MediaMerge for UNIX
MM/UNIX allows the user to do mainframe tape handling within the Sun/Unix Open Systems
environment (mainframe to Unix conversion). It allows the Unix user to restore, convert
and duplicate tape-based data via SCSI
attached devices. The package can
automatically detect, process and restore hundreds of different
tape formats. Data
can be Bit converted from ASCII to EBCDIC or visa-versa, and can optionally have
Packed Decimal Fields decoded as well as other types of record based
data manipulation. Simply stated, if you have a tape
or a CD and you want to read or write data to or from your Unix system, THIS
is the software you need. Likewise, if you currently do all your tape I/O
in a Mainframe environment, and desire to migrate away from this, again THIS
is the software you need.
Features
- Compatible with most leading SCSI tape drives
- Restore files and datasets from virtually any logical tape format - including many proprietary computer systems
- Automatic format recognition feature
- Writes most industry-standard backup formats
- Tape to tape duplication
- CD Writing from tape
- Tape initialization
- Media testing
- Scan and analyze unknown tapes
- Optical and removable magnetic drives supported
- Optional record-based manipulation facility
Look & Feel
The system is interactive and runs as a GUI from within its own XTerm, complete with drop down cascading menus, as well as, full on-line context sensitive help. Icons exist for the main functions. The software is very configurable, with plenty of user controllable run-time options. Scripts can be pre-configured to allow automatic running based on predefined file names, tape types, tape numbers etc. Tapes can be read, written, scanned and viewed or dumped. Files can be specifically requested for recall, negating the need to restore all files from a given tape. Search strings can also be entered, and if the string is found within a file on the tape, that specific file will be restored.
Logging
All actions are centrally logged, with the ability to bore down in detail and see every action that occurred when reading or writing a tape. This information is stored on a job basis, with each tape stream being assigned a unique job number. Options exist to allow automatic output of log files to a user defined location at the end of each job. Multiple instances of the program can run on the same server, with all logging being shared in a common file system - ensuring that job numbers are unique within the system.
Processing Speed
MM/UNIX is fast! Unix systems tend to operate a lot faster than PC's and consequently we find that we can usually drive the attached devices at their designated capacity. As you attach more hardware to each server, eventually the I/O bus tends to overload and this - not the processor speed - tends to be the limiting factor of how many instances of the package you can run concurrently
Error Handling
The software is exceptionally fault tolerant, and processes hard-to-read media very well. A full log is kept of all I/O errors. Operator prompts to the GUI are provided in case of problems. The software handles both Standard-Label and Non-Labeled media, and in the case of Standard Labeled tapes, will ensure that the media is processed in the correct order, issuing a warning message in case the Operator mounts a volume out of sequence.
Support for new tape formats
We are adding new tape formats at the rate of a couple per month. If you have an unsupported format, the software has a built-in function that allows you to duplicate the front of the tape and email it to us. It normally takes a few days and we will have a custom written tape handler for your special tape. This handler will then be available for others at the next general release.
Supported UNIX Operating systems
Current system requirements for MM/UNIX:
Sun (SPARC) running Solaris 8
SCSI adapter with a SCSI tape drive
120MB free disk space for program
256MB or more RAM
Read what some of eMag's customers are saying about MM/UNIX in our news article "MediaMerge/UNIX makes great inroads in the Unix Platform Environment."
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