SpectraLogic 20K - NetApp - ArcServ v9.01 SP4

[tekieVB]

Sorry for the long description - but it is necessary to describe what I am trying to do.

I am having problems setting up a backup solution for a customer. Here is the scenario:

SpectraLogic 20K Gator
[3-AIT3 SCSI Tape Drives with 60 Tape Slots]
(2) drives on SCSI Bus 2
(1) drive on SCSI Bus 1

NetApp (SCSI Bus 2) -> SpectraLogic 20K (SCSI Bus 2)

ArcServ (Ultra 160 SCSI) -> SpectraLogic 20K (SCSI Bus 1)

I have installed the TLO and NAS options. I can see the tape drive on SCSI Bus 1, but only the NAS device on SCSI Bus 2. The filer can see both the drives and robot(mc0). I can not get the backup server to see the drives connected to the filer.

So what do I need to do or what am I doing wrong? CA is telling me this configuration will not work, but in reading the WhitePages I see E-QIPs, S-QIPs, and F-QIPS used in conjuction with one another. Can I use both SCSI buses at the same time? I would think this is a valid configuration as long as I partition the Tape Library properly.

Any ideas or links for help?!

Regards,
JTB65

 

[davidmichel]

It may work as per NetApp but not as per BAB. The library has to either be in complete control of the Filer or BAB. So the same library can not be used for both NDMP and network backups.

There is an exception, and that is what you mention partitioning the library. Some libraries Like the Gator 20k does support partitioning. That means that physically it is only one library but it can be configured into multiple virtual librarys. That way each host application (in this case BAB and the Filer) thinks it has complete and exclusive control of it's library. The whole thing is on the library end and there is absolutely no change made on the application end. So that means the Filer should see a library with two tape drives and BAB should see a library with only one tape drive. If that is not the case then there is probably a problem in the configuration of the library. As for BAB seeing the drives connected to the Filer that is done via the NAS Agent.

 

[tekieVB]

Thanks DavidMichael for the information.

One thing I might have mislead you on - I see the NAS thru the Ethernet Gig Adapter and not the 2nd SCSI interface. The 2nd SCSI interface on the Gator is connected to the NAS along with the two internal drives. I am not sure if that was told.

So if I select the NAS as a backup source, will I see the (2) tape drives on the NAS as a destination once I have NAS option installed on the BAB server?

Have you ever done this configuration before? What happens when I have two backup jobs running at the same time and they both access the picker at the same time? (i.e. Windows Server backup thru BAB and NAS backup)

 

[davidmichel]

Don't have a Filer and have not setup one myself. I'm working off the manual and users I've worked with.

Yes since the two drives are SCSI attached to the Filer they would not be seen by BAB except via the NAS agent. And yes the connection to the BAB server is a network connection. That also means that network problems can cause a backup failure.

Running the two jobs at the same time is not a problem. The Gator will handle all the tape movement with no problems. From the perspective of the picker it is no different than if the whole thing was connected to the BAB server and it was running three jobs at the same time. The picker will move the tapes in the order the commands are recieved, and it is fast, very fast so there will not even be much of a delay.