IBM i VTL CIT3324 2GBs Virtual Tape Library

The CIT3324 is an IBM i VTL that emulates common IBM Tape Drives and Libraries, is capable of delivering up to 2 GB/s transfer rates and supports storing up to 2.5 PB of IBM i backups with expansion. The CIT3324 IBM i Virtual Tape Library is transparent to IBM i backup software and does not require changing existing backup processes. The CIT3324 IBM i VTL supports option 21 IPL, as well as IBM i Backup Commands, BRMS, Robot, Tivoli, LXI and other IBM i backup software running on the IBM i. The base CIT3324 VTL chassis has twenty-four disk slots that supports up to 440 TB of IBM i backups, and supports 6 parallel backup streams for backing up 6 LPARs simultaneously, which can be upgraded to support additional parallel backup streams for additional LPARs with a software license. The CIT3324 IBM i VTL supports storing up to 2.5 PB of IBM i backups via two 60 bay expansion units for a total of 144 disk drive slots. The CIT3324 IBM i VTL alternatively supports attaching two 24 bay expansion units.

The base CIT3324 VTL configuration includes Four 1 GbE Ports per controller, Two 12 Gb SAS Host or Device ports, Two USB3 Ports, Five slots for feature upgrades, 2,000 virtual tapes, Six Virtual Tape Drives, Six Libraries, 32 GB Cache, offline copy capability, and ability to offload backups to an external IBM Library with 2 drives and Twenty-Four Tape Slots or Tape Drive. The base CIT3324 IBM i VTL allows Six backup streams for writing or reading from Six LPARs at a time. Additional virtual tape licenses can be added, as well as virtual tape drives and virtual tape library licenses to support multiple parallel backup streams of additional LPARs or to increase overall performance of IBM i backups. The VTL Cache is upgradeable to 64 GB for improving backup and restore performance. The list price for the CIT3324 IBM i VTL is calculated after adding storage and other required features for archiving IBM i backups.

The amount of VTL storage needed is calculated based on the size and quantity of backups that need to be stored ‘archived’ on the VTL. See IBM i backup sizing or retention policy example at bottom of this page. IBM i backup copies can also be offloaded from the VTL to your tape drive or library, transferred or replicated to another VTL at a remote location and or backups can be archived to a supported Cloud, such as Amazon or Microsoft Cloud.

VTL Features and Capabilities:
Backup multiple IBM i LPARs simultaneously
VTL to VTL replication with AES 256 bit encryption
VTL backup offload to Tape (off load backups to tape without host involvement by attaching existing tape drives or library to VTL, universal compatibility and recoverable without VTL)
True Tape Emulation (plug and play with no backup software or system OS compatibility concerns)
No File System (backups are always ‘off-line’ and impervious to cybersecurity threats: malware, viruses, crypto lockers and ransomware)
Intuitive GUI interface (no training required)
Hot-swap and redundant disk drives and power supplies
Data in transit is encrypted
2 year warranty with Express Depot expedited exchange service, as well as Phone & Email Support
Lifetime Technical Support (Free phone support for as long as your company owns the product, regardless of warranty or maintenance status)

Additional connection types and quantities are supported for IBM i to VTL direct attach connections, as well as for connecting through a fiber channel switch. Host connection types support include: Fiber Channel (8 Gb, 16 Gb & 32 Gb), SAS (6 Gb & 12 Gb), GbE (1, 10, 25 and 40), 10GbaseT RJ45 and USB3

External Tape Drive/Library Connection Support: Fiber Channel, SAS, iSCSI, LVD SCSI and USB3

Host Compatibility: IBM i (any OS400 Version/Release), IBM AIX, Windows (all versions), Linux (any Distribution), Unix, Netware, OSx, VMware, Citrix XEN and Hyper V.

Add-ons: Features and Upgrades
VTL backup offload to Cloud Storage (Amazon S3 or Microsoft Azure)
Compression
Deduplication (Post Process and Pre Process – best in industry deduplication ratios ranging from 50:1 to 200:1)
Encryption for Data at Rest on VTL with 256 AES Encryption
Encryption for Data at Rest of offloaded Tape Media
Compression
Tape Pools with automated Scheduled Tiering (Disk and Cloud) with Retention Lock to Auto-Write Protect backups
Storage Pools (RAID automation)
VTL Mirroring
Additional: Virtual Tape Drives, Virtual Tapes, Types and Quantity of Connections for Hosts or External Tape for archiving
Maintenance and Support: 24x7 4 Hour Response, Same Business Day and Next Business Day

The CIT3324 VTL has a 2 GB/s transfer rate, and capable of ingesting a 7.2 TB backup in one hour, which is considerably faster than IBM LTO tape drive backup speeds. Want backup faster than a 2 GB/s transfer rate? Consider one of these VTL models:

CIL2308 has an 1 GB/s maximum transfer rate, backup speeds up to 3.6 TB/h per hour
CIT3324 has an 2 GB/s maximum transfer rate, backup speeds up to 7.2 TB per hour, includes 6 Virtual Drives for up to 6 simultaneous backup streams (upgradeable)
CIT5324 has an 4 GB/s maximum transfer rate, backup speeds up to 14.4 TB per hour includes 16 Virtual Drives for up to 16 simultaneous backup streams (upgradeable)
CIT7324 has an 8 GB/s maximum transfer rate, backup speeds up to 28.8 TB per hour includes 16 Virtual Drives for up to 16 simultaneous backup streams (upgradeable)
CIT8524 has an 10 GB/s maximum transfer rate, backup speeds up to 36 TB per hour includes 16 Virtual Drives for up to 16 simultaneous backup streams (upgradeable)

Note: Restoring backups from a VTL run at the speed as your IBM i disk drives.

