Tape drives, tape autoloaders, tape libraries, and virtual tape appliances used for IBM i save operations and offsite retention.
Physical backup hardware remains common on IBM i even in shops that also run software-based replication, mainly because tape still answers long-retention and offsite media requirements that disk-based backup alone does not solve cleanly.
This category covers standalone tape drives, autoloaders for unattended nightly saves, larger tape libraries for multi-partition environments, and virtual tape library appliances that present as tape to existing save scripts.
If the save window is straining against current physical tape throughput but the underlying save scripts still work well, a virtual tape library often solves that problem without a script rewrite, since it emulates physical tape to existing jobs.
Buyers who need offsite tape for compliance or disaster recovery should confirm the virtual tape appliance supports exporting to real physical media, since not every configuration is set up for that path by default.
Open question pageTape hardware decisions should map directly to the current save window, retention schedule, and offsite rotation process. Buyers replacing aging drives should confirm media compatibility with existing tape stock before assuming a straight swap is possible.
A compact tape autoloader supporting unattended overnight save operations for small to mid-size IBM i environments.
A disk-based appliance that presents as a tape library to existing IBM i save scripts, speeding up backups without a save script rewrite.
Profile for partners who help IBM i buyers evaluate tape drives, autoloaders, tape libraries, and virtual tape hardware against real backup windows.
Size against retention policy, not just current daily tape count. A weekly rotation with several weeks of retention needs meaningfully more slots than a simple daily overwrite schedule,...