EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version

Transcription

1 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide P/N REV A01 EMC Corporation Corporate Headquarters: Hopkinton, MA

2 Copyright EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Published March, 2009 EMC believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to change without notice. THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED AS IS. EMC CORPORATION MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Use, copying, and distribution of any EMC software described in this publication requires an applicable software license. For the most up-to-date regulatory document for your product line, go to the Document/Whitepaper Library on EMC Powerlink. For the most up-to-date listing of EMC product names, see EMC Corporation Trademarks on EMC.com. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. 2 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

3 Contents Preface Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Getting Started Understanding DiskXtender for Windows Starting the File System Manager Administrator Understanding the Administrator interface Refreshing the Administrator window Setting a timeout interval Searching in the Administrator Verifying the DiskXtender version How to configure DiskXtender Connecting to EMC Centera How DiskXtender works with EMC Centera Connecting DiskXtender and EMC Centera Virtual EMC Centera media Content-addressable storage Communication threads Compliance through retention and audit Replication Prerequisite steps for connecting to EMC Centera Preparing the EMC Centera cluster Building the connection string Adding an EMC Centera media service Managing the lifecycle of EMC Centera media Understanding the EMC Centera media lifecycle Automatically creating virtual EMC Centera media Manually creating virtual EMC Centera media Removing virtual EMC Centera media from the system Recovering deleted virtual EMC Centera media Reclaiming deleted media space on EMC Centera Expectations for files migrated to EMC Centera What happens when you edit or move EMC Centera files What happens when you set attributes on EMC Centera files Risks of overriding default folder behavior Adding custom metadata to files on EMC Centera Understanding EMC Centera Seek and Chargeback Reporter How to add custom metadata to files on EMC Centera EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide 3

4 Contents Performance tuning for EMC Centera...63 Media folder considerations for EMC Centera Media group considerations for EMC Centera Move rule considerations for EMC Centera Purge rule considerations for EMC Centera File deletion considerations for EMC Centera Service options for EMC Centera Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage How DiskXtender works with NAS...68 Standard NAS Aggregate NAS Retained NAS Limitations for filepath lengths Creating the shares for NAS media...72 NAS share requirements Deciding how many shares to create NAS share security Adding a NAS media service Managing the lifecycle of NAS media...76 Understanding the NAS media lifecycle Creating NAS media Removing NAS media from the system Expectations for files migrated to NAS...81 Expectations for Standard NAS files Expectations for Aggregate NAS files Expectations for Retained NAS files What happens when you edit or move NAS files Performance tuning for NAS...83 Media folder considerations for NAS Media group considerations for NAS Move rule considerations for NAS Purge rule considerations for NAS File deletion considerations for NAS Service options for NAS Troubleshooting NAS issues...85 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Supported removable media types...88 Setting up MediaStor...89 How DiskXtender works with MediaStor Prerequisite steps for installing MediaStor Running the setup wizard to install MediaStor Starting the MediaStor Administrator interface Adding a library to MediaStor Setting the library online and inventorying the library Adding a stand-alone drive to MediaStor Adding a MediaStor media service Setting up Sun StorageTek ACSLS How DiskXtender works with ACSLS Preparing the ACSLS library Gathering ACSLS drive information Adding an ACSLS media service EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

5 Contents Adding or editing an ACSLS drive Removing an ACSLS drive Managing the lifecycle of removable media Understanding the removable media lifecycle Inserting removable media into a MediaStor library Allocating removable media to an extended drive Formatting and labeling removable media Renaming media Repairing corrupt media Reusing media Finalizing DVD-R media Deallocating media from an extended drive Removing media from a MediaStor library Expectations for files migrated to removable media Expectations for files migrated to MO and UDO media Expectations for files migrated to MO WORM and UDO WORM media 148 Expectations for files migrated to tape or tape-worm media Expectations for files migrated to DVD media What happens when you edit or move files that have been migrated to removable media Performance tuning for removable media Media folder considerations for removable media Media group considerations for removable media Move rule considerations for removable media Purge rule considerations for removable media File deletion considerations for removable media Service options for removable media Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager How DiskXtender works with TSM Installing the TSM Backup/Archive Client Adding a TSM media service Managing the lifecycle of TSM media Understanding the TSM media lifecycle Deciding how many pieces of TSM media to create Creating TSM media Removing TSM media from the system Expectations for files migrated to TSM Performance tuning for TSM Media folder considerations for TSM Media group considerations for TSM Move rule and purge rule considerations for TSM Service options for TSM Extended Drive Management Extended drive requirements General extended drive requirements Changing the size of the extended drive Extended drive data requirements Creating an extended drive Deleting an extended drive Extended drive directory structure Planning the directory structure EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide 5

6 Contents Creating a media folder Setting media folder priority Deleting a media folder Background scans What happens during a background scan When background scans occur Scheduling background scans Risks of disabling background scans Tuning background scan speed Running an advanced scan for troubleshooting Forcing a standard background scan Forcing a special background scan Aborting a background scan Viewing background scan statistics Virus scans Configuring virus scans of the extended drive Configuring DiskXtender for virus scans Chapter 7 Chapter 8 File Migration Understanding the file migration process Prerequisite steps for file migration How files qualify for file migration How and when files are actually migrated Developing a file migration strategy Choosing the files to migrate Choosing the media for the files Enabling file migration Configuring standard migration Configuring multi-target migration in a new environment Configuring multi-target migration in an existing environment Configuring tiered migration Scheduling file migration Disabling file migration Temporarily disabling file migration Permanently disabling file migration File Retention Understanding file retention When you can use file retention Types of retention When files qualify for retention Retention restrictions for saving files to the extended drive Delaying retention enforcement Synchronizing retention on the extended drive and the media What happens after retention expires Enabling file retention Setting retention automatically Setting retention manually on specific files Changing file retention When you can change retention How to change retention with the Explorer Add-ons Deleting retained files EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

7 Contents Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Indexing Files Understanding the indexing process DiskXtender architecture for indexing Prerequisite steps for indexing How files qualify for indexing How and when files are actually indexed Supported file types for indexing Developing an indexing strategy Indexing in a new DiskXtender environment with no files Indexing in an environment with existing files Adjusting an indexing strategy for ongoing maintenance Enabling indexing Creating an index collection for each extended drive Enabling indexing on the extended drive Selecting files for indexing Disabling indexing Disabling indexing for an extended drive Disabling all content indexing Resynchronizing the index files and the extended drive When index resynchronization may be necessary Scheduling index resynchronization Purging Files Understanding the purge process Prerequisite steps for purging How and when purging takes place Developing a purging strategy Recommended purge methods for different environments Combining purge methods in a mixed environment Special purge situations Enabling purging Purging files as disk space is needed Purging files during background scans Purging files immediately after migration Purging individual files Controlling user access to purged files Fetching files from media Disabling file fetches Prefetching files from media Reading files directly from media Controlling third-party software access to purged files Deleting Files Deleting files from the extended drive Manually deleting files Automatically deleting files Deleting files from media Recovering deleted files Recovering files from the DiskXtender Recycler Recovering files from a backup EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide 7

8 Contents Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Service Management Understanding the DiskXtender service Managing the service Managing the service in a high availability environment Starting and stopping the service Editing the service account Monitoring the System Monitoring service events, errors, and warnings Event Viewer Event logs Sending alerts for errors and warnings Looking up errors Configuring event logging Clearing the Event Viewer and event logs Monitoring file activity Monitoring pending file activity Monitoring completed file activity Monitoring media Media status indicators Media task queue Media group free space Media logs Media properties Clearing media error status Monitoring licensing Monitoring licensing from DiskXtender Monitoring licensing from License Server Reports Types of reports How to run a report Audit logs Enabling and configuring the audit log Controlling access to the audit log Viewing the audit log Audit log data Clearing the audit log Exporting the audit log Backing up the audit log Disabling the audit log Backup and Recovery Developing a backup strategy Backing up the extended drive Creating extended drive backups with software that is EA-aware Creating snapshot backups of the extended drive Creating extended drive backups with software that is not EA-aware Metadata exports Ensuring storage redundancy Copying removable media Replicating EMC Centera Backing up NAS Backing up TSM EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

9 Contents Multi-target migration Backing up the DiskXtender server Backing up the system drive Backing up DiskXtender registry settings Protecting against accidental deletion of files Preventing users from deleting files Enabling the DiskXtender Recycler Recovering deleted files Recovering from the DiskXtender Recycler Recovering from a backup Recovering the system after a failure Restoring the metadata export Restoring the registry log Appendix A Appendix B Utilities Explorer Add-ons Understanding Explorer Add-ons functionality Installing the Explorer Add-ons Privileges required for the Explorer Add-ons Launching the Shell Xtensions Wizard Opening the Explorer Add-ons shortcut menu Jukebox Manager Understanding Jukebox Manager functionality Starting Jukebox Manager SCSI Manager Understanding SCSI Manager functionality Starting SCSI Manager Support utilities DXDiagnostics Relocating Migrated Files Understanding the options for relocating migrated files Moving files on the same extended drive Moving files within a media folder Moving files outside of a media folder Moving files to a different extended drive Moving files by moving media to a different extended drive Moving files by compacting media Moving files to a different server Moving files by moving media to a different server Adding storage to an environment Adding more EMC Centera Adding more NAS Adding more removable media Adding more TSM Adding a new type of media Replacing storage hardware or media Replacing media through compaction Replacing EMC Centera hardware Replacing a MediaStor library but reusing media EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide 9

10 Contents Appendix C Archiving ApplicationXtender Documents Understanding DiskXtender with ApplicationXtender Writing to DiskXtender through Windows shares Writing to DiskXtender through RPC Writing to DiskXtender through DCOM Glossary Index 10 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

11 Figures Title Page 1 File System Manager Administrator window About dialog box EMC Centera C-Clip for a DiskXtender file Embedded BLOB for a file stored on EMC Centera Separate CDF and BLOB for a file stored on EMC Centera Single thread per piece of virtual media Simultaneous moves and fetches Random migration to EMC Centera Configure Media Services dialog box Media service wizard Select Media Service Type page Media service wizard Centera Information page EMC Centera media service connection with profile Media Group Wizard EMC Centera Automation page Media Service Properties dialog box Media List tab Create Centera Media dialog box Format media task for EMC Centera Media Group Wizard Metadata page Tiered migration DiskXtender with NAS NAS Media Service Properties dialog box Create NAS Media dialog box Select Network Path tab Create NAS Media dialog box Enter Media Information tab Create NAS Media dialog box NAS Options tab DiskXtender connection with MediaStor Single DiskXtender server connecting to a single MediaStor server Single DiskXtender server connecting to multiple MediaStor servers Multiple DiskXtender servers sharing a MediaStor server MediaStor Administrator Hardware Wizard Add New Hardware Device page Hardware Wizard Select New Library page Hardware Wizard Configuration page Hardware Wizard Drives page Hardware Wizard Options page Set Library Online dialog box Hardware Wizard Select New Drive page Hardware Wizard Configuration page Media Service Wizard Select Computer page DiskXtender with ACSLS Media Service Wizard Verify ACSLS Configuration page Media Service Wizard Configure ACSLS Drives page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide 11

12 Figures 41 ACSLS Drive Properties dialog box ACSLS Media Service Properties dialog box Manage Library Media dialog box Insert Library Media dialog box MediaStor Media Service Properties dialog box Media List tab Available Media tree Media Prepare Manager Select Library page Media Prepare Manager Select Media page Media Prepare Manager Format page Media Prepare Manager Label page Media Prepare Manager Schedule page Format media task Label media task after Format media task Media group Automation page Check Disk media task Media group Automation page Compact media task Format media task after Compact media task Label media task after Compact and Format media tasks Finalize media task Eject Library Media dialog box DiskXtender with TSM Configure Media Services dialog box Media service wizard Select Media Service Type page Media service wizard TSM Information page TSM Media Service Properties dialog box Create TSM Media dialog box Extended drive wizard Select Drive page Extended drive wizard Allocate Media To Extended Drive page Extended drive wizard Settings page Extended drive wizard Options page Extended drive wizard Indexing page Create Media Folder dialog box Extended Drive Background Scan dialog box Advanced Scan Configuration dialog box Scan Maintenance Options dialog box Use special application filtering option Special Application List dialog box Special Application Settings dialog box Disabling real-time moves Standard migration Multi-target migration Multi-target media group Sample file migration pattern for multi-target migration Tiered migration Media group New Media Group page Media group Automation page for EMC Centera Media group Automation page for removable media Media group Metadata page Media group Options page Add Media to Media Group Wizard Media Restore page Move rule Settings page Move rule Retention page Schedule dialog box Compact media task EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

13 Figures 96 Remove Media From Media Groups Wizard Migrated File Options page Move Rule Wizard Retention page Explorer Add-ons Privileged Delete page DiskXtender architecture for indexing Disabling real-time moves Indexing attributes on the DiskXtender File Properties dialog box Namespace Table dialog box Extended Drive Properties dialog box Indexing tab Disabling index rule qualification Disabling the indexing schedule Index and Search Resynchronization Settings dialog box Purge rule settings for purging as disk space is needed Purge rule settings for purging during background scans Purge files immediately after move option Schedule dialog box Prefetch Manager Prefetch Wizard Prefetch Information page Prefetch Wizard Prefetch Schedule page Prefetch Wizard Prefetch File List page Prefetch file example Prefetch media task Service Properties Options tab Special Application List dialog box Recycler Properties dialog box General tab DiskXtender Recycler Recycler Properties dialog box Schedule tab Service Manager dialog box Edit Service Settings dialog box Alert Settings dialog box Adding an alert System Error Lookup dialog box Service Event Configuration dialog box Configuration tab Service Event Configuration dialog box Trace tab Explorer Add-ons Report Options page Promote/demote arrow buttons Media Properties dialog box Clear Media Error Status dialog box Clear Media Write Error Status dialog box Service Properties Licensing Information tab Audit Log Configuration Settings dialog box Select an Output Filename to Display the Audit Data dialog box Sample audit log Extended Drive Meta-Data Export dialog box Full Meta-Data Export Frequency dialog box Export folders created in Microsoft Windows Explorer Copy Media Manager dialog box Label Copy Media page Select Original Media page Label Copy media task Registry Log Wizard Introduction page Registry Log Wizard Automatic Registry Log Location page Registry log media task warning message Registry Log Wizard Registry Log Image Retention page Registry Log Wizard Copy Registry Log Information page Extended Drive Meta-Data Import Wizard Provide Meta-Data Set Location page 389 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide 13

14 Figures 150 Extended Drive Meta-Data Import Wizard Select Meta-Data Set page Registry Log Wizard Restore Registry Log page Shell Xtensions Wizard Select Function page Explorer Add-ons menu Jukebox Manager utility Jukebox List window Jukebox Manager utility Jukebox window SCSI Manager utility - Device List window SCSI Manager utility Device window EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

15 Tables Title Page 1 Types of retention Supported CentraStar versions Extended drive operations for EMC Centera files DiskXtender operations affected after folder renames NAS media types Extended drive operations for Standard NAS files Extended drive operations for Aggregate NAS files Extended drive operations for Retained NAS files Supported removable media types Minimum and recommended hardware requirements for MediaStor FIle system support by media type Subsystems for the OTG file system UDF file systems Status of media in the Available Media tree Extended drive operations for files migrated to MO and UDO media Extended drive operations for files migrated to MO WORM or UDO WORM media Extended drive operations for files migrated to tape or tape-worm media Extended drive operations for files migrated to DVD media Media group options for removable media Service options for optical and tape media DiskXtender edits for TSM dsm.opt file Extended drive operations for TSM files Product interoperability and international character support Background scan scheduling options Background scan tasks Scan maintenance options Available criteria for selecting files to move Recommended media group options for each media type Move rule criteria Types of retention Retention editing options Index scheduling options Index rule criteria Icons for files on the extended drive Prerequisite steps for purging Purge process overview by purge method Recommended environments for each purge method Available criteria for selecting files to purge Purge rule criteria EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide 15

16 Tables 40 Prefetch Information page request details Prefetch scheduling options Delete rule criteria Recycler exclusion criteria Available tasks from within the DiskXtender Recycler Recycler emptying options File recovery requirements by media type Event Viewer icons for events, warnings, and errors Media status indicated by color Media Properties dialog box tabs Service Properties Licensing Information tab Reports Available events for audit logging Access to the audit log for DiskXtender security groups Audit log fields Recommended media protection methods Export scheduling options Compatible media types for copy media File recovery requirements by media type Required privileges for the Explorer Add-ons DiskXtender support utilities Media support for moving files within a media folder DiskXtender edits for TSM dsm.opt file Extended drive options to adjust for a storage transition EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

17 Preface As part of an effort to improve and enhance the performance and capabilities of its product lines, EMC periodically releases revisions of its hardware and software. Therefore, some functions described in this document may not be supported by all versions of the software or hardware currently in use. For the most up-to-date information on product features, refer to your product release notes. If a product does not function properly or does not function as described in this document, please contact your EMC representative. Audience Related documentation Conventions used in this document This document is part of the EMC DiskXtender for Windows documentation set, and is intended for use by system administrators responsible for installing software and maintaining the servers and clients on a network. Readers of this document are expected to be familiar with the following topics: Microsoft Windows network administration Storage media and hardware device management Related documents include: EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Installation Guide EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Best Practices Guide EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Technical Product Overview EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version API Reference Guide EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Release Notes EMC DiskXtender Search Module Release 1.1 Installation Guide EMC DiskXtender Search Module Release 1.2 Release Notes EMC uses the following conventions for special notices. Note: A note presents information that is important, but not hazard-related.! CAUTION A caution contains information essential to avoid data loss or damage to the system or equipment.! IMPORTANT An important notice contains information essential to operation of the software. EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide 17

18 Preface Typographical conventions EMC uses the following type style conventions in this document: Normal Used in running (nonprocedural) text for: Names of interface elements (such as names of windows, dialog boxes, buttons, fields, and menus) Names of resources, attributes, pools, Boolean expressions, buttons, DQL statements, keywords, clauses, environment variables, functions, utilities URLs, pathnames, filenames, directory names, computer names, filenames, links, groups, service keys, file systems, notifications Bold Used in running (nonprocedural) text for: Names of commands, daemons, options, programs, processes, services, applications, utilities, kernels, notifications, system call, man pages Used in procedures for: Names of interface elements (such as names of windows, dialog boxes, buttons, fields, and menus) What user specifically selects, clicks, presses, or types Italic Used in all text (including procedures) for: Full titles of publications referenced in text Emphasis (for example a new term) Variables Courier Used for: System output, such as an error message or script URLs, complete paths, filenames, prompts, and syntax when shown outside of running text Courier bold Used for: Specific user input (such as commands) Courier italic Used in procedures for: Variables on command line User input variables < > Angle brackets enclose parameter or variable values supplied by the user [ ] Square brackets enclose optional values Vertical bar indicates alternate selections - the bar means or { } Braces indicate content that you must specify (that is, x or y or z)... Ellipses indicate nonessential information omitted from the example Where to get help Your comments EMC support, product, and licensing information can be obtained as follows. Product information For documentation, release notes, software updates, or for information about EMC products, licensing, and service, go to the EMC Powerlink website (registration required) at: Technical support For technical support, go to EMC Customer Service on Powerlink. To open a service request through Powerlink, you must have a valid support agreement. Please contact your EMC sales representative for details about obtaining a valid support agreement or to answer any questions about your account. Your suggestions will help us continue to improve the accuracy, organization, and overall quality of the user publications. Please send your opinion of this document to: SSGdocumentation@EMC.com 18 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

19 1 Getting Started The following topics provide an overview of DiskXtender for Windows and instructions for configuring the system after installation: Understanding DiskXtender for Windows Starting the File System Manager Administrator Understanding the Administrator interface Verifying the DiskXtender version How to configure DiskXtender Getting Started 19

20 Getting Started Understanding DiskXtender for Windows EMC DiskXtender for Windows is an automated, policy-based file system archiving solution for long-term data retention. DiskXtender extends primary volumes by making them seem to have an unlimited amount of space. User data is automatically migrated from the local Windows NT File System (NTFS) volume to secondary storage based on system policies. However, the files still appear to be resident on the local volume. Users and applications can seamlessly recall the data from secondary storage when necessary for viewing or editing. For example, users on the network may typically save data to a drive on a Microsoft Windows file server. If the drive is an NTFS volume, you can use DiskXtender to move the files to media, such as an EMC Centera content addressed storage (CAS) system or tape in a library managed by DiskXtender MediaStor, without affecting the file listing as seen by the end user. When the users need to access the data again at a later time, they open the files normally and the files are recalled from media. The user is not aware of the retrieval process. 20 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

21 Getting Started Starting the File System Manager Administrator The File System Manager Administrator window provides a user-friendly interface that enables you to configure the DiskXtender system. The Administrator can run on the same server where DiskXtender is installed. It can also be installed as a Remote Administrator on a different computer, which enables you to configure one or more DiskXtender servers on the network. The DiskXtender installation guide provides details on remote administration. To start the Administrator, open the Microsoft Windows Start menu and select Programs > EMC DiskXtender File System Manager > Administrator. The DiskXtender File System Manager Administrator window appears, as illustrated in Figure 1 on page 21. Figure 1 File System Manager Administrator window When the Administrator opens, it automatically connects to all registered DiskXtender servers. If this is a full installation of DiskXtender (as opposed to a Remote Administrator installation), the local server is automatically registered, and therefore automatically appears in the Administrator. After these connections have been made, the Administrator displays information relevant to each connected service. The items that appear in the tree view depend on the DiskXtender configuration. You must create the extended drive, media folders, media groups, and rules, and add media to the system before these items are listed. Starting the File System Manager Administrator 21