LTO Tape Drive backup transfer rates for VTL comparison purposes:
IBM LTO9 has a 400 MB/s maximum native transfer rate, capable of up to 1.44 TB per hour when using Ultrium 9 Tape Media via 8 Gb FC or 12 Gb SAS.
IBM LTO8 has a 360 MB/s maximum native transfer rate, capable of up to 1.296 TB per hour when using Ultrium 8 Tape Media via 8 Gb FC.
IBM LTO7 has a 300 MB/s maximum native transfer rate, capable of up to 1.08 TB per hour when using Ultrium 7 Tape Media via 8 Gb FC.
IBM LTO6 has a 160 MB/s maximum native transfer rate, capable of up to 576 GB per hour when using Ultrium 6 Tape Media via 8 Gb FC or 6 Gb SAS.
IBM LTO5 has a 140 MB/s maximum native transfer rate, capable of up to 460 GB per hour when using Ultrium 5 Tape Media via 8 Gb FC or 6 Gb SAS.
IBM LTO4 has a 120 MB/s maximum native transfer rate, capable of up to 432 GB per hour when using Ultrium 4 Tape Media via 8 Gb FC or 6 Gb SAS.

Note: IBM i backups can only complete as fast as your slowest bottleneck. IBM i backups using older generation tape media than the tape drive, will have a lower maximum transfer rate. The IBM i media adapter, cable length and not using the recommended type of cable can impact transfer rates of backups and restores. These are just a few examples, as there are many factors that impact IBM i backup speeds and transfer rates. Restores from tape can often take 2 to 3 times longer than the backup to complete.

VTLs provide a fairly quick ROI and pay for themselves in the long run. Consider the hours spent each year managing physical tape media, purchasing tape media, transporting tape media, storing tape media, disaster recovery tests and other associated costs associated with traditional tape media. All these yearly costs can be eliminated.

Sizing your VTL requires a retention policy for storing backups on VTL, and answering questions about your environment, connections and use cases.

Estimate in GB or TB Size of Backups that will be stored on VTL (ignore non-pertinent information)
Daily: _750GB_ Weekly: _3.5TB__ Monthly: _3.5TB_ Quarterly: _____ Yearly: _3.5TB_

Quantity of backups you want stored on VTL ‘Retention Policy’ for each backup type above (ignore non-pertinent information)
Daily: _30__ Weekly: _4__ Monthly: _12__ Quarterly: ____ Yearly: _1__

VTL to VTL replication?
NO

Quantity of backups you want stored in the Cloud ‘Retention Policy’ for each backup type above (ignore non-pertinent information)
Daily: _30__ Weekly: _4__ Monthly: _12__ Quarterly: ____ Yearly: _7__

Types (SAS, Fiber or iSCSI) & Quantities Tape/Host Connections (i.e. cables connected from your LPARs to your existing tape drive(s) or library).
16Gb Fibre Channel connections to 4 LPARs via switch

Do backups on VTL need to be encrypted (data at rest)?
YES

Do you want to attach your existing external tape drive/library to the VTL?
YES
If yes, what is the model info of your tape drive/library and connection type?
IBM TS3100 3573-L2U with 2 8444 FC Drives

Does backups to external tape media need to be encrypted?
NO

Our VTLs do not care what generation tape media you use, and it does not impact performance or speed of your backups. Our VTL’s support reading and writing any tape drive, tape library and tape media generation and cartridge format:
IBM 3480, 3490, 3580, 3584, 3590, 3592, LTO1/Ultrium 1, LTO2/Ultrium 2. LTO3/Ultrium 3, LTO4/Ultrium 4, LTO5/Ultrium 5, LTO6/Ultrium 6, LTO7/Ultrium 7, LTO8/Ultrium 8, LTO9/Ultrium 9
IBM 8mm 7208-002, 7208-222, 7208-342
IBM Quarter-Inch, 6347, 6343, DC5010/QIC5020, DC6150/QIC120, DC6150/QIC24, DC6320/QIC525, DC6525/QIC525, DC9100/QIC1000, DC9120/QIC1000, DC9200/QIC2GB, DC9250/QIC2DC, DC9250/QIC2GB, SLR1, SLR2, SLR3, SLR4, SLR5, DC, QIC4DC/QIC4GB, SLR6/SLR24, SLR32/MLR1, SLR50/MLR3, SLR7, SLR40, SLR60/30GB, SLR75, SLR100, SLR140, SLR200, SLR400
DLT III/IIIXT/IV/S4/VS1/2000/4000/7000/8000
SDLT220, SDLT320, SDLT600
MLR1 16GB QIC-5010-DC, MLR1-S QIC-5010-DC, MLR3 25GB
Exabyte 8500, 8505
Seagate DAT
Sony SDX, Sony SDX-1100V, Sony SDX-700V