BackBox H4.00 User Manual

Appendix B – External tape devices installation
196 BackBox H4.00 User Manual
Appendix B – External tape devices installation
For materialization and virtualization, physical tape devices must be installed in a
VTC and configured in the Windows operating system as regular tape devices.
For virtualization, a second kind of external tape device can be installed, as direct
connection between the BackBox VTC and another Virtual Tape System.
See below how to install these two kinds of external tapes. Once installed, they are
configured and operated the same way in the BackPak GUI.
Note
In a multi VTCs installation, it is possible to dedicate a VTC to the materialization and
virtualization, running no tape emulation for NonStop in this VTC.
Old tape drives to attach to the Windows server by a SCSI copper cable, therefore
requiring Windows Server 2003, can be a reason to dedicate a specialized VTC.
Rather than installing all VTCs with Windows Server 2003, it is normally preferred to
install a single Windows Server 2003 VTC for the virtualization-materialization, and
install Windows Server 2008 R2 VTCs for providing virtual tape drives to the
NonStop.
With a dedicated VTC, the old legacy equipment will not impact the performance and
stability of the tape drive emulation for the NonStop hosts.