Unattended backup utilizing VMS backup from a MSA1000 to a MSL5000

[Greg Szczepanski]

Good day,

I would like to find out just how, and what is necessary (any additional software) for our site to perform an unattended backup of a MSA1000 SAN (about 600gb) to a MSL5000 via OVMS backup. I would like to load enough tapes in the Library, issue backup from a batch queue and have the backup span across multiple tapes. Will the MSL5000 handle spanning across multiple volumes automatically if loaded or is there another utility (MRU) which needs to be installed? Are there special commands that will have to be issued to sequentially access the next available tape in library? And lastly, if MRU is required, can this be utilized in a Windows 2003 server environment as well?

Any pertinent information would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Greg

[Veli Körkkö · Accepted solution]

What kind of MSL5000 specifically? not that it should really matter that much since even the "smallest", i.e. MSL5026DLX with 40/80GB DLT8000 drives has 1.04TB capacity and MSL5026S2 with SuperDLT2 drives has approx 4.0TB capability
so it should it more than sufficient for backing up 600GB.

If you wish to use no additional software, you must put the library to "sequential drive 0" or "sequential drive 1" or "sequantial split" mode, fill up with cartridges and load to drives the "first" tape(s)

Then fire up the old but good sequence of BACKUP commands and let it go.

It might however be much more useful to get ABS or SLS style software and barcode labels for cartridges.

_veli

[Greg Szczepanski]

Veli,

Thank you for the info .. but not familiar with ABS or SLS?

Thanks
Greg

[Uwe Zessin]

Archive Backup System and Storage Library Software are complete backup solutions/ frameworks.

Even when you don't use them it is a good idea to put barcodes on your tape media. Off-hand I can't tell if the MSL belongs to this group, but some librarys can do a faster inventory if they find barcodes.

[Veli Körkkö]

MSL will handle barcodes nicely. E.q. with ABS one can do inventory with just barcodes.

$ mdms inventory jukebox xxxx/vision

But even without ABS/MDMS/SLS whatever, the basic MRU aka ROBOT one can read the labels

This here was done against a TL891, i.e. older device but one with support for barcode labels.


$ robot show robot gka0

Robot Name: gka0 Type: SCSI

Media Robot Identifier: DEC TL800 (C) DEC0525

Slots: 10
Drives: 1
Inports: 0
Outports: 0
Transports: 1
$ robot show robot gka0 slot
SLOT: 0 MC4000
SLOT: 1 MC4001
SLOT: 2 Empty
SLOT: 3 MC4003
SLOT: 4 MC4004
SLOT: 5 MC4005
SLOT: 6 MC4006
SLOT: 7 MC4017
SLOT: 8 MC4018
SLOT: 9 MC4019


_veli

[Uwe Zessin]

I didn't intend to say that the MSL could not handle barcodes :-(