FalconStor VTL-S User Guide

8/9/2019 FalconStor VTL-S User Guide

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SpectraLogic.com

FALCONSTOR

VIRTUALTAPELIBRARY(VTL-S)

SOFTWAREUSERGUIDE


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Copyright Copyright 20082009 FalconStor Software and Spectra Logic Corporation. All RightsReserved.

Spectra Logic and FalconStor Software reserve the right to make changes in theinformation contained in this publication without prior notice. The reader should in allcases consult with Spectra Logic and FalconStor Software to determine whether any suchchanges have been made.

Trademarks BlueScale, Spectra, SpectraGuard, and the Spectra Logic logo are registered trademarks.FalconStor Software, FalconStor, and IPStor are registered trademarks of FalconStorSoftware, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Windows is a registered trademarkof Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved worldwide. All other trademarks andregistered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Part Number 90990035 Revision D

RevisionHistory

FalconStor VTLSoftware Version

DocumentRevision Date Description

4.6-4722 A May 2008 Initial release for Spectra nTier VTL with Deduplication5.1-1899 B December 2008 Updated to reflect new features in FalconStor VTL 5.1 software

5.1-1899 C May 2009 Updated and restructured to reflect Spectra Logic nTierDeduplication appliances

5.20-2164 D October 2010 Updated to reflect new features of the FalconStor VTL-S version5.2 software.

Note: The FalconStor VTL software is no longer private-labeledfor Spectra Logic.


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Contacting Spectra Logic

To obtain general information

Spectra Logic Web Site:www.spectralogic.com

United States Headquarter European Office FalconStor Headquarters

Spectra Logic Corporation6285 Lookout RoadBoulder, CO 80301USA

Phone:(800) 833-1132 or(303) 449-6400

International:00 (1) 303 449 6400

Fax: (303) 939-8844

Spectra Logic Europe Ltd.Magdalen CentreRobert Robinson AvenueOxford Science ParkOXFORDOX4 4GAUnited Kingdom

Phone:44 (0) 870 112 2150Fax: 44 (0) 870 112 2175

FalconStor Software, Inc.2 Huntington QuadrangleSuite 2S01Melville, NY 11747USA

Phone:631-777-5188

Web Site:www.falconstor.com

Spectra Logic Technical Support

Web Site: www.spectralogic.com/support

Knowledge Base: www.spectralogic.com/knowledgebase

United States and Canada

Phone:

Toll free US and Canada:

1.800.227.4637

International: 1.303.449.0160

Email:

[email protected]

Europe, Middle East, Africa

Phone: 44 (0) 870.112.2185

Email:

[email protected]

Deutsch sprechende KundenPhone: 49 (0) 6028.9796.507

Email: [email protected]

Mexico, Central and SouthAmerica, Asia, Australia, andNew Zealand

Phone: 1.303.449.0160Email:

[email protected]

Spectra Logic Sales

Web Site: www.spectralogic.com/shop

United States and Canada

Phone: 1.800.833.1132 or1.303.449.6400

Fax: 1.303.939.8844Email: [email protected]

Europe

Phone: 44 (0) 870.112.2150

Fax: 44 (0) 870.112.2175

Email: [email protected]


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Contents

Introduction

FalconStor Virtual Tape Library overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1VTL components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Plan your Deployment

VTL configurations for disk-to-disk-to-tape backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Standard VTL Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Advanced VTL Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Automated Tape Caching VTL Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Guidelines for configuring physical resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Getting Started

Run the FalconStor Management Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Launch the web-based console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Install and launch the console on an administrative computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Connect to your VTL server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Configure your VTL server using the configuration wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Step 1: Enter license keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Step 2: Create encryption keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Step 3: Set up network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Step 4: Set hostname . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Step 5: Enable Fibre Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Step 6: Switch to target mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Step 7: Prepare devices for virtual libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Step 8: Create Virtual Tape Library database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Step 9: Assign physical libraries/drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17Step 10: Create virtual libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Step 11: Add SAN clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19Step 12: Assign virtual library to clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19Step 13: Enable Deduplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20Step 14: Create Deduplication Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Prepare for backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21Backup server access to the VTL server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21iSCSI backup servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

FC backup servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Discover the virtual tape library from your backup server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23Create and run backup jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25Confirm successful backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26Configure optional services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26


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VTL Console

Launch the Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27Connect to your VTL server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27The VTL console user interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Objects in the console navigation tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Multi-Node Group object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Server object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Virtual Tape Library System object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Virtual Tape Libraries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Virtual Tape Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Virtual Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Import/Export Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Physical Tape Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Physical Tape Drives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Replica Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Physical Tape Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Deduplication Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Disk Resources object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32SAN Clients object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32Reports object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32Group Reports object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33Physical Resources object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Add physical devices to VTL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34Prepare physical storage devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34Rescan physical devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Console information pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38Sort the Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38Filter the Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39Export data from the Event Log. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39Print the Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39Clear the Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Version Info tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39Performance Statistics tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40Folders tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41Deduplication Statistics tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41SIR Replication tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Attention Required tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Create a report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44View a report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45Schedule a report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45Export data from a report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46Set report properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46Email a report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46Refresh report display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47Delete a report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47


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Customize the Deduplication Tape Activity Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47Console options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50System maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Network configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Set hostname. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Set date and time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Restart VTL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Restart network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Reboot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Halt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Manage users and administrators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52Change password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53Set server properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53Configure VTL to send SNMP traps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Mirror the VTL database to protect your VTL configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Check mirroring status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Replace a failed disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Fix a minor disk failure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Replace a disk that is part of an active mirror configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Swap the primary disk with the mirrored copy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Replace a failed physical disk without rebooting your VTL server. . . . . . . . . . .57Remove a mirror configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Save/restore a VTL configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58Information and requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58Save your VTL configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58Restore a VTL configuration - standalone system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Multi-Node Groups