22 Getting Started Understanding the Administrator interface The main portion of the File System Manager Administrator window, which is illustrated in Figure 1 on page 21, is for navigation and information display, and is split into three panes: The left pane of the window, or the tree view, contains the tree-like structure from which most commands are performed. The top right pane, or the contents view, displays the contents of the item currently selected in the tree. The bottom right pane, or the description view, displays a description or detailed properties of the item selected. The Administrator window also contains several additional components that enable you to navigate through and configure DiskXtender: The menu bar contains the menu commands and can be found at the top of the window. The Computer drop-down list, which enables you to switch between DiskXtender servers that have been configured for remote administration, can be found just below the menu bar on the left. The toolbar, containing toolbar icons that enable you to perform frequently used functions, can be found just below the menu bar to the right of the Computer drop-down list. The status bar, which displays information about the selected command or toolbar icon, as well as errors or warnings that occur, can be found at the bottom of the window. Refreshing the Administrator window Refreshing updates the contents and repaints everything in the Administrator window. The window is refreshed when each of the following occurs: You perform a command in the Administrator. You press F5 or select Refresh from the Tree menu. This is considered a forced refresh. The automatic refresh frequency expires. The default is five seconds. To change the automatic refresh frequency: a. Open the Tree menu and select Auto Refresh Frequency. b. In the Auto Refresh Frequency dialog box, type the number of seconds that should pass between refreshes, and then click OK. To disable automatic refresh, open the Tree menu and select Auto Refresh to clear the checkmark beside the command. 22 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

23 Getting Started Setting a timeout interval You can specify a timeout interval for the File System Manager Administrator interface. Understanding the timeout interval If the DiskXtender server is busy when you issue a command through the File System Manager Administrator, DiskXtender waits for the configured timeout interval. If the server is unable to respond to the command within the timeout interval, control is returned to the Administrator so that you can continue system configuration. DiskXtender uses the information from the last successful refresh to enable continued user input. If the server remains unresponsive for two or more consecutive refresh cycles, a message appears in the tree view to indicate the condition. If the server remains unresponsive for 10 consecutive refresh cycles, the Administrator interface automatically disconnects from the server. In the event of a timeout error, you might be prompted to retry or cancel the request. How to set the timeout interval To set the timeout interval: 1. From the Tools menu, select Server Busy Timeout. 2. Choose whether to configure a timeout interval: To prevent additional configuration while the server is busy, leave the No timeout checkbox selected. This is the default. To return control to the Administrator interface even when the server is busy, clear the No timeout checkbox and type the timeout interval (in seconds) in the text box. 3. Click OK. Searching in the Administrator As you add multiple components, such as extended drives, media folders, and media, and multiple DiskXtender servers for remote administration to the system, the extended drive tree might become so large that it becomes difficult to locate a specific node of the tree. You can use the Find command in the Tree menu to quickly locate occurrences of text within the extended drives tree. You can also choose whether to view all media, only full media, or only active, but not full, media for a media group by right-clicking on the media group and selecting either View All Media, View Only Full Media, or View Only Active Media. If you choose to view only full media or only active media for a media group, then "Full media only" or "Active media only," respectively are appended to the media group name in the tree view. Understanding the Administrator interface 23

24 Getting Started Verifying the DiskXtender version The About dialog box, illustrated in Figure 2 on page 24, provides details on the version of DiskXtender that is installed, including the release number, as well as any service packs, patches, or hotfixes that have been applied. Version information is provided for both the client (the Administrator interface), as well as for each DiskXtender server/service that the Administrator is managing. Figure 2 About dialog box To access the About dialog box, open the Help menu in the Administrator and select About EMC DiskXtender Administrator. 24 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

25 Getting Started How to configure DiskXtender To configure DiskXtender after installation: 1. Connect DiskXtender to a storage device: To use an EMC Centera cluster, provide the connection information to DiskXtender and create virtual pieces of media that simulate divisions of the EMC Centera cluster. Chapter 2, Connecting to EMC Centera, provides details. To use a share on a network-attached storage device, create the shares, and connect DiskXtender to the shares. Each share is considered an individual piece of media in DiskXtender. Chapter 3, Connecting to Network-Attached Storage, provides details. To use a storage device with removable media such as tape or optical, connect DiskXtender to the software managing the device (either EMC DiskXtender MediaStor or Sun StorageTek ACSLS) and add media to the device. Chapter 4, Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices, provides details. To use an IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) system to store DiskXtender files, install the TSM client on the DiskXtender server, connect DiskXtender to the TSM server, and then create virtual pieces of media that simulate divisions of the TSM server. Chapter 5, Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager, provides details. 2. Identify the Microsoft Windows NTFS drives on the DiskXtender server to extend by using DiskXtender file migration services. These drives are called extended drives. Requirements and details on creating and managing these drives are available in Chapter 6, Extended Drive Management. 3. Identify or create the folders on the extended drive that will contain the files to move to storage. These folders are called media folders in DiskXtender. A media folder can be a subfolder on the extended drive, or you can manage the all files on the extended drive by specifying the root of the drive as a media folder. Extended drive directory structure on page 182 provides details on planning for and creating media folders. 4. Configure file migration. In DiskXtender, the migration of a file is actually a copy. When DiskXtender moves a file to storage, it is really copying the file data to media and adding extended attribute information to the file on the drive. The file is then managed by DiskXtender, and the data resides both on the extended drive and on the media. To enable file migration, specify the criteria that files must meet before DiskXtender migrates them. You also must specify the media to which the files should be moved. Details on the available options for file migration are provided in Chapter 7, File Migration. 5. Configure file purging. When DiskXtender purges a file, it removes the file data from the extended drive and leaves behind a file tag on the extended drive. Purging files frees space on the extended drive, while maintaining the appearance that the files are still on the drive. A purged file is still accessible, and to a user machine, appears to reside on the extended drive. You can choose to automatically purge files from the extended drive either: Immediately after they are moved to storage. When extended drive space is low. Each night during the next background scan. How to configure DiskXtender 25

26 Getting Started Chapter 10, Purging Files, explains how to develop an appropriate purging strategy and enable purging. 6. (Optional) If you are planning to index and search for files on the extended drive by using the DiskXtender Search Module, then configure file indexing. Guidelines for developing an indexing strategy and instructions for enabling indexing are available in Chapter 9, Indexing Files. 7. (Optional) Enable the DiskXtender Recycler to protect against the accidental deletion of files from the extended drive. If the DiskXtender Recycler is enabled and a user accidentally deletes a file, you can restore the file to the extended drive. The DiskXtender Recycler functions similarly to the Microsoft Windows Recycle Bin, but only affects files on a drive extended by DiskXtender. Recovering files from the DiskXtender Recycler on page 308 provides details on the Recycler. Note: The Recycler resides on the extended drive. As a result, the disk space used by the Recycler factors into the total available disk space for the extended drive. If you enable the Recycler, set a schedule for emptying the Recycler on a regular basis to help maintain an adequate amount of space on the extended drive. 8. (Optional) Configure automatic deletion of files. DiskXtender can automatically delete files from the extended drive based on certain file criteria by using delete rules. Delete rules can be used, for example, to help manage archival of particular files kept to comply with legal requirements. After the files no longer meet the criteria required to keep them (for example, the files reach a certain age), DiskXtender can automatically delete them in accordance with a delete rule. If you are protecting files with retention for a period of time, you may want to automatically delete the files when the retention expires and the files are no longer needed. Automatically deleting files on page 304 provides instructions on creating delete rules. 9. Develop a comprehensive backup and recovery strategy for the DiskXtender system. Chapter 14, Backup and Recovery, provides guidance on the aspects of the DiskXtender system that must be protected, as well as best practices for the tools needed for backup and recovery. After you configure DiskXtender, monitor the system regularly by using the tools discussed in Chapter 13, Monitoring the System. 26 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

27 2 Connecting to EMC Centera You can migrate files on a DiskXtender extended drive to an EMC Centera cluster. The following topics provide details on configuring and managing the environment: How DiskXtender works with EMC Centera Prerequisite steps for connecting to EMC Centera Adding an EMC Centera media service Managing the lifecycle of EMC Centera media Expectations for files migrated to EMC Centera Adding custom metadata to files on EMC Centera Performance tuning for EMC Centera Connecting to EMC Centera 27

28 Connecting to EMC Centera How DiskXtender works with EMC Centera The following topics provide details on how DiskXtender communicates with EMC Centera, as well as how various features in the two products complement each other. Connecting DiskXtender and EMC Centera When you install or upgrade DiskXtender, the EMC Centera SDK is installed automatically on the DiskXtender server to enable communication between DiskXtender and an EMC Centera cluster. When you create an EMC Centera media service in DiskXtender, you specify the connection string that the EMC Centera SDK uses to enable DiskXtender to connect to an EMC Centera cluster. The connection string includes information about the EMC Centera access nodes, as well as the Pool Entry Authorization (.pea) file containing the profile information that should be used for the DiskXtender connection. DiskXtender connects with the access nodes by using a TCP/IP connection. Access nodes Each EMC Centera cluster contains two or more nodes with the access role. You should specify as many access nodes on the cluster in the connection string as possible. When the EMC Centera SDK attempts to open a connection to the cluster for DiskXtender, it attempts to connect to the first access node listed in the connection string. If the connection to the first access node is successful, the SDK queries for and internally stores information about all available access nodes in the cluster. Communication between EMC Centera and DiskXtender is then automatically load-balanced across this set of nodes. If the connection to the first access node fails, however, then the SDK attempts to connect to the second access node listed in the connection string. If the connection to the second access node fails, then the SDK attempts to connect to the third access node listed in the connection string, and so on. This process continues until the SDK is able to successfully connect to an access node. Once the connection is made, information about all available access nodes is stored by the SDK, regardless of the number of access nodes listed in the connection string. This connection process occurs each time the DiskXtender service restarts and each time the media service is set online. As a result, it is important to include as many access nodes on the connection string as possible, to ensure that DiskXtender can connect to EMC Centera even when one or more access nodes are offline. In addition, you cannot edit access node information in DiskXtender after you create the media service. As a result, you cannot add or remove node information for an existing media service. Because you cannot edit access node information in DiskXtender, equate each access node IP address with a node name alias before you create the media service. To configure node name aliases, either add the appropriate entries to a common DNS server or edit the local HOSTS file on the DiskXtender server. Note: The connection string for a media service is limited to 128 characters. Keep this limit in mind when defining node name aliases. The aliases should be kept to a reasonable length. Otherwise, you may not be able to specify a sufficient number of access nodes on the connection string to enable reliable connections in the event of a node failure. 28 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

29 Connecting to EMC Centera You can then specify the aliases instead of the IP addresses when you create the media service. If you later need to change the access node IP addresses, you only need to change the HOSTS file or DNS entries. You might need to change the access node IP addresses if it becomes necessary to replace an access node. Note: If you add an access node to the EMC Centera cluster after you create the media service, you cannot add the address information to the media service connection string. However, DiskXtender can connect to the access node. This is because the EMC Centera SDK internally discovers and stores information about all available nodes after a successful connection is made to one of the current access nodes in the connection string. If you use EMC Centera replication, do not specify connection information for the access nodes of the target clusters. Replication failover on page 42 provides additional details. Pools and profiles EMC Centera security is based on pools and application profiles: An application pool, or virtual pool, is a logical area on an EMC Centera device where applications can store their data. Virtual pools enable you to logically separate data on an EMC Centera device. This is particularly useful if there are multiple applications with different security needs writing data to an EMC Centera device. Access profiles provide access to one or more EMC Centera pools. Pools grant capabilities to applications that are accessing EMC Centera by using the profile. For DiskXtender, the profile must have the Write, Read, Delete, and Query capabilities. To allow privileged deletes of retained files, then the profile should also have the Privileged Delete capability. A.pea file, generated while creating or updating an access profile, is a clear text, XML-formatted, nonencrypted file that can be used by system administrators to communicate and distribute authentication credentials to application administrators. Each EMC Centera cluster can have multiple virtual pools and multiple access profiles. The EMC Centera online help provides information on pools, access profiles, and.pea files, which should be configured by an EMC Centera technical representative. When you create an EMC Centera media service in DiskXtender, specify a.pea file when you create the media service. You cannot edit a media service later to add a.pea file. There should be a single.pea file for each media service. You cannot specify multiple.pea files for a single media service. If the virtual pool is being replicated to another EMC Centera cluster, the.pea files for the virtual pools and access profiles on the two clusters are merged. This merged.pea file, which enables access to both pools with a single profile, should be configured by an EMC Centera technical representative. If you have multiple, separate pools and access profiles each pair with its own corresponding.pea file then you can create multiple EMC Centera media services. Multiple media services enable you to further separate data you are writing through DiskXtender. If you do not specify a.pea file when you create an EMC Centera media service, then DiskXtender uses the Anonymous profile to connect to EMC Centera. How DiskXtender works with EMC Centera 29

30 Connecting to EMC Centera Note: The Anonymous profile is disabled in CentraStar 3.1 and later. If CentraStar 3.1 or later is installed on the EMC Centera cluster, you must use an access profile when you create a media service in DiskXtender. If you use an earlier release of CentraStar with DiskXtender and you upgrade to 3.1 or later, you can continue to use the Anonymous profile. Virtual EMC Centera media EMC Centera media is virtual, meaning that a piece of media defined in DiskXtender does not specifically correspond to a physical piece of media (like a tape cartridge). Instead, the virtual media is designed to simulate divisions of an EMC Centera cluster. The use of virtual media enables you to take advantage of the flexible file migration features available in DiskXtender. Each piece of virtual media can contain as much as 256 GB of file data and metadata, or can store up to 100,000 files. This is an either/or limit. It is possible that you can fill a piece of EMC Centera media with 100,000 files but remain well under the 256 GB size limit. When you create a piece of virtual media, the 256 GB of space is not reserved on the EMC Centera device. Space is used on the EMC Centera device only when a file is migrated from DiskXtender. Note: Because space is not reserved on the EMC Centera device for virtual media, if you meet the limit of 100,000 files before you meet the limit of 256 GB, the size of the piece of media is limited to the size required for the 100,000 files. In other words, the difference between the total size of the 100,000 files and 256 GB is not wasted space on the EMC Centera device. The size limit for EMC Centera media is imposed so that finding a file associated with a piece of media does not take an inordinate amount of time. When either threshold is reached, the media is considered full and cannot receive any more files, although files can be retrieved from the media when necessary. Full media appears with a blue label in the File System Manager Administrator. You can create as many pieces of virtual media as necessary. You are limited only by the total amount of space available on the EMC Centera device. When a piece of virtual media is created in DiskXtender, a corresponding C-Clip for the media is created on the EMC Centera device. Once the C-Clip is created, the Content Address (CA) of the C-Clip is sent back to DiskXtender and is stored in the Microsoft Windows registry on the DiskXtender server. When DiskXtender migrates a file to a piece of EMC Centera media, a C-Clip for the file is created on the EMC Centera device. Metadata about the piece of virtual media associated with the file is stored with the file on the EMC Centera device. In addition, DiskXtender creates a special C-Clip on the EMC Centera cluster daily at midnight (EMC Centera cluster time). This new C-Clip contains a list of all media C-Clips currently on the system. One C-Clip is created for each EMC Centera media service. The CA for the C-Clip is stored in the DiskXtender event log when the C-Clip is created. If a disaster occurs, an EMC Customer Support Representative can retrieve the C-Clip to develop a list of media to restore to DiskXtender. 30 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

31 Connecting to EMC Centera There are two ways to create virtual EMC Centera media through DiskXtender: Automatically through the media group, either when free space in the media group falls below a certain number of megabytes or when the number of available pieces of media falls below a certain level. Manually through the media service. Use this method to create individual pieces of media. Then allocate the media to the extended drive and add it to a media group to make it available for file migration. This option is not recommended for most environments. To avoid confusion and simplify media naming conventions, use only one media creation method. If you no longer need the files that have been written to a piece of EMC Centera virtual media, you can run a Format media task on the media to clear the files from the EMC Centera device. The EMC Centera Garbage Collection feature then reclaims the space made available by the deleted files. Note: The Format task may take a significant amount of time to complete for EMC Centera media. Content-addressable storage With content-addressable storage (CAS), EMC Centera ensures that applications, such as DiskXtender, no longer have to track the physical location of stored information. Instead, with the CentraStar software operating environment, EMC Centera creates a unique identifier, based on the attributes of the content, that applications use for retrieval. The unique identifier is called a Content Address (CA). The CA uniquely represents the object and its associated metadata, and is required to retrieve the object. The following topics provide details on how DiskXtender writes files to EMC Centera media, as well as how to customize file migration between DiskXtender and EMC Centera. How DiskXtender writes files to EMC Centera When DiskXtender writes a file to EMC Centera, a CA for the file (BLOB) is generated and stored in an XML file with standardized metadata from the DiskXtender system. The XML file is called a C-Clip Descriptor File (CDF). Note: You can also add custom metadata to CDFs by using DiskXtender media groups. This custom metadata can be used to enhance EMC Centera Seek and Chargeback Reporter reports. Adding custom metadata to files on EMC Centera on page 61 provides details. Another CA for the CDF is generated, and then DiskXtender stores the CDF and the file data in a package on the EMC Centera cluster. This complete package, which contains both file data and metadata, is called a C-Clip and is illustrated in Figure 3 on page 32. How DiskXtender works with EMC Centera 31

32 Connecting to EMC Centera C-Clip CDF (XML file) CA for file Metadata (filename, creation data, and so on) BLOB (file data) CA for CDF 3C08JM40C8AMMe0N8ATEJHC2DQN GEN Figure 3 EMC Centera C-Clip for a DiskXtender file The CA for the CDF is returned to DiskXtender and stored for the file. When the file is purged from the extended drive, this information can be used to retrieve the file data from EMC Centera. EMC Centera Storage Strategies Data can be stored on an EMC Centera device by using one of two storage strategies: Storage Strategy Capacity is designed to maximize the storage capacity of the cluster by taking advantage of single-instance storage. With single-instance storage, duplicate copies of a file are not stored on the cluster. Only a single copy of a file is stored. Storage Strategy Performance is designed to maximize file storage and retrieval performance at the cost of single-instance storage. With this storage strategy, smaller files with identical content may be stored multiple times. This is because it is faster to store duplicates than it is to perform the data comparison necessary to eliminate duplication. However, single-instance storage is still used to exclude duplicates of larger files. This is because the speed of the data comparison is equal to or faster than the amount of time necessary to store the file itself. Consult with an EMC Centera technical representative to decide which storage strategy is appropriate for your environment. Only qualified EMC Centera service personnel can change the storage strategy for a cluster. Note: DiskXtender also works with both EMC Centera data protection mechanisms; Content Protection Mirrored (CPM) and Content Protection Parity (CPP). The EMC Centera protection mechanism (CPM or CPP) is transparent to DiskXtender. 32 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

33 Connecting to EMC Centera DiskXtender options to tune CAS DiskXtender provides media service options that enable you to customize the way files are stored to EMC Centera, and therefore maximize performance: Collision avoidance Collision avoidance ensures that a unique CA is created for each file stored on EMC Centera, even if the file is a duplicate of another file stored on the cluster. If the file is edited and re-migrated, then a different unique CA is created. This feature is designed to prevent the unlikely event where the same CA is created for different files. If the files are purged and you attempt to fetch the second file, the data for the first file with the CA is returned instead, and the data for the second file is irretrievable. Collision avoidance should not be used in most environments because it prevents the primary benefit of single-instance storage the elimination of duplicate content so that only a single copy of each file is stored. It should be used only in environments where even the most remote possibility of data loss is unacceptable, or in environments where single-instance storage is forbidden, usually due to legal regulations. Note: If you enable collision avoidance, each file is stored uniquely, even if you use Storage Strategy Capacity (single-instance storage). Embedded BLOBs You can set a threshold for embedding small BLOBs (file data) in the CDF. Embedding file data in the CDF can decrease read and write times, since the overhead required to manage two objects (CDF and BLOB) is greater than the overhead required to manage a single object. Figure 4 on page 33 illustrates an embedded BLOB, while Figure 5 on page 34 illustrates a separate CDF and BLOB. CDF (XML file) CA for file Metadata (filename, creation data, and son on) DiskXtender server BLOB (file data) EMC Centera GEN Figure 4 Embedded BLOB for a file stored on EMC Centera How DiskXtender works with EMC Centera 33

