Datacom Systems DPS1100 VTL Installation guide

Brand: Datacom Systems

Model: DPS1100 VTL

Category: Tape auto loaders & libraries

Type: Installation guide

This manual is also suitable for

Technical Overview

Tandberg Data™ DPS1000 Series™

Model: DPS1100 and DPS1200, Release: 1.3

DPS1000 Series is a data protection solution that enables Internet Small Computer System

Interface (iSCSI) desktop systems and backup servers to perform backup and recovery

operations. DPS1000 Series provides a shared system that can be used as a private virtual

tape library by up to 100 individual iSCSI initiators. Each initiator can have up to eight

virtual tape drives. If the DPS1100 is deployed, up to 32 virtual tape drives can be connected

to DPS1000 Series simultaneously. If the DPS1200 is deployed, up to 64 virtual tape drives

can be connected simultaneously.

DPS1000 Series enables initiators to back up data to virtual tapes, which are stored on

DPS1000 Series or on its optional external storage. With an optional physical tape library,

users can export data to physical tape.

DPS1000 Series improves backup performance and enables an automated backup strategy.

Users can back up and recover data on DPS1000 Series. Security personnel can use DPS1000

Series to store data to meet regulatory requirements.

Placing DPS1000 Series in an environment

As illustrated in the following diagram, DPS1000 Series is a standalone appliance that

receives backup and restore requests from iSCSI initiators:

After DPS1000 Series is connected to the local area network (LAN), each initiator uses

DPS1000 Series as its own unique tape library. Users can manage DPS1000 Series using its

web interface. For information about deploying DPS1000 Series, see the DPS1000 Series

Quick Setup Guide and DPS1000 Series Installation Guide.

2 | DPS1000 Series Technical Overview

DPS1100 capacity

DPS1100 has a RAID5 array with four 750GB drives, providing a total of 2.0TB (2.2TB raw)

for data storage. After the file system is initialized and assuming 2:1 compression of data, the

amount of space available for data storage on DPS1100 is 4.0TB.

DPS Expansion Module can be used for additional storage space.

DPS1200 capacity

DPS1200 has a RAID5 array with eight 750GB drives, providing a total of 4.7TB (5.2TB raw)

for data storage. After the file system is initialized and assuming 2:1 compression of data, the

amount of space available for data storage on DPS1200 is 9.4TB.

DPS Expansion Module can be used for additional storage space.

DPS Expansion Module capacity

DPS Expansion Module can be used for additional storage space. Each DPS Expansion

Module RAID5 array adds 3.7TB (4.5TB raw) of storage, and up to 10 arrays in five

enclosures can be attached to DPS1000 Series. This provides up to 37TB of external storage

space. (After the file system is initialized and assuming 2:1 compression of data, the amount

of space available on each DPS Expansion Module is 7.4TB.)

Storing data on virtual and physical tape

The process of saving data to DPS1000 Series is illustrated in the following diagram:

1. An iSCSI initiator backs up data to its virtual tape library using a backup management

application or backup utility.

DPS1000 Series uses access controls to enable multiple initiators to use DPS1000 Series

simultaneously.

2. If a virtual tape library does not exist for the initiator, DPS1000 Series creates one. This

virtual tape library emulates a Tandberg StorageLibrary T40 physical tape library.

3. DPS1000 Series compresses the backup data and saves it to virtual tapes on its internal

array. If the DPS Expansion Module external storage is available, DPS1000 Series

equally stores data on its internal and external arrays.

DPS1000 Series Technical Overview | 3

Initiators use their backup management application or backup utility to retrieve data stored

on DPS1000 Series.

In addition to backing up data through DPS1000 Series, users can export data to physical

tape using a physical tape device. This is useful for disaster recovery or to free space on the

DPS1000 Series or its optional external arrays.

Authenticating with CHAP

DPS1000 Series supports connections from Microsoft Windows or Linux systems with an

iSCSI initiator. iSCSI enables these systems to issue SCSI commands over a TCP/IP

connection. SCSI is the standard protocol by which backup applications communicate with

tape libraries or standalone tape drives. To validate the identity of initiators, DPS1000 Series

supports Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) with Message-Digest

algorithm 5 (MD5).

When an initiator contacts DPS1000 Series, the systems first negotiate whether

authentication is required. If it is, DPS1000 Series sends a “challenge” to the initiator, which

requests the CHAP name and secret from the initiator. The initiator then sends DPS1000

Series its CHAP name and secret. DPS1000 Series maintains a set of credentials (CHAP

name and secret) for each of its initiators. After authenticating, the initiator can issue the

necessary SCSI commands to back up or restore data.

Understanding user roles

Users are given roles that define the tasks they can perform in the DPS1000 Series web

interface, allowing for clear separation of duty. The following roles are available in DPS1000

Series:

Appliance Administrator

Enables users such as system and network administrators to install, configure, and

administer DPS1000 Series

Storage Administrator

Enables users such as security personnel to manage initiators, virtual tape libraries

and their tapes, physical tapes, certificates, and users

DPS1000 Series users have access only to areas in the web interface that are associated with

their user role. If a user does not have access to information in a particular portion of the web

interface, that portion is unavailable. For example, users with the Appliance Administrator

role cannot see the options for creating user accounts. For a complete list of tasks and the

roles associated with them, see the “User Accounts” topic in Help, which is available from the

web interface.

Viewing reports and logs

DPS1000 Series reports enable users to view information about DPS1000 Series and its

status. The following reports and logs are available in the web interface:

Home page

Contains general information about DPS1000 Series, its memory and CPU usage, and

its appliance, authentication, and port settings

4 | DPS1000 Series Technical Overview

Security log

Contains information about security-related activity, such as when a user logs in or a

certificate is created

Dashboard

Contains information about the percentage of disk use by initiator and the amount of

free virtual tape space

Exports report

Contains information about exported data, including the name of the virtual tape and

physical tape on which the data was saved

System report

Contains information about the appliance and its configuration

Traces log

Contains detailed troubleshooting information

Event log

Contains information used to troubleshoot system issues, such as when an initiator

connects or disconnects or when DPS1000 Series is started or restarted

Application log

Contains information used to troubleshoot issues with the web interface, such as

when specific pages are accessed or when there are interface errors

Accessing the web interface

The web interface enables users to configure and manage DPS1000 Series.

To access the web interface

1. Launch a web browser.

2. Enter http://appliance_IP_address, where appliance_IP_address is the IP address of

the DPS1000 Series appliance.

The browser may display a warning page and certificate errors if the certificate used to

establish a secure communication channel between the browser and DPS1000 Series web

application server is self-signed. If the browser displays a certificate warning, accept the

certificate or add an exception (depending on your browser) and continue to the web

interface.

For information about working in the web interface, refer to the online help.

Datacom Systems DPS1100 VTL Installation guide

Brand: Datacom Systems

Model: DPS1100 VTL

Category: Tape auto loaders & libraries

Type: Installation guide

This manual is also suitable for

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Datacom Systems DPS1100 VTL Installation guide

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