Create a group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Add servers to a group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62Remove a server from a group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Tape Libraries, Tape Drives, and Tapes

Create virtual tape libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64Create virtual tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76How virtual tapes are allocated from multiple LUNs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

Round Robin Logic with Tape Capacity on Demand disabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

Round Robin Logic with Tape Capacity on Demand enabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82Locate and display virtual tapes in the Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

Search by barcode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83Display virtual tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83Sort all tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84Filter the display of tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84

Add SAN Clients (backup servers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86Assign virtual tape libraries to backup servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89


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Add virtual tape library storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91Physical tape libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

Assign physical libraries/drives to the virtual tape library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92Inventory physical tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93Designate a physical library or drive as disabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94Reset physical tapes in a library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94

Import data from tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95Import data from a physical tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95Import data from a tape in another virtual tape library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97

Export data to physical tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99Manual export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100

Auto Archive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104Export with tape stacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Manage jobs in the import/export queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108Filter the display of jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109Set import/export job properties for failed jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

Set virtual tape library system properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111Virtual tape drive compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112Enable/disable compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Change firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113Encrypt data on virtual and physical tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Create a key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115Change a key name or password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116Delete a key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116Export a key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117Import a key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

Shred a virtual tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

Data Deduplication

Prepare deduplication storage devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122Prepare virtualized resources - create Disk Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

Index disk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122Folder disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123Data disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

Enable deduplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125Mirror deduplication resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129

Add a mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129Manually synchronize a mirror. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130Remove a mirror configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130

Deduplication policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131Add deduplication policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131Manage deduplication policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136

Monitor deduplication and view statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137Deduplication Policies object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137Individual deduplication policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138Repository statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143

Virtual index tape status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145Check replication status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146


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Reclaim disk space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147Add SIR storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148Disable deduplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

ReplicationAuto Replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152Remote Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152Replication of virtual tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153Replication of deduplicated tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155Replication requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157

Deduplicated tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157Configure replication for virtual tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158Configure replication for deduplicated tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

Add the replication target for SIR data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165Edit a replication target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168

Check replication status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169Replication status of deduplicated tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170

Promote a replica resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172Promote a replica resource without breaking the replication configuration . . . . . .172

Access data on a replicated virtual tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173Change your replication configuration options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173Suspend/resume replication schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174Manually start the replication process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174Remove a replication configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175

Automated Tape Caching

Tape caching policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178Create/change a tape caching policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178Set global tape caching options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181Disable a policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182Create a cache for your physical tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183Create uncached virtual tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186Manually migrate cached data to physical tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186Force migration of an entire tape to physical tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186Reclaim disk space manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186Renew cache for a direct link tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186Recover data using Automated Tape Caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187

Fibre Channel Configuration

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188Configure Fibre Channel hardware on server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189

Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189HBA driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189Zoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189Persistent binding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190


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FSHBA.CONF file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191Configure Fibre Channel hardware on clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192Verify your hardware configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193Set QLogic ports to target mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196

Multi port QLogic HBAs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196Single port QLogic HBAs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196

Associate World Wide Port Names with clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198

iSCSI Clients

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200Supported platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200

Manage iSCSI clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200iSCSI users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201

Windows client configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201

Prepare client initiators to access your VTL server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201Add your iSCSI client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202Create targets for the iSCSI client to log onto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205Log the client onto the target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206

Setup using Open iSCSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207Prepare the iSCSI initiator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207

Add your iSCSI client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208Create targets for the iSCSI client to log onto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208

Linux client configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209Prepare the iSCSI initiator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209

Add your iSCSI client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209Create targets for the iSCSI client to log onto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209

Log the client onto the target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210Solaris client configuration with iSCSI only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210

Prepare the iSCSI initiator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210Add your iSCSI client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211Create targets for the iSCSI client to log onto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211Log the client onto the target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211

Disable iSCSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211

IBM 3494 Configuration

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212

Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213Add/remove tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213

IBM System i Configuration

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214Before you begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215Set up the tape library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215Import cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217


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Export cartridges (move to vault) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217

Hosted Backup

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218Configure Hosted Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218Stop VTL processes with Hosted Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222

NDMP Backup Support

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223Configure NDMP support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223

OpenStorage Option

Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227Before you install . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228

Zoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228Create SAN clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228Solaris clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228

AIX clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228

Windows (pre-configured VTL storage appliances) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229

AIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229

Solaris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229Before you begin configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230Deduplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230Replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230NetBackup installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230Location of NetBackup commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230Important information about the maximum number of concurrent jobs . . . . . . . . .231

Configuration - Backup with deduplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231Configuration - Backup with deduplication and replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233Verify your configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237

Adding replication to an existing OST configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238Best practice guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240

Deciding how many LSUs to create . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240Deciding how many concurrent jobs to allow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241Spanning LSUs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242Load balancing LSUs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242

Commands - detailed descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243Add a VTL server - creatests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243Create an LSU - createlsu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243

Attach an LSU - attachlsu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244Configure an LSU - cfglsu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245


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List VTL servers - liststs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245List LSUs - listlsu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245Remove a VTL server - deletests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246Detach an LSU - detachlsu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246Delete an LSU - deletelsu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246Get/set the message logging level - loglevel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247

