Device Configuration › Using Device Configuration › Configure Multi-Media Libraries with Virtual Libraries

Configure Multi-Media Libraries with Virtual Libraries

The Virtual Library configuration tool lets you use a library that has multiple drives that use different media types.

For example, suppose you have a library that has two DLT drives and two Ultrium drives. In such a case, you can configure the mixed-media library into two Virtual Libraries by designating the first Virtual Library to use only Ultrium drives and Ultrium tapes, and the other Virtual Library to use only DLT drives and DLT tapes. This configuration allows Arcserve Backup to differentiate between which slots are specific to Ultrium drives and which slots are specific to DLT drives. This eliminates the possibility of moving the wrong media type to a drive that is not compatible.

Note: Cleaning tapes are not supported in a mixed-media library.

To configure a mixed media library into multiple Virtual Libraries, perform the following procedure:

1. Start Device Configuration.
2. When the Options screen opens, select Virtual Library and click Next.
3. A message displays a notification that the Tape Engine will be stopped. Click OK to continue.
4. When the Virtual Library Configuration screen opens, select your mixed media library from the Available Libraries box, click New, and then click Finish.
5. When the New Virtual Library Properties screen opens, select the drives that are the same type and their corresponding slot range, and then click OK.

   Note: The slot range specified is in sequential order, starting with the first slot in the library. Make sure to match the starting range of the slots with the correct drive for those slots.

   When the Virtual Library Configuration screen reappears, your Virtual Library now appears on the left side of the screen.

6. Select the remaining library from Available Libraries box on the right side of the screen and click New.
7. When the New Virtual Library Properties dialog reappears, it displays the remaining drives and the number of slots. Select the drives of the same type and their corresponding slot range, and then click OK.

   Note: When configuring the last of the drives, you must use all of the remaining slots. The Virtual Library configuration utility does not allow partial configuration or orphan slots.

8. When the Virtual Library Configuration screen reappears, two different libraries with the same type of drives assigned to them appear in the Virtual Libraries box on the left side of the screen. Click Finish to complete the configuration.

   Note: If you want to edit your configuration, highlight a Virtual Library and select Delete to reconfigure.