Media, or media volume, is a storage unit such as tape or Disk Directory
Media volumes are physical media, such as tape cartridges, or logical storage units, such as Disk Directories, to which data can be backed up or duplicated. Data can only be backed up or duplicated to volumes that have been defined.
A media volume has a unique volume name (also abbreviated to volser = volume serial number) and must be a member of a media pool. You can define media pools and their member media volumes, as well as modify and delete those definitions.
When creating a node group, specify, from the media pools you have created, a default media pool for the node group. Later, when you define a backup or migrate job, you can override this default. During a backup, DPX issues prompts to the media operator or media changer to mount media volumes from the default or specified media pool. The specific volume is chosen from the media pool by DPX and cannot be predicted.
Note. Media pools are also called tape pools. Media volumes are also called tapes or media.
It is desirable for media pools to correspond to logical groups, such as business components (SALES_POOL, MARKET_POOL, etc.) or physical locations (EAST_POOL, WEST_POOL, etc.).
It is advantageous to locate a pool of media volumes near the backup devices where the volumes are mounted. This avoids the delay that can result when an operator must search elsewhere for the media volume requested by Catalogic DPX.
If the media pool is used for multiple device clusters, the device clusters and the media pool must be near each other. As you cannot predict the media volumes in the pool for which Catalogic DPX prompts, all free volumes in a pool must be easily available to all device clusters that might need it.
Go to Devices & Pools in the sidebar.
Switch to the Media Pools tab, then select the Add Media Pool button in the upper right corner.
If you have added a device cluster through the web interface and kept the Automatically create corresponding media pool toggle on, some media pools (with the mp- prefix may already be on the list. They will be of Disk Directory type. Otherwise, the list is empty. See Adding a Device Cluster.
The Add Media Pool dialog will open.
Specify the Media Pool Name.
The name may only include alphanumeric characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9), underscores (_) and hyphens (-). No other special characters are allowed. The name cannot be longer than 48 characters. The field is case-insensitive.
Select Media Pool Type. Currently, only two types are available in the web interface:
Disk Directory
Cloud
For other types, head to the desktop interface.
If you select Cloud, an additional AWS S3 Storage Class drop-down will appear. There are three classes to choose from:
STANDARD
GLACIER
DEEP_ARCHIVE
These are just types of AWS S3 subscription plans. You can learn more from the provider’s website.
Optionally, you can add a brief description (max. 48 characters).
Click Save. The Media Pool is now added.
Note. For Disk Directory, media pools are automatically created with 100 volumes.
Select the Configure tab, then click Media.
In the main pane, select New_Enterprise and click Add Media Pool in the Media Pool Tasks section of the task panel to open the ADD MEDIA POOL dialog pane.
In the Add Media Pool dialog, enter the following fields:
Media Pool Name
Specify the name of the new pool. The name may only include alphanumeric characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9), underscores (_) and hyphens (-). No other special characters are allowed. The name cannot be longer than 48 characters.
If your scratch pool name contains more than one number, only one of the numbers can be used to associate the scratch pool to a scratch pool on the tape library server. You can specify which end of the scratch pool name should be parsed for the associating number using either the -A right or -A left option. -A right (the default) will use the first number from the right of the scratch pool name, and -A left will use the first digit from the left. For example, use the option -A left to associate scratch pool BEXI_2_aug29 with scratch pool2 on your tape library server, and use -A right to associate scratch pool BEXS_US7year_1 with scratch pool1 on your tape library server. On Windows, add either -A right or -A left to the SSJUKER registry entry. On UNIX, add either -A right or -A left to the SSJUKER file in the bin subdirectory of the directory in which Catalogic DPX is installed.
Attention! Do not update registries or environmental variables unless you fully understand what changes you are making. Bad registries or environmental variables can adversely affect applications or operating systems. You can Contact Catalogic Software Data Protection Technical Support for assistance.
Note. Media pools used with libraries controlled by the interface of the manufacturer require special naming conventions. For more information, see Special Media Pool Naming Conventions below.
Media Type
Select one of the following media types to register:
DISKDIRECTORY
Use this media type to back up to DiskDirectory.
LTO
CLOUD
Use this media type to register the Amazon S3 storage or a supported storage compatible with the Amazon S3 interface. You can use either the Amazon S3 Standard, Glacier, or Deep Glacier.
See also. For more information about registering cloud storage with Catalogic DPX, see Chapter 8: Cloud Storage in the DPX 4.9.x User’s Guide.
DLT
GENERIC
3480
9840
All media volumes in a pool must be the same media type.