ACSLS and Library Station Configuration

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248Hardware configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249Configure VTL to work with ACSLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249Set eject policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251Filter tapes displayed in the VTL console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251

Add/remove tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251

Email Alerts

Configure Email Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252Modify Email Alerts properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257Script/program trigger information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257

Customize email for a specific trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257New script/program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257

VTL Server

Important notes about stopping VTL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259

Server processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260

Command Line

Using the command line utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261Common arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262Login/logout to/from the VTL Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .263Virtual devices / Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264VTL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270

Automated tape caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .284Import/Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .289

Deduplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .296Replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299Physical devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309Technical support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317


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Virtual Tape Library User Guide ix

Troubleshooting

General Console operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319Physical resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321Logical resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322

Client cannot see tape library/drive as provisioned by VTL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323VIT tape is marked Full . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326

Backup jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327Replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327

Replication of virtual tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327Replication when a tape is corrupted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327

System configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328Import/Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329Take an X-ray of your system for technical support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330

Appendix

System security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331LUN migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331

Index


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Virtual Tape Library User Guide 1

Introduction

FalconStor Virtual Tape Library overview

FalconStorVirtual Tape Library (VTL) increases the speed and reliability ofbackups that use standard third-party backup applications by leveraging disk toemulate industry-standard tape libraries. VTL leverages your existing Fibre Channelor IP SAN to transfer data to and restore data from a disk-based virtual tape at ultra-high speeds.

Since VTL uses disk to back up data, it eliminates the media and mechanical errorsthat can occur with physical tapes and drives. And, because VTL can emulate moretape drives than your physical tape library really has, more backup streams can runsimultaneously, enabling organizations to easily complete their backups within theallotted backup window.

Because you may already have physical tapes that you would like to protect, youcan import data from physical tapes into your virtual tape system. If you ever need torecover files from a physical tape, you can use VTL to access those tapes forimmediate recovery.

FalconStor VTL combines virtual tape library and deduplication functionality toeliminate redundant data without impacting your established backup window,thereby minimizing storage requirements.

For additional data protection, the data on virtual tapes can be exported to physicaltapes for long-term data archiving. Data can also be copied to physical tapes usingyour backup applications copy function.

This guide describes how to use the FalconStor Management Console for VTL.

VTL components

VTL comprises the following components:

VTL appliance - An appliance running VTL software. On VTL StorageAppliances, VTL is pre-configured with a variety of system defaults.

VTL and deduplication storage - Storage used by VTL and deduplication.This includes the VTL database, VTL storage, Single-Instance Repository(SIR) index, and SIR repository. VTL Storage Appliances can include self-contained disk storage or direct-attached storage using SAS. VTL Gateway

Appliances have external storage that can be shared by more than oneVTL.

FalconStor Management Console for VTL - The graphical administrationtool, installed on a separate workstation, lets you configure VTL, add/configure clients, set properties, create and manage deduplication policies,enable replication, import/export tapes, and view statistics.


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Introduction


VTL clients - The backup servers that use VTL. VTL supports Fibre Channeland iSCSI backup servers on most major platforms. If the Hosted Backupfeature is available, you can install a certified backup application directly onthe VTL appliance, eliminating the need for a dedicated backup server.


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When planning your VTL deployment, you need to determine what type of

configuration best suits your organization. In addition to disk-to-disk, the flexibility ofFalconStor VTL supports three possible disk-to-disk-to-tape (D2D2T) configurations.

In a D2D2T scenario with FalconStor VTL, you choose your preferred configurationof the various components your third-party backup software, the VTL appliance,the storage managed by VTL for use as the virtual tape library, and one or morephysical tape libraries. Regardless of which configuration you choose, VTL makes iteasy for you to manage both virtual tapes and physical tapes.

VTL configurations for disk-to-disk-to-tape backup

Standard Configuration- Backup software runs on a backup server or onthe VTL appliance and manages all tapesvirtual and physical. Data iscopied to physical tape using the backup softwares tape copy function.

Advanced Configuration- Backup software runs on a backup server andmanages the backup to virtual tape. VTL manages the disk storage and theexport of data to the physical tape library.

Automated Tape Caching Configuration- Backup software runs on abackup server and transparently manages the backup to virtual tape. Inaddition, this configuration provides the backup application with transparentaccess to data regardless of whether the data is on disk or on tape. Flexiblemigration policies determine when data will be moved to physical tape.


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Standard VTL Configuration

In the standard VTL configuration, the backup software manages all tapesvirtualand physicalby treating the virtual tape library as though it were just anotherstandalone tape library attached to the backup server. To copy data from virtual to

physical tapes, the backup softwares Tape Copyfunction is utilized.

In this configuration, the backupsoftware runs on an existingbackup server or on the VTLappliance (using the HostedBackup option). The backupsoftware transparently managesthe backup to virtual tape.

This configuration is ideal fororganizations that already have

a backup process in place withwhich they are comfortable butwhich is not meeting all of theirbackup objectives. Adding aVTL appliance as another tapelibrary allows you to easilyincrease your parallel backupstreams and take advantage ofusing VTL for rapid datarecovery without having to alteryour current configuration. Withthe backup application

managing the entire backupprocess, virtual tapes and physical tapes are seen in the same way: a virtual tape isjust another tape.

In the standard VTL configuration, backups to virtual tapes occur quickly. Then, at alater time, the backup server can copy the data to physical tapes without impactingthe production environment. Because the backup server performs the tape copyingfunction in addition to backups, additional overhead can be incurred by the backupserver. Therefore, it is best to perform tape copying at off-peak hours.

