ROC Escalibro™

Shared Tape Autochanger and Library Control for MPE Networks

ROC BackPack/iX, the ROC Software backup and recovery solution for MPE systems, can be used with an optional module that allows one MPE system to control a tape library or autochanger. When more than one system running ROC BackPack/iX or ROC TapesPlus requires shared access to an autochanger, ROC Escalibro is the solution.

Many tape autochangers allow multiple systems to write simultaneously to drives within the autochanger, but only allow only one system to control the autochanger's robotics. Typically, moving a tape requires using the autochanger's panel, but some autochanger panels do not even allow an operator to move tapes. In this case, the only way to control the robotic device is through additional software. In other words, sharing an autochanger requires either cumbersome manual access to the system attached to the robotics or a software solution. ROC Software designed ROC Escalibro for IT organizations that prefer to concentrate on tasks of greater strategic value than manually moving tapes.

ROC Escalibro enables IT staff to backup and restore two or more networked HP e3000s to and from a tape autochanger efficiently and with little or no manual intervention. While multiple HP e3000s can write directly to each tape drive to maximize throughput, ROC Escalibro provides a central server for controlling the autochanger's robotics - without creating a central bottleneck for the streams of backup data. Sharing an autochanger among a number of HP e3000s improves the return on investment in both the autochanger and its tape media.

By taking advantage of ROC Escalibro's tight integration with ROC Software storage products, a data center can reduce the chance of operator error and vastly improve storage administration efficiency. ROC Escalibro requires ROC BackPack/iX or ROC TapesPlus. Two or more MPE systems can use the advanced backup and recovery features of ROC BackPack/iX while ROC Escalibro centrally controls the autochanger's robotics. Alternately, ROC TapesPlus and ROC Escalibro can be used with TurboSTORE for backup and recovery without knowledge of the slot or tape where data resides. While this combination does not match the performance of ROC BackPack/iX, it does allow one or more systems running ROC TapesPlus to control an autochanger.

When ROC Escalibro is used with both ROC BackPack/iX and ROC TapesPlus, the highest level of performance and true "lights-out" operation is achieved. High-speed backup takes place seamlessly without an operator present: a new scratch tape will be automatically selected when required, tapes are protected from being overwritten until they expire, and each system can perform its backup while ROC Escalibro handles the tape movement and autochanger queries. Data recovery is automated as well. Even when an operator decides to restore data manually, she does not need to know anything about the slot or tape where the data resides to recover it.

Features	Benefits
Remote autochanger commands	Lower administration cost
Systems write directly to autochanger drives while autochanger robotics are shared	Efficient and centralized control of tape device without creating a backup bottleneck
Integration with BackPack/iX and TapesPlus	True "lights-out" storage automation
Share an autochanger among multiple HP e3000 systems	Lower administration cost and higher storage utilization

Compatibility
Runs on all supported versions and many older versions of HP MPE/iX.