Virtual TapeServer 8.3 Configuration Guide

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Introduction
Tape remains the most practical solution for removable storage, and it is often required by
regulatory agencies to be archived and stored offsite. However, as the cost of commodity disk
storage has decreased, many enterprises view disk-based backup solutions as a feasible alternative
to tape-based backup. Disk-based backup, or virtual tape storage, can significantly improve
performance, allows users to plan backup and archiving strategies, and enables users to manage data
retention and disaster recovery operations.
Virtual TapeServer (VTS) is a fully integrated virtual tape hardware and software solution. VTS
allows host systems to read from and write to a local or SAN-attached file system. Data is
automatically exported to a tape device based on policies or manually migrated to physical tape for
archival storage or disaster recovery, if long-term backup copies are required. The integrated
support for backup management application software provides a mechanism for writing to physical
tape drives and libraries. If GFS is enabled in your environment, multiple VTS servers can access a
shared set of pools and virtual tapes stored on the same storage array.