RealTime Defrag (RTD)

 

The RTD Suite currently comprises the following products:

  • RealTime Defrag for z/OS (RTD/zOS)
  • RealTime Defrag for Db2 (RTD/Db2)

The use of disk storage continues to grow as companies store continuously increasing amounts of data due to growth, acquisition, or regulation. Disk storage is one of the largest items in any IT budget and an critical asset to any company. As companies grow, make acquisitions, and comply with regulatory requirements, the need for additional disk storage also grows. Getting the most from this valuable resource keeps operations flowing smoothly, maintains quick access to data through both online and batch processing, and minimizes waste.

Two causes of wasted disk storage and performance impediments are the overallocation of disk space to avoid computer processing disruptions and disk fragmentation.

Many IT storage managers are forced to over allocate disk storage to ensure there is enough space to accommodate the addition of business data for an extended period of time. If disk space is not overallocated and the file is filled, all processing that requires the use of that file is stopped, causing a major disruption to the company’s business processes. While the goal is accomplished, the cost is high.

The challenges of effectively managing disk storage are further exacerbated when a dataset is deleted. When deletions occur, the space is made available for other datasets. However, the next dataset to be inserted onto the disk may not fit into the newly freed space, causing the space to remain available but unused. As thousands of deletions occur, the amount of free but unavailable space continues to increase.

Some of this free space is automatically reused. However, since the size of each free space may not accommodate an entire piece of newly added data, the data is split and stored into multiple, non-contiguous pieces of free disk space, causing the file to become fragmented. While the data can still be accessed, the speed at which it can be accessed is impacted, causing slower real-time response time and lengthened processing for batch jobs.

RealTime Defrag (RTD) is a proven set of products in use since 1995 that eliminates fragmentation and the need for overallocation of disk space. Running continuously and efficiently in the background, RTD quickly reorganizes disk volumes, recovering available storage space and eliminating file and DASD fragmentation. Unlike standard operating system utilities, no batch or weekend maintenance jobs are needed. Disk storage waste caused by overallocation is eliminated, since DASD volumes are continuously and automatically reorganized. RTD can be customized to meet your defragmentation needs through a variety of parameters that take effect immediately.

Please visit us at IBM's Global Solutions Directory for RTD/zOS and RTD/Db2.

RTD Trial Registriation

Please click here for a free RTD trial installation.