34 Connecting to EMC Centera CDF (XML file) CA for file Metadata (filename, creation data, and so on) DiskXtender server BLOB (file data) EMC Centera GEN Figure 5 Separate CDF and BLOB for a file stored on EMC Centera To maximize the performance benefits of this feature, files smaller than 100 KB (the maximum value for the option) should be embedded in the CDF. If the EMC Centera is configured for Storage Strategy Capacity (single-instance storage), embedding BLOBs for files smaller than 100 KB will not allow you to realize the benefits of the storage strategy for these files. This is because the file content is embedded in the CDF. If you embed the BLOBs for files smaller than 100 KB, then single-instance storage is applied only to files larger than 100 KB. Note: The total file size (all streams and the stream tags) must be less than the embedded BLOB threshold before the BLOB is embedded in the CDF. Client-side ID calculation The Client-side ID (hash) calculation option enables you to control whether the EMC Centera API calculates the CA for a piece of data before the data is sent to the EMC Centera cluster. If the calculation results in the determination that the data already exists on the cluster, the data is not sent. Client-side ID calculation can improve performance and maximize storage efficiency under the following conditions: Files are larger than 10 MB in size. Identical data is likely to be sent to EMC Centera. You use Storage Strategy Capacity (single-instance storage). Client-side ID calculation is not beneficial under the following conditions: File data is embedded in the CDF (in other words, when you set an embedded BLOB threshold of greater than zero). Files are small (less than 10 MB). You use Storage Strategy Performance or collision avoidance and files are stored uniquely even if they are identical. Note: If you use CentraStar or later, or or later, additional configuration steps are required on the EMC Centera device to enable client-side ID calculation. Contact an EMC Centera technical representative for assistance in enabling this feature if you use one of the specified CentraStar versions. 34 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

35 Connecting to EMC Centera Garbage Collection When a file is deleted from the extended drive, a delete transaction is issued and flushed to the target storage device. Delete transactions can flush every minute, depending on what other transactions have been initiated. When EMC Centera receives a delete transaction from DiskXtender, the CDF is deleted from the EMC Centera device, and the BLOB is left there (orphaned). CDFs not under retention can be deleted from any type of EMC Centera device. If the EMC Centera Garbage Collection process is enabled, then the BLOBs with deleted CDFs are removed from the EMC Centera device and space is recovered. The file data for deleted files is removed from the EMC Centera device and is not recoverable. If Garbage Collection is disabled, however, then the BLOBs with deleted CDFs remain on the EMC Centera device and occupy space. Garbage Collection and the DiskXtender Recycler If the DiskXtender Recycler is enabled, files are placed in the Recycler when they are deleted from the extended drive. A delete transaction is sent to the EMC Centera cluster when the file is deleted from the Recycler. When a significant number of delete transactions are sent to the EMC Centera cluster, the completion of those transactions may take a long time. During that time, file fetches may be delayed or even canceled due to timeout issues. Do not empty the Recycler when users are most likely to access the system. Or, if the Recycler is disabled, do not delete a significant number of files from the extended drive when users are most likely to access the system. Communication threads Each access node of an EMC Centera has a certain number of available communication threads. The optimum performance level is reached when each EMC Centera access node processes approximately 20 simultaneous connections. You can exceed 20 connections for each access node. However, performance degradation typically results. When an application communicates with an EMC Centera cluster, it uses one or more of these threads to pass data to and from the EMC Centera cluster. With DiskXtender, these threads are used to read data from and write data to the EMC Centera cluster. It is important to understand the communication process between DiskXtender and EMC Centera so that you do not exceed the maximum number of available communication threads. The following topics provide additional details and guidance on configuring options that enable you to control the lines of communication and maximize performance. How DiskXtender uses the communication threads By default, DiskXtender can either read data from or write data to each piece of virtual media during any given time period. In other words, if DiskXtender is writing File G to a piece of media and a user requests File A from that same piece of media, then the user must wait until File G is written before File A is retrieved and displayed. The writing of File G and the reading of File A both would require a single thread, each at different times, as illustrated in Figure 6 on page 36. How DiskXtender works with EMC Centera 35

36 Connecting to EMC Centera Step 1: File G is migrated to Virtual Media 1 on the EMC Centera cluster Virtual Media 1 Extended drive File G Virtual Media 2 EMC Centera cluster Step 2: After File G is migrated, then File A, which resides on Virtual Media 1, can be fetched Virtual Media 1 Extended drive File A Virtual Media 2 EMC Centera cluster GEN Figure 6 Single thread per piece of virtual media In an active environment where file migration is necessary at the same time that file fetches are likely to occur, you can configure DiskXtender to both read from and write to a single piece of media at the same time. This functionality is available through the Enable simultaneous moves and fetches feature, which appears on the Options tab of the Service Properties dialog box. When simultaneous moves and fetches are enabled, two EMC Centera threads may be occupied by DiskXtender communication with a single piece of media one for moves and one for fetches, as illustrated in Figure 7 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

37 Connecting to EMC Centera File G is migrated to Virtual Media 1 at the same time that File A is fetched from Virtual Media 1 File G Virtual Media 1 Extended drive Virtual Media 2 File A Virtual Media 3 Virtual Media 4 EMC Centera cluster GEN Figure 7 Simultaneous moves and fetches With simultaneous moves and fetches enabled, DiskXtender will use only two threads for a piece of media if it is both moving and fetching files. It will not open two threads to a piece of media for moving files, nor will it open two threads for fetching files. If there are multiple pieces of virtual media in a media group and even multiple media groups with multiple pieces of media in each then a single DiskXtender installation can occupy numerous communication threads with an EMC Centera cluster at any one time. DiskXtender can initiate and maintain as many as 256 simultaneous connections to EMC Centera, regardless of the number of configured EMC Centera media services. DiskXtender will not reserve a thread to a piece of media if it does not need to. Communication threads to EMC Centera are initiated and maintained only if a file is requested from media or if there are files that need to be migrated and the file migration schedule is active. How DiskXtender works with EMC Centera 37

38 Connecting to EMC Centera DiskXtender writes files randomly to any piece of active media in a media group. This enables DiskXtender to continue writing files to media at the same time that it is fulfilling fetch requests for files on other pieces of media, as illustrated in Figure 8 on page 38. Communication threads File A EMC Centera cluster Media group 1 File B Virtual Media 1 File C Virtual Media 2 Media folder File D Virtual Media 3 Virtual Media 4 Extended drive Media group 2 Virtual Media 5 File E Virtual Media 6 File F Virtual Media 7 File G Virtual Media 8 File H GEN Figure 8 Random migration to EMC Centera You can configure DiskXtender to write files to media sequentially rather than randomly by using the Media fill method feature on the Options tab for each media group. However, sequential fill is strongly discouraged for EMC Centera media groups because it can lead to poor performance. Media group considerations for EMC Centera on page 63 provides additional information. Calculating the optimal number of available threads The equation for determining the optimal number of threads available for DiskXtender file migration and file fetches is as follows: where: (N x 20) - A - R = Available threads N is the number of access nodes in the EMC Centera cluster 20 is the optimal number of threads per node A is the number of threads used by other applications, including other DiskXtender installations R is the number of threads used for EMC Centera replication, if replication is enabled 38 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

39 Connecting to EMC Centera For example, if you are planning to write to an EMC Centera cluster with four access nodes, the cluster is dedicated to the DiskXtender installation, and replication is enabled and uses two threads, then the optimal number of threads available for file activity is 78, or: (4 access nodes x 20) = 78 The optimal number of available threads for DiskXtender can then be used when determining the number of pieces of active media that should be maintained in each media group. By controlling the number of active media, you are effectively controlling the number of threads that can be used for file migration. DiskXtender can automatically create EMC Centera media to maintain a specified count of active media in a media group. Active media are media that are still available for file writes. For EMC Centera media, this means that the media has not yet reached the maximum of 256 GB or 100,000 files. Automatically creating virtual EMC Centera media on page 52 provides details on automated media creation. For example, if the DiskXtender installation has two extended drives, each extended drive has two media folders, and each media folder has one EMC Centera media group, then there are a total of four media groups targeting the EMC Centera cluster: 2 drives x 2 media folders x 1 media group (each) = 4 media groups If there are 78 available threads for the installation and you anticipate that file migration and fetch activity will be evenly distributed among the media groups, then you can divide the number of threads by the number of media groups: 78 available threads / 4 media groups = 19.5 pieces of active media Since it is not possible to have a half of a piece of media, you may want to round up to 20 pieces of active media for each media group. Note: In an active environment where simultaneous moves and fetches are enabled and are likely to occur, divide the number of active media by two. Remember that with simultaneous moves and fetches, two threads are used by each piece of media. Fine-tuning the equation to optimize performance The equation for determining the optimal number of available threads and ultimately the number of pieces of active media for each media group does not take into consideration the volume of file migration and file fetch activity to and from the EMC Centera cluster at different times of the day. As a result, you may need to adjust the DiskXtender or EMC Centera configuration to remain within the recommended number of available threads per access node and to maximize system performance. Consider the following tasks to fine-tune the usage of available threads: Increase the number of access nodes in the EMC Centera cluster to increase the number of available threads. When more threads are available, determine whether to increase the number of active media in each media group: If file migration is dominating the communication threads, then increase the number of active media in each media group to take advantage of the additional threads for file migration. If file fetches from full media (not active media) are dominating the communication threads, then you may want to leave the same number of active media in each media group so that the additional threads can be used for file fetches. How DiskXtender works with EMC Centera 39

40 Connecting to EMC Centera Schedule file migration so that it does not occupy the communication threads when they are needed for file fetches. By default, the file migration schedule is active at night, so that files are migrated when users are typically not fetching as many files. You may need to customize this schedule for your environment. Reduce the number of fetch requests from media so that they do not occupy the communication threads when they are needed for file migration. To reduce the number of requests for files on the EMC Centera cluster, leave as much active data on the extended drive as possible. Use DiskXtender purge rules to purge only file data that is no longer likely to be requested. Chapter 10, Purging Files, provides details on configuring file purging. Compliance through retention and audit EMC Centera is designed to facilitate compliance with externally driven regulations and internal governance requirements through its retention and audit features. File retention Table 1 EMC Centera can protect stored data through its retention feature, which is complemented by the DiskXtender retention feature. Through DiskXtender, you can apply a retention period automatically to files that qualify for move rules. You can also apply retention to and extend retention periods for specific files by using the DiskXtender Explorer Add-ons utility. Once DiskXtender applies a retention period to a file, the file cannot be edited or deleted from the extended drive until the retention period expires. (If you edit a retained file, you must save the file with a new filename.) If you have an EMC Centera GE or EMC Centera CE+ device, the file is also protected on the EMC Centera device. If you have an EMC Centera Basic Edition and you apply retention through DiskXtender, the file is protected on the extended drive but is not protected on the EMC Centera device. Table 1 on page 40 lists the retention options for files written to EMC Centera through DiskXtender. Types of retention Type of retention Fixed retention period Retention class Description A specific period of time (in days) during which file retention is enforced. A symbolic representation of a retention period. When the retention class is defined, you specify a name and a retention period (in days). If necessary, you can edit the retention period for a retention class by changing the class definition, thereby changing the retention period for a group of files. Note: If you have an EMC Centera CE+ device, then you can only extend the retention period definition for a retention class. The list of retention classes and their definitions in DiskXtender is refreshed every time the EMC Centera media service is refreshed. This occurs approximately every two minutes. The list is stored and updated locally on the DiskXtender server (in addition to the definition on the EMC Centera device). This enables retention enforcement on the extended drive even if the EMC Centera device is unavailable. Even though you can configure retention classes of less than one day on the EMC Centera cluster, you cannot use those retention classes in DiskXtender. Retention classes of less than one day are not listed in the DiskXtender interface. Infinite retention Retention that can never expire. 40 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

41 Connecting to EMC Centera If you set global retention on the EMC Centera device and then you configure a different retention period through DiskXtender, the DiskXtender retention period applies. This is true even if the DiskXtender retention period is zero days (no retention). When you set a retention period of zero days through DiskXtender, then the file is not protected on the EMC Centera device, even if EMC Centera is configured for a global retention period of one or more days. DiskXtender always applies a retention period to files written to EMC Centera, even if the retention period is zero days (no retention). You cannot automatically apply the global retention period set on the EMC Centera device to files on the extended drive. To match the global retention period on EMC Centera with the retention set on files on the extended drive, specify the same retention setting in DiskXtender as on EMC Centera. Chapter 8, File Retention, provides details on setting and editing retention on files. Privileged delete If you have an EMC Centera Basic or EMC Centera GE device, you can delete retained files by using privileged deletes. To delete retained files on a CE+ device, contact an EMC Centera technical representative. To perform privileged deletes through DiskXtender, use the Privileged Delete option in the Explorer Add-ons utility. Note: When you perform a privileged delete, and the DiskXtender Recycler is enabled, the file is permanently deleted. It is not placed in the DiskXtender Recycler. When you delete a retained file through DiskXtender, you must enter an audit string. You can then view audit information by performing an EMC Centera query. To use the Privileged Delete option, first grant the right to perform a privileged delete to the profile that DiskXtender uses to connect to the EMC Centera device (either the anonymous profile or, as recommended, an access profile/.pea file). The EMC Centera online help provides additional information on profiles. Access profiles should be configured by an EMC Centera technical representative. In addition, privileged deletes are available only to users who are members of the DxAdministrators group on the DiskXtender server. Note: Consider the compliance regulations followed by your company before performing a privileged delete. Audited delete When you delete a file that is stored on an EMC Centera device, metadata about the deleted file remains on the cluster. This metadata is called a reflection or tombstone. Through DiskXtender, you can provide an audit string that is included in the reflection. An EMC Centera query then enables you to search for the reflection and view the audit string. If retention has never been set for the file, or if the retention period for the file has expired, the audit string can be provided automatically by DiskXtender through the media service. The audit string enables you to identify the data as deleted DiskXtender data. If the file is still under retention (and you are, therefore, performing a privileged delete through the Explorer Add-ons utility), then you must provide a custom audit string through the utility. How DiskXtender works with EMC Centera 41

42 Connecting to EMC Centera If you provide an audit string through the media service but you delete the file by using a privileged delete, the audit string entered for the privileged delete is used instead of the media service audit string. An EMC Centera query enables you to search for deleted data and view the audit string. The EMC Centera documentation provides instructions on how to do this. Replication Replication and DiskXtender files Replication failover The EMC Centera replication feature protects against data corruption and loss by automatically copying data from one EMC Centera cluster to another. As an EMC Centera cluster acquires new content from an application, the replication mechanism ensures that this new content is automatically and transparently transferred across a WAN or LAN to a designated EMC Centera in another location. Replication is used on an ongoing basis to keep two or more EMC Centera clusters synchronized with new content. In a typical replication setup, the EMC Centera clusters are geographically separate to ensure disaster recovery or to distribute the content for access from another location. For example, a company may replicate to a second EMC Centera cluster to enable recovery from the loss of the primary EMC Centera or to avoid multiple requests for the same content across a WAN connection. The majority of EMC Centera environments with replication are configured for unidirectional replication. With unidirectional replication, one EMC Centera cluster updates another cluster with its content. For example, if content is written to cluster A, then unidirectional replication transfers the content to cluster B so that it is located on both clusters. However, if content is written directly to cluster B, then the content is not transferred to cluster A. As a result, there may be additional content on cluster B that does not exist on cluster A. The EMC Centera online help provides additional information on replication. Replication should be configured by an EMC Centera technical representative. The replication process itself is transparent to DiskXtender. In other words, after DiskXtender migrates files to EMC Centera, the files are replicated from the source cluster to the target cluster without any DiskXtender involvement. In past releases, DiskXtender supported three types of DiskXtender file behavior when the source EMC Centera cluster failed: Read-only failover Read/write failover No failover Due to concerns about possible data loss, however, only read-only failover and no failover are now supported. The following sections provide details on the supported configurations, as well as an explanation of the concerns surrounding read/write failover. Read-only failover When the source EMC Centera cluster fails, DiskXtender automatically attempts to set the failed media service online again. If DiskXtender is unable to set the media service online, the EMC Centera SDK provides a read-only connection to the target (replica) cluster after a brief pause. With read-only failover, files can be read from the target cluster, but additional files cannot be written to the target cluster. Once the source cluster is set online again, DiskXtender automatically resumes normal read/write activity with the source cluster. 42 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

43 Connecting to EMC Centera This scenario enables users to fetch files that have already been migrated and purged, even when the source cluster fails. However, new file migration activity (from new files that qualify for migration, as well as edits to and deletes of files that have already been migrated) must wait until the source cluster comes back online. To enable this behavior, include the connection information for only the source cluster in the media service connection string, and select the Enable Read-Only Replica Failover checkbox when configuring the media service. Losing the read-only connection to the replica If the DiskXtender service restarts or if the media service is set offline while DiskXtender is connected to the target, then the connection to the target fails, and the media service is set offline. Purged files cannot be fetched until the source cluster is set online again. This is because DiskXtender passes the connection string to the EMC Centera SDK, and the connection string includes only addresses from the source cluster. If the source cluster is offline, then no connection can be made not even to the target cluster. The address information for the target cluster is passed to DiskXtender only after a successful connection to the source cluster. If the source cluster is offline for an extended period of time, contact EMC Customer Service. A Customer Support Representative can configure the environment to establish a read/write connection to the target cluster, and to ensure that files are replicated back to the source cluster once it is set online. Read/write failover Read/write failover, where DiskXtender both reads files from and writes files to the target cluster if the source cluster fails, is no longer supported due to concerns about possible data loss. If a failover occurs and files are written to the target cluster, then the files are not replicated back to the source cluster in a unidirectional replication environment, which includes the majority of replication environments. As a result, if the target cluster is removed from the environment, then the files that were written only to the target cluster are lost. No failover You can configure DiskXtender so that no failover to the target cluster occurs. In other words, files can neither be read from nor written to the target cluster. Both file fetches and file migration are disabled. Users can access only migrated files that were fetched prior to the failover. To enable this behavior, include the connection information for only the source cluster in the media service connection string, and clear the Enable Read-Only Replica Failover checkbox when configuring the media service. DiskXtender continues to attempt to set the media service back online until it is successful. Until then, the media service and its media remain offline. Replicate Delete If you use EMC Centera replication and you delete file data from an extended drive, you can choose whether the file data is deleted from only the source cluster or from all eligible clusters (including both the source cluster and all target clusters). When you delete file data from the extended drive and the Replicate Delete feature is enabled as part of the EMC Centera configuration, the file is deleted from the source cluster. The delete transaction is then placed in a queue, and eventually carried out on the target clusters. Replicate Delete is also known as delete propagation. How DiskXtender works with EMC Centera 43

44 Connecting to EMC Centera When you enable Replicate Delete, the file data on all replicated clusters remains more closely synchronized. Note: When Replicate Delete is disabled, content deleted from the source cluster is not deleted from the target. This may be required in some circumstances, but will result in uneven capacity utilization. Synchronous deletion DiskXtender also enables you to control delete propagation to the target EMC Centera clusters. If it is necessary for deletions to occur almost simultaneously on both the source and target clusters, you can configure synchronous deletion through DiskXtender. When synchronous deletion is enabled, DiskXtender processes each file deletion on all eligible clusters. Note: If one or more of the clusters is not available, then the file deletion fails and an error occurs. When DiskXtender synchronous deletion is enabled, all eligible clusters must be available for a deletion to succeed. Enable synchronous deletion through DiskXtender only if the timing of delete transaction processing on the target clusters is important. Synchronous deletion may result in performance degradation when you delete files from the extended drive. This is because DiskXtender must process the deletion on all eligible clusters instead of on just the source cluster. If the timing of delete transaction processing on the target clusters is not important, enable only the EMC Centera Replicate Delete feature. This enables EMC Centera to process the deletion as system resources are available. To configure synchronous deletion through DiskXtender, use the Enable synchronous deletes on replicated Centeras option, which is available on the Options tab of the Service Properties dialog box. If you enable synchronous deletion through DiskXtender, enable EMC Centera Replicate Delete as well. Enabling both features provides additional assurance that the file is deleted on all eligible clusters. This is because EMC Centera may be able to delete the file even if DiskXtender is unable to do so. 44 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

45 Connecting to EMC Centera Prerequisite steps for connecting to EMC Centera Before you add an EMC Centera media service in the File System Manager Administrator, prepare the EMC Centera cluster and build the media service connection string. Preparing the EMC Centera cluster Work with an EMC Centera technical representative to install and configure the EMC Centera cluster before you attempt to connect DiskXtender to the cluster: 1. Connect all devices to a network connection that is accessible to the DiskXtender server. 2. Ensure that a supported version of CentraStar is installed on the EMC Centera cluster. Table 2 on page 45 lists the supported versions. Table 2 Supported CentraStar versions If you use this general CentraStar version Ensure that this specific CentraStar version is installed or later or later or later 3.2 and later Any version Certain CentraStar versions do not properly support non-ascii characters (including Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Cyrillic, and some Latin-based European characters). If one of these CentraStar versions is installed on the EMC Centera device, the unsupported characters in file metadata are replaced with random data if the file is restored to the extended drive from EMC Centera media. File metadata includes the filepath and name. The files are stored correctly on the EMC Centera device. However, in file restore situations, files might be overwritten, resulting in data loss. You cannot create an EMC Centera media service unless you use a supported version of CentraStar. If you attempt to create the media service and an unsupported CentraStar version is detected, an error message appears and the media service is not created. 3. Consider the following EMC Centera features: Storage strategy Decide whether to use Performance or Capacity. Only qualified EMC Centera service personnel can change the storage strategy for a cluster. EMC Centera Storage Strategies on page 32 provides more information. Virtual pools Create one or more virtual pools to segregate data you write to EMC Centera through DiskXtender. An EMC Centera technical representative should perform this step. Pools and profiles on page 29 provides more information. Prerequisite steps for connecting to EMC Centera 45

