to vary the libraries offline where Bulk CAPs are installed.
- If you are installing Bulk CAPs in a stand-alone SL8500 or installing Bulk CAPs in all of the SL8500s in a string, vary the entire ACS (library complex) offline.
- If you are installing Bulk CAPs in only some of the SL8500s in a library complex, you only need to vary the LSMs involved offline.
During this step the FSE installs the Bulk CAP hardware on the affected libraries.
1. Before the FSE installs Bulk CAP hardware, you must remove the cartridges in the three cell array columns closest to the service door and save them outside the library. (You will reenter the cartridges after the installation is complete.)
  Reason: To install Bulk CAPs, two columns of system cell arrays must be removed plus the three-pack array. Most of the storage cells in the third column becomes system cells which are no longer accessible to ACSLS.
2. The FSE installs the Bulk CAP hardware on the libraries.
After all SL8500s have been re-booted and the library hardware audit is complete, use ACSLS cmd_proc to vary the SL8500 ACS to diagnostic mode.
Diagnostic mode prevents ACSLS clients from accessing these libraries while the ACSLS configuration is being updated and the libraries are audited
With ACSLS running, use the config acs acs_id utility to add the Bulk CAPs to the ACSLS configuration recorded in the database.

Note:
You can also disable ACSLS, and run acsss_config, Option 8, to update the configuration. If you do this, run query lmu all from cmd_proc and save the output before shutting ACSLS down. Then specify the ACSs to acsss_config with the same ACS numbers and with the same port connections. After acsss_config is done, enable ACSLS

Display and verify the cap status and type from an ACSLS cmd_proc with:

display cap * -f  state mode status size type

Sample output:

0  0  0     online    automatic   available     36    SL8500-Bulk
0  0  1     offline   manual      available     36    SL8500-Bulk
0  1  0     online    automatic   available     36    SL8500-Bulk
0  1  1     offline   manual      available     36    SL8500-Bulk
0  2  0     online    automatic   available     36    SL8500-Bulk
0  2  1     offline   manual      available     36    SL8500-Bulk
0  3  0     online    automatic   available     36    SL8500-Bulk
0  3  1     offline   manual      available     36    SL8500-Bulk

Audit the libraries where Bulk CAPs were installed using cmd_proc. You can either
- Audit the entire ACSLS:
```
audit <cap_id> acs <acs_id>
```
- Audit just the LSMs where Bulk CAPs were installed:
```
audit <cap_id> lsm  <lsm_id> <lsm_id> <lsm_id> <lsm_id> ...
```
Vary the ACS and LSMs online to ACSLS. using the vary command.
ACSLS clients can now use the Bulk CAPs.
Use a CAP to reenter any cartridges that were taken out of the library in Step 4 above.

Custom SL Console Messages Showing Purpose of Enters and Ejects

The SL Console can display custom operator messages on the CAP Status screen that show the purpose for enters to and ejects from Bulk CAPs. These messages can also report the partition into which cartridges are being entered or the partition from which cartridges are ejected.

These operator messages are optional. They do not affect the underlying enter and eject processing, and they are only supported for SL8500 Bulk CAPs.

To use custom operator messages:

Define the message to be displayed for an opmsg number using the SL Console. Select the following options.
```
Tools
   Configuration
      CAP Usage Message
```
Define a message number, from 4 through 99, and an associated message. If possible, limit the message to 20 characters, so it fits in the available space.
Enter the optional operator message number on manual enters or ejects:
enter <cap_id> [opmsg <opmsg_nbr>]

eject <cap_id> [opmsg <opmsg_nbr>] vol_id | vol_range ...

Custom opmsg numbers cannot be specified for ejects from ACSAPI clients, the ACSLS GUI, or lib_cmd eject. In these cases the default messages are displayed.

The opmsg message displays on the System Details, CAP Status page after a CAP is unlocked for cartridges to be entered, to be inserted, or cartridges being ejected to be removed.

Example: To specify custom operator panel message number 55 when entering cartridges through Bulk CAP 1,2,1:

enter 1,2,1 opmsg 55

Rotational CAP

The SL8500 Rotational CAP spans three rails (2,3,4) corresponding to LSMs 1, 2, and 3. The base configuration includes one CAP per SL8500 module, and a second CAP that can be installed as an option.

Each Rotational CAP has three magazines with 13 cells each. The magazines are situated each on a different rail, accessible only to the handbots on that rail. During an enter, ACSLS attempts to move cartridges from each magazine to the adjacent LSM (rail). Only if the adjacent rail is full will the volume be moved to a different rail Similarly, volumes on a given rail are ejected to the adjacent magazine on that rail.

Since the top rail (LSM 0) does not have an adjacent CAP magazine, an elevator move automatically comes into play with volumes ejected from the top rail. On enters, the top rail is not populated until a lower rail is filled to capacity. Volumes mounted to drives on the top rail eventually migrate to the top LSM when they are dismounted. Otherwise, an explicit move operation is needed to situate volumes in the LSM on the top rail. Such an extra move can be handled automatically after an enter with the watch_vols utility. See watch_vols.

Because the single Rotational CAP serves multiple LSMs, the Rotational CAP state is not tied to the online or offline state of any LSM. The CAP can remain online whether any one or all of the adjacent LSMs are offline. Conversely, if the CAP is offline, it is not be brought online automatically when any LSM is varied online.

Even though multiple LSMs access the CAP, the SL8500 Rotational CAP is addressed as though it was in LSM 1 (such as 1,5,9,13). In a partitioned library where each partition is assigned to a different host, users must be aware that the CAP is a shared resource. A Rotational CAP becomes reserved immediately upon an enter or eject operation. Operators in shared environments should promptly fill or empty the CAP and close the door upon completion of the CAP operation. See Library Partitioning.

Older releases of the SL8500 had reported the optional CAP as present but not operational if the second CAP was not actually installed. As a work-around, ACSLS users were instructed to keep the desired state of the non-existent CAP offline.This is no longer an issue beginning with library firmware level 6.07 and above.

Enter or Eject Operations

During an enter, ACSLS will always try to move the cartridge to an LSM (rail) adjacent to the CAP magazine. For ejects, ACSLS will always try to eject cartridges to a CAP cell adjacent to the LSM containing the cartridge

If these two operations are not possible, the library controller takes care of moving the cartridge through the elevator to another LSM. This requires movements between two handbots and the elevator.

Enter, Eject, and Audit Operations for Some ACSLS Clients

Unlike other libraries, the SL8500 does not have CAPs defined for each LSM ID in an SL8500 library. The CAPs on an SL8500 contain LSM 1 in their CAP IDs. There are no CAPs in an SL8500 with LSM IDs 0, 2, or 3. Partitioning complicates this problem because LSM 1 (the LSM ID in the SL8500 CAP ID) may not be assigned to your partition. (Remember, the CAPs are still available to all partitions as a shared resource).

Some ACSLS clients do not query ACSLS to identify which CAPs exist and are available before selecting a CAP for an enter, eject, or audit. They may specify cap_ids that do not exist, or CAPs that are not online. For example, some ACSAPI clients assume CAPs exist for all LSM IDs. They may automatically specify a CAP with the same LSM ID as the location of cartridges or drives that they manage. Enters, ejects, or audits that specify non-existent CAP IDs will fail.

You must use the ACSLS cmd_proc to:

enter and eject cartridges for clients that specify non-existent CAP IDs.
run audits for any ACSs and partitions used by these clients.

After entering, ejecting, or auditing, you must re-synchronize the client application's database with the ACSLS database.