Media Server Virtuo

Media Server Virtuo (MSV) is a backup solution for managing the back-end disk and tape environments in enterprise backup architectures through an integrated solution providing tape library and drive virtualisation, disk caching, and physical tape library management.

MSV V4 supports the open world, allowing data to be backed-up from and restored to a variety of heterogeneous platforms and backup software.

These platforms include GCOS8, Unix, Linux and Windows. The backup software includes GCOS8/TMS, Bull OpenSave, Veritas NetBackup, Legato NetWorker and STK ACSLS.

Contents

MSV emulates STK tape libraries. To the backup software with which it interfaces, MSV is indistinguishable from physical tape libraries. MSV emulates both the tape drives and library robotics. MSV emulates STK T9840B tape drives, and L180 and L700e tape library robotics.

MSV is a fibre-channel appliance. It is connected between the host devices managing primary data, and the physical tape library/libraries that are the eventual destination of the backed-up data. The entry and exit to the MSV are Fibre Channel adapters (HBA's).

MSV supports either STK 180 or 700e physical tape libraries, with either T9840B or T9940B tape drives.

MSV is an appliance housed in a 19" rack and comprises an Escala AIX platform, running the Bull-developed MSV Kernel software, and interfacing with an internal disk cache.

Backup and Restore operations initiated by the host platforms operate through virtual resources: tape libraries, tape drives, and tape cartridges. A backup operation to a (virtual) tape cartridge, mounted in a (virtual) tape drive hosted within a (virtual) tape library actually results in transfer of data to the MSV cache. Similarly, a restore operation copies information back from the cache to the host platform.

MSV manages the transfer of data from the cache to the physical tape (swap-out) and from physical tape to the cache (swap-in) transparently to the host platforms. Swap-outs are triggered either by an explicit request from the MSV administrator, or due to disk cache usage reaching a pre-defined threshold. MSV will manage the "stacking" of multiple virtual cartridges on a single physical cartridge in order to optimise media usage.

Benefits

The principal objectives of Media Server Virtuo are to reduce the cost of backup and restore operations, increasing backup reliability and security, and improving overall levels of performance.

Cost reduction is achieved by consolidating the backup operations to allow optimum use of resources (physical tape libraries, drives and cartridges), and reducing administration costs through a centralised backup architecture.

Administration costs can be further reduced, and reliability increased, by automating backup-restore operations between secondary disk (cache) and physical tape media with MSV's intelligent cache management functionality.

Performance levels can be improved through a number of techniques including accelerated backup-restore operations to disk cache, instantaneous time-to-data (tape mount and sequential read) for cached data, swap-out from cache to tape during non-peak hours, efficient streaming of data between cache and tape, fast access to physical tape data through tape cataloguing, and parallel backup, restore, swap-out and swap-in operations.

The major features of MSV include:

• Fast reliable disk-based backup-restore operations

• High performance and highly reliable data transfers to tape (tape streaming)

• Simplified data centre operations through automated disk cache/tape media management

• Optimal use of tape media through "volume stacking"

• Consolidation of heterogeneous backup servers and software through "virtualisation" of physical tape library resources

• Support of parallel backup, restore, swap-out and swap-in operations

• Replication of data on multiple tape cartridges and libraries for disaster-recovery configurations

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