46 Connecting to EMC Centera Note: If you do not need to segregate data, you can write all data to the default pool. This practice is not recommended. Access profiles Create one or more access profiles to provide access to the pools. An EMC Centera technical representative should perform this step. The profile must have the Write, Read, Delete, and Query capabilities. To allow privileged deletes of retained files, then the profile should also have the Privileged Delete right. This step should result in a.pea file. The EMC Centera technical representative should provide the.pea file to you. Copy the file to a location on the DiskXtender server. You then specify the.pea file when you add the media service. Retention Depending on the EMC Centera compliance model (Basic, GE, or CE+), decide whether to enable retention, and if so, which retention setting to use (fixed retention periods, retention classes, or infinite retention). To use retention classes, have an EMC Centera administrator configure them for you. File retention on page 40 provides more information. Replication and delete propagation If you enable replication of data between EMC Centera clusters, determine whether to use unidirectional or bidirectional replication. In addition, decide whether to configure deletion of files from both the source cluster and all target clusters. Replication on page 42 provides more information. Building the connection string When you create an EMC Centera media service in DiskXtender, you specify the connection string that the EMC Centera SDK uses to enable DiskXtender to connect to an EMC Centera cluster. The connection string includes information about the EMC Centera access nodes, as well as the access profile that should be used for the DiskXtender connection. To build the connection string for a single EMC Centera media service: 1. Collect the IP addresses for all access nodes on the primary EMC Centera cluster to which DiskXtender should write files.! IMPORTANT If EMC Centera replication is configured in the environment, do not include the IP addresses for the access nodes on the target cluster. 2. Configure node name aliases for the access nodes. To configure node name aliases, use one of the following methods: (Recommended) Add the appropriate entries to a common DNS server. Edit the local HOSTS file on the DiskXtender server to include the IP addresses for the EMC Centera access nodes and the alias to use for each IP address. Note: The connection string for a media service is limited to 128 characters. Keep this limit in mind when defining node name aliases. The aliases should be kept to a reasonable length. Otherwise, you may not be able to specify a sufficient number of access nodes on the connection string to enable reliable connections in the event of a node failure. 46 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

47 Connecting to EMC Centera 3. On a single line in a text or word processor file, list the nodename aliases for the access nodes on the primary EMC Centera cluster, separating the aliases with a comma. For example, if there are four access nodes on the primary cluster and the nodename aliases for the nodes are defined as Node1, Node2, Node3, and Node4, then type: Node1,Node2,Node3,Node4 4. In the text or word processor file with the list of nodename aliases, add a question mark (?) after the nodename aliases, and then include the path on the DiskXtender server to the.pea file for the access profile that DiskXtender should use to connect to the EMC Centera cluster. For example, if the.pea file is located on the system drive at C:\Centera\DXProfile.pea, then the connection string would appear as: Node1,Node2,Node3,Node4?C:\Centera\DXProfile.pea 5. Ensure that the string with the nodename aliases and the path to the.pea file is fewer than 128 characters. The string should be entered on the Centera Information page when you create the media service, as discussed in Adding an EMC Centera media service on page 48. Prerequisite steps for connecting to EMC Centera 47

48 Connecting to EMC Centera Adding an EMC Centera media service To create a connection from DiskXtender to an EMC Centera device, create an EMC Centera media service: 1. In the File System Manager Administrator, open the Service menu and select Configure Media Services. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 9 on page 48. Figure 9 Configure Media Services dialog box 2. Click Add. The media service wizard appears, starting with the Select Media Service Type page, as shown in Figure 10 on page 48. Figure 10 Media service wizard Select Media Service Type page 3. Select EMC Centera and click Next. The Centera Information page appears, as shown in Figure 11 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

49 Connecting to EMC Centera Figure 11 Media service wizard Centera Information page 4. In the Pool Address text box, type the connection string that the EMC Centera SDK should use to open a connection to the EMC Centera cluster for DiskXtender. Building the connection string on page 46 provides details on the appropriate elements of a connection string. The sample connection string in Figure 12 on page 49 creates an EMC Centera media service that connects to the Node1 and Node2 access nodes of the EMC Centera device by using the DXProfile.pea profile. Figure 12 EMC Centera media service connection with profile 5. In the File Delete Audit String text box, type the custom audit string to attach to file data when the file data is deleted from EMC Centera. Audited delete on page 41 provides more information. Adding an EMC Centera media service 49

50 Connecting to EMC Centera 6. In the Embedded Blob Threshold text box, choose whether to embed file data in the CDF: To embed the file data for smaller files in the CDF, type a file size threshold between 1 and 100 KB that the file data must meet before the BLOB is embedded. To store file data separately from the CDF regardless of the size of the file, leave the default of 0 KB. DiskXtender options to tune CAS on page 33 provides more information on the Embedded Blob Threshold, Collision Avoidance, and Client-Side ID (hash) Calculation settings. 7. Choose whether to enable collision avoidance. Note: Collision avoidance should not be used in most environments because it eliminates the benefits of single-instance storage. 8. Specify whether the EMC Centera API should calculate the CA for a piece of data before the data is sent to EMC Centera: To calculate the CA before data is sent to EMC Centera, select the Client Side ID (hash) Calculation checkbox. Note: Support for client-side ID calculation is being removed from DiskXtender in a future release. As a result, use of this feature is discouraged.in addition, if you use CentraStar or later, or or later, additional configuration steps are required on the EMC Centera device to enable client-side ID calculation. Contact an EMC Centera technical representative for assistance in enabling this feature if you use one of the specified CentraStar versions. To calculate the CA when data is sent to EMC Centera, clear the checkbox. Note: If you enable collision avoidance or specify an embedded BLOB threshold, do not enable client-side ID calculation. 9. If you use EMC Centera replication, specify how DiskXtender handles the failover when the primary cluster is unavailable: (Recommended) To provide read-only access to files on the replica cluster, select the Enable Read-Only Replica Failover checkbox. To prevent access to files on the target cluster, clear the Enable Read-Only Replica Failover checkbox. 10. Click Next. 11. Review the summary information and click Finish. After the media service is created, a message asks whether to create the media for the EMC Centera media service. 12. Click No. Unless you have specific reason to do so, do not create media through the media service. Instead, configure media groups to automatically create media and add it to the media group as media is needed. Automatically creating virtual EMC Centera media on page 52 provides details. 13. Click Close to close the Configure Media Services dialog box. 50 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

51 Connecting to EMC Centera Managing the lifecycle of EMC Centera media EMC Centera media is virtual, meaning that a piece of media defined in DiskXtender does not specifically correspond to a physical piece of media (like a tape cartridge). Instead, the virtual media is designed to simulate divisions of an EMC Centera cluster. The use of virtual media enables you to take advantage of the flexible file migration features available in DiskXtender. The following topics provide details on creating and managing virtual EMC Centera media throughout its lifecycle in DiskXtender. Understanding the EMC Centera media lifecycle The following steps detail the lifecycle process for virtual EMC Centera media: 1. You configure DiskXtender to create the virtual media and add it to the system: Automatically as needed based on certain criteria (recommended for most environments): a. Set up automatic media creation through the media group. b. DiskXtender creates the media. c. DiskXtender allocates the media to the extended drive. d. DiskXtender adds the media to the media group. Automatically creating virtual EMC Centera media on page 52 provides details. Manually: a. Create each piece of media for the media service. b. Allocate the media to the extended drive. c. Add the media to a media group. Note: If there are multiple EMC Centera media services, you must create multiple media groups. A single media group cannot contain media from different EMC Centera media services. Manually creating virtual EMC Centera media on page 54 provides details. 2. DiskXtender moves files to the media until the media is considered full. 3. The full media remains in the media group. This enables continued access to the files on the media. 4. (Optional) If you no longer need the files that have been migrated to the media, or if you want to move the files to a different piece or type of media, remove the media from the media group. There are two ways to remove media from a media group: To copy the files on the media back to the extended drive and move the files to other media, run a Compact media task on the media. The media is automatically removed from the media group during compaction. Removing media but keeping the files on the drive on page 231 provides instructions. To remove the files on the media from the extended drive altogether, remove the media from the media group. Removing media and removing its files from the drive on page 233 provides instructions. Managing the lifecycle of EMC Centera media 51

52 Connecting to EMC Centera 5. (Optional) If you removed the media from the media group and you do not want to keep the files on the EMC Centera cluster, run a Format media task on the media to clear the files. Reclaiming deleted media space on EMC Centera on page 56 provides instructions. 6. (Optional) Deallocate the media from the extended drive, and delete it from the media service. Removing virtual EMC Centera media from the system on page 55 provides instructions. Automatically creating virtual EMC Centera media When you configure a media group, you can enable the automatic creation of virtual EMC Centera media for that media group based on the amount of free space in the media group or on the number of media in the media group. This method of creating media is recommended in most environments because it ensures that media is available for file migration without requiring you to monitor each media group. To configure automatic EMC Centera media creation: 1. Create a media group and select EMC Centera as the type of media to add to the group. Creating a standard media group on page 209 provides instructions. 2. On the Automation page for the media group, which is illustrated in Figure 13 on page 53, choose when DiskXtender should automatically create the media: Select Auto-create virtual media when free space falls below MB to automatically create the media and add it to the media group when the total number of free megabytes on media in the media group falls below a specified value. Then type the number of megabytes in the text box. (Recommended) Select Auto-create virtual media to maintain a count of active media to automatically create media and add it to the media group when the total count of available media (media that is not marked as full) in the group falls below a certain number. Then type the number in the text box. Note: This option is recommended for most environments. When you maintain a certain number of active media in each media group, you can optimize the number of media that DiskXtender writes to and reads from simultaneously. This optimization can be configured by using the Maximum media simultaneously receiving files option for the media group. Media group considerations for EMC Centera on page 63 provides details. 52 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

53 Connecting to EMC Centera Figure 13 Media Group Wizard EMC Centera Automation page 3. Specify a naming convention and the media service for the media: a. Name Prefix Type a prefix for the media name in the text box. Each new piece of media is named by using the prefix followed by a sequential number. b. Number Width From the drop-down list, select the number of digits to be used to create the incremental numbering for the media name. c. Media Service From the drop-down list, select the media service in which the new media will be created. The Sample Name text box provides an example of what the media name will look like based on the prefix and number width criteria you set. For example, if you type Payroll as the prefix and select a number width of 3, the first piece of automatically created media is named Payroll001, the second is Payroll002, and so forth. 4. Click Next to proceed through the wizard and create the media group. 5. Repeat these steps to enable automatic media creation when you create each media group for each media folder. Note: You can enable automatic media creation or change automation settings after you create the media group by opening the Media Group Properties dialog box and selecting the Automation tab. If you selected the Auto-create virtual media when free space falls below MB option, then the media is created as needed based on when the amount of free space falls below the number of megabytes specified. The amount of free space on media in the group, and therefore the need for media, is calculated after you create the media group. If you selected the Auto-create virtual media to maintain a count of active media option, then the media is created, one piece at a time, after the wizard is completed. After the specified number of active media are created, additional pieces are created as needed based on the number specified. Managing the lifecycle of EMC Centera media 53

54 Connecting to EMC Centera Manually creating virtual EMC Centera media To manually create a piece of virtual EMC Centera media and add it to the system to make it available for file migration: 1. From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Configure Media Services. 2. Ensure that the EMC Centera media service is online. If the media service is not online, select the media service and click Set Online. 3. Select the media service and click Properties. The Media Service Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 14 on page 54. Figure 14 Media Service Properties dialog box Media List tab 4. Click Create. The Create Centera Media dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 15 on page 54. Figure 15 Create Centera Media dialog box 5. In the Name and Description text boxes, type a name and, optionally, a description for the virtual piece of media. The name is what appears in the File System Manager Administrator to identify the media. 54 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

55 Connecting to EMC Centera 6. Click OK. The Media Service Properties dialog box appears. 7. If you have created an extended drive, allocate the media: a. Select the media and click Allocate. The Select Extended Drive dialog box appears. b. Select the extended drive and click OK. Note: Media does not appear in the Administrator until it is allocated to an extended drive. 8. Click OK. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears. 9. Click Close. 10. If you have created media folders and media groups, add the media to a media group. Adding media to a standard media group on page 215 provides instructions. Removing virtual EMC Centera media from the system You can delete any piece of EMC Centera virtual media, even if you applied retention to files that were written to the media. When you delete the media, you cannot restore the files on the media through DiskXtender. This is because the relationships between the file pointers used by DiskXtender and the file data on the EMC Centera device are removed when you delete the media.! CAUTION Do not delete a piece of EMC Centera media unless you are absolutely certain that you no longer need the files on the media. If you think you might need the files, compact the media before deleting it. Compaction writes the files on the media back to the extended drive so that they can be migrated to another piece of media. To remove a piece of virtual EMC Centera media: 1. Remove the media from its media group: To copy all migrated files and file data on the media back to the extended drive, assign a Compact media task to each piece of media. This option prevents you from losing access to files that were written to the media you are deleting. Removing media but keeping the files on the drive on page 231 provides instructions. To remove files on the media from the extended drive, use the Remove Media From Media Groups Wizard to remove the media. With this option, you will lose access to all of the files on the media. Removing media and removing its files from the drive on page 233 provides instructions. Note: If you automatically create media for a media group based on the number of media in the group and you want to remove the media without replacing it with new media, then temporarily disable the media auto-create function for the group. Managing the lifecycle of EMC Centera media 55

56 Connecting to EMC Centera 2. To reclaim space on the EMC Centera by deleting the files that were written to the media, run a Format media task on the media. The EMC Centera Garbage Collection feature then reclaims the space made available by the deleted files. Reclaiming deleted media space on EMC Centera on page 56 provides instructions. 3. From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Configure Media Services. 4. Ensure that the EMC Centera media service is online. If the media service is not online, select the media service and click Set Online. Note: If you attempt to delete media while the media service is offline, the changes might not take effect. 5. Select the EMC Centera media service and click Properties. The Media Service Properties dialog box appears. 6. Deallocate the media. To deallocate media, select the media and click Deallocate. 7. Select the media and click Delete. 8. Click Yes on the confirmation message. 9. Click OK. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears. 10. Click Close. Recovering deleted virtual EMC Centera media When you delete a piece of media that has files on it, the files and the media C-Clip remain on the EMC Centera cluster. If it is later necessary to restore the media to DiskXtender, contact EMC Customer Service by using the Powerlink website. A Customer Support Representative can assist you in retrieving the media C-Clip information and adding the media back to DiskXtender. When you delete a piece of media that does not have any files associated with it either because the media was formatted or because files were never written to the media the media C-Clip is deleted from the EMC Centera cluster and cannot be re-created. Reclaiming deleted media space on EMC Centera If you no longer need the files that have been written to a piece of EMC Centera virtual media, you can run a Format media task on the media to clear the files from the media. The EMC Centera Garbage Collection feature then reclaims the space made available by the deleted files. Impact of file retention when formatting EMC Centera media If you have an EMC Centera GE or CE+ device, then you cannot format media if there are retained files on the media. If you assign a Format media task to a piece of media on a GE or CE+ device and there are retained files on the media, then the task fails and the media goes into an error state. If you have an EMC Centera Basic, then files can always be deleted when you format a piece of media. This is because retention is not applied to the files on EMC Centera, even if you set retention for the files on the extended drive. 56 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

57 Connecting to EMC Centera Assigning the Format task to EMC Centera media To reclaim deleted media space on EMC Centera with a Format media task: 1. Remove the media from the media group, but leave the media allocated to the extended drive. 2. Right-click the media and select Edit Tasks. 3. Select FORMAT from the Next Task drop-down list, and then click Add Next Task. The task is added to the task list, as illustrated in Figure 16 on page 57. Figure 16 Format media task for EMC Centera 4. Choose whether to process the media task as soon as possible or on a scheduled basis. If you choose to process the media task on a scheduled basis, the task is not processed until the media task schedule is active. By default, the media task schedule is active at the same time as the file migration schedule. Scheduling file migration on page 228 provides instructions for setting the two schedules. 5. Click Next. The Order Media in Task Queue page appears with the recently added media at the bottom of the media task queue list. 6. If necessary, promote or demote the media in the list to control task processing order by clicking the up or down arrow to the right of the list box. 7. Click Finish. All media with tasks assigned appear in the Media Task Queue Manager until they are processed. The Format task might take a significant amount of time to complete for EMC Centera media. Managing the lifecycle of EMC Centera media 57

58 Connecting to EMC Centera Expectations for files migrated to EMC Centera After a file is moved to an EMC Centera device, it is the retention status of the file that primarily determines whether you can edit or delete the file. It is also the retention status of the files within a folder that determine whether you can edit or delete the folder. To keep the files on the EMC Centera device synchronized with the extended drive, certain operations are restricted on the extended drive. Table 3 on page 58 lists the extended drive operations that can be executed on specific types of files or folders. Table 3 Extended drive operations for EMC Centera files Type of file or folder Edit Rename Set attributes Delete Move within a media folder Move outside of a media folder Files with no retention Files with retention Only with a privileged delete Files with expired retention Folders with files under retention N/A N/A Folders with no files under retention N/A N/A What happens when you edit or move EMC Centera files Keep in mind the following important points when working with files that have been moved to an EMC Centera device, and the folders in which those files are located: When you edit a file on the extended drive, the new (edited) file is migrated to the EMC Centera device, and the original version of the file is deleted. In this way, only the newer version of the file remains on the EMC Centera cluster. If you attempt to move a folder outside of a media folder, the folder appears in its new location. However, none of the files in the original folder are moved to the new location. Instead, they remain in the original folder in the original location. The same thing occurs if you attempt to move a folder with retained files to another location in the same media folder. This is because the files within the folder cannot be moved to the new location, even if the folder itself can be. If you move a purged file to another location within the same media folder by dragging and dropping the file in Microsoft Windows Explorer, then the file is fetched to the extended drive. This behavior is caused by Explorer. If you move a purged file to another location within the same media folder by using the command line, then the file is not fetched. If you move a folder with purged files to another location within the same media folder, however, then the files in the folder are not fetched. 58 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

59 Connecting to EMC Centera What happens when you set attributes on EMC Centera files You can change the Read-only, Hidden, or System attributes for a non-retained file on the extended drive that has been migrated to EMC Centera media, but DiskXtender does not recognize the changes. Therefore, the attribute changes are not propagated to the files on the media. Note: If a file is updated on media for another reason, such as edits to file content or changes to other file attributes, then all attribute changes for the file are updated on the media. This restriction on recognition of attribute changes has been enforced because a new CDF is created on the cluster each time an attribute change is propagated. Older CDFs are not deleted, although the files on the extended drive no longer point to them. When EMC Centera Chargeback reports are run, the reports include all of the CDFs referencing the same data blob and cannot differentiate the old CDFs from the current CDF. This behavior is acceptable and has minimal impact when users change file attributes, which is a relatively infrequent event. However, when system tools periodically scan the file system and touch every file, the impact can be significant. The issue is compounded in environments with a significant number of files. If it is important in your environment to propagate attribute changes and you are certain that there are no system tools installed on the system that perform attribute changes during a scan, then you can enable recognition of file attribute changes by editing the Recognize file attribute changes setting on the Options page for an EMC Centera media group. Risks of overriding default folder behavior The Disable folder rename check option on the Options tab of the Extended Drive Properties dialog box should not be used to override the default behavior that prevents folders from being renamed on the extended drive. When the default value for this option is changed to allow folder renames on the extended drive, the renames are not propagated to the EMC Centera cluster. As a result, performing certain DiskXtender tasks can cause data loss or other issues. These tasks and the resulting problems are listed in Table 4 on page 60. Expectations for files migrated to EMC Centera 59

60 Connecting to EMC Centera Table 4 DiskXtender operations affected after folder renames Task Compact File restore File report Prefetch Effect Files are not compacted (restored to the extended drive with their migration information stripped) because they cannot be found. This is because the path on the media does not match the path on the extended drive. For purged files, this means that data loss occurs. The file tag is left orphaned on the extended drive, and the file data cannot be retrieved. For files that have not yet been purged (fetched files, where the file data is present on the extended drive even though the file has been migrated), the file data cannot be migrated to other media because the migration information for the compacted media is not stripped during the compaction. In addition, the file cannot be purged because the media to which it has been migrated (the compacted media) cannot be found. If there are one or more of these files on the extended drive during the compaction, the media is placed in an error state and is not removed from the media group after compaction is complete. If the number of these errors exceeds the maximum specified in the Number of non-fatal errors before task is aborted option for the extended drive, then the compaction is stopped and the media enters an error state. In either of these cases, you must resolve the issues with the files by using the following procedure before the compaction task can resume: 1. Remove the media from the media group. 2. Manually delete any remaining files that were migrated to the media from the extended drive. 3. Add the media back to the media group, restoring the files on the media to the extended drive. 4. Resubmit or restart the compaction task. Files on the media are restored to the extended drive by using the path on the media, which is the path before the rename occurred. The report contains the path for the file on the media, which is the path before the rename occurred. Files are fetched to the extended drive by using the path on the media, which is the path before the rename occurred. 60 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

