Hi,

I wonder whether anyone out there has some experience in this:

In a project, we plan to utilize Data Domain in VTL mode (FC). The customer uses TSM as backup software (AIX backup server, AIX/x86 Linux/Windows LAN-free clients), and a second environment to support with the DD VTL is IBM System i (AS/400). An old EMC disk library (CDL/EDL 4xx6 series) is currently in use, that is EOL/EOSL and to be replaced with a DD. The customer also uses high-end IBM tape libraries extensively (Jaguar in TS3500/3584) and the path failover feature of IBM (built into the IBM tape device driver - atape / IBMtape) is also in use (DPF data path failover, CPF control path failover).

The direct competition of the proposed DD VTL is a VTL solution from IBM. The customer prefers a VTL solution that has at least some high-availability capabilities (even if the appliance, the "engine" is single): e.g. path failover with the IBM tape device driver.

Does someone have experience in this? (The only info from EMC documentation I found is that DPF is not supported, it is to be disabled when configuring a DD VTL on the backup server.) Is any implementation of this IBM path failover, or anything like this (automated path failover with DD VTL), supported or at least technically viable?

Thanks in advance.

Geza