Moving Your IBM i Backups to Virtual Tape

What to Expect During Virtual Tape Implementation

For many IBM i environments, physical tape has been a dependable part of the backup strategy for years. The backup commands are familiar, the processes are well established, and tape has served its purpose well.

But as backup windows continue to shrink and data volumes continue to grow, many organizations are finding that managing physical media has become one of the more time-consuming parts of backup operations. Rotating tapes, replacing worn media, transporting cartridges off site, and waiting for restores all add administrative overhead that has little to do with protecting the IBM i itself.

Virtual tape offers a way to modernize backup operations while preserving the backup processes IBM i administrators already know.

If you’re considering moving away from physical tape, here are the key areas to evaluate before implementation.

Start with Your Current Backup Environment

Before introducing any new backup technology, it’s important to understand how your current environment operates.

Questions to ask include:

• How long are full system backups taking?
• Are backup windows becoming difficult to meet?
• How many tape volumes are typically required?
• How often are restores performed?
• Is BRMS being used?
• How are tapes rotated and stored off site?

Understanding your existing workflow makes it much easier to determine how virtual tape should be configured.

(Get our Sizing Questionnaire to help identify the information needed and to receive a quote for a LaserVault ViTL configuration to meet your backup needs.)

Understand What Changes and What Doesn’t

One common misconception is that moving to virtual tape requires learning an entirely new backup process.

With LaserVault ViTL, that isn’t the case.

ViTL presents itself to IBM i as a standard tape library. Your existing backup commands continue to work just as they do today because IBM i still believes it is writing to tape.

That means organizations can continue using familiar commands such as:

• SAVSYS
• SAVLIB
• SAVOBJ
• SAVCHGOBJ
• GO SAVE

Existing BRMS environments can also continue operating without requiring users to adopt a completely different backup application.

The biggest changes happen behind the scenes, where backups are written to disk-based storage instead of physical tape cartridges.

Any change to an IBM i backup environment deserves careful planning. Backup and recovery procedures have often been refined over many years, and introducing unnecessary operational changes can increase risk. A well-designed virtual tape implementation should modernize the storage infrastructure without disrupting the backup processes administrators rely on every day.

Because LaserVault ViTL integrates tightly with IBM i by emulating a standard tape library, organizations can continue using familiar commands, existing backup applications, and established recovery procedures while taking advantage of the flexibility and performance of disk-based storage.

Plan Storage Before Deployment

One of the first implementation decisions is determining where virtual tape images will reside.

Depending on your environment, storage may include:

• Local disk
• SAN storage
• NAS storage
• Existing deduplication platforms
• Cloud object storage for longer-term retention

Many IBM i shops already own storage that has available capacity. Virtual tape often allows organizations to make better use of existing storage investments instead of continuing to purchase and manage physical media.

Storage planning should also include retention policies, projected growth, and recovery objectives.

Verify Connectivity

Another important planning step is understanding how the virtual tape library will connect to IBM i.

LaserVault ViTL supports Fibre Channel and SAS connectivity, allowing organizations to deploy the solution in a way that aligns with their existing infrastructure.

Before implementation, administrators should confirm:

• Available Fibre Channel or SAS connections
• Existing SAN architecture
• NPIV requirements, if applicable
• Available bandwidth for backup workloads

Taking time to validate connectivity upfront helps simplify deployment.

Connectivity requirements should not prevent organizations from evaluating virtual tape. To support a wider range of IBM i environments, LaserVault will introduce an iSCSI version of ViTL this fall. Organizations without existing Fibre Channel or SAS infrastructure will have another deployment option while continuing to benefit from the same IBM i virtual tape integration. We’ll share additional technical details in an upcoming blog post.

Review Backup Policies

Moving to virtual tape is also a good opportunity to revisit backup policies.

Many organizations discover they can improve backup operations by reviewing:

• Backup schedules
• Retention periods
• Media rotation practices
• Off-site replication strategies
• Recovery testing frequency

The goal isn’t simply replacing tape with disk. It’s ensuring the overall backup strategy continues to meet business recovery requirements.

Don’t Skip Recovery Testing

IBM i backups are only valuable if restores work when needed.

After implementation, recovery testing should be one of the first tasks completed.

This includes verifying:

• Individual object restores
• Library restores
• Full system recovery procedures
• BRMS recovery processes
• Recovery time expectations

Testing confirms both the configuration and the documented recovery procedures before they’re needed in production.

The Goal Isn’t to Change IBM i. It’s to Simplify Backup Operations.

One of the reasons many IBM i organizations choose virtual tape is because they can modernize storage without disrupting established backup processes.

Administrators continue using familiar IBM i commands while eliminating many of the operational challenges associated with physical tape management.

The result is a backup environment that is easier to manage, faster to operate, and better suited to today’s recovery expectations.

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See the Process in Action

Planning is important, but seeing the implementation is even more valuable.

Join our upcoming webinar, “Moving your IBM i Backups to Virtual Tape: A Technical Guide to Configuration and Deployment”, where we’ll quickly walk through the planning considerations before spending the majority of the session in a live demonstration of LaserVault ViTL.

You’ll see how the solution is configured, how it connects to IBM i, and how backup and recovery operations are performed using familiar IBM i workflows.

REGISTER TODAY and see what moving from physical tape to virtual tape looks like in a real IBM i environment.

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Reach out to ax@laservault.com if you’d like additional information on implementing virtual tape technology in your Power Systems environment.

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About LaserVault
For over 35 years, LaserVault (Electronic Storage Corporation) has been building reliable software solutions for IBM Power Systems. Our team combines deep technical experience with responsive support to help businesses and resellers get exactly what they need—fast.

We also partner with IBM, Cohesity, Rubrik, ExaGrid, Pure Storage and other technical experts to deliver trusted, modern solutions.

Visit laservault.com or email info@laservault.com to request a quote, schedule a demo, or ask about our reseller program.