Hi Mark
I'm glad the information was helpful.
"From your information i take it that i can now connect the CDL to the Tape SAN
and configure it to use the shared tape devices (or does it require ownership
of the tape devices)?"
It depends on what software inside the EDL uses the tape devices.
If you use the EDL export function, then you MUST NOT share those tape devices
with another system. The reason for this is that the export function assumes
and demands sole ownership of the devices; it can not share. If those tape
devices are shared with another system, you WILL have data loss when the two
applications (which don't know about each other) write to the same tape device.
If you use the embedded NetWorker storage node, then you can share, using
either DDS or a method where some drives are controlled by the EDL, and other
drives in the same library are controlled by another storage node. Standard
NetWorker configuration options apply.
" I will then be able to backup data to the CDL and clone to the existing tape
library using 2 different retention policies for each copy of the data."
Yep, if you use NetWorker to do the cloning.
"I will ofcourse have to make sure that our current CDL supports this function "
The only thing you would need to add is the EDL storage node option, which is a
software license installed via the EDL Console.
"and will have to provide a fibre card for the CDL to connect to the tape SAN."
Nope. It's already in there. All EDL servers have Fibre Channel ports that
can be used for either connection to physical tape devices (FC port in
initiator mode), or for connections to the SAN for offering virtual tape
devices (FC port in target mode). No hardware can be added inside the EDL.
It's an appliance, like a refrigerator. See the EDL documentation (available
at http://powerlink.emc.com) for configuration information
Thanks
tl
________________________________
From: mark wragge [mailto:mark_t_wragge AT yahoo DOT ie]
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 5:07 AM
To: EMC NetWorker discussion; Lemons, Terry
Subject: Re: [Networker] VCB proxy as a storage node
This is excellent information. We have a CDL. We also have a L700 library that
is SAN connected.
>From your information i take it that i can now connect the CDL to the Tape SAN
>and configure it to use the shared tape devices (or does it require ownership
>of the tape devices)? I will then be able to backup data to the CDL and clone
>to the existing tape library using 2 different retention policies for each
>copy of the data.
This will save us from cloning across the network to the existing tape library
and then manually re-labelling the virtual tapes to free up space on the CDL
(current retention policy is 3 months).
I will ofcourse have to make sure that our current CDL supports this function
and will have to provide a fibre card for the CDL to connect to the tape SAN.
Thanks, Mark
Terry Lemons <lemons_terry AT EMC DOT COM> wrote:
Hi Mark
"UNder what circumstances can the EDL be used as a networker storage
node so that networker can manage the cloning process? . . . I thought that if
i used the CDL to manage cloning then networker would not be aware of the
location of that tapes and that i would require a seperate tape library
conneected to the CDL to hold the cloned tapes." This is a very good question,
and common subject of confusion.
The EMC Disk Library (formerly known as the CLARiiON Disk Library, by
the way) provides an 'export' function as part of the base product. An export
will take a virtual tape and copy it to a physical tape. The virtual and
physical tapes MUST be of the same type (you can't copy an IBM LTO4 to an
SDLT320, for example). This makes an exact copy, including the NetWorker label
on the tape. So, when the export completes, if you have not selected the 'move'
option (which deletes the source virtual tape at the end of a successful
export), you'll have two exact copies of the original tape. The export function
does not communicate with any backup software, so backup software has no idea
that an additional copy has been made.
The EDL provides an additional, optional feature: an embedded NetWorker
storage node. You can use the NetWorker clone function to have the EDL embedded
storage node copy a virtual tape to a physical tape. Because this uses standard
NetWorker cloning functionality, you CAN copy from and to tapes of different
types. Cloning does NOT make an exact copy, in that the target tape will have a
different tape label. So the source and target tapes (really, the source and
target savesets) can have different retention policies. Many EDL customers use
this to, for instance, keep all backups on virtual tape for a short period of
time, and keep some backups cloned to physical tape and/or an offsite EDL for a
longer period of time. NetWorker makes all of the copies of the data, so knows
their location and retention. Having the embedded storage node work as a 'clone
engine' frees other storage nodes from this duty; cloning from a virtual tape
in an EDL to a physical tape drive attache!
d to the EDL is handled by the embedded storage node internally; the
data does not go back out to the SAN, and no other 'production' storage nodes
are burdened with making the copies. And you can use NetWorker's little-known
clone-via-IP functionality, to clone via an IP network over distance to another
EDL, or to another NetWorker storage node not inside an EDL.
EMC has a white paper available on Powerlink titled "White Paper: EMC
Disk Library with NetWorker - Best Practices Planning" [the path is Home >
Support > Technical Documentation and Advisories > Hardware/Platforms
Documentation > Disk Library > White Papers] that talks about embedded storage
node cloning best practices, as well as other topics.
Hope this helps.
tl
-----Original Message-----
From: EMC NetWorker discussion [mailto:NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT
EDU] On Behalf Of mark wragge
Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 9:31 AM
To: NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU
Subject: Re: [Networker] VCB proxy as a storage node
UNder what circumstances can the EDL be used as a networker storage
node so that networker can manage the cloning process? We have a cLARIIONDisk
Library. I thought that if i used the CDL to manage cloning then networker
would not be aware of the location of that tapes and that i would require a
seperate tape library conneected to the CDL to hold the cloned tapes.
At the moment we clone virtual tapes from CDL to physical library
managed by networker. We then re-label CDL virtual tapes to free up space on
the CDL.
brerrabbit wrote:
Terry Lemons wrote:
>
> >
> > > Now that is what I'd LOVE to see, EMC products working with each
other ;-)
> > > Ken
> > >
> >
>
> In that case, you'll also be in love with the fact that NetWorker has
been enhanced to detect when it used with virtual tape devices of the EMC Disk
Library and to turn off the various mechanical delays/timers automatically. In
addition, an EDL option is to have NetWorker storage node embedded inside the
EDL. This allows the storage node to be used as a 'clone engine', reading from
virtual tapes, and writing to physical tapes, or via IP to remote storage
nodes. Because NetWorker makes these copies, it knows that they exist, and
where they are. Other replication options can't provide this.
>
> And there's more integration coming.
>
> tl
>
> Terry Lemons
> Backup Platforms Group
> EMC²
> where information lives
> 4400 Computer Drive, MS D239
> Westboro MA 01580
> Phone: 508 898 7312
> Email: Lemons_Terry AT emc DOT com
>
>
> via RSS at http://listserv.temple.edu/cgi-bin/wa?RSS&L=NETWORKER
Actually, our VTL's are EDL's with embedded storage nodes. We are happy
overall with their performance and feature set, but since you mentioned it, it
would be nice if they integrated with EBA, had a command-line interface that we
could access (ssh to the units is not allowed to mere admins), and/or did
de-dupe. Of course, you probably needed to hold a few features back for future
upgrades! [Wink]
-brerrabbit
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