Specify the Block Size for Backups to Tape Libraries

Arcserve Backup lets you specify the block size for tape backups. This capability lets Arcserve Backup transfer more data per block to the device. Before you specify a larger tape block size, consider the following circumstances:

To specify the tape block size for tape libraries

  1. Stop the Arcserve Backup Tape Engine service on the backup server that you want to configure.
  2. Note: If the backup server is a SAN primary server, stop the Tape Engine service on the SAN member servers.
  3. Open Windows Registry Editor and browse to the following key:
    • x86 platforms:
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ComputerAssociates\CA ARCServe Backup\Base\TapeEngine

    • x64 platforms:
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\ComputerAssociates\CA ARCServe Backup\Base\TapeEngine

  4. Locate the DEVICE# key for the tape library that you want to configure.
  5. Under the DEVICE# key, create a DWord registry key named ForceBlockSize.
  6. Specify one of the following DWORD values:
    • 0x100 (256 KB)
    • 0x200 (512 KB)
  7. Close the Edit DWORD Value dialog and close Windows Registry Editor.
  8. Restart the Arcserve Backup Tape Engine service on the SAN primary server and the SAN member servers.

The tape block size is applied to all of the drives contained in the tape library.