System information

OST Guidelines
For best results, observe the following guidelines for optimal performance with your supported OpenStorage Technology
(OST) operations with the DR Series system:
• Backup, restore, and optimized duplication operations need to be performed via the Dell OST plug-in
NOTE: The Dell OST plug-in needs to be installed on client systems to support client-side deduplication.
• Optimal supported aggregated throughput rates:
– 3 Terabytes per hour (TB/hr) for passthrough write operations
– 4 TB/hr for optimized write operations
NOTE: Passthrough writes are when data is sent from a media server to the DR Series system without
applying any optimization to the data. By contrast, optimized writes are when date is sent from a media
server to the DR Series system after optimization is applied to the data.
• Backup:
– Passthrough writes
– Optimized writes
• Restore
• Replication
OST Terminology
This topic introduces and briefly defines some basic OpenStorage Technology (OST) terminology used throughout the
DR Series system documentation.
Term
Description
BE Shortened name for the Symantec DMA, Backup Exec (BE).
DMA/DPA Data Management Application (also known as Data Protection
Application, which are terms for the role played by the Symantec
NetBackup or Backup Exec applications.
LSU Logical Storage Unit, which from the DR Series system perspective,
represents any container created for data storage. LSU is a common
storage term while container is a common term in DR Series systems
that represents a location for storing data.
media server This is the host running the DMA media server (NetBackup and Backup
Exec), and is where the OST plug-in is installed. The OST plug-in can
also be installed on a NetBackup client.
NBU Shortened name for the Symantec DMA, NetBackup (NBU).
OST The OpenStorage Technology from Symantec™, which allows storage
devices to deliver backup and recovery solutions with NetBackup. OST
uses the OpenStorage API and a plug-in installed on either a Linux or a
Windows-based media server platform.
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