While VTL natively accelerates backup from the backup server to virtual tape, datatransfer between application servers and the backup application can be acceleratedby hosting a backup application on the VTL appliance itself. This shortens the datapath between the application server and the backup application/server and thereforeenhances backup performance.


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Advanced VTL Configuration

In the advanced VTL configuration, the backup software manages backups to thevirtual tape library while the VTL appliance controls the export of data from virtualtapes to physical tapes.

VTL dramatically acceleratesbackups by acting as a de factocache to your physical tapelibrary and enables data to bemoved to physical tapes as abackground process withoutimpacting production servers. Thisinnovative approach to backupaddresses the limitations of con-ventional tape backup. Moreover,since VTL manages the export of

data from virtual to physicaltapes, there is no additionaloverhead for the backup server.

The backup software runs on anexisting backup server or on theVTL appliance (with the HostedBackup option). The backupsoftware transparently managesthe backup to virtual tape.

With the advanced VTLconfiguration, backups to virtualtape occur very quickly. Then,at a later time, when you aredone using a given tape, youcan export data to physical tape

for offsite vaulting or disaster recovery without impacting the productionenvironment. VTL can also be set up in Auto Archive mode so that after eachbackup to virtual tape completes, data is automatically exported to physical tape.

The advanced VTL configuration requires you to set up the initial physical tapelibrary emulation from the VTL console so that there is a 1:1 mapping, with identicalbarcodes, between virtual and physical tapes. This enables the backup software tokeep track of backup tapes and prevents tapes from being created that would beunidentifiable by the backup software.

Whenever data is written to physical tape, the virtual tape can then be deleted or thecopy can be left on the virtual tape for rapid recovery. The physical tape will alwayshave the same barcode as its virtual tape counterpart. This gives you the flexibility toeasily restore from either virtual or physical tape.


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When it comes time to restore, the backup software identifies the barcode of thetape containing the needed data. If the data still resides on virtual tape (it was neverexported or it was exported with the virtual tape left intact), it can be restored veryquickly because it is being read from disk. If the data is only on physical tape, thetape must first be re-imported into VTL with a few simple keystrokes in the VTL

console so that the backup software can access it and restore in its usual manner.

Automated Tape Caching VTL Configuration

With Automated Tape caching,tapes always appear to be insidevirtual libraries and are visible tothe backup application regardlessof whether the data is actually ondisk or physical tape. This meansthat the backup application always

has direct access to data.In this model, the backup softwareruns on an existing backup serverand transparently manages thebackup to virtual tape.

VTL acts as a transparent cacheto the physical tape library,dramatically accelerating backupswhile enabling the data to bewritten to physical tapes, as abackground process without

impacting production servers,based on extremely flexiblemigration policies (age of data,time of day, disk space, end ofbackup, etc.). Automated TapeCaching also provides veryflexible space reclamation policies(free space immediately upon

migration, after specified retention period, when out of space, etc.)


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Guidelines for configuring physical resources

If VTL-S has been installed on a gateway appliance, you must prepare storageresources before you can make them available for use by VTL (this will be a step inthe VTL configuration wizard). Four types of disks are needed:

Virtual Tape Library Database

You need to have at least one disk with 10 GB.

In order to create a mirror for the database, you need another 10 GB disk onanother RAID group.

Tapes for Virtual Tape Libraries

The amount of disk space required for VTL data can be calculated based onthe amount of data that will be backed up daily/weekly, the amount of timethe backed-up data will be retained, and the estimated deduplication ratio.Your FalconStor representative can assist you with this calculation, whichwill allow you to configure appropriately sized VTL storage.

If the storage capacity expansion option is available for your appliance andadditional physical resources are connected, you can add more storage forVTL tapes at any time.

SIR Data

You can use one or more disks for SIR Data.

The amount of disk space required for SIR data can be calculated based onthe amount of data that will be backed up daily/weekly, the amount of timethe backed-up data will be retained, and the estimated deduplication ratio.Your FalconStor representative can assist you with this calculation, whichwill allow you to configure appropriately sized SIR storage for optimum

performance. SIR writes 512 KB / block sequentially when writing data to storage. You can

choose 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 disks for SIR data.

If the storage capacity expansion option is available for your appliance andadditional physical resources are connected, you can add more disks to theSIR repository at any time.

SIR Index and Folder

You can use one or more disks for the SIR Index and Folder resource. (Thefolder resource is used to store information related to the contents of eachdeduplication session.)

The size of this resource should be approximately 4 percent of the total sizecalculated for SIR data.

If the storage capacity expansion option is available for your appliance andadditional physical resources are connected, you can add more storage forthe SIR Index and Folder resource at any time.


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Getting Started

VTL has been designed for quick setup. Once you connect your VTL appliance to

your storage network (as described in the Hardware QuickStart Guide), you shouldfollow the instructions in the Software QuickStart Guideto set network information,change administrator passwords, and enter license keys. Both guides were shippedwith your appliance.

The following steps guide you through configuring your VTL appliance.

Run the FalconStor Management Console

The FalconStor Management Console for VTL is the graphical administration toolthat enables you to manage VTL. The computer that runs the VTL console needsconnectivity to the network segment where VTL is running, because it

communicates directly with the server and clients (backup servers). There are twoways to run the VTL console:

Launch the web-based console

To launch a web-based version of the console, open a browser from any machineand enter the IP address of the VTL server (for example: http://10.0.0.2) and theconsole will launch. If you have Web Setup, select the Gobutton next toAdvancedoptionsand click theAdvanced Consolebutton.

To skip going through Web Setup in the future, open a browser from any machine

and enter the IP address of the VTL server followed by :81, for example: http://10.0.0.2:81/ to launch the console.