61 Connecting to EMC Centera Adding custom metadata to files on EMC Centera You can add custom metadata to each file that is written to EMC Centera media. The custom metadata, along with other standardized metadata, is added to the CDF. The standardized metadata enables you to use EMC Centera Seek and Chargeback Reporter with files written to an EMC Centera device through DiskXtender. The custom metadata can be used to enhance EMC Centera Seek and Chargeback Reporter reports. Understanding EMC Centera Seek and Chargeback Reporter EMC Centera Seek is a high-performance index and search engine that provides full-text indexing of the metadata files (CDFs) stored on the EMC Centera device. Chargeback Reporter is a layered software module used with EMC Centera Seek. Chargeback Reporter enables the assignment, management, and identification of customized categories of archived data based on metadata values stored on an EMC Centera device. EMC Centera Seek and Chargeback Reporter should be installed on a separate, dedicated server outside the EMC Centera cabinet. An EMC Centera technical representative should perform the installation and assist with configuration. For more information, contact an EMC Centera representative. How to add custom metadata to files on EMC Centera To add custom metadata to each file stored on an EMC Centera device, specify the metadata when you are creating the media group for the EMC Centera media: 1. Create a media group, and select EMC Centera as the type of media for the group. Creating a standard media group on page 209 provides instructions. 2. On the Metadata page for the media group, illustrated in Figure 17 on page 62, type a name and value for the metadata: Name Type a name for the type of custom metadata to add to the CDF. Value Type the value that should appear for the type of custom metadata. Adding custom metadata to files on EMC Centera 61

62 Connecting to EMC Centera Figure 17 Media Group Wizard Metadata page 3. Click Next to proceed through the wizard and create the media group. 4. Repeat these steps for each media group in each media folder that contains files to which to add custom metadata. 62 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

63 Connecting to EMC Centera Performance tuning for EMC Centera Review the following recommendations to improve DiskXtender performance with EMC Centera by adjusting the configuration of media folders, media groups, rules, file deletions, and service options. Media folder considerations for EMC Centera Use extra caution when you plan the directory structure and create media folders on the extended drive. When you use EMC Centera, folder renames are not allowed. After files move to media, you cannot change the directory structure. Media group considerations for EMC Centera When you are creating media groups, consider the following settings to optimize DiskXtender performance with EMC Centera: Enable automatic media creation based on the number of active media in the media group. Automatically creating virtual EMC Centera media on page 52 provides instructions. On the Options page for the media group: Leave the Media fill method option set to Random. This is the default setting. It allows DiskXtender to connect to any available piece of media in the group and even multiple pieces of media at the same time when migrating files, rather than filling one piece of media and then moving on to the next one. Adjust the Maximum media simultaneously receiving files option as necessary. The default value for this option is the media count threshold that you type on the Automation page. DiskXtender should be configured to write to as many pieces as is appropriate for the best system efficiency. The number depends on the optimal number of media that should receive files at any given time, as discussed in Communication threads on page 35. Leave the attributes checkboxes on the Recognize file attribute changes option clear. This enables DiskXtender to ignore unnecessary file attribute changes resulting from scans by system tools. What happens when you set attributes on EMC Centera files on page 59 provides details. If there are a significant number of media transactions being flushed at the same time, consider enabling the Prioritize fetches over media transactions option. The option enables fetches to occur even while media transactions are in progress. As a result, users no longer need to wait to fetch a purged file during media transactions. If you use EMC Centera Seek and Chargeback Reporter and you want to enhance the reports, type custom metadata on the Metadata page for the media group. The metadata is added to the CDF for each file that is written to a piece of media in the media group. Adding custom metadata to files on EMC Centera on page 61 provides details. If you are configuring multi-target migration through DiskXtender and the media in two different targets are two EMC Centera clusters, do not use EMC Centera replication. If you use both replication and multi-target migration, the CDF for each file may be stored on each EMC Centera cluster twice. If single-instance storage is disabled, then the file data will also be stored on each cluster twice. Performance tuning for EMC Centera 63

64 Connecting to EMC Centera Move rule considerations for EMC Centera When you are creating move rules, consider the following settings to optimize DiskXtender performance with EMC Centera: To prevent files on the extended drive from being edited or deleted for a certain period of time, select a retention setting for the files on the Retention page of the move rule wizard. The retention applies when the file qualifies for the rule. Chapter 8, File Retention, provides details. On the Settings page for the move rule, do not select the options to purge files immediately after they are moved or to set Direct Read on the files. Instead, use the purge recommendations in Purge rule considerations for EMC Centera on page 64, and review the recommendations for when to use Direct Read in Reading files directly from media on page 295. Purge rule considerations for EMC Centera To maintain as many access node threads available as possible, limit the number of times that user requests for files are satisfied by having to fetch file data from the EMC Centera. In other words, leave as much file data on the extended drive as possible by waiting to purge files until it is absolutely necessary. To do this, configure an age delay for the purge rule. Select the Apply rule to files of age greater than option on the Age page of the purge rule wizard, specify the number of days (typically 30 or 60), and then select Last access time from the drop-down list. Also, on the Settings page of the purge rule wizard, select Do not force purges during background scans. This option prevents files from being purged until disk space is needed. Purging files as disk space is needed on page 282 provides details. File deletion considerations for EMC Centera When deleting files, consider the following to optimize DiskXtender performance with EMC Centera: When a significant number of delete transactions are sent to the EMC Centera device, the completion of those transactions may take a long time. During that time, file fetches may be delayed or even canceled due to timeout issues. Do not empty the DiskXtender Recycler when users are most likely to access the system. Or, if the Recycler is disabled, do not delete a significant number of files from the extended drive when users are most likely to access the system. If you use an EMC Centera Basic or EMC Centera GE device, you can delete retained files by using privileged deletes. To perform privileged deletes through DiskXtender, use the Privileged Delete option in the Explorer Add-ons utility. Privileged delete on page 41 provides details. You can use delete rules and retention periods to keep files protected under retention for a specified period of time, then automatically delete them when they are no longer needed. Automatically deleting files on page 304 provides instructions on setting up delete rules to automatically delete files after a certain period of time. 64 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

65 Connecting to EMC Centera Service options for EMC Centera On the Options tab of the Service Properties dialog box, consider adjusting the following settings to optimize DiskXtender performance with EMC Centera: For the Enable simultaneous moves and fetches option, select Enable simultaneous moves and fetches for Centera and NAS media. By default, simultaneous moves and fetches are disabled. When you enable simultaneous moves and fetches, DiskXtender can both read from and write to a single piece of media at the same time. This setting can improve performance in an active environment where file migration is necessary at the same time that file fetches are likely to occur. When simultaneous moves and fetches are disabled, and a fetch request occurs while a file is being moved, the fetch must wait until the move is complete. How DiskXtender uses the communication threads on page 35 provides additional details. When DiskXtender communicates with a piece of EMC Centera media to write files, it maintains the connection for at least five seconds. If necessary, you can adjust this connection time by using the EMC Centera timeslice - minimum mount option. The timeslice option controls the minimum amount of time DiskXtender keeps virtual media mounted in a virtual drive for file moves. For file fetches, DiskXtender maintains the connection for 1 second. You cannot edit the file fetch connection time. If you use replication, decide whether DiskXtender should perform synchronous deletion of files from all replica clusters. Synchronous deletion by DiskXtender is necessary only if the timing of delete transaction processing on the target clusters is important. Synchronous deletion may result in performance degradation when you delete files from the extended drive. This is because DiskXtender must process the deletion on all eligible clusters instead of on just the source cluster. To enable DiskXtender synchronous deletion, use the Enable synchronous deletes on replicated Centeras service option. Synchronous deletion is disabled by default. If the timing of delete transaction processing on the target clusters is not important, enable only the EMC Centera Replicate Delete feature. This enables EMC Centera to process the deletion as scheduled. Performance tuning for EMC Centera 65

66 Connecting to EMC Centera 66 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

67 3 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage You can migrate files on a DiskXtender extended drive to a share on a network-attached storage device. The following topics provide details on configuring and managing the environment: How DiskXtender works with NAS Creating the shares for NAS media Adding a NAS media service Managing the lifecycle of NAS media Expectations for files migrated to NAS Performance tuning for NAS Troubleshooting NAS issues Connecting to Network-Attached Storage 67

68 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage How DiskXtender works with NAS DiskXtender considers network attached storage (NAS) media to be any media available through a connection to a share on a network, including: A network share on a standard disk-based storage device, such as EMC CLARiiON, EMC Celerra, EMC Symmetrix, or other RAID and NAS devices: RAID devices are storage devices that contain several high-capacity magnetic drives and manage storage of data to those drives in a way that is seamless to the user. NAS devices use an operating system (like Microsoft Windows) to function as the file system control that tracks the location of files within the NAS device. A shared folder on a server on the network. A shared media folder on another DiskXtender extended drive. The second extended drive must be located on a separate DiskXtender server. You cannot migrate files from a media folder on one extended drive to a location on the same extended drive. NAS media is considered virtual media because it does not correspond directly to a specific piece of media (like a tape cartridge). However, it does correspond to a specific location (the share) on a magnetic drive. When DiskXtender writes to NAS media, it is essentially copying files over the network from the extended drive to the shared location. DiskXtender does not impose a limit on the size of NAS media. The size of each piece of NAS media depends on the size of the partition on which the share is located. When you connect DiskXtender to a share on a NAS device by creating a piece of NAS media, you must choose the type of media you are creating. Table 5 on page 68 lists the available options. Table 5 NAS media types NAS media type Standard NAS on page 68 Aggregate NAS on page 69 Retained NAS on page 70 Type of share Standard NAS share on a disk-based storage device or server on the network Media folder on another DiskXtender extended drive as part of tiered migration Standard share on a retention-capable NAS device Standard NAS Standard NAS media can be created for any network share on any type of disk-based device, like a RAID or a NAS device, or a server drive on the network. DiskXtender treats Standard NAS media like any normal read/write magnetic media. There are no restrictions on editing or deleting files, or renaming files or folders. 68 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

69 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage Aggregate NAS Aggregate NAS is designed to be used in a tiered migration environment, in which you are aggregating files before moving them (a second time) to tape. Files are migrated from one DiskXtender extended drive to another extended drive, and then from the second extended drive to tape, as shown in Figure 18 on page 69. Extended drive on first DiskXtender server File Extended drive on second DiskXtender server File Tape GEN Figure 18 Tiered migration To accomplish this through DiskXtender, media folders on the second extended drive are configured as Aggregate NAS media on the first DiskXtender server. The files from the first extended drive are migrated to the Aggregate NAS media (the second extended drive). The DiskXtender installation on the second server then moves the files to tape media. When files are saved to a media folder on the first extended drive that contains a media group with Aggregate NAS media, DiskXtender does not allow you to rename the files or the folders in which they reside. This behavior mimics the behavior of the second extended drive (the Aggregate NAS media), because the second extended drive is writing to tape, which also does not allow file or folder renames. The restrictions on Aggregate NAS media are designed to ensure that files and file tags on both extended drives remain synchronized, and that the files on the subsequent tape media are not orphaned. Note: DiskXtender does not restrict you from using the second extended drive to write to media other than tape. However, Aggregate NAS media restricts file and folder renames, operationally imitating extended drives that write to tape media. Chapter 7, File Migration, provides instructions for configuring tiered migration. How DiskXtender works with NAS 69

70 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage Retained NAS Some NAS devices can be configured to contain variable retention volumes, including a Celerra Network Server with the File Level Retention (FLR) file system and Network Appliance (NetApp) NAS devices with SnapLock software. With these retention-capable volumes, you can set retention on files written to the volumes. Through DiskXtender, you can apply a retention period automatically to files that qualify for move rules that write to these volumes. When DiskXtender applies a retention period to a file, the file cannot be edited or deleted from the extended drive until the retention period expires. You also cannot change the retention period that has been applied to a file until the original retention period expires. When the file is moved to media, the retention period you set through DiskXtender move rules is passed to the retained NAS device. As a result, the file is also protected on the NAS device until the retention period expires. Because retention periods are passed from DiskXtender to the retained NAS, do not configure retention through the NAS device. Instead, configure retention through DiskXtender. Note: You cannot create a piece of retained NAS media unless you use a supported device: either Celerra with FLR or NetApp with SnapLock. If you select the Retained NAS option when creating NAS media for a share that does not reside on a supported device, then DiskXtender automatically converts the media to the Standard NAS media type. To write to a retention capable device share without retention, use the Standard NAS option when creating the NAS media that corresponds to the share. Chapter 8, File Retention, provides details on setting retention for DiskXtender files. Limitations for filepath lengths There is a limit to the total length allowed for a path and filename on both the extended drive and on NAS media. When you save or edit a file on the extended drive, the full path and filename can total as many as 259 UTF-16 characters. Most NAS file systems support filepaths of 259 UTF-16 characters. (Review the NAS device documentation for specific support information.) However, if DiskXtender is writing to a share on the NAS device, the character count of the full filepath on the device is included in the maximum number of characters allowed. In other words, you must consider the absolute path of the file on the device. To do this, total the character count of the path and filename on the extended drive and the full path to the share on the device. For example, assume that there is a share called \\Server\Share for the \\Server\Directory1\Directory2\Directory3\ location on a NAS device. Assume also that \MediaFolder\File.doc is on the extended drive writing to a piece of NAS media for \\Server\Share. The character count for the media derives from \\Server\Directory1\Directory2\Directory3\File.doc and not from \\Server\Share\File.doc. 70 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

71 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage What happens when the filepath length exceeds the limit If the character count for the media path exceeds the maximum allowed by the media file system, then the file is not migrated to media. Also, a warning is written to the DiskXtender event logs. This warning continues to appear in the logs every time the file is qualified against the move rules during a background scan. To avoid exceeding the maximum path length, ensure that the path from the NAS media share is equivalent to the absolute path. Do not create a share with a short name for a deep subfolder. Length limitations when restoring files from media Take filepath character counts into consideration when restoring files from media. The file restore may fail in the following scenario: 1. DiskXtender successfully migrates the file to media. 2. You remove the media from the media group. 3. You re-add the media to a media group in a different media folder, and the new media folder has a higher character count. 4. The combined character count of the file on the media and the new media folder exceeds the maximum allowed. File restore may also fail if you are creating a piece of NAS media. This occurs if the share already contains files, and the character count for the filepath exceeds the maximum allowed. If the file restore fails, a warning is written in the DiskXtender event logs. How DiskXtender works with NAS 71

72 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage Creating the shares for NAS media Before you add the NAS media service in the File System Manager Administrator, prepare the shares that will be identified as NAS media. NAS share requirements The shares for NAS media should meet the following requirements: The shares should not be located at the root of the storage device. Create shares for either folders or partitions on the device. The shares should be visible over the network to the DiskXtender server. The absolute filepath (in other words, the full filepath on the device plus the filepath of any files on the extended drive) must not exceed the maximum number of UTF-16 characters supported by both DiskXtender and the device. Limitations for filepath lengths on page 70 provides details. Only the DiskXtender service account and any accounts required for backups should have full access to the share that corresponds to a piece of NAS media. No other user accounts or applications should have write access to the share. NAS share security on page 74 provides details on why this is necessary. If you use Celerra FLR, the share should be located on a Celerra disk. If you use a NetApp device with SnapLock, the share should be located on a drive that has been specified as a SnapLock drive. If you set up tiered migration, follow the steps in Configuring tiered migration on page 226 to prepare the DiskXtender installation with the media folder that will serve as a piece of Aggregate NAS media. Deciding how many shares to create Each DiskXtender installation can have only one NAS media service. However, you can create as many as 256 pieces of NAS media for that media service, and each piece of media can write to a different share on a different device, as illustrated in Figure 19 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

73 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage G:\NTFS Extended drives H:\NTFS Microsoft Windows server with DiskXtender installed Standard network connection Shared directories A B C A B C A B C Partition/drive 1 Partition/drive 2 Partition/drive 3 NAS device GEN Figure 19 DiskXtender with NAS Note: You can create more than 256 pieces of NAS media, but no more than the maximum will be online at the same time. You cannot write files to or read files from the media that DiskXtender does not set online at initialization. Creating the shares for NAS media 73

74 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage Even if the NAS media service is writing to a single device, create several partitions and shares so that you can create multiple pieces of NAS media. This is important for the following reasons: DiskXtender performance improves when the system can write to and read from multiple media at once. Focusing all system activity on a single piece of media can cause a performance bottleneck. You can take advantage of the flexible file migration features available in DiskXtender. You can migrate data from multiple media folders to different locations (pieces of media) by using customized migration rules. More files remain available if an error or other system problem occurs. If a piece of media becomes inaccessible (for example, as a result of a failed transaction), the files on other pieces of media remain accessible while the inaccessible media is offline. The number of media to create depends on your environment and your tolerance for system downtime. For assistance in determining how many pieces of NAS media to create, contact EMC Professional Services. NAS share security! Only the DiskXtender service account and any accounts required for backups should have full access to the share that corresponds to a piece of NAS media. No other user accounts or applications should have write access to the share. CAUTION This restriction is critical to protect the data that DiskXtender manages. If a user saves, edits, or deletes a file directly on the NAS share instead of through the extended drive, the files and file tags on the extended drive are not synchronized with the files on media. If this occurs, users receive Access Denied errors when they attempt to open those files from the extended drive. If the file is renamed directly on the media, the file data (or file tag, if the file is purged) on the extended drive becomes orphaned. If you ever change the account that DiskXtender uses to log on as a service, you also need to change the access permissions to any network shares being used as NAS media. 74 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

75 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage Adding a NAS media service You can configure only one NAS media service for each DiskXtender server, but you can use multiple network shares as pieces of NAS media for that media service. To add a NAS media service: 1. From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Configure Media Services. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 9 on page Click Add. The media service wizard appears, starting with the Select Media Service Type page, as shown in Figure 10 on page Select Network Attached Storage and click Next. 4. Review the summary information and click Finish. A message appears to ask whether to create the media for the NAS media service now. 5. Choose whether to create the NAS media: Click Yes to create the NAS media now. The Media Service Properties dialog box appears. Creating NAS media on page 77 provides details on creating the media. Click No to create the NAS media later. Adding a NAS media service 75

76 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage Managing the lifecycle of NAS media NAS media is considered virtual media because it does not correspond directly to a specific piece of media (like a tape cartridge). However, it does correspond to a specific location (the share) on a magnetic drive. The following topics provide details on creating and managing virtual NAS media throughout its lifecycle in DiskXtender. Understanding the NAS media lifecycle The following steps detail the lifecycle process for virtual NAS media: 1. Create the media and add it to the system: a. Create each piece of media for the media service. b. Allocate the media to the extended drive. c. Add the media to a media group. Creating NAS media on page 77 provides details. 2. DiskXtender moves files to the media until the media is considered full. 3. The full media remains in the media group. This enables continued access to the files on the media. 4. (Optional) If you no longer need the files that have been migrated to the media, or if you want to move the files to a different piece or type of media, remove the media from the media group. There are two ways to remove media from a media group: To copy the files on the media back to the extended drive and move the files to other media, compact the media. The media is automatically removed from the media group during compaction. Removing media but keeping the files on the drive on page 231 provides instructions. To remove the files on the media from the extended drive altogether, remove the media from the media group. Removing media and removing its files from the drive on page 233 provides instructions. 5. (Optional) Deallocate the media from the extended drive, and delete it from the media service. Removing NAS media from the system on page 80 provides instructions. The files remain on the NAS share when you remove it from the system. DiskXtender does not delete the files even when you remove the association between DiskXtender media and the NAS share. 76 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

77 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage Creating NAS media To create a piece of NAS media: 1. Create the shares on the NAS device. Creating the shares for NAS media on page 72 provides details on the share requirements. 2. From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Configure Media Services. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears with the NAS media service listed. 3. Ensure that the NAS media service is online. If the media service is not online, select the media service and click Set Online. 4. Select the NAS media service and click Properties. The Media Service Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 20 on page 77. Figure 20 NAS Media Service Properties dialog box 5. Click Create. The Create NAS Media dialog box appears, starting with the Select Network Path tab, as shown in Figure 21 on page 78. Managing the lifecycle of NAS media 77

78 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage Figure 21 Create NAS Media dialog box Select Network Path tab 6. Type or browse to the path to the network share to use as NAS media. Note: If you are creating a piece of local NAS media, you may need to specify the server name rather than localhost as the location. Some servers cannot use the localhost lookup because of a change in Microsoft Windows. Microsoft KB article , available on the Microsoft website, provides details. 7. Click the Enter Media Information tab, shown in Figure 22 on page 78. Figure 22 Create NAS Media dialog box Enter Media Information tab 8. In the Media Name text box, type a name for the media. The name can be as many as 32 characters. This is the name that identifies the media in the File System Manager Administrator. 9. In the Media Description text box, type a description for the media. The description can be as many as 128 characters. 10. In the Media Location text box, type a descriptive location for the network share. The location can be as many as 128 characters. 78 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

