Storage Partitions - Spectra Logic Spectra T950V User Manual

Chapter 2 — Architecture Overview

Storage Partitions

Overview The library requires, at a minimum, one storage partition. This
is the default configuration. Each storage partition must have at least one
drive and one chamber in its storage pool. Drives and chambers can only
be assigned to one storage partition at a time; they cannot be shared by
multiple partitions.
When additional partitions are needed, the library uses Shared Library
Services (SLS) virtualization technology to create the additional partitions.
SLS support is an option you can add to the library by purchasing an
activation key from Spectra Logic.
In some environments, using multiple storage partitions is crucial to data
center efficiency and growth. For example, multiple partitions are
extremely useful in the following situations:
Multiple Storage Management Software Packages If groups within your
company use different storage management software packages, each
software package requires its own dedicated library. Instead of
maintaining multiple physical libraries — o ne per backup package — t he
data center can use a single Spectra Logic library with multiple partitions,
in which each partition appears to the software as a dedicated library.
Multiple Databases If your company uses multiple databases, partitioning
the library preserves the backup processes associated with each type of
database.
Shared Resources If each department in the company must keep their
data segregated, partitioning the library supplies this segregation, as well
as the subsequent integrity of the data set. Each partition can only access
the drives and cartridge locations assigned to it. Data from other partitions
cannot become intermixed with the data stored on the media in the
partition's inventory.
Multiple Drive Generations If your data center uses multiple generations
of LTO drives, Spectra Logic strongly recommends configuring separate
partitions for each generation to ensure read/write compatibility between
the drives and cartridges.
Encryption If you want to encrypt some, but not all of your backup data,
you can partition the library into an encryption partition and non‐
encryption partition to segregate the two types of data.
August 2019 User Guide—Spectra T950V Library
Library Partitions
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