IBM TS4500 R8 Tape Library Guide

An IBM Redbooks publication

Note: A new draft version of this publication is now available

Published 21 March 2022

cover image

ISBN-10: 0738460419
ISBN-13: 9780738460413
IBM Form #: SG24-8235-09
(490 pages)

More options

Rate and comment

Authors: Ole Asmussen, Robert Beiderbeck, Albrecht Friess, Hans-Günther Hörhammer, Khanh Ngo, Jesus Eduardo Cervantes Rolon, Fabian Corona Villarreal, Larry Coyne

Abstract

The IBM® TS4500 (TS4500) tape library is a next-generation tape solution that offers higher storage density and better integrated management than previous solutions.

This IBM Redbooks® publication gives you a close-up view of the new IBM TS4500 tape library. In the TS4500, IBM delivers the density that today’s and tomorrow’s data growth requires. It has the cost-effectiveness and the manageability to grow with business data needs, while you preserve investments in IBM tape library products.

Now, you can achieve a low per-terabyte cost and high density, with up to 13 PB of data (up to 39 PB compressed) in a single 10 square-foot library by using LTO Ultrium 9 cartridges or 11 PB with 3592 cartridges. The TS4500 offers the following benefits:


  • Support of the IBM Linear Tape-Open (LTO) Ultrium 9 tape drive: Store up to 1.04 EB 2.5:1 compressed per library with IBM LTO 9 cartridges.
  • High availability: Dual active accessors with integrated service bays reduce inactive service space by 40%. The Elastic Capacity option can be used to eliminate inactive service space.
  • Flexibility to grow: The TS4500 library can grow from the right side and the left side of the first L frame because models can be placed in any active position.
  • Increased capacity: The TS4500 can grow from a single L frame up to another 17 expansion frames with a capacity of over 23,000 cartridges.
  • High-density (HD) generation 1 frames from the TS3500 library can be redeployed in a TS4500.
  • Capacity on demand (CoD): CoD is supported through entry-level, intermediate, and base-capacity configurations.
  • Advanced Library Management System (ALMS): ALMS supports dynamic storage management, which enables users to create and change logical libraries and configure any drive for any logical library.
  • Support for IBM TS1160 while also supporting TS1155, TS1150, and TS1140 tape drive.


The TS1160 gives organizations an easy way to deliver fast access to data, improve security, and provide long-term retention, all at a lower cost than disk solutions. The TS1160 offers high-performance, flexible data storage with support for data encryption.
Also, this enhanced fifth-generation drive can help protect investments in tape automation by offering compatibility with existing automation. Store up to 1.05 EB 3:1 compressed per library with IBM 3592 cartridges


  • Integrated TS7700 back-end Fibre Channel (FC) switches are available.
  • Up to four library-managed encryption (LME) key paths per logical library are available.


This book describes the TS4500 components, feature codes, specifications, supported tape drives, encryption, new integrated management console (IMC), command-line interface (CLI), and REST over SCSI (RoS) to obtain status information about library components.

You learn how to accomplish the following tasks:


  • Improve storage density with increased expansion frame capacity up to 2.4 times, and support 33% more tape drives per frame.
  • Manage storage by using the ALMS feature.
  • Improve business continuity and disaster recovery with dual active accessor, automatic control path failover, and data path failover.
  • Help ensure security and regulatory compliance with tape-drive encryption and Write Once Read Many (WORM) media.
  • Support IBM LTO Ultrium 9, 8, 7, 6, and 5, and IBM TS1160, TS1155, TS1150, and TS1140 tape drives.
  • Provide a flexible upgrade path for users who want to expand their tape storage as their needs grow.
  • Reduce the storage footprint and simplify cabling with 5U or 10U of rack space on top of the library.
  • Optimize connectivity with FC, Ethernet, and SAS interface attachments
  • Simplify user access to data stored on tape by way of IBM Spectrum® Archive
  • Cyber resilient technology with physical air gap


This publication is for anyone who wants to understand more about the IBM TS4500 tape library. It is particularly suitable for IBM clients, IBM Business Partners, IBM specialist sales representatives, and technical specialists.

Table of contents

Chapter 1. IBM TS4500 tape library
Chapter 2. TS4500 Ultrium Linear Tape-Open and 3592 tape drives
Chapter 3. Encryption
Chapter 4. TS4500 management graphical user interface
Chapter 5. Command-line interface
Chapter 6. TS4500 REST API

Follow IBM Redbooks

Follow IBM Redbooks