79 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage 11. Click the NAS Options tab, shown in Figure 23 on page 79. Figure 23 Create NAS Media dialog box NAS Options tab 12. Select the type of NAS media to create: Standard, Aggregate, or Retained. How DiskXtender works with NAS on page 68 provides details on each type. 13. Click OK. 14. If you have created an extended drive, allocate the media to the extended drive: a. Select the media and click Allocate. The Select Extended Drive dialog box appears. b. Select the extended drive and click OK. Note: Media does not appear in the Administrator until it is allocated to an extended drive. 15. Click OK. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears. 16. Click Close. 17. If you have created media folders and media groups, add the media to a media group. Adding media to a standard media group on page 215 provides instructions. Managing the lifecycle of NAS media 79

80 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage Removing NAS media from the system If necessary, you can delete a piece of NAS media from DiskXtender. When you delete the media, the files remain on the NAS device and can be restored to the extended drive if you later decide to add the share back to the system as a piece of media. To remove a piece of NAS media: 1. Remove the media from its media group: To copy all migrated files and file data on the media back to the extended drive, assign a Compact media task to each piece of media. The files can then be migrated to another piece of media. Removing media but keeping the files on the drive on page 231 provides instructions. To remove files on the media from the extended drive, use the Remove Media From Media Groups Wizard to remove the media. Removing media and removing its files from the drive on page 233 provides instructions. 2. From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Configure Media Services. 3. Ensure that the NAS media service is online. If the media service is not online, select the media service and click Set Online. Note: If you attempt to delete media while the media service is offline, the changes might not take effect. 4. Select the NAS media service and click Properties. The Media Service Properties dialog box appears. 5. Deallocate the media. To deallocate media, select the media and click Deallocate. 6. Select the media to remove and click Delete. 7. Click Yes on the confirmation message. 8. Click OK. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears. 9. Click Close. 80 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

81 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage Expectations for files migrated to NAS After a file is moved to NAS, the type of NAS media and for Retained NAS media, the retention status of the file determines whether you can edit or delete the file. These factors also determine whether you can edit or delete the folder in which a file is located. To keep the files on the NAS synchronized with the extended drive, certain operations may be prohibited on the extended drive. The following topics provide details on the operations allowed for each type of NAS media. Expectations for Standard NAS files You can perform most operations on the extended drive for files that have been migrated to Standard NAS media. Table 6 on page 81 lists the extended drive operations that can be executed on specific types of files or folders that have been migrated to Standard NAS. Table 6 Extended drive operations for Standard NAS files Edit Rename Set attributes Delete Move within a media folder Move outside of a media folder Files moved to Standard NAS Folders with files moved to Standard NAS N/A N/A All changes to the files and folders on the extended drive are propagated to the files and folders on the Standard NAS media. Expectations for Aggregate NAS files Files in media folders with Aggregate NAS media groups behave similarly to files that have been migrated to tape media. That is because the Aggregate NAS is associated with a media folder on a different extended drive that is writing to tape. Table 7 on page 81 lists the extended drive operations that can be executed on specific types of files or folders that are located within media folders that contain Aggregate NAS. Table 7 Extended drive operations for Aggregate NAS files Edit Rename Set attributes Delete Files moved to Aggregate NAS Folders with files moved to Aggregate NAS N/A N/A Move within a media folder Move outside of a media folder Note: You cannot rename files and folders in media folders that contain media groups with Aggregate NAS media. This restriction applies even if the files have not yet been migrated to media. Expectations for files migrated to NAS 81

82 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage Expectations for Retained NAS files Table 8 on page 82 lists the extended drive operations that can be executed on specific types of files or folders that have been migrated to Retained NAS. Table 8 Extended drive operations for Retained NAS files Type of file or folder Edit Rename Set attributes Delete Files with retention Move within a media folder Move outside of a media folder Files with expired retention Folders with files under retention N/A N/A Folders with no files under retention N/A N/A What happens when you edit or move NAS files Keep in mind the following important points when working with files that have been moved to NAS, and the folders in which those files are located: When you edit a file on the extended drive, the new (edited) file is migrated to NAS, and the original version of the file is deleted. In this way, only the newer version of the file remains on the NAS device. If you move a purged file to another location within the same media folder by dragging and dropping the file in Microsoft Windows Explorer, then the file is fetched to the extended drive. This behavior is caused by Windows Explorer. If you move a purged file to another location within the same media folder by using the command line, then the file is not fetched. If you move a folder with purged files to another location within the same media folder, however, then the files in the folder are not fetched. 82 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

83 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage Performance tuning for NAS Review the following recommendations for improving DiskXtender performance with NAS by adjusting the configuration of media folders, media groups, rules, file deletions, and service options. Media folder considerations for NAS If you use Aggregate NAS or Retained NAS, use extra caution when planning the directory structure and creating media folders on the extended drive. When you use Aggregate NAS or Retained NAS, folder renames are not allowed on the extended drive. After files are moved to media, you cannot change the directory structure. Media group considerations for NAS When you are creating media groups, consider the following settings on the Options page for the media group to optimize DiskXtender performance with NAS: Set the Media fill method option to Random. By default, the media fill method is set to Sequential. Setting the option to Random enables DiskXtender to connect to any available piece of media in the group and even multiple pieces of media at the same time when migrating files, rather than filling one piece of media and then moving on to the next one. This option can improve DiskXtender performance when writing to more than one piece of NAS media in a media group. Adjust the Maximum media simultaneously receiving files option to the total number of media that are in the media group. This enables DiskXtender to write to all media as necessary. Since you must manually create NAS media when it is needed, enable the Warn when group free space falls below option so that you are notified when the NAS media in the media group is starting to run out of space. You can then configure the warning to be sent out as an alert. Sending alerts for errors and warnings on page 326 provides instructions for configuring alerts. Move rule considerations for NAS When you are creating move rules, consider the following settings to optimize DiskXtender performance with NAS: If you use Retained NAS, specify a retention period in days for the files on the Retention page of the move rule wizard. You must specify a retention period of one or more days for move rules that move files to a Retained NAS media group. The retention applies when the file qualifies for the rule. Chapter 8, File Retention, provides details. On the Settings page of the move rule wizard, consider whether to purge files immediately after they are moved and whether to mark them for Direct Read. To decide, review the purge recommendations in Chapter 10, Purging Files, and review the recommendations for when to use Direct Read in Reading files directly from media on page 295. Performance tuning for NAS 83

84 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage Purge rule considerations for NAS File retrieval from NAS media is typically faster than from other media types. As a result, the purge strategy you select depends on other factors in your environment, such as the type of files on the extended drive and the volume of files that DiskXtender is managing. Review the purge recommendations in Chapter 10, Purging Files, to determine an appropriate purge strategy for your environment. File deletion considerations for NAS If you use Retained NAS, you can use delete rules and retention periods to keep files protected under retention for a specified period of time, then automatically delete them when they are no longer needed. Automatically deleting files on page 304 provides instructions on setting up delete rules to automatically delete files after a certain period of time. Service options for NAS Although simultaneous move and fetch from a single piece of media is available for the NAS media service, its use is not recommended. The Enable simultaneous moves and fetches option on the Options tab of the Service Properties dialog box controls this behavior. Simultaneous moves and fetches are disabled by default. There is no performance advantage to the use of the feature with NAS. In addition, when you use the feature with NAS, multiple files may be kept open at the same time, leaving the system more vulnerable in the event of a system failure. Instead, leave the option disabled so that all activity to a piece of media, including reads and writes, are serialized, or performed in a single thread. Serial media activity prevents applications from backing up or restoring data to or from the same pieces of media at the same time. Note: Simultaneous moves and fetches are recommended for the EMC Centera media service. However, the feature is a global setting; you cannot configure it differently for EMC Centera than you do for NAS. If you are writing to both NAS and EMC Centera, carefully weigh the performance advantages of enabling this feature for use with EMC Centera against the failure risks of using it with NAS. 84 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

85 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage Troubleshooting NAS issues The following information will help you avoid and, if necessary, resolve common problems when you use NAS with DiskXtender: If you are attempting to fetch files from and run media tasks (such as Prefetch and Compact) on Aggregate NAS media at the same time, the operation may time out and the media is then set offline. In addition, Error 64 (NET_NAME_DELETED) may appear. Similar problems occur when you create a piece of NAS media for a drive on the DiskXtender server and then migrate a significant number of files to the media. The error is returned by the Microsoft Windows operating system, which sees that the resource (the NAS media) is busy. To work around this issue, retry the operation at a later time when the system is not as busy. In addition, schedule media tasks and other media activities for times of the least system activity. This allows system resources to remain available for file fetches. The share serving as NAS media should be accessible only to the DiskXtender service account and any account required for backups. However, if you encounter a situation where this security is compromised and a file written to the share is edited directly on the NAS device rather than on the extended, drive, follow these steps to recover from the situation: a. Determine whether the original file on the extended drive or the edited file on the NAS share should be saved. b. If you decide to save the edited file on the NAS share, then save the file back to the extended drive, overwriting the original file on the drive. c. Delete the file on the NAS share. d. Re-migrate the file through DiskXtender. If you suspect that the files on the extended drive are not synchronized with the files on NAS media, use the DXNASVerify utility to compare the two. The utility verifies the file list in each location and lists any inconsistencies so that they can be resolved. The DXNASVerify utility is available on the Powerlink website. If NAS media transactions are failing, contact EMC Customer Service by using the Powerlink website for troubleshooting assistance. Failed media transactions are listed in the event logs and can be sent out as system alerts. Empty folders may appear on NAS media that has been added to a media group if you rename a directory in a media folder on the extended drive before you migrate files from the directory. This occurs because DiskXtender flushes the directory rename transaction to media even though the files have not migrated yet. Troubleshooting NAS issues 85

86 Connecting to Network-Attached Storage 86 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

87 4 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices You can migrate files on a DiskXtender extended drive to optical and tape devices. The following topics provide details on configuring and managing the environment: Supported removable media types Setting up MediaStor Setting up Sun StorageTek ACSLS Managing the lifecycle of removable media Expectations for files migrated to removable media Performance tuning for removable media Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices 87

88 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Supported removable media types Table 9 on page 88 lists the high-capacity, removable storage media types that DiskXtender supports. Table 9 Supported removable media types Type of media Type of support Details DVD-R Read/write Data is written only once (sequentially), although it can be written in multiple sessions. Requires finalization when the media is full, which renders the media read-only. Because of the potential instability before DVD-R is finalized, files written to DVD-R cannot be purged from the extended drive until the media is finalized. DVD-RAM Read/write Data can be written to and read from randomly, accessing files and space wherever necessary. Does not require finalization. DVD-ROM Read-only Pre-manufactured media. DiskXtender cannot write to or erase data from DVD-ROM. Supported only with the UDF file system. Magneto-optical (MO) Read/write Also called erasable-optical. MO WORM Read/write Data is written only once (sequentially), although it can be written in multiple sessions. After data is written, it cannot be altered. Tape Read/write Data is written only once (sequentially), although it can be written in multiple sessions. Tape can be reformatted for reuse. Supported types of tape include LTO, SDLT, DLT, SAIT, AIT, 9840, 9940, Quantum DLT-S4, and Sun/STK Tape WORM Read/write Supported by drives that have firmware for WORM media. Contact the drive vendor to verify WORM support, and to acquire the firmware version, if necessary. Data is written only once (sequentially), although it can be written in multiple sessions. Tape WORM cannot be reformatted. After data is written, it cannot be altered. Ultra-density optical (UDO) Read/write Similar to MO, but contains more space and has a larger sector size (8k) than MO (4k). The differing sector sizes means that unlike DVD media, UDO and MO cannot use the same drives for reading/writing data. DiskXtender supports both UDO1 and UDO2 media. UDO WORM Read/write Data is written only once (sequentially), although it can be written in multiple sessions. After data is written, it cannot be altered. DiskXtender supports both UDO1 WORM and UDO2 WORM media. The MediaStor media service enables DiskXtender to write files to all supported removable media types. You can also write files to tape media in a Sun StorageTek library by using the Sun StorageTek ACSLS media service. Setting up MediaStor on page 89 and Setting up Sun StorageTek ACSLS on page 108 provide details. 88 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

89 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Setting up MediaStor You can migrate files on a DiskXtender extended drive to removable media in a library or standalone drive if the library or drive is managed by MediaStor. The following topics provide details on configuring and managing the environment: How DiskXtender works with MediaStor on page 89 Prerequisite steps for installing MediaStor on page 95 Running the setup wizard to install MediaStor on page 96 Adding a MediaStor media service on page 107 How DiskXtender works with MediaStor MediaStor is a DiskXtender for Windows device management component that manages the retrieval, mounting, and dismounting of removable media in a variety of libraries and standalone drives. DiskXtender architecture with MediaStor MediaStor must be installed on a Microsoft Windows server that is attached to the library or standalone drive to manage. MediaStor should be installed on a different server than DiskXtender to optimize system performance. The DiskXtender server (with File System Manager installed) connects to MediaStor by using an RPC connection. You can dedicate a MediaStor server with a single hardware device to a DiskXtender server, as illustrated in Figure 24 on page 89. Windows servers DiskXtender server File System Manager installed MediaStor server MediaStor installed Tape library Extended drives G:\NTFS H:\NTFS GEN Figure 24 DiskXtender connection with MediaStor You can also set up a single MediaStor server to manage multiple hardware devices that are all available to a single DiskXtender server, as illustrated in Figure 25 on page 90. Setting up MediaStor 89

90 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Tape library DiskXtender server MediaStor server Tape library DVD library GEN Figure 25 Single DiskXtender server connecting to a single MediaStor server Alternatively, a single DiskXtender server can connect to multiple MediaStor servers, each managing one or more hardware devices, as illustrated in Figure 26 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

91 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices MediaStor server 1 Tape library DiskXtender server MediaStor server 2 Tape library MediaStor server 3 DVD library GEN Figure 26 Single DiskXtender server connecting to multiple MediaStor servers Note: If there are multiple MediaStor servers in an environment, you can manage each server from any other server. You can also manage all servers from a separate computer without a MediaStor installation by using the MediaStor Remote Administrator. The DiskXtender installation guide provides details on remote administration. Multiple DiskXtender servers can also connect to a single MediaStor server managing one or multiple hardware devices, as illustrated in Figure 27 on page 92. In other words, multiple DiskXtender servers can share a hardware device. This is because neither the library itself nor the drives within the library are assigned to DiskXtender. Instead, it is the individual pieces of media within the library that are assigned, or allocated, to an extended drive managed by a particular DiskXtender server. MediaStor manages requests for media from multiple DiskXtender servers, and mounts the media in drives as they become available. Keep in mind the potential performance impact of sharing hardware devices among multiple DiskXtender installations. Setting up MediaStor 91

92 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices DiskXtender server 1 Tape library DiskXtender server 2 MediaStor server Tape library DiskXtender server 3 DVD library GEN Figure 27 Multiple DiskXtender servers sharing a MediaStor server Note: A single MediaStor installation must manage a hardware device. Multiple MediaStor installations cannot share a device, and the device cannot be shared with other non-diskxtender applications. DiskXtender interoperability with MediaStor If you plan to format media with the OTG file system, then you can install MediaStor 6.4 on a server with a 64-bit operating system. However, if you plan to format media with the UDF file system, you must use MediaStor 6.3, which runs on a server with a 32-bit operating system. DiskXtender cannot format media with UDF when MediaStor runs on a 64-bit operating system. DiskXtender 6.4 can connect to a MediaStor 6.3 installation on a 32-bit operating system. Formatting and labeling removable media on page 120 provides details on selecting a file system when you format media. 92 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

93 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Device requirements The DiskXtender for Windows Supported Device List, available on the Powerlink website, contains a complete list of supported storage devices. Adapter requirements The storage devices that MediaStor manages, such as drives or libraries, must be connected to the MediaStor server by using one of more of the following interfaces (Host Bus Adapter) depending on the device connection type: SCSI Fibre Channel iscsi (IP over SCSI) A separate adapter for each SCSI drive or library device improves MediaStor performance. If, for example, there are three drives or libraries on one adapter, then the three devices also share the adapter resources. If there is a 1:1 ratio, then all devices have equal and optimal throughput. The DiskXtender for Windows Supported Device List provides a list of the adapters you can use to connect hardware devices to the MediaStor server. iscsi device requirements The connection between an iscsi device and the MediaStor server is a point-to-point connection by way of an ethernet port. The iscsi device is exclusive to the MediaStor server and cannot be shared by other servers. To manage an iscsi library with MediaStor, install and configure an iscsi HBA or the Microsoft iscsi Initiator. You must also configure the port in the iscsi device or, in some instances, from the front control panel. Usually the port is an RS-232 or LAN port. Refer to the vendor s documentation for instructions. Preparing the Microsoft iscsi Initiator on page 98 provides details. EDL support DiskXtender can migrate files to a virtual tape library system, such as an EMC Disk Library (EDL) device, if the device is managed by MediaStor. The DiskXtender for Windows Supported Device List, available on the Powerlink website, contains a complete list of supported EDL devices. To configure an EDL device for DiskXtender, install and configure the device as discussed in the EDL documentation. Then, add the device as a library in MediaStor, and proceed with normal DiskXtender configuration. DiskXtender treats the media in the device as tape media. Drive considerations Carefully assess your hardware needs to determine what combination of storage devices (drives and libraries) provide the greatest efficiency. Number of drives If you plan to keep only the most recent file data on the extended drive and purge the rest, you might want to consider a library with many drives, so that multiple users can retrieve purged files simultaneously. However, if you plan to configure the system so that only older or infrequently accessed files are purged from the extended drive, you might not need frequent media mounts to access purged files, meaning that you might do better with a library with only a few drives. Setting up MediaStor 93

94 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Mixing drives Do not mix drive types within a single library unless support for the specific combination is explicitly documented in the DiskXtender for Windows Supported Device List, which is available on the Powerlink website. DVD drive considerations Because different types of DVD media can be read and written in different types of DVD drives, ensure that the hardware is configured to enable drives to perform the appropriate functions. Keep in mind the following considerations: When you add the library to the MediaStor configuration, you select the drive type for the library. This involves selecting the type of media intended for the drive. As long as the drives in the library are the same type as the selected drive type, they function as read/write drives. If a drive in the library is of a different type (though still compatible with the library), the drive functions as a read-only drive. If the library contains combo drives, these drives are set to the drive type selected for the library. In addition, DVD media in the library that is not of the same type as the drive type selected for the library is set to be read-only media during library inventory. For example, if DVD-RAM media is in the library, but DVD-R is set as the drive type, all DVD-RAM media is read-only The same is true for DVD-R media in a DVD-RAM library. If there are combo drives, different drive types, or both, all media must be readable in all library drives. For example, if a library contains both DVD-R and DVD-ROM drives, you cannot insert DVD-RAM media into the library because DVD-RAM media is not readable in DVD-ROM drives. All read/write library media must be both readable and writable in all read/write library drives. Unfinalized DVD-R media cannot be mounted in a read-only drive (a drive not configured to write to media). If you intend to update copies of media before the originals are finalized, you must have at least two write drives in the system: one drive for the copy and one for the unfinalized original. This is not an issue if you plan to update the copy only after the original is finalized. If the library contains both a read drive and a write drive, you must ensure that the drives are on separate buses, according to typical manufacturer s instructions. Carefully follow all manufacturer recommendations for hardware before configuring hardware in a DiskXtender system. UDO drive considerations DiskXtender supports both UDO1 and UDO2 media and hardware. You can install UDO1, UDO2, and MO drives in a UDO library. When adding such a library to the MediaStor configuration, select UDO2 as the drive type for the library. This enables you to use UDO1, UDO2, and MO media in the library. If you select UDO1 as the drive type for the library, then you can use only UDO1 and MO media in the library. If you select MO as the drive type for the library, you can use only MO media in the library. In a UDO library with mixed drives, you can read from and write to MO media only by using MO drives. Similarly, you can read from and write to UDO1 media only by using UDO1 drives. 94 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

95 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices A UDO2 drive can read UDO1 and UDO2 media and write to UDO2 media. However, a UDO2 drive cannot write to UDO1 media. If you insert UDO1 media into a UDO library that has only UDO2 drives, then the media is inventoried as read-only media. If you later add a UDO1 drive to the library to enable writes to UDO1 media, you must reinventory the media to reset the UDO1 media to read/write status. MediaStor server requirements The server on which you install MediaStor 6.4 should meet the requirements in Table 10 on page 95. Table 10 Minimum and recommended hardware requirements for MediaStor Requirement Minimum Recommended Processor 1.3 GHz 2.8 GHz Memory 1 GB 2 GB Free space on the system drive 200 MB 20% free Operating system Microsoft Windows 2003 Standard or Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 2 (x64) Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Standard or Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 1 (x64) The EMC DiskXtender Release 6.3 Microsoft Windows Version Installation Guide provides details on the requirements for the server on which you install MediaStor 6.3. Prerequisite steps for installing MediaStor Before installing MediaStor, review the information in the DiskXtender installation guide to ensure that the hardware and operating system meet or exceed the minimum system requirements. Before you run the setup wizard to install MediaStor, perform the following steps: 1. Ensure that the environment meets or exceeds the requirements listed in the following topics: Device requirements on page 93 Drive considerations on page 93 MediaStor server requirements on page If the operating system on the MediaStor and DiskXtender servers is Windows Server 2008, then install two Microsoft hotfixes on both servers: The first hotfix is required to resolve a memory leak that occurs with Windows Server 2008 during an RPC client callback function, which is used when DiskXtender and MediaStor communicate to perform media management tasks. To obtain the hotfix, contact Microsoft Support and reference KB article The second hotfix is required to resolve a truncated registry entry that DiskXtender and MediaStor use to retrieve device type information. To obtain the hotfix, look up KB article the Microsoft website. The hotfixes should be incorporated in a future Windows Server 2008 service pack. 3. Check the Powerlink website for patches to this release, and download the patches, if necessary. Setting up MediaStor 95