Once the console is displayed, you can save the IP address (http://10.0.0.2:81/) asa Favorite or Bookmark.

Install and launch the console on an administrative computer

If you have the FalconStor Management Console software, you can install theconsole onto any machine, as long as that machine has a Graphical User Interface.Note that if you are installing the console on a Windows machine, you must be aPower User or Administrator.

To launch the console after installation, select Start--> Programs--> FalconStor.Select the version of the VTL console that corresponds to your installation and thenclick VTL Console.


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Getting Started


Connect to your VTL server

If your server already appears in the navigation tree on the left side of the console,right-click it and select Connect. For a multi-node group, right-click the group andselect Connectto connect to all of the servers in the group.

If your server does not appear in the tree, do the following to add it:

1. Right-click theServersobject in the left pane of the console and selectAdd.

If you are running on a Windows machine, you can right-click the Serversobjectand select Discover to detect VTL servers in a range of IP addresses. Youshould then specify the subnet range of your VTL server and wait for the VTLserver hostname to appear in the navigation tree. For VTL appliances, thehostname has the format FSxxxxx, wherexxxxxis a unique number for your VTLappliance, which is displayed on a label on your appliance. When the hostnameappears in the navigation tree, right-click it and select Connect.

2. Type the VTL Server name or address (for example, 10.7.12.91) and enter avalid user name and password (both are case sensitive) to log in.

If you purchased an appliance from FalconStor, log in with rootas the UserName. The default password is IPStor101, but that may have been changed inWeb Setup. The username and password are case sensitive.

Once you are connected to a server, the server icon will change to show that you

are connected:

The VTL console remembers the servers to which the console has successfullyconnected. If you close and restart the console, the servers will still be displayedin the tree but you will not be connected to them.

If you have a pre-configured VTL-S storage appliance, continue with Prepare forbackups.

If you have a VTL-S gateway appliance, the configuration wizard will launch.Continue with Configure your VTL server using the configuration wizard.


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Getting Started


Step 2: Create encryption keys

With encryption, you can create one or more keys that can be used to encrypt datawhen it is exported to physical tape and decrypt it when it is imported back to virtualtapes. The data on the tape cannot be read without being decrypted using the

appropriate key.

1. Click New.

2. In the Key Nametext box, type a unique name for the key.

3. In the Secret Phrasetext box, type the phrase that will be used to encrypt thedata.

4. In the New Passwordand Confirm Passwordtext boxes, type a password foraccessing the key.

You will need to provide this password in order to change the key name,password, or password hint, or to delete or export the key.

You do not have to provide a unique password for each key. In fact, if you usethe same password for multiple keys, you have to provide the password onlyonce when you export multiple keys that all use the same password.

5. In the Password Hinttext box, type a hint that will help you remember thepassword.

This hint appears when you type an incorrect password and request a hint.

Refer to Encrypt data on virtual and physical tapesfor detailed informationabout encryption keys.

6. Click OKwhen you are done, then click Nextto continue with the next step.

Note: We recommend that you make a record of your secret phrase in asecure location. Once you have created a key, you cannot change the secretphrase associated with that key.

Configuration note:After completing the configuration wizard, if you need to addencryption keys, you can right-click the VTL server object in the console andselect Key Management.


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Getting Started


Step 3: Set up network

1. Enter information about your network configuration.

Domain name- Internal domain name.

Append suffix to DNS lookup- If you enter a domain name, it will be appended tothe machine name for name resolution.

DNS- IP address of your Domain Name Server.

Default gateway- IP address of your default gateway.

NIC- List of Ethernet cards in the server.

Enable SSH - Enable/disable the ability to use the SSH protocol. The VTL servermust have openssh installed in order to use SSH.

Enable SFTP- Enable/disable the ability to securely FTP into the server.

Note: Changing the IP address is allowed only before you configure replication.To change the IP address after you configure replication, you must remove thereplication target, change the IP address, and then configure replication again.


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Getting Started


2. Click Config NIC to configure each network interface card (NIC).

If you select Static, you must click theAddbutton to add IP addresses andsubnet masks.

MTU- Set the maximum transfer unit of each IP packet. If your card supports it,set this value to 9000 for jumbo frames.


Configuration note:After completing the configuration wizard, if you need tochange these settings, you can right-click the VTL server object in the consoleand select System Maintenance --> Network Configuration.


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Getting Started


Step 4: Set hostname

1. Enter a valid name for your VTL server.

Valid characters are letters, numbers, underscore, or dash. The server will

automatically reboot when the hostname is changed.


Step 5: Enable Fibre Channel

(FC edition only) This step takes just a few seconds and there are no additionalscreens to go through.

An Everyone_FCclient will be created under SAN Clients. This is a generic clientthat you can assign to all (or some) of your tape libraries/drives. It allows any WWPNnot already associated with a Fibre Channel client to have read/write non-exclusiveaccess to any tape libraries/drives assigned to Everyone_FC.

Configuration note:After completing the configuration wizard, if you need tochange the name again, you can right-click the VTL server object in the consoleand select System Maintenance --> Set Hostname. You will need to restart theserver if you change the hostname.

Note: Before you enable Fibre Channel, verify that your Fibre Channelconfiguration is set properly. Refer to the Fibre Channel Configurationsection forinformation.

If you do not have or will not be using Fibre Channel, click Skip.


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Getting Started


Step 6: Switch to target mode

(FC edition only) Target mode allows a port to receive requests from your backup

server(s).

If you haven't already done so, you will need to switch any initiator zoned with abackup server to target mode so that the backup server can see the VTL server. Youwill then need to select the equivalent adapter on the secondary server and switch itto target mode.

