Tape Pools

Storware Backup & Recovery provides tape libraries support. The tape storage provides a scalable and easy to configure storage solution.

From the main administrative console you can manage all operations on libraries and tapes, such as:

• Managing tape libraries

• Managing tape drives

• Managing tapes

  • Browse

  • Delete

  • Editing barcode

  • Assign them to offsite location

Create a Tape Manager

Prerequisites

Before creating Tape Manager in Storware Backup & Recovery you need to install Tape Manager service on machine with tape library. You can download Tape Manager RPM file from Storware Repository.

Example:

rpm -ivh sbr-tape-manager-x.x.x-x.el8.x86_64.rpm 

Tape Manager service by default runs on ports 8686 (HTTP) and 8787 (HTTPS).

Udev configuration

For correct discover tape library and drives, is required to configure udev rule. Tape drives order in udev should be the same as drives order in the tape library.

1. Display wwid of all devices in system

Display first 10 devices by command:

for i in {1..10}; do udevadm info -a -p $(udevadm info -q path -n /dev/sg$i) | grep wwid; done

Example output:

ATTRS{wwid}=="naa.61866da058dd2c002810433a0a94e18c"
ATTRS{wwid}=="t10.IBM     ULT3580-TD6     10WT036783"
ATTRS{wwid}=="t10.IBM     3573-TL         00L4U78W3142_LL0"
ATTRS{wwid}=="t10.IBM     ULT3580-TD6     90WT064679"
ATTRS{wwid}=="t10.IBM     3573-TL         00L4U78W3142_LL0"

I have here 2 tape drives, and one changer visible by two paths.

2. Create udev rules

To make persistent names for my tape devices I need create udev rules. Create a file /etc/udev/rules.d/sbr.rules with content:

KERNEL=="sg*", ATTRS{wwid}=="t10.IBM     ULT3580-TD6     10WT036783", MODE="0666", SYMLINK="sbr/Library0_Drive0"
KERNEL=="sg*", ATTRS{wwid}=="t10.IBM     ULT3580-TD6     90WT064679", MODE="0666", SYMLINK="sbr/Library0_Drive1"
KERNEL=="sg*", ATTRS{wwid}=="t10.IBM     3573-TL         00L4U78W3142_LL0", MODE="0666", SYMLINK="sbr/Library0"

• Value of ATTRS{wwid}== must be equal to values from previous udevadm output.

• By value SYMLINK= you create your own name for changer, or tape drive.

• For Storware Backup & Recovery use schema name "LIBRARY_DRIVE".

3. Apply changes

To apply our changes we must execute two command:

udevadm control --reload-rules
udevadm trigger

4. Validate if it is applied correctly:

To validate it, you need check if persistent devices were created:

ll /dev/sbr/
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 root root 3 Oct 26 12:46 Library0_Drive0 -> sg2
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 root root 3 Oct 26 12:46 Library0_Drive1 -> sg4
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 root root 3 Oct 26 12:46 Library0 -> sg5

Create Tape Manager

To create Tape Manager, log in to Storware Backup & Recovery and go to Backup Destinations -> Tape Pools -> Tape Managers tab and click Create button. You need to specify:

• Name of Tape Manager instance

• URL of Tape Manager service

  http://IP_of_tape_manager:8686
  or
  https://IP_of_tape_manager:8787

• Node Config for scanning Inventory of Tape Manager service

• Secret Key generated by Tape Manager service

Secret Key is generated during first startup of Tape Manager service. It’s located in service directory /opt/vprotect/config/secretKey.jwk. In Storware Backup & Recovery you need to provide the value from “k” property without quotation marks.

Example of secretKey.jwk:

{
    "kty": "oct",
    "k": "ZtOPeOvdJq0M62ka2I8BJmUi7GJbCVEpJyxAsOs4JO0=",
    "alg": "HS256"
}

If you remove this file, new secret api key will be generated at startup of Tape Manager service.

Inventory Synchronization

After creating Tape Manager you need to run Inventory Synchronization to fetch all Tape Libraries, Tape Drives and Tapes from Tape Manager.

Managing Tape Manager

In Tape Manager details you have access to all Tape Libraries, Tape Drives and Tapes associated with this Tape Manager.

Tape Libraries

In Tape Libraries View you have access to all Tape Libraries synced from Tape Manager service. Currently you can only browse or delete Libraries from this view.

Tape Drives

In Tape Drives View you have access to all Tape Drives synced from Tape Manager service. Currently you can only browse or delete Drives from this view.

Tapes

In Tapes View you have access to all Tapes synced from Tape Manager service. In this view, you can:

• Browse Tapes.

• Delete them (this operation will result in loosing all data stored on them).

• If they are not present you can change their name (barcode).

• If they are not present you can assign them to location where they are physically stored.

Locations

Locations are physical places where you store Tapes when they are outside of Tape Library.

To create Location you need to specify name with an optional description.

You can only assign not present tapes to Location. During Tape Manager Inventory Sync Task if a Tape that is in Location will be present again it will be automatically removed from Location.

Notes and limitations

Only environments with a single Tape Library per Tape Manager are supported. Drives visible by the operating system need to be in the same order as drives in Tape Library.

Create a Tape Pool

Prerequisites

Before creating a Tape Pool Backup destination you need to:

• Have working Tape Manager.

• Do a Tape Inventory Synchronization.

Setup

To create Tape Pool you need to specify:

• Name of Backup Destination.

• Tape Manager.

• Tape Library from previously selected Tape Manager.

• Tape Drive from selected Library.

• One or more Tapes from selected Library.

Initialization

After creating or updating Tape Pool Backup Destination wait for a Backup Destination Initialization Task. This Task will initialize all Tapes associated with this Tape Pool. After that your Backup Destination is ready to use.

Notes and limitations

• At all times only one task that uses certain Tape Pool can run, (affects Tasks: Export, Store, Restore, Backup Destination Initialization), all other tasks will wait in queue.

• Moving Tapes between Tape Pools will result in erasing all their contents.

• You are not allowed to assign or remove Tape with valid backups.

• Updating the Tape Pool when there are running tasks that use it is prohibited.