Features - Sun Microsystems Virtual Tape Library User Manual

Features

Features
The Sun StorageTek VTL solution has the following features:
Emulation of most widely used tape libraries, drives, and media types, including
the latest Sun StorageTek T10000‐series drives and media
Dynamic allocation of disk capacity
VTL software can allocate disk space to virtual tapes in 5‐GB increments, up to
the full, rated capacity of the emulated media. This minimizes wasted space,
provides natural load balancing, and optimizes the performance of the disk array.
Auto Archive feature
The Auto Archive option writes data to physical tape whenever a backup
application or utility moves a virtual tape from a virtual library to an
import/export slot. The physical tape library must support barcodes: the VTL
software has to find a matching barcode in the physical library in order to export
a virtual tape to a physical cartridge.
Replication of tapes to local and remote VTL systems
VTL software supports manual copying and both event‐ and policy‐driven
automatic replication methods.
Automated Tape Caching option
With the optional tape‐caching feature, VTL software can automatically save a
single virtual volume with a single barcode in two physical forms, one on disk
and one on physical tape. The tape‐caching feature manages retention and
migration of the physical images, under the control of user‐specified policies and
schedules. This lets users keep space in the disk cache free for new backup sets
while retaining the tape images of older virtual volumes. When a virtual volume
no longer resides in the disk cache, a pointer in the cache seamlessly redirects
requests to the tape image.
High availability option
An optional, high‐availability configuration provides intelligent failover, with
duplicate, self‐monitoring VTL server nodes and redundant, primary and standby
paths between backup applications and VTL data.
Encryption and secure data destruction
To ensure that the data that you export to physical tape is confidential and secure,
VTL offers a Secure Tape Option that uses the Advanced Encryption Standard
(AES) algorithm published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology,
an agency of the U.S. government.
2 VTL User Guide • May 2008 G • 96267