Bus-Tech and Hitachi Data Systems Support IBM's TPF

Bus-Tech and Hitachi Data Systems are jointly providing support for IBM’s (News - Alert) Transaction Processing Facility (TPF).

Bus-Tech provides modular, scalable Virtual Tape Library (VTL) controllers for IBM and compatible mainframes. A combination of Bus-Tech’s Mainframe Data Library (MDL), Hitachi (News - Alert) Adaptable Modular Storage 2000 family and Hitachi High-Performance Network Attached Storage (NAS) Platform, powered by BlueArc, will provide high-capacity storage systems for the virtual tape volumes.

This mainframe VTL solution eliminates the need to monitor tape drives and introduces innovative disaster recovery alternatives for mainframe environments. This provides TPF data centers with lower tape processing costs and results in significant savings.

The combined offering has the ability to store and retrieve virtual tape cartridges. It also incorporates the advantages of open system networked storage into the mainframe data center environment.

Bus-Tech and Hitachi Data Systems (News - Alert) are providing TPF customers with a single source to deploy an end-to-end VTL solution. The companies believe that combined offering will provide enterprise data centers with several benefits such as faster backups and restores, improved business continuity and elimination of tape processing challenges.

The solution also allows customers to replace their aging mainframe tape subsystems with state-of-the-art tape-on-disk solutions.

In a press release, Brian Householder, senior vice president, worldwide marketing and business development, Hitachi Data Systems, said companies rely on mainframe VTLs to improve their tape processing efficiencies, achieve higher performance and lower tape processing costs.

This alliance allows them to give mainframe customers more options and to provide them streamlined backup and recovery operations, increased levels of data protection for absolute data integrity and significantly reduced TCO.

“Hitachi Data Systems is well respected in the enterprise data center for its exceptional engineering, customer service and end-user reputation,” said Al Brandt, Bus-Tech’s president, in the release. “Combining Bus-Tech’s solution with Hitachi Data Systems addresses the growing demand for mainframe Virtual Tape Libraries in the high-performance world of transaction processing.”