Removable Storage Manager Overview

[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change.]

The Removable Storage Manager (RSM) for Microsoft® Windows NT® consists of functions and a set of management tools for bulk media and robotic libraries. RSM is part of Microsoft® Windows NT® Server version 5.0 and Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 5.0. It works on top of the tape, optical, library, and other class drivers that exist in Windows NT.

The Removable Storage Manager:

• Provides a uniform end-user interface for managing bulk-media storage resources.
• Presents bulk-media storage resources as shareable network resources.
• Provides a media management API for application developers to uniformly and easily incorporate bulk-media storage resources into applications.

Applications use the RSM functions to:

• Share local changers.
• Share drives in local changers.
• Track online and offline media.
• Make operator requests.
• Clean drives.
• Allocate, deallocate, and decommission media.
• Perform library inventories.