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Version: DPX 4.16

Tape Storage

General Remarks​

Tape storage provides a versatile, long-term archival destination for DPX backups. By archiving backups to tape, organizations can benefit from a scalable, offline storage solution with built-in media management for handling retention, and recycling.

Tape libraries and drives can be directly attached to DPX servers via SAS or FC connections. They can also be accessed over a storage area network (SAN) or through NDMP-enabled NAS devices. This flexibility allows tape devices to be shared and utilized efficiently across multiple servers.

Tape drives and libraries are configured globally under Media Management in the DPX interface. Backup jobs can then be created to archive data to tape based on specified policies and schedules. DPX handles all media rotation, recycling, and retention according to predefined rules. Critical capabilities like tape indexing and caching allow for fast searches and restores.

Tape storage can be deployed as:

  • Attached directly to a DPX server
  • Shared over a SAN
  • Connected to a NAS device that is NDMP-enabled

General Overview​

  1. Go to the Devices & Pools view in the sidebar.
  2. Click the name of the tape library you want to manage.

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The Overview tab​

The Overview tab contains general and detailed information about the tape library.

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The Tape Management tab​

The Tape Management tab allows to perform most operations on the tape library.

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INVENTORY​

The INVENTORY pane indicates the tape library connectivity status. Hover over the colored dot to display the status as a tooltip.

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The Last scan date informs the user when was the last time DPX syncronized the tape library content with the mediapool content to ensure all tapes are usable and being tracked.

DEVICES​

The DEVICES pane shows drives within the tape library, their statuses and volsers (volume serial numbers) of the tape media in the device (if any).

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IMPORT/EXPORT PORTS​

The IMPORT/EXPORT PORTS pane shows the status of the import/export station, which is the physical drawer used to insert and remove tapes without interrupting the library’s automated operations.

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SLOTS​

The SLOTS pane displays information about tape media occupying the tape library slots, such as slot number, barcode, volser, status or usage.

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