You will get a Loop Upmessage on your VTL server if a QLogic port has beenplaced in target mode successfully.

In order to identify your ports, you need to know the WWPN of each. One way to findthe WWPN is through the SNS table at your Fibre Channel switch.

Alternatively, for QLogic HBAs, you can find the WWPN in the BIOS (press Ctrl+Qduring boot up).

(Single-ID HBAs) Select which ports should be in target mode.

(Multi-ID HBAs) Click OK.

Note: If you do not have or will not be using Fibre Channel, click Skip.

Configuration note:After completing the configuration wizard, if you need toswitch a ports mode, you can right-click the adapter and select Enable/DisableTarget Mode.


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Getting Started


When this threshold value is reached, migration from virtual tape to physical tapewill be triggered for all virtual libraries using the disk capacity threshold.

4. Click Finishto create the database.

5. If you know that you have a disk available, you can create a mirror for the VTL

database in order to protect your VTL configuration. Even if you lose your VTLserver, the data on your tapes will be maintained. Mirroring the database ishighly recommended (refer to Mirror the VTL database to protect your VTLconfiguration).

6. If you select Yes, select which physical device to use for the mirror.

7. Confirm that all information is correct and then click Finishto create the mirroringconfiguration.

Step 9: Assign physical libraries/drives

If you will be importing data from physical tapes into your virtual tape library orexporting virtual tapes to physical tapes, you must assign your physical tapelibraries/drives to VTL.

This step also inventories the physical tapes in your library/drive so that you cancreate virtual tapes that match your physical tapes.

Refer to Physical tape librariesfor detailed information about managing physicaltape libraries in your VTL environment.

Click OKwhen you are done, then click Nextto continue with the next step.

Configuration note:After completing the configuration wizard, if you want toenable disk compression, right-click the Virtual Tape Library Systemobject in the

console and select Properties.

To mirror the database at a later time, right-click the Databaseobject (under theVirtual Tape Library Systemobject) and select Mirror-->Add.

Note: VTL does not support physical libraries when tape drive numbering doesnot start with 0 or is not sequential.


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Getting Started


Step 10: Create virtual libraries

Select the tape library that you are emulating.

If you have a physical tape library, you need to create a virtual tape library thatresembles it. This way the virtual tapes will use the same format as those of thephysical tapes. This is important for importing and exporting functions andguarantees that your backup application will accept the tapes.

If you are usingAutomated Tape Caching, only your physical tape libraries will be

listed. Select the check box and the system will automatically match your physicallibrary.

You will have to enter information about the tape drives in your library, including:

Barcode information

Tape properties such as Tape Capacity On Demand and maximum tapecapacity.

If you are using Automated Tape Caching, you will have to select the type ofdata migration triggers that you want to set and specify when the data thathas been migrated to physical tape can be deleted to free up cache diskspace.

If you are not using Automated Tape Caching, you will need to determine ifyou want to use auto archive orauto replication for this virtual library.

Refer to Create virtual tape librariesfor detailed information about creating virtualtape libraries and Automated Tape Cachingfor detailed information aboutconfiguring Automated Tape Caching.

After you create a virtual tape library you will be prompted to create new virtualtapes. Refer to Create virtual tapesfor detailed information about creating virtualtapes.


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Getting Started


After you create virtual tapes, you can click Yesto create more virtual libraries orclick Noto continue with the next step.

Step 11: Add SAN clients

This step allows you to select the clients (backup servers) to which you will beassigning a tape library.

Refer to Add SAN Clients (backup servers)for detailed information about adding

clients.

Click OKwhen you are done, then click Nextto continue with the next step.

Step 12: Assign virtual library to clients

If you did not add any clients in the previous step, click Skip.

If you added clients, complete the following:

1. Select a client to assign.

2. Click Finishwhen you are done.

Refer to Assign virtual tape libraries to backup serversfor detailed informationabout assigning libraries to clients.

Configuration note:After completing the configuration wizard, if you need to addnew virtual tape libraries, you can right-click the Virtual Tape Library System

object in the console and select Configuration wizardor you can right-click theVirtual Tape Libraries object and select New.

To add drives to an existing virtual tape library, right-click the Drivesor Tapesobject under the library object and select New (Drive(s)or Tape(s)).

Configuration note:After completing the configuration wizard, if you need to addnew clients, you can right-click the SAN Clientsobject and selectAdd.

Configuration note:After completing the configuration wizard, if you need toassign new virtual libraries, you can right-click a virtual tape library or a client andselectAssign.


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Prepare for backups

Backup server access to the VTL server

Two access schemes determine how backup servers access the VTL server: In an "Open Access" scheme, access is controlled purely by zoning. The

pre-defined Everyone_iSCSIor Everyone_FCclient represents the backupserver and all or some of your virtual tape libraries/drives must be assignedto this client. This scheme is applied when you follow instructions in theQuickStart Guide included with VTL appliances and guidelines for Everyoneclients below.

In a Secured Access scheme, access is dictated by creating specificclients to represent specific backup servers. A backup server can accessonlyits own designated virtual tape library or drives via a dedicated port.This scheme is applied when you add a SAN client as described in Add

SAN Clients (backup servers)and Manage iSCSI clients.

iSCSI backup servers

On a pre-configured VTL storage appliance, iSCSI is enabled by default and theclient Everyone_iSCSI is already created. This special SAN client represents yourbackup server but does not correspond to any specific client machine. Using thisclient, you can create iSCSI targets that are accessible by any iSCSI client that

connects to the VTL server. When you follow the instructions in the QuickStartGuide, you assign your default virtual tape libraries/drives to the Everyone_iSCSIclient.

