Cleaning Partitions And Auto Drive Clean - Spectra TFINITY PLUS User Manual

CHAPTER 2 - ARCHITECTURE OVERVIEW
Multiple Drive Generations
If your data center uses multiple generations of LTO or TS11xx technology drives, Spectra
Logic strongly recommends configuring separate partitions for each generation to ensure
read/write compatibility between the drives and cartridges.
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 Databases
If your company uses multiple databases, partitioning the library preserves the backup
processes associated with each type of database.

Cleaning Partitions and Auto Drive Clean

Overview
The cleaning partition provides permanent storage for cleaning cartridges inside the library.
This special-purpose partition does not have an entry/exit pool or any drives associated with
it. A single cleaning partition can be shared by multiple storage partitions.
Auto Drive Clean uses the cleaning cartridges in the cleaning partition to provide library-
based cleaning of drives with minimal user intervention. Automated drive cleaning results in
fewer failed tape read/write operations and is the preferred method for cleaning drives.
Drives in a partition with an associated storage partition are cleaned no more than once in any
12 hour period.
Note: Software-initiated drive cleaning operations cannot use the cleaning cartridges stored in a
cleaning partition; the cartridges are not accessible to the storage management software.
Requirements
The Auto Drive Clean feature requires a cleaning partition to be associated with the storage
partitions that contain the drives you want to clean.
Cleaning cartridges used in a cleaning partition must be stored in specially labeled
Maintenance TeraPack magazines. The cartridges themselves must be identified with "CLN"
at the beginning of the barcode on their labels. The library prevents you from importing
cleaning cartridges and magazines that are not properly labeled into a cleaning partition.
APRIL 2024 59 TFINITY PLUS USER GUIDE