HP StoreEver MSL2024, MSL4048, MSL8048, and MSL8096 Tape Libraries User and Service Guide (AK378-96059, December 2012)

Figure 9 Logical view of traditional configuration
1. Tape Drive at logical unit 00. Fibre Channel node
2. Library at logical unit 1
Virtual library connection using NPIV
When configured to use library control path port failover, the HP LTO-5 drive will use NPIV to
connect the library and the drive to a Fibre Channel switch as two different devices. The physical
device connection is the same as that shown in “Typical bridged library controller connection”
(page 24) with the internal connection between the library and the drives passing the host commands
from the drive to the library and the link from the drive to the switch being shared.
The logical view from the host is of three independent Fibre Channel devices. Two tape drives
appear as independent devices and neither tape drive contains a library controller logical unit.
The library controller appears as a third independent device even though it is sharing the physical
connection with one of the tape drives. The logical view and physical connections for a library
using NPIV and configured to use library control path port failover is shown in Figure 10 (page 25).
Figure 10 NPIV virtual library connection
2. Logical direct link to switch1. Physical link to switch sharing drive link
Control path and data path failover 25