On a VTL gateway appliance, you must do the following in order for iSCSI backupservers to access VTL resources:

1. If you are not using Everyone_iSCSI, add an iSCSI client for each backup server(Secured Access). Refer to Add SAN Clients (backup servers).

2. Whether you are using Everyone_iSCSIor adding clients, create targets for theiSCSI client to log into.

3. Create and assign a virtual tape library to the iSCSI target (refer to Create virtualtape librariesand Assign virtual tape libraries to backup servers).

4. Register client initiators with your VTL server.

5. Log the client onto the target.

6. Discover the assigned virtual tape library and drives from your backup server(refer to Discover the virtual tape library from your backup server).

Note: Complete these steps if your backup server will communicate with the VTLserver using the iSCSI protocol.


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Refer to Manage iSCSI clientsfor details on steps 2-5.

FC backup servers

On a pre-configured VTL storage appliance with a dual-port Fibre Channel cardinstalled, Fibre Channel is enabled by default; the SAN client Everyone_FC isalready created, and FC HBAs are already set to target mode.

On a VTL gateway appliance, you may have already enabled Fibre Channel targetmode as part of the VTL Configuration Wizard.

If Fibre Channel has not been configured, refer to Fibre Channel Configurationfordetails on how to proceed.

Once Fibre Channel has been configured, you can enable Fibre Channel backupservers to access VTL resources by doing the following:

1. If your VTL server will be shared by multiple backup servers, add a FC client torepresent each backup server and ensure that each backup server can accessonlyits own designated virtual tape library/drives (refer to Add SAN Clients(backup servers)).

2. Create and assign virtual tape library(ies) to clients (refer to Create virtual tapelibrariesand Assign virtual tape libraries to backup servers).

Note: Complete these steps if your backup server will communicate with the VTL

server using the Fibre Channel protocol.


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Discover the virtual tape library from your backup server

To enable your backup server to recognize the default virtual tape library and drives,perform a device scan on your backup server at the operating system level and thenuse your backup software to scan for new devices as well.

Use youroperating

system to scanfor hardware

changes

The steps to do this vary according to the backup servers operating system.

For Fibre Channel environments, if your zoning has been correctly configured, anddevices have been properly assigned to clients, a simple bus rescan performed onthe client should show the new backup devices. Of course, this procedure variesdepending on the OS.

Windows To discover a tape library on a backup server running a Windows operating system:

1. Select Control Panel --> Administrative Tools --> Computer Management.

2. In the left pane, under System Tools, select Device Manager.

3. In the right pane, right-click the backup server and select Scan for hardwarechanges.

New devices representing the specific VTL resources will appear (the libraryunder Medium Changers and tape drives under Tape Drives) and if theappropriate tape drive and tape library device drivers are installed on the backupserver, the correct device name and type are associated and the devices willbecome ready for use by the backup software.

If a new device is unknown, right-click it to display its Properties.Acquire andupdate the driver according to your Windows documentation. Your backup

software may include a procedure that updates drivers.

Linux To discover a tape library on a backup server running a Linux operating system:

1. Rescan your host adapter.

Rescanning in Linux is host adapter-specific. For QLogic:

echo "scsi-qlascan" > /proc/scsi/qla/

For Emulex:

sh force_lpfc_scan.sh "lpfc"

2. Identify the detected devices.

# cat /proc/scsi/scsi

3. For each identified device do the following:

# echo "scsi add-single-device " >/

proc/scsi/scsi

where is the host adapter number, is channel number isthe target id and is the LUN number.


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HP-UX To discover a tape library on a backup server running HP-UX:

1. Rescan the devices.

# ioscan -fnC

2. Generate device files.# insf -e

3. Verify the new devices.

# ioscan -funC

AIX To discover a tape library on a backup server running AIX:

1. Rescan devices.

# cfgmgr -vl fcsX

whereXis the number of the FC adapter.

2. Verify the new devices.

# lsdev -Cc

Solaris 1. Determine the FC channels.

# cfgadm -al

2. Force a rescan.

cfgadm -o force_update -c configure cX

whereXis the FC channel number.

3. Install device files.

# devfsadm

Use backupsoftware to detect

new devices

The steps to do this vary according to your backup software.

After you complete the procedure, you are ready to create and run backup jobs.

Note: For all other platforms, such as Unix and Linux, consult the appropriatereference material that came with your backup software for details on how to loaddrivers and how to perform discovery for hardware changes.


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Create and run backup jobs

Once your backup server software can discover and access the virtual tape library/drives defined in the VTL server, you can start to use the VTL as if it were a real tapelibrary.

While physical tapes must be acquired and then inserted into the mail slot of aphysical library, virtual tapes are typically created when you create a virtual tapelibrary and you can create additional tapes as needed.

The preparation required to start a backup job successfully is identical whether youare using a real tape library or a virtual one, although they can vary according toyour backup software.

1. Start a "tape inventory" process in your backup software.

2. Define backup jobs and associate tapes with each job.

3. Run your backup jobs.

When one or more backup jobs start to kick off and you are using a physical tape

library, tapes are allocated by the backup software and are loaded into the tapedrives. Backup data is then sent to the tapes until the backup job is done. Thebackup software then sends commands to unload the tapes and return them totheir assigned slot within the library.

All of these actions are emulated by VTL.

When it is time to remove a tape from a physical library, the administrator mustphysically walk over to the library, use a key pad/console to select the tape to beremoved, catch the tape as it is physically being ejected from the "mail slot", andthen store it nearby. These actions can sometimes be done via commands fromwithin the backup software.