96 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Note: The MediaStor release number must match the File System Manager release number. However, the patch number for each component may be different. 4. Check the Powerlink website for updates to the release notes for this release. Review the release notes for information on the following topics: Installation tips Known issues Descriptions of features that have been added to DiskXtender, or that are scheduled to be removed from the product in future releases Documentation discrepancies 5. Create a service account. The service account must meet the following requirements: Be a member of the Administrators group on the server Have the Log on as a service right Note: If you do not assign the Log on as a service right, the right is automatically assigned to the service account during the installation. For DFS in a Microsoft Windows AD domain environment, be a member of the Pre-Windows 2000 Compatible Access group in the Built-in folder of the Active Directory Users and Groups console on the domain controller Note: Assigning the Act as part of operating system right to the service account might be necessary if the service fails to log on to the server after the installation. 6. Log on to the server by using the service account. 7. If you are planning to install MediaStor on multiple servers at the same time, perform the following steps: a. Ensure that all of the servers for install are visible on the network. b. Ensure that the logged on user (the service account on the server from which you are running the install) is a member of the local Administrators group on all of the servers for install. Running the setup wizard to install MediaStor To install MediaStor: 1. Exit all applications on the server. If other software is running, the setup wizard might not be able to write to all necessary files. 2. Insert the DiskXtender installation CD into the drive. 3. From the Microsoft Windows Start menu, select Run. The Run dialog box appears. 4. Browse or type the path to the setup file (drive:\mediastor 6.4\Setup.exe, where drive is the drive holding the installation CD). 5. Click OK. The setup wizard appears, starting with the Installation page. 96 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

97 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices 6. Click Next, and then proceed through the remaining pages of the setup wizard. The pages of the MediaStor setup wizard are the same as most of the pages of the File System Manager setup wizard. The DiskXtender installation guide provides details on each page. 7. When you finish running the installation, remember to check the Powerlink website for any patches to this release. Download the patches and install them, if necessary, by using the instructions in the patch documentation. Starting the MediaStor Administrator interface The MediaStor Administrator interface, illustrated in Figure 28 on page 97, enables you to add and manage hardware devices and storage media. The MediaStor Administrator appears very similar to the File System Manager Administrator interface that you use to configure DiskXtender. Understanding the Administrator interface on page 22 provides details. To start the MediaStor Administrator, open the Microsoft Windows Start menu and select Programs > EMC MediaStor > Administrator. Figure 28 MediaStor Administrator Setting up MediaStor 97

98 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Adding a library to MediaStor To begin managing a library with MediaStor and to make the media in the library available to DiskXtender, you must add the library to the MediaStor configuration. Prerequisite steps for adding a library Before you add a library to the MediaStor configuration, perform the following steps: 1. Confirm that all hardware is properly configured, specifically SCSI devices: a. Ensure that all devices and the SCSI adapter are properly terminated. b. Power on all SCSI devices before starting Microsoft Windows. c. Install any necessary drivers for the devices. d. Test access to the devices through Microsoft Windows. 2. If you are adding an iscsi library, configure an iscsi HBA or the Microsoft iscsi Initiator when using a LAN card: To install and configure an iscsi HBA, use the documentation from the vendor. To install and configure the Microsoft iscsi Initiator software, follow the steps in Preparing the Microsoft iscsi Initiator on page If you are adding an iscsi library, configure the port in the iscsi device. In some instances, you must configure the port from the front control panel. Usually the port is an RS-232 or LAN port. Refer to the device vendor documentation for instructions. 4. Before adding a tape library with automatic drive cleaning capability, disable the library s automatic drive cleaning function. Preparing the Microsoft iscsi Initiator To set up and enable the iscsi Initiator: 1. Connect the library to the MediaStor server. 2. Configure the IP address for the NIC: a. Open the Control Panel on the MediaStor server. b. Double-click Network Connections. c. Right-click the icon for the LAN port for the NIC and select Properties. d. On the General tab, select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) from the This connection uses the following items list. e. Click Properties. f. In the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box, select Use the following IP address. g. Type the IP address for the NIC in the IP address text box and click OK. 3. If you use Windows 2003, download the Microsoft iscsi Initiator software from the Microsoft website and install it on the MediaStor server. If you use Windows Server 2008, the iscsi Initiator software is installed automatically with the operating system, but not enabled. 98 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

99 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices 4. Open the iscsi Initiator Properties dialog box to enable and configure the iscsi Initiator: If you use Windows 2003, open the Windows Start menu and select Programs > Microsoft iscsi Initiator > Configure iscsi Initiator. If you use Windows Server 2008, open the Control Panel and double-click the iscsi Initiator icon. Click Yes on the message that appears to ask whether to start the service and set it to start automatically on system startup, and then click No on the message that appears to ask whether to unblock the service so that it can communicate with an Internet storage name service through Windows Firewall. 5. (Optional) Provide a more user-friendly name for the device: a. On the General tab of the iscsi Initiator Properties dialog box, click Change. The Initiator Node Name Change dialog box appears. b. Type the IP address or name for the iscsi device in the Initiator node name text box. c. Click OK. 6. Add the IP address for the device: a. Click the Discovery tab on the iscsi Initiator Properties dialog box. b. Click Add Portal. The Add Target Portal dialog box appears. c. Type the target IP address for the device in the IP address or DNS name text box and click Advanced. The Advanced Settings dialog box appears. d. From the Local adapter list, select Microsoft iscsi Initiator. e. From the Source IP list, select the source IP address and click OK. f. Click OK on the Add Target Portal dialog box to return to the iscsi Initiator Properties dialog box. 7. Activate the connection to the iscsi device and each of its drives: a. Click the Targets tab on the iscsi Initiator Properties dialog box. The SCSI device and each of its drives are listed with a status of Inactive. b. Select a target and click Log On. The Log On to Target dialog box appears. c. Select the Automatically restore this connection when the computer starts checkbox. d. Click OK to log on to the device. e. Repeat step b through step d until all devices show a status of Connected. 8. Click OK. Setting up MediaStor 99

100 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices How to add a library in the MediaStor Administrator To add a library to MediaStor: 1. In the MediaStor Administrator, right-click the Hardware node and select New. The Hardware Wizard appears, starting with the Add New Hardware Device page, as illustrated in Figure 29 on page 100. Figure 29 Hardware Wizard Add New Hardware Device page 2. Select Library and click Next. The Select New Library page appears, as illustrated in Figure 30 on page 100. Figure 30 Hardware Wizard Select New Library page 3. Select the library to add and click Next. 100 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

101 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices The Configuration page appears, as illustrated in Figure 31 on page 101. Figure 31 Hardware Wizard Configuration page 4. In the Name text box, type the name to display for the library in the Administrator interface. 5. From the Drive Type drop-down list, select the drive type (media) in the library. If you are adding an optical library that contains multiple types of media, review the information in Drive considerations on page 93 to ensure that you are selecting the correct drive type. 6. Leave the default for the Set this device online when the server starts checkbox, which is cleared. 7. Click Next. The Library Drives page appears, as illustrated in Figure 32 on page 102. Setting up MediaStor 101

102 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Figure 32 Hardware Wizard Drives page 8. Add the drives that DiskXtender should use: If you are adding drives for a SCSI library where the drives and the library are on a single bus, or if you are adding an IEEE-1394 (FireWire) drive, click Auto Config to automatically configure the drives. If you are adding drives for an iscsi library, a library with a Fibre Channel interface, or a SCSI library where the drives and the library are on multiple buses, click Add to add the drives manually. The MediaStor Administrator online help provides details on adding drives. 9. If you added a drive manually, add reserved drives for any drives that DiskXtender should not use. This may be necessary if the library contains drives that are not compatible with the drive type selected for the library, and therefore that cannot be added to the configuration. This may also be necessary if the library has two physical drives, but the library firmware expects four drives. Add two reserved drives for the bays in the library where the drives are missing. 10. Select each drive in the list and choose: The function for the drive (file migration and fetching, media tasks, or both) Whether to set the drive online when the library is set online At least one drive must be configured to be set online automatically. Otherwise, the library remains offline. 11. Click Next. If you are configuring a tape library, the Auto Clean page appears. If you a configuring any other type of library, the Options page appears. Proceed to step (Optional) Select the automatic drive cleaning options for the library. The MediaStor Administrator online help provides details. 102 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

103 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices 13. Click Next. The Options page appears, as shown in Figure 33 on page 103. Figure 33 Hardware Wizard Options page 14. Choose when to dismount idle media from the drives in the library, and how many shelves in the library to use for inventories. To configure an option, select the option in the list, and then edit the settings in the lower part of the Options page. 15. Click Finish. 16. Restart the MediaStor server. 17. Perform a drive configuration test to determine if the order of the library drives in the configuration is correct: a. Verify that media is present in the library. Media must be present to test the drive configuration. If the library is a DVD library, ensure that there is no unformatted media in the library. Place a piece of formatted media into the library before running the test. b. For tape libraries only, verify that the first shelf in the library contains a data cartridge and not a cleaning cartridge. c. Verify that the library is offline. If the library is online, right-click the library and select Set Offline. d. Right-click the library and select Modify. e. Click Yes on the confirmation message. The Library Configuration page of the Hardware Wizard appears. f. Click Next to move through the Hardware Wizard until you reach the Library Drives page. g. Click Test Config. A warning message appears. h. Ensure that the first shelf in the library contains valid media and click Yes to continue. Setting up MediaStor 103

104 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices A status message appears while the library and its drives are assessed. After the test is complete, a message appears to indicate whether the test succeeded. i. Click OK. If the configuration test fails, review the configuration verification steps in the MediaStor Administrator online help to ensure that the configuration meets the necessary requirements. Setting the library online and inventorying the library A library must be online for MediaStor to manage the media in the library. If the library is offline, then all drives are inactive and DiskXtender cannot write to or read from the media. To set a library online and inventory the library: 1. In the MediaStor Administrator, right-click the library and select Set Online. The Set Library Online dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 34 on page 104. Figure 34 Set Library Online dialog box 2. Choose whether to inventory the shelves in the library: Select Do not inventory any shelves to set the library online without inventorying shelves. This assumes the latest shelf inventory is accurate. Select Inventory specified shelves to inventory only certain shelves. Type the number for each shelf to be inventoried in the Shelves text box: To inventory a range of shelves, specify the first and last shelf numbers, separated by a hyphen (-), from lowest to highest. To inventory individual shelves, specify the shelf numbers separated by commas. Select Inventory all shelves in this library to inventory every shelf in the library. This is the default. Note that an inventory of the entire library may take a long time. If a library is configured to not be set online automatically on startup, the first time the library is set online, all shelves are inventoried. 104 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

105 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Note: MediaStor stores which shelves contain media and the applicable media labels in the Microsoft Windows registry on the MediaStor server. When a library inventory takes place, MediaStor checks each shelf for changes in the status of the shelves or the media. For shelves selected for inventory, MediaStor mounts the media and reads the labels. 3. If you do not want to perform a full inventory of all shelves, full and empty, upon setting the library online, clear the Force a reset of hardware media inventory checkbox. 4. Click OK. One of the following occurs: If you kept the defaults, the library is inventoried and set online. If you changed the defaults, a warning message appears. To return to the Set Library Online dialog box and change the selections, click No. To continue setting the library online, click Yes. Note: During the inventory, media is not mounted to a library drive that is offline. This is helpful for troubleshooting, repair, and maintenance of library drives without deleting the library from MediaStor. Never service any device while it is online, including offline drives that reside in an online library. Adding a stand-alone drive to MediaStor Stand-alone drives can be useful as alternate devices, especially in the case of library malfunction. Stand-alone drives are drives that are not in a library and in which you manually mount and dismount media during runtime. To add a stand-alone drive to the MediaStor configuration: 1. In the MediaStor Administrator, right-click the Hardware node and select New. The Hardware Wizard appears, starting with the Add New Hardware Device page, which is shown in Figure 29 on page Select Standalone drive and click Next. The Select New Drive page, which is shown in Figure 35 on page 106, appears with a list of all of the stand-alone drives currently in the Microsoft Windows registry on the MediaStor server that have not yet been added to MediaStor. Setting up MediaStor 105

106 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Figure 35 Hardware Wizard Select New Drive page 3. Select the stand-alone drive to add and click Next. The Configuration page appears, as shown in Figure 36 on page 106. Figure 36 Hardware Wizard Configuration page 4. In the Name text box, type a name for the drive. 5. From the Drive Type drop-down list, select the type of drive (media) that the stand-alone drive contains. 6. Choose whether to set the drive online automatically when the MediaStor service starts by selecting or clearing the Set this device online when the server starts checkbox. 7. Click Finish. 106 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

107 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices You may be required to restart the server to enable changes to be made to the SCSI configuration. 8. If necessary, set the drive online: a. Open the MediaStor Administrator. b. Right-click the drive and select Set Online. c. Click Yes on the confirmation message. Adding a MediaStor media service To create a connection from DiskXtender to the hardware devices managed by a MediaStor installation, you must create a MediaStor media service: 1. In the File System Manager Administrator, open the Service menu and select Configure Media Services. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 9 on page Click Add. The Select Media Service Type page of the media service wizard appears, as shown in Figure 10 on page Select MediaStor and click Next. The Select Computer page appears, as shown in Figure 37 on page 107. Figure 37 Media Service Wizard Select Computer page 4. In the Computer Name text box, type the name of the MediaStor server, or click Browse to browse for the server. 5. Click Next. 6. Review the summary information and click Finish. A progress message appears, and then the media service is listed in the Configure Media Services dialog box. Managing the lifecycle of removable media on page 116 provides details on adding media to the library and migrating files to the media with DiskXtender. Setting up MediaStor 107

108 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Setting up Sun StorageTek ACSLS If you have already invested in Sun StorageTek Automated Cartridge System Library Software (ACSLS), you can use DiskXtender to migrate files from a Microsoft Windows server to tape media in libraries managed by the ACSLS server. The following topics provide details on configuring and managing the environment: How DiskXtender works with ACSLS on page 108 Preparing the ACSLS library on page 110 Gathering ACSLS drive information on page 110 Adding an ACSLS media service on page 112 Adding or editing an ACSLS drive on page 114 Removing an ACSLS drive on page 115 How DiskXtender works with ACSLS The following topics explain how DiskXtender connects to and communicates with a Sun StorageTek library managed by ACSLS. Connecting DiskXtender and an ACSLS library ACSLS is a UNIX-based device management product that manages Sun StorageTek tape libraries and provides device-sharing capability between applications. For ACSLS to communicate with DiskXtender, Sun StorageTek LibAttach must be installed on the DiskXtender server. LibAttach translates Windows-based product commands from DiskXtender into a syntax that the UNIX-based ACSLS understands. DiskXtender 6.4 is supported with ACSLS 7.3 and LibAttach The ACSLS server is connected to the device controller for one or more Sun StorageTek tape libraries. ACSLS controls the picker arm for each library device and manages retrieval of media within the library. However, to allow device sharing, Sun StorageTek constructs some of the library devices in a way that allows individual applications to communicate directly with particular drives in a library. To enable this communication for DiskXtender, you connect the DiskXtender server and one or more drives in the Sun StorageTek library by using a SCSI cable, as illustrated in Figure 38 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

109 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Extended drives DiskXtender server (Microsoft Windows) G:\NTFS File System Manager installed LibAttach installed H:\NTFS ACSLS installed UNIX server RPC connection SCSI connections Sun StorageTek library GEN Figure 38 DiskXtender with ACSLS When you configure an ACSLS media service in DiskXtender, you designate the connected drives as the drives that should be used by DiskXtender. Other servers cannot access that drive. Certain pieces of media in the ACSLS system are assigned to DiskXtender by using ACSLS. When DiskXtender requires a particular piece of media, DiskXtender requests that media from ACSLS. ACSLS retrieves the media and places it in the drive connected to the DiskXtender server. DiskXtender then communicates directly with the drive and initiates all media-related tasks without any involvement from ACSLS. Setting up Sun StorageTek ACSLS 109

110 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Understanding the components of an ACSLS library In a Sun StorageTek library managed by ACSLS, two or more Library Storage Module (LSM) devices can be connected by using a pass-through connection. When two or more LSM devices are connected, they are called an Automated Cartridge System (ACS). In DiskXtender, an ACS, which contains one or more LSMs, is considered a library. When an LSM is set offline, the media within that LSM is still online in DiskXtender. Note: If an error appears indicating that the library (in other words, the ACS) is offline when DiskXtender tries to mount a piece of media in an LSM, clear the error state. This brings the media back online even if the LSM is offline. Preparing the ACSLS library To prepare the ACSLS library for use with DiskXtender: 1. Physically connect the DiskXtender server and the library drives with SCSI cables. 2. Power on the libraries. 3. Start the UNIX server. 4. If you have not already done so, install and configure ACSLS as described in the Sun StorageTek documentation, including access control privileges. 5. Log in to the UNIX server as acsss. The ACSSS Console, the ACSSS Command Processor Window, and the Event Log Tail Window appear. Note: If the ACSSS Console does not appear automatically, right-click the background and select Terminal from the Tools menu. 6. Configure the library as described in the Sun StorageTek documentation. Gathering ACSLS drive information When you configure an ACSLS media service in DiskXtender, you must specify the library drives that are connected to the DiskXtender server. Gather the device name and SCSI address for the drives before you configure the media service. To gather ACSLS drive information: 1. In the ACSSS Command Processor Window, type the following command and press Enter: query drive all All drives currently in the system are listed, as shown in the following example: :07:54 Identifier State Status Volume Type 0, 0, 1, 0 online available , 0, 1, 1 online available , 0, 1, 2 online available DLT7000 0, 0, 1, 3 online available DLT EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

111 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices The necessary drive information is in the first and last columns (the Identifier and Type columns, respectively). The numbers listed in the Identifier column represent the ACS, LSM, panel, and drive, in that order. The value in the Type column represents the drive name. 2. Record the information from those columns for the drives attached to the DiskXtender server. 3. On the DiskXtender server, open the Registry Editor: a. Open the Windows Start menu and select Run. The Run dialog box appears. b. In the Open text box, type regedit and click OK. The Registry Editor appears. 4. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DEVICEMAP\Scsi. 5. Select the Scsi key. 6. From the Edit menu, select Find. 7. In the Find What text box, type the drive name that you requested on the ACSLS server (for example, 9840) and click Find Next. 8. Use one of the paths that you find to construct the device name in the following format: SCSI.Port.Bus.Target.LogicalUnit where: Port is the value at the end of the Scsi Port key name Bus is the value at the end of the Scsi Bus key name Target is the value at the end of the Target Id key name LogicalUnit is the value at the end of the Logical Unit Id key name For example, to construct the device name for drive 9840, you might find the value 9840 in the following registry path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DEVICEMAP\Scsi\Scsi Port 2\Scsi Bus 0\Target Id 2\Logical Unit Id 0 The device name that you would construct from this path would be SCSI This is the device name that you type in the Device Name text box of the ACSLS Drive Properties dialog box when you configure the media service in DiskXtender. Setting up Sun StorageTek ACSLS 111

112 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Adding an ACSLS media service To add an ACSLS media service: 1. If you have not already done so, install LibAttach and the necessary tape driver on the DiskXtender server. The EMC Information Protection Software Compatibility Guide, available on the Powerlink website, provides a list of the supported versions of LibAttach. 2. If the operating system on the DiskXtender server is Windows Server 2008, perform the following steps: a. Make an exception in the Windows firewall to enable LibAttach to communicate properly with the ACSLS server. The LibAttach and Windows Server 2008 Firewall Configuration document, available on the Sun website at provides instructions on how to add LibAttach as an exception program for the Windows firewall. b. Install two Microsoft hotfixes on the DiskXtender server: The first hotfix is required to resolve a memory leak that occurs with Windows Server 2008 during an RPC client callback function, which is used when DiskXtender and MediaStor communicate to perform media management tasks. To obtain the hotfix, contact Microsoft Support and reference KB article The second hotfix is required to resolve a truncated registry entry that DiskXtender and MediaStor use to retrieve device type information. To obtain the hotfix, look up KB article the Microsoft website. Both hotfixes should be incorporated in a future Windows Server 2008 service pack. 3. In the File System Manager Administrator, open the Service menu and select Configure Media Services. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 9 on page Click Add. The Select Media Service Type page of the media service wizard appears, as shown in Figure 10 on page Select StorageTek ACSLS and click Next. The Verify ACSLS Configuration page appears, as shown in Figure 39 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

