User's Manual

12 Introducing HP StorageWorks File System Extender
Library - tape compatibility
FSE software is a part of HP StorageWorks File System Extender, and can be used with supported SCSI
tape libraries with supported drive types.
FSE software supports LTO drive technologies for LTO Ultrium 1, LTO Ultrium 2 and LTO Ultrium 3 media.
For a list of supported tape libraries, tape drives, and tape media, see the FSE Release Notes.
Automatic error detection
FSE automatically detects drive and media hardware errors. When FSE detects such errors, the following
happens:
• The drive is marked as offline.
• If the error occurs during a migration job, the medium is marked as unreliable, which disables
further writing to it.
• If the error occurs during a recall job, the medium is marked as unusable, which disables reading
from and writing to it. Neither the marked drive nor medium are used for the operation until the
administrator appropriately marks the drive and medium. For more information, see ”Changing the
condition status of media” on page 106.
NFS and CIFS support
Remote Linux and Windows clients access HSM file systems using standard protocols. Network File System
(NFS) is the standard protocol for UNIX and Linux platforms. Common Internet File System (CIFS) is the
standard protocol for Windows platform.
Linux FSE client specific
FSE supports access to FSE partitions from remote locations via NFS and CIFS protocols.
HSM file systems can be exported to be accessed via NFS protocol.
Access using CIFS protocol is enabled by a special add-on custom-built Samba package. Files that are
written to or read from an HSM file system through a Samba connection are handled like all other files
created or accessed locally on the HSM file system. The add-on package enables Samba to notify remote
CIFS clients (especially Windows Explorer on Windows platform) when a file is offline, thus preventing
unnecessary recalls of offline files. For further information on Samba integration, see the FSE Release
Notes.
Windows FSE client specific
FSE supports remote access to FSE partitions through regular CIFS protocol (Windows shares) without any
further requirements.
FSE architecture
Efficiency is achieved by granting FSE continuous control over the files in use. You define how FSE controls
these files with different policies.
Basically, FSE copies new or modified file information from a file on an HSM file system to FSE media,
releases rarely used files and makes them offline, and recalls offline files when necessary. These are the
principal FSE operations, called migration, release, and recall.
Figure 2 Main operations in FSE