Working with ACSLS Servers
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Working with ACSLS Servers

Use the ACSLS Server screens to specify the name or IP address of the ACSLS server, monitor the state of the ACSLS server, and define a list of barcode ranges to be used by the VTL appliance.

Tasks for this subsection include:

Configuring a VTL Appliance to Use an ACSLS Server

Before using ACSLS tapes, you must define the ACSLS server controlling the ACS device, and optionally, an access control user ID.

Complete this task to define the parameters needed to connect to the ACSLS server:

  1. From the Configuration Tasks menu, located on the left side of the screen, click the ACSLS Server task category. The ACSLS Server screen appears.

  2. Enter the fully qualified domain name, or IP address, of the ACSLS server.

    Note

    If using a fully qualified domain name, you must also set the DNS server in the Network Setup page (Configuration Tasks > Miscellaneous > Network Setup).

  3. (Optional) Enter the user ID used for access control.

    Note

    This user ID is set up on the ACSLS server. If the ACSLS server is configured to use access control, on the ACSLS server, do the following:

    1. Create a user account. This is the user ID you enter on the VTL.

    2. Give the account access to the physical tape cartridges assigned to the VTL (identified by a list of barcode ranges).

    3. Give the user account permission to run ACSLS commands including query, mount, dismount, and eject.

  4. Click Apply, or to reset the fields to their defaults, click Reset.

Checking on an ACSLS Server

Complete this task to check that the NearStore VTL is communicating with the ACSLS server and that the server is running:

  1. From the Configuration Tasks menu, located on the left side of the screen, click the ACSLS Server task category.

  2. Click the ACSLS Server State tab, located in the upper portion of the screen.

    The ACSLS Server State screen appears, showing the state of communication with the server, and whether the server is running. The valid states are the following:

    INVALID The NearStore VTL has not yet established communication with the ACSLS server. The component is not discovered yet.
    DIAGNOSTIC ACSLS admin is running the component in the diagnostic mode.
    OFFLINE Component is offline.
    OFFLINE_PENDING Component is going offline.
    ONLINE Component is working normally.
    RECOVERY The component is coming online.

Configuring Barcodes Seen from an ACSLS Server

You need to specify the volumes (identified by barcodes, also called Volume Serial Numbers) available to the NearStore VTL. ACSLS libraries are often shared by several applications. By configuring a list of barcode ranges to VTL, you indicate which volumes should be used by VTL. Note that not all the volumes in the range have to be present in the ACS at the time the barcode range is configured. For example, if the VTL is configured to use barcodes 1000 to 2000, all current and future volumes in this range can be used by VTL. Make sure that the ranges configured on the VTL do not overlap with ranges used by other applications. Additionally, make sure the specified barcodes represent tapes compatible with the libraries you add: a single VTL appliance can only support one media type and one tape drive type, and, the media must be compatible with the drive type. Note that this can also apply to different generations of the same drive, for example, the 9840A and 9840B write to tapes with different densities, and so cannot be mixed on the same VTL appliance.

Complete this task to add or delete ranges of volumes (barcodes) used by the NearStore VTL:

  1. From the Configuration Tasks menu, located on the left side of the screen, click the ACSLS Server task category.

  2. Click the Barcode ranges tab, located in the upper portion of the screen.

    The Barcode ranges screen appears. The screen provides a row of fields for you to enter the barcode (Volume) ranges reserved for use by the NearStore VTL. If you have already entered barcode ranges, some rows show these barcode ranges.

  3. To define ranges of barcodes to add, enter the starting and ending barcodes in the blank row and click Add.

    To mark a range of barcodes for removal, click Remove at the end of the row displaying the barcode range you want to remove.

  4. Click Apply to apply changes. Click Reset to reset the settings to the previously saved values.

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Configuring a NearStore VTL Appliance to Use ACSLS  Contents  Working with ACSLS Libraries (Physical Libraries)

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