VTL does not require a keypad or physical mail slot. Instead, the FalconStor VTL

server has a Virtual Tape Vaultthat holds the tapes that are virtually "ejected"from any virtual tape library. When an "eject" is performed by the backupsoftware, the ejected virtual tape is automatically placed in the Virtual Vault. Youcan confirm this action using the VTL Console (select the Virtual Tape Vaultobject and verify the virtual tape is indeed there). If tape removal is notdoneusing the backup software, you can right-click the virtual tape in the VTL consoleand select Move to Vault.

Note: Special note for NetBackup users - To prevent a backup from going tothe same tape more than once, when you are configuring backup jobs forMicrosoft Exchange, DO NOT span your policies across tapes.

Important:If available when defining a backup job, set the option to unload atape when it is not needed. If this option is not available, you may need to rundeduplication manually. Refer to Manage deduplication policies.


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With VTL, when backup to a virtual tape is complete, a deduplication policyexecutes automatically at the designated time or when you run the policy manuallyfrom the VTL console. You can confirm that the deduplication policy is running byselecting the Deduplication Policiesobject to see a list of all policies and theircurrent status.

4. Verify that the backup job is working properly, as described below.

Confirm successful backup

While a backup job is running, you can use the VTL console to verify that data isbeing written to virtual tapes.

1. In the VTL console, expand the Virtual Tape Library Systemobject.

2. Expand Virtual Tape Libraries, the specific library, and then Tapes.

3. Under the Tapesobject, select each tape that is included in a backup job.

In the right-hand pane, you should see a value for Data Written, which updatesdynamically during a backup job.

After the backup job completes, use your backup software to verify that the data waswritten completely and can be restored.

Configure optional services

If you purchased the Replication option, refer to Replicationfor information aboutreplicating virtual tapes.

Note: Refer to Deduplication policiesfor information on creating deduplicationpolicies.


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VTL Console

The FalconStor Management Console for VTL allows you to manage your VTL

system, users, and administrators; add/configure clients; set server properties;monitor VTL activity; create deduplication policies/monitor deduplication; managethe import/export of tapes, and run/view reports.

Launch the Console

To launch an installed version of the console, select Start--> Programs-->FalconStor --> VTL --> VTL Console.

To launch a web-based version of the console, open a browser from any machineand enter the IP address of the VTL server for example: http://10.0.0.2 and theconsole will launch. If you have Web Setup, select the Gobutton next toAdvanced

optionsand click theAdvanced Consolebutton.

To skip going through Web Setup in the future, open a browser from any machineand enter the IP address of the VTL server followed by :81, for example: http://10.0.0.2:81/ to launch the console.

Connect to your VTL server

1. Right-click the VTLserver object in the console and select Connect.

If you have a multi-node group, right-click the group and select Connecttoconnect to all of the servers in the group. You must use a user name and

password that exists for all servers in the groups.

If you want to connect to a server that is not listed, right-click the Serversobjectand selectAdd.

2. Enter a valid user name and password (both are case sensitive).

Once you are connected to a server, the server icon will change to show that youare connected:

The VTL console remembers the VTL servers to which the console hassuccessfully connected. If you close and restart the console, the VTL servers willstill be displayed in the tree but you will not be connected to them.

Note: Multiple administrators can access a server at the same time. Changesto the servers configuration are saved on a first-come, first-served basis.


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VTL Console


The VTL console user interface

The VTL console displays VTL server configuration, organized in a familiar Explorer-like tree view.

The tree allows you to navigate the VTL server and its configuration objects. Youcan expand or collapse the display to show only the information that you wish toview. To expand an item that is collapsed, click the symbol next to the item. Tocollapse an item, click the symbol next to the item. Double-clicking the item willalso toggle the expanded/collapsed view of the item.

You need to connect to the server before you can expand the server object.


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When you highlight any object in the tree, the right-hand pane contains detailedinformation about the object. You can select one of the tabs for more information.

Statistics on usage of VTL and SIR repository resources are displayed in the bottomportion of the information pane.

The console log located at the bottom of the window displays information about theactivities performed in this console. The log features a drop-down list that allows youto see activity from this console session. The bottom right also displays the localserver name and time.

Objects in the console navigation tree

Multi-Node Group object

If you have configured multi-node groups, the group object contains the servers thathave been grouped together.

All of the servers in a group can be managed together. From the group level, youcan manage user accounts for all servers in the group and you can set commonconfiguration parameters, such as SNMP settings, storage monitoring triggerthreshold, tape caching thresholds, compression settings, and X-rays. You can alsolog in to all of the servers in the group at the same time.

For more information about groups, refer to Multi-Node Groups.

Server object

From the server object, you can manage administrator accounts for that server, add/remove licenses, change the system password, configure server-level options suchas email alerts, perform system maintenance, set tape encryption keys, generate anx-ray file, join a group, and set server properties.

For each server, you will see the following objects: Virtual Tape Library System, DiskResources,SAN Clients,Reports, and Physical Resources.

When you are connected to a server, you will see the following tabs:

General - Displays the configuration and status of the VTL server.Configuration information includes the version of the base operating system,the type and number of processors, amount of physical and swappablememory, supported protocols, network adapter information, storage capacityusage, and system drive usage.

Event Log - Displays system events and errors. Buttons on this tab let youfilter, export, purge, or print the Event Log.

Version Info - Displays the version of the VTL server and console software,including currently installed patches.

Performance Statistics - Displays read and write throughput for the last 60minutes. The chart shows an aggrega

Documents

FalconStor VTL-S User Guide