See also. For more information about registering DiskDirectory with Catalogic DPX, see Specifying Destinations for the Backup Job in the DPX 4.9.x User’s Guide.
Minimum Number Free Volumes
Enter the minimum number of free media volumes allowed in the pool. When the number of free volumes falls below this number, Catalogic DPX issues a warning message. A practical threshold value is 2 times the number of drives. This quantity ensures you receive warnings early enough to acquire new media volumes.
Comment (optional)
Enter an optional comment up to 48 characters.
Alternate Tape Pools
You can specify the alternate tape pools for the tape libraries. This option is not available for the cloud media.
Recycle Expired Tape
When Catalogic DPX uses a tape from an alternate pool, it becomes part of the primary pool. Catalogic DPX allows you to recycle those volumes back to the alternate pool upon expiration.
Select Yes to recycle expired volumes for the alternate pool. Or, select No so that the volumes in the alternate pools remain in the primary pool upon expiration.
Available Tape Pools
Select an alternate pool in the Enterprise.
Append Offsite
Select Yes so that DPX appends tape libraries with the Offsite status to the alternate pool. In this case, you must enable the Append Offsite option in the backup’s Job Destinations. Or, select No so that DPX does not append the tape library with the Offsite status to the alternate pool.
Click Add to add the new media pool in the Enterprise.
A media volume is an individual backup medium, such as a tape cartridge. Each media volume is identified by volume name. Another term for volume name is volser (volume serial number).
Tip. DPX allows you to define a set of consecutively named media volumes in one pass.
A media volume must be a member of a media pool.
A media volume cannot belong to more than one media pool.
All media volumes in a media pool must be of the same type (for example, a 4 mm tape cartridge).
Data can only be backed up to defined volumes. However, it can be labeled on the fly if you choose the global default option for doing so.
For a media pool used with a StorageTek ACS, an IBM 3494, or an ADIC AML or SDLC, you do not use DPX to add media volumes to the pool. Instead, you add tapes through the hardware interface of the manufacturer. When you later perform a backup, DPX automatically adds the new media volumes to the appropriate media pools.
Restrictions. Currently, media volumes can only be added via the desktop interface. This feature will be extended to the web interface in future releases.
To define a new media volume or a set of media volumes:
Click the Configure tab on the Function Tab bar of the window, then click Media in the task panel.
Open the Add Media Volume dialog in the right pane by doing one of the following:
Right-click the media pool name or icon to display a context menu. The selection is indicated by the check box next to the media pool icon. Then select Add Media Volumes.
In the left pane, select the media pool to which you want to add the media volume(s) and do one of the following:
From the menu bar, select Media > Add Media Volume.
On the task panel, click Add Media.
The Add Media Volume dialog appears.
Complete the active fields in the Add Media Volume dialog:
Capacity
Tells the native storage capacity of the media volume(s). Enter a number, then select the unit of measure from the pull-down menu: megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB) or terabytes (TB). DPX uses this field to estimate free space on a media volume, but this field does not affect the amount of data DPX can actually store on the media volume.
Maximum Number Passes Allowed
Tells DPX the number of times a media can be written to, including second passes. Enter a number recommended by the manufacturer (for example, 500). After the specified number of passes, DPX no longer requests the media volume for backups and will not accept it if it is mounted for backup. It is still available for restores. This option is not always enforced.
Volume Serial Number
Enter a volume name (up to 6 alphanumeric characters, no spaces). The name cannot be the same as an existing media volume.
If you are defining a set of consecutively named volumes, this must be the name of the first volume in the set. To define a set, the value you enter in this field must end with a number (for example, ENG001). DPX automatically creates consecutively named volumes (ENG002, ENG003, etc.), depending on the number you enter in the Number Volumes field (described immediately below).
If you enter “1” in the Number Volumes field, Volume Serial Number is simply the name of the single volume you are adding.
Number Volumes
Use this field to define a set of consecutively numbered media volumes. DPX automatically names and incrementally numbers the volumes, beginning with the volume entered in the Volume Serial Number field. For example, if the entry in Volume Serial Number is ENG001 and you specify 3 for Number Volumes, DPX accepts ENG001 and automatically creates volumes ENG002 and ENG003. To define only one media volume, enter “1” in this field.
The following are non-alterable fields:
Media Pool Name
This read-only field indicates the name of the selected media pool.
Media Type
This read-only field indicates the type of media in the pool (for example 4 mm).
Click Add. The media volumes are now added and are visible in the tree view. At the same time, as the media pool is selected, the pane to the right shows the EDIT MEDIA POOL dialog.
