Frequently Asked Questions: Best Practices

What storage solutions can you use with Catalogic DPX?

You can use Catalogic vStor and NetApp ONTAP for data backups. For data archiving, you can use supported tape libraries and cloud storage: Amazon S3, some other public cloud solutions, and private cloud storage solutions that are similar to Amazon S3.

For a full list of supported storage solutions, see the Catalogic DPX Compatibility Guide.

How can you estimate system resources for Catalogic DPX and Catalogic vStor, such as storage capacities?

Contact Catalogic Sales Engineers. Also, see Planning hardware configurations on page 8.

Is it possible to modify the hardware configurations of the Catalogic vStor virtual appliance?

Yes, you can adjust the virtual hardware configurations, such as increasing the RAM capacity, through VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V Manager, or directly on the AlmaLinux machine hosting the appliance. However, it is important not to reduce any of the virtual hardware resources below their default settings.

Can you reuse the Catalogic vStor appliance for other purposes? For example, can you install a blog server on the Catalogic vStor appliance?

No.

Is it possible to use data deduplication for source volumes or Catalogic vSnap storage?

Using data deduplication on source volumes is not recommended if you plan to use data archiving. This is because data archiving requires the activation of NDMP file history, which may not be compatible with deduplication processes.

For more details on enabling NDMP file history, refer to page 19 of the user guide.

Can you use a defragmentation utility with disks that are used for Catalogic vStor?

No.

If there is an issue with your Catalogic vStor virtual appliance, can you use a past VMware snapshot or Microsoft Hyper-V checkpoint to revert it?

It's advised not to revert the Catalogic vStor virtual machine to a previous state using snapshots or checkpoints. Reverting can lead to further complications. Instead, try resolving the issue with the current state of the vStor appliance or reach out to Catalogic Support for technical assistance.

What ports should you allow for the firewalls of the Catalogic DPX Master Server, the Catalogic DPX Clients, Catalogic vStor, storage devices, and so on?

For information about ports used in the DPX environment, see Default Ports in the DPX 4.13 Documentation.

You may find additional information in the Firewall Support Requirements and Implementation article in the Catalogic Knowledge Base.