DTS Clone Center (DCC)

DTS Clone Center (DCC) is an invaluable resource for mainframe storage administrators tasked with managing tape migrations, where fast, accurate, and user-friendly tools are essential. DCC simplifies the process of migrating to various target devices, such as the IBM TS7700 series, Dell/EMC DLm, and Optica zVT. With DTS Software’s DCC, administrators gain the tools needed for efficient and effective tape subsystem management.

Key features include:

  • Policy-based control over the selection of tape drives and management of scratch volumes.
  • ISPF command interfaces.
  • Detailed reporting to provide essential functions needed to get the most out of systems.

DTS Clone Center (DCC) is a feature-rich tape migration and device management utility that makes converting to new tape technologies simple and straightforward. DCC works with all types of tape technologies, including the IBM TS7700 series, the Dell/EMC DLm, the Optica zVT, and others. And DCC can now migrate tapes at the volume level, retaining the original volume serial number, making migration much faster and minimizing tape metadata updates. Volume cloning is flexible and multitasked, allowing large scale migration to take place concurrently with production work. Both scratch and data volumes can be cloned, minimizing the need for additional scratch pools. DCC reporting facilities can generate volume selection lists and DCC maintains activity logs and provides reports to show migration progress. Dataset-level tape copying can also be performed.

For non-SMS managed environments, DCC can override UNIT specification and control tape device selection, choosing the appropriate device for mount, depending upon where the tape volume resides. DCC device selection processing can also provide scratch-synonym pooling, and DCC can also act as the return-to-scratch exit in order to update volumes in the device inventory for systems such as the DLm and zVT. ISPF and batch interfaces provide product and volume serial reporting, including metadata reconciliation reporting.

The DCC Cloning Advantage

Speed & Control

  • Volume level cloning is much faster and simpler than dataset-level copying (generally 90-150 days to migrate all volumes)

Source input device does not matter – all data moves through z/OS

  • Any tape source device
  • Any tape management system (CA-1, RMM, or other)

Tape Volume Serial number is preserved

  • Minimal metadata updates
  • Transparent to applications – even DFSMShsm / FDRABR
  • Source data remains unchanged and available

Installation Control of Migration Process​

  • DTS jobs provide volume selection
  • Migration speed depends on available resources
  • Number of device pairs, jobs, hours/day

AUDIT reports on migration progress

Production work continues uninterrupted during migration​

  • Volume metadata maintained requiring no production application updates

COMING SOON!

“Our company has carried out many migrations to Dell DLm through the host. We have tested and used various products, and among all of them, DCC has been the easiest to use while also offering more features, such as an ISPF interface. Additionally, DTS support has been excellent.”

Rodolfo Cozzi
CEO
Mainstorconcept, GmbH.

 

  • Originally developed for Bustech Mainframe Data Library  
  • Channel command interface (CCW x’9F’)  
  • Command tape interface  
  • Continued development / enhancement since 2010  
  • Extended to EMC DLm, Optica zVT and TS7700 targets   
  • Partnerships with device vendors and customers