1. Release Notes
  2. Product Guidelines and Requirements
  3. Product Highlights

Product Highlights

This section highlights key VSM 6 features and functionality.

Oracle's StorageTek Virtual Storage Manager (VSM) solution is the collection of hardware and software products that comprise a disk-based virtual tape system to provide enterprise-class storage management capabilities for the IBM mainframe environment. VSM optimizes streaming workloads and backup and recovery functions, reduces management overhead, and maximizes tape capacity utilization to reduce data protection costs in a wide range of storage environments.

Additionally, VSM includes the VSM Extended Storage (ExS) feature that allows the VTSS to access and utilize storage external to the VTSS, including access to the Oracle Cloud.

The VSM solution includes the following subsystems:

  • VTSS hardware and software

    The VSM VTSS supports emulated tape connectivity to IBM MVS hosts over FICON interfaces, FICON attachment to Real Tape Drives (RTDs), IP attachment to other VTSSs and VLEs, and remote host connectivity using ECAM over IP and VSM VTSS-to-VTSS replication.

    VSM stores virtual tape volumes (VTVs) on a disk buffer on the VTSS and can optionally migrate them to Virtual Library Extension (VLE), Real Tape Drives (RTDs), or both. VTVs can be a maximum of 32GB in size. When needed by the host, if the migrated VTVs are not VTSS-resident, they are then automatically recalled to the VTSS.

  • Enterprise Library Software (ELS)

    ELS is the consolidated suite of Oracle StorageTek mainframe software that enables and manages Oracle's StorageTek Automated Cartridge System (ACS) and VSM hardware. ELS includes the Host Software Component (HSC), Storage Management Component (SMC), HTTP Server, and the Virtual Tape Control Software (VTCS). VTCS controls virtual tape creation, deletion, replication, migration, and recall of virtual tape images on the VTSS and also captures reporting information from the VTSS.

  • Virtual Tape Library Extension (VLE) hardware and software

    The VLE subsystem functions as a migrate and recall target for VTSS Virtual Tape Volumes (VTVs). VLEs are IP-attached to the VSM VTSS.

  • Real Tape Drives (RTDs) connected to physical tape libraries

    RTDs server as migrate and recall targets for VTSS Virtual Tape Volumes (VTVs). RTDs are FICON-attached to the VSM VTSS.