113 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Figure 39 Media Service Wizard Verify ACSLS Configuration page 6. On the ACSLS server, verify the settings described on the Verify ACSLS Configuration page. 7. Click Next. The Configure ACSLS Drives page appears, as shown in Figure 40 on page 113. Figure 40 Media Service Wizard Configure ACSLS Drives page 8. Click Add. The ACSLS Drive Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 41 on page 114. Setting up Sun StorageTek ACSLS 113

114 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Figure 41 ACSLS Drive Properties dialog box 9. Type the device name and SCSI address that you collected in Gathering ACSLS drive information on page Click OK. The Configure ACSLS Drives page appears with the drive listed. 11. Repeat step 7 through step 9 for each drive that is connected to the DiskXtender server. 12. Click Next. 13. Review the summary information and click Finish. A progress message appears, and then the media service appears in the Configure Media Services dialog box. 14. Click Close. Adding or editing an ACSLS drive To add or edit an ACSLS drive that is connected to the DiskXtender server: 1. Collect the device name and SCSI address for the drive as discussed in Gathering ACSLS drive information on page From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Configure Media Services. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears. 3. Set the ACSLS media service offline by selecting the media service and clicking Set Offline. 4. Select the ACSLS media service and click Properties. The Media Service Properties dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 42 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

115 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Figure 42 ACSLS Media Service Properties dialog box 5. Click Add to add a drive, or Edit to edit a drive. The ACSLS Drive Properties dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 41 on page Type the device name and SCSI address for the drive. 7. Click OK. 8. Click OK again. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears. 9. Click Close. Removing an ACSLS drive To remove a drive from the ACSLS media service: 1. From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Configure Media Services. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears. 2. Set the ACSLS media service offline by selecting the media service and clicking Set Offline. 3. Select the ACSLS media service and click Properties. The Media Service Properties dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 42 on page Select the drives and click Delete. 5. Click Yes on the confirmation message. 6. Click OK. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears. 7. Click Close. Setting up Sun StorageTek ACSLS 115

116 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Managing the lifecycle of removable media The following topics provide details on managing removable media throughout its lifecycle in DiskXtender: Understanding the removable media lifecycle on page 116 Inserting removable media into a MediaStor library on page 117 Allocating removable media to an extended drive on page 119 Formatting and labeling removable media on page 120 Renaming media on page 133 Repairing corrupt media on page 133 Reusing media on page 134 Finalizing DVD-R media on page 141 Deallocating media from an extended drive on page 143 Removing media from a MediaStor library on page 145 Understanding the removable media lifecycle The following steps detail the lifecycle process for removable media: 1. Insert the media into the hardware device by using the instructions from the hardware manufacturer. If you use MediaStor, some libraries support the Insert Library Media function available in MediaStor. Inserting removable media into a MediaStor library on page 117 provides details. 2. Allocate the media to the extended drive: If you use MediaStor, you can use either the File System Manager Administrator or the MediaStor Administrator. Allocating MediaStor media to an extended drive on page 119 provides details. If you use ACSLS, you allocate the media by using ACSLS. Allocating ACSLS media to an extended drive on page 120 provides instructions. 3. Ensure that the media is formatted with a supported file system and labeled: If the media is blank, format and label the media. If the media has already been formatted with a supported file system, label the media. If the media has been formatted with a file system that is not supported, reformat the media and then label it. Formatting and labeling removable media on page 120 provides details. 4. Add the media to a media group. Adding media to a standard media group on page 215 provides instructions. Note: To add DVD-ROM media to the system and make the files available on the extended drive, create a standard media group and select DVD-R as the media type for the group. 5. DiskXtender moves files to the media until the media is considered full. 6. The full media remains in the media group. This enables continued access to the files on the media. 7. (Optional) If necessary, rename the media. Renaming media on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

117 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices 8. (Optional) If the media is formatted with the UDF file system and it becomes corrupt, you can attempt to repair the media by using Check Disk. Repairing corrupt media on page 133 provides instructions. 9. (Optional) To reuse the media, compact and reformat the media. This may be necessary if there is an excessive amount of wasted space on the media. Reusing media on page 134 provides instructions. 10. If the media is DVD-R, finalize the media when it becomes full to stabilize the media and purge the files from the extended drive. Finalizing DVD-R media on page 141 provides details. 11. (Optional) If you no longer need the files that have been migrated to the media, or if you want to move the files to a different piece or type of media, remove the media from the media group. There are two ways to remove media from a media group: To copy the files on the media back to the extended drive and move the files to other media, compact the media. The media is automatically removed from the media group during compaction. Removing media but keeping the files on the drive on page 231 provides instructions. To remove the files on the media from the extended drive altogether, remove the media from the media group. Removing media and removing its files from the drive on page 233 provides instructions. 12. (Optional) Deallocate the media from the extended drive, and delete it from the media service. Deallocating media from an extended drive on page 143 provides instructions. 13. (Optional) Remove the media from the hardware device. Removing media from a MediaStor library on page 145 provides instructions. Inserting removable media into a MediaStor library Some library models have individual procedures for inserting media, such as opening up a door to place media into the shelves. This type of library also requires the library be taken offline while media is inserted, and then set online and inventoried after the media is in place. For information about inserting media into a library, refer to the individual library documentation. If the library supports it, you can insert media by using the Insert Library Media function available in MediaStor. Note: If you have a tape library, do not insert a data cartridge into a shelf that is reserved for cleaning cartridges. To insert media into a library: 1. If necessary, set the library offline in the MediaStor Administrator by right-clicking the library and selecting Set Offline. 2. In the MediaStor Administrator, right-click the library and select Manage Media. The Manage Library Media dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 43 on page 118. Managing the lifecycle of removable media 117

118 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Figure 43 Manage Library Media dialog box 3. Click Insert. The Insert Library Media dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 44 on page 118. Figure 44 Insert Library Media dialog box 4. Choose whether to insert the media to specific shelves or to the first available shelves: To insert media to specific shelves, select Insert media to specified shelves, and then type the shelf numbers in the Shelves text box. To automatically insert media to available shelves, select Insert media to first available shelves, and then type the number of the shelves in the Quantity text box. 5. Click OK. 6. Insert the media into the library, and then click OK on the confirmation message. 7. If necessary, set the library online again by using the instructions in Setting the library online and inventorying the library on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

119 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Allocating removable media to an extended drive The following topics provide instructions for allocating removable media to an extended drive from either the MediaStor or ACSLS media service. Allocating MediaStor media to an extended drive When you configure a MediaStor media service in the File System Manager Administrator, all of the media in the hardware devices configured in MediaStor are available for allocation, as long as they have not already been allocated to another extended drive. To allocate MediaStor media to an extended drive: 1. From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Configure Media Services. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears. 2. Ensure that the MediaStor media service is online. If the media service is not online, select the media service and click Set Online. 3. Select the media service and click Properties. The Media Service Properties dialog box appears. 4. Click the Media List tab, which is illustrated in Figure 45 on page 119. Figure 45 MediaStor Media Service Properties dialog box Media List tab Media that is not yet allocated to an extended drive appears with no entry in the Application Pool column. 5. Select the media and click Allocate. The Select Extended Drive dialog box appears, listing all available extended drives. 6. Select the extended drive and click OK. 7. Click OK on the Media Service Properties dialog box. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears. 8. Click Close. Managing the lifecycle of removable media 119

120 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Note: To allocate media to a DiskXtender extended drive from the MediaStor Administrator, select the media from the Scratch Pool and drag it to the application pool for the extended drive. Allocating ACSLS media to an extended drive To allocate media in a Sun StorageTek library to an extended drive: 1. Log in to the ACSLS server as acsss. The ACSSS Console, the ACSSS Command Processor Window, and the Event Log Tail Window appear. Note: If the ACSSS Console does not appear automatically, right-click the background and select Terminal from the Tools menu. 2. In the ACSSS Command Processor Window, type the following command and press Enter: set owner "DX_ServerName_DriveLetter" VOL MediaRange where ServerName is the name of the DiskXtender server, DriveLetter is the letter of the extended drive to which you are assigning the media, and MediaRange is the range of media numbers to assign. The command should look similar to this: set owner "DX_XtenderServer_E" VOL Formatting and labeling removable media Removable media must be formatted with a supported file system and labeled by DiskXtender before you can add it to a media group and begin migrating files to the media. The following topics provide details: Understanding media formatting on page 120 Understanding media labeling on page 121 Supported file systems on page 121 Choosing a file system on page 123 Deciding whether to format or label media on page 123 Choosing a format and label method on page 124 Formatting and labeling with the Media Prepare Manager on page 125 Assigning the Format and Label media tasks on page 129 Automatically labeling media and adding it to a media group on page 131 Understanding media formatting Formatting verifies the integrity of a piece of removable media, and makes it available for use with system hardware. It prepares the media for file writes by creating the specified file system on the media. You can format new (unformatted) media, or reformat media that has previously been formatted for the same or another file system (except for DVD-R and WORM media types, which you can format only once). DiskXtender allows you to low-level SCSI format media that supports it. For media that does not support low-level SCSI formatting, such as DVD-R, this option is unavailable. 120 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

121 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Note: Formatting double-sided optical media in a stand-alone drive formats only one side of the media. You must dismount, flip, and format the reverse side as well. To avoid confusion, always format both sides of double-sided media at the same time. Understanding media labeling When you label a piece of media, you assign a name to the media. This label, along with the serial number that is automatically assigned to the media during labeling, enable DiskXtender to track the media. Use a unique label for each piece of media to enable easy identification of the media in the File System Manager Administrator. Media labels can include alphanumeric (a-z or 0-9) characters or the following special characters: $! - _ % and #. The recommended approach is to use a descriptive prefix (or set of prefixes) and a sequence number that represents the order of the media in the group. The sequence number could optionally reflect the side of media (for example, 1, 2, 3 or 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B). Supported file systems Table 11 DiskXtender can write files to and read files from removable media that is formatted with either the OTG file system or the UDF file system. Table 11 on page 121 lists the file systems that DiskXtender supports for each type of media. FIle system support by media type Media type DVD-R Supported file systems UDF DVD-RAM OTG UDF Magneto-optical (MO) OTG UDF MO WORM OTG UDF Tape Tape-WORM OTG OTG UDO (UDO1, UDO2) OTG UDF UDO WORM (UDO1 WORM, UDO2 WORM)) OTG UDF Note: DVD-ROM can be read by DiskXtender only if it is written by using the UDF file system. DVD-ROM must be created in another system. DiskXtender cannot write to DVD-ROM. Managing the lifecycle of removable media 121

122 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices OTG file systems OTG file systems are installed with DiskXtender and are optimized for DiskXtender media performance. Table 12 on page 122 lists the two subsystems for the OTG file system and the media types that support them. Table 12 Subsystems for the OTG file system Subsystem Media types OSS (Optical Storage Subsystem) MO MO WORM UDO UDO WORM DVD-RAM TSS (Tape Storage Subsystem) Tape Tape-WORM OTG file systems are sequential, meaning that files are written contiguously from the beginning to the end of each piece of media, with single-seek read and write access. As a result, runtime overhead is very low and data is sequentially organized, enhancing overall performance. When you edit a file that has been written to media formatted with an OTG file system, DiskXtender does not edit the file data on the media. Instead, when a file is edited, the file is written as a new file to the next blank area on the media, and the file tag on the extended drive is updated to point to the new file. The old file data still remains on the media, but is orphaned. The only exception to this is when a file is renamed on rewritable media. In that case, the file trailer on the media, where the filename is kept, is updated to reflect the new filename. When you delete a file that has been written to media that has been formatted with the OTG file system, the file and its data are deleted only from the extended drive. They are not removed from the media. Deleting the file on the extended drive removes the file tag, which contains the location information for the file on the media. Without the file tag, DiskXtender can no longer track that file on the media (even though the data is still there), and the file on the media is orphaned. UDF file systems DiskXtender meets the specifications (version 2.01) laid out for the UDF (Universal Disk Format) file system by the Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA), a nonprofit international trade association. For more information on OSTA, refer to the OSTA website. UDF is intended to enable file interchange between different operating systems. There are two types of UDF file systems: overwritable and sequential. Table 13 on page 122 lists the two UDF file systems and the media types that support them. Table 13 UDF file systems UDF file system Media types Overwritable MO UDO DVD-RAM Sequential DVD-R MO WORM UDO WORM 122 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

123 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices With the overwritable UDF file system, DiskXtender writes files to any available location on the media and can overwrite and delete files. With the sequential UDF file system, DiskXtender writes files in sequential order on the media, and does not edit files. Instead, DiskXtender adds edited files as new files to the next blank space on the media (functioning much like the OTG file system described above). In addition, when you delete a file that has been written to media formatted with the UDF sequential file system, the file and its data are deleted only from the extended drive and are not removed from the media. Deleting the file on the extended drive removes the file tag, which contains the location information for the file on the media. Without the file tag, DiskXtender can no longer track that file on the media (even though the data is still there), and the file is orphaned. Note: When writing to media that is formatted with the UDF file system, DiskXtender supports a shorter path and filename than the extended drive supports. DiskXtender supports 259 UTF-16 characters on the extended drive, but only 127 UTF-16 characters when writing files to media with the UDF file system. Path and filename length limitations on page 174 provides details. Choosing a file system In general, if media portability (the ability to read from and write to media outside of DiskXtender) is a concern, choose the UDF file system. In addition, there are some operations (deletions, renaming of files and directories, and file attribute changes) that are allowed for media with one file system but not the other. Expectations for files migrated to removable media on page 147 provides details. Deciding whether to format or label media After you insert media in to a hardware device and allocate it to an extended drive, the File System Manager Administrator assists you in determining whether the media needs to be formatted or labeled. Allocated media appears under a node in the Available Media tree, as illustrated in Figure 46 on page 123. Figure 46 Available Media tree Managing the lifecycle of removable media 123

124 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Table 14 on page 124 lists the status of the media, depending on the Available Media tree node under which it is listed. Table 14 Status of media in the Available Media tree Available Media tree node Media status Required steps for the media Original Copy Duplicate Blank Media has been formatted and labeled. Media is a copy of a piece of original media, with the same data but a different serial number. Media has the same serial number as another piece of media. Media has been formatted but not yet labeled. Media can be added to a media group for file migration and file fetches. DiskXtender updates the media as necessary to ensure that it matches the original. The copy can be promoted to an original if the original becomes unreadable. Copying removable media on page 370 provides instructions for copying media. The presence of duplicate media likely indicates a problem in the system. Contact EMC Customer Service by using the Powerlink website for assistance. Label the media to make it a piece of original media, or label it as a copy of a piece of original media. You can also reformat the media. Note: DiskXtender automatically inventories new MO WORM media as blank media for the OTG file system. You can format new MO WORM media only to use the UDF file system. Foreign Unknown Media has been formatted for a file system that is not supported for that media type. DiskXtender does not recognize the media. If DiskXtender supports the type of media, format foreign media with a supported file system, and then label the media. The problem could be an unsupported media type or an unsupported file system. Ensure that the media type is supported, and format the media with a supported file system. Then label the media. Unformatted Media is not formatted. Format and label the media. Corrupt DiskXtender recognizes the media but cannot use it because of problems with the media itself. Media corruption most often occurs as a result of a power failure while files are being written to the media. Perform a Check Disk media task on the media to attempt to find and repair the errors. Choosing a format and label method There are several ways to format and label media in DiskXtender. The most efficient method depends on the status of the media and the number of media that need to be formatted and labeled: To format and label multiple pieces of unformatted media at once, use the Media Prepare Manager. Formatting and labeling with the Media Prepare Manager on page 125 provides details. Note: The Media Prepare Manager is available only for media in a library configured through the MediaStor media service. To format and label a single piece of unformatted media, assign the Format and Label media tasks to the media. Assigning the Format and Label media tasks on page 129 provides details. 124 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

125 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices To format but not label a single piece or multiple pieces of unformatted media, assign a Format media task to the media. You can then enable automatic labeling of the media through a media group, or you can label the media individually later by assigning a Label media task. Assigning the Format and Label media tasks on page 129 and Automatically labeling media and adding it to a media group on page 131 provide details. To label a single piece of blank media, assign a Label media task. Assigning the Format and Label media tasks on page 129 provides details. To set up automatic labeling and addition of blank media to a media group, use the Automation tab of the Media Group Properties dialog box. Automatically labeling media and adding it to a media group on page 131 provides details. Formatting and labeling with the Media Prepare Manager To format and label multiple pieces of media at one time by using the Media Prepare Manager: 1. From the Tools menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Media Prepare Manager. The Media Prepare Manager Select Library page appears, as illustrated in Figure 47 on page 125. Figure 47 Media Prepare Manager Select Library page Managing the lifecycle of removable media 125

126 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices 2. Select the library that contains the media and click Next. The Media Prepare Manager Select Media page appears, as illustrated in Figure 48 on page 126. Figure 48 Media Prepare Manager Select Media page Note: Double-sided media do not appear in the list if either side of the media is not available for format and/or label (for example, one side is assigned to a media group, while the other side is not). 3. Select the media and click Next. The Media Prepare Manager Format page appears, as shown in Figure 49 on page 126. Figure 49 Media Prepare Manager Format page 126 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

127 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices 4. Choose whether to format the media: If the media is already formatted, choose Do not format selected media. To format the media, choose Format selected media with the following options, and then select the format criteria: a. Select a file system from the drop-down list. b. Choose whether to perform a low-level SCSI format or a quick format by selecting or clearing the Force low-level SCSI format checkbox. Select the checkbox to perform a low-level SCSI format when media has repeatedly failed for the current drive type due to media errors, or if the media is unformatted DVD-RAM that is not pre-certified. Leave the checkbox clear to perform a quick format if the media is preformatted or if the media has been previously low-level formatted for the current drive type. A quick format clears the file table of all pointers to files on the media, but not the actual information on the media. c. If the library and file system support it, choose whether to enable compression for the media. When you select this option, files are compressed when they are written to the media, enabling you to conserve storage media space in some cases. d. If you are formatting the media in a Quantum DLT-S4 drive, choose whether to format the tape media as tape-worm by selecting or clearing the Convert this media to WORM checkbox. This option is available only with a Quantum DLT-S4 drive. Note: The conversion can occur only on unformatted tape media. Once the tape has been formatted and converted to tape-worm, it cannot be converted back to tape. However, you can convert reformatted tape to tape-worm. 5. Click Next. The Media Prepare Manager Label page appears, as shown in Figure 50 on page 127. Figure 50 Media Prepare Manager Label page Managing the lifecycle of removable media 127

128 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices 6. Choose whether to label the media: If you do not want to label the media, choose Do not label selected media. To label the media, select Label selected media, and then select the label criteria: a. Choose whether to use barcodes. If barcodes are not available on the system, select Use standard method to label media based on a label prefix and number width. If barcodes are available on the system, and if you want DiskXtender to generate labels for media based on these barcodes, select Use barcode. To determine if the library supports barcode labeling, refer to the documentation for the library. b. If you use a standard labeling convention, type a prefix to be used for naming each piece of media in the Label Prefix text box. Understanding media labeling on page 121 provides recommendations for label naming conventions. c. In the Start Number text box, type the number at which the label should start. d. From the Number Width drop-down list, select the number of digits to be used to create the incremental numbering for the media label. DiskXtender adds the number (starting with the value in the Start Number text box) to the prefix to create the name for each added piece of media. The Sample Name text box provides an example of what the media name will look like based on the prefix and number width criteria you set. 7. Click Next. The Media Prepare Manager Schedule page appears, as shown in Figure 51 on page 128. Figure 51 Media Prepare Manager Schedule page 128 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

129 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices 8. Choose when to format and/or label the media; either as soon as possible or when the media task schedule is active. 9. Click Next. 10. Review the summary information and click Finish. Assigning the Format and Label media tasks To assign the Format and/or Label media tasks to a piece of media: 1. Select the media to format and/or label. Note: You can assign the Format task to multiple pieces of media at once. However, you can assign the Label task to only one piece of media at a time. As a result, you can assign both tasks at once to only a single piece of media. 2. Right-click the media and select Edit Tasks. 3. To format the media, select FORMAT from the Next Task drop-down list, and then click Add Next Task. Otherwise, proceed to step 9. The Format task appears in the task list of the Media Tasks dialog box, as illustrated in Figure 52 on page 129. Figure 52 Format media task 4. From the File System drop-down list, select the file system with which to format the media. If the media is already formatted with a supported file system, the file system is selected automatically in the File System drop-down list. Otherwise, the default file system, which is the OTG file system, is selected. Managing the lifecycle of removable media 129

130 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices 5. Choose whether to perform a low-level SCSI format or a quick format by selecting or clearing the Force low-level SCSI format checkbox: Select the checkbox to perform a low-level SCSI format when media has repeatedly failed for the current drive type due to media errors, or if the media is unformatted DVD-RAM that is not pre-certified. Leave the checkbox clear to perform a quick format if the media is preformatted or if the media has been previously low-level SCSI formatted for the current drive type. A quick format clears the file table of all pointers to files on the media, but not the actual information on the media. 6. If the library and file system support it, choose whether to compress files that are written to the media by selecting or clearing the checkbox. 7. To format a piece of tape media as tape-worm, select the Convert this media to WORM checkbox. This option is available only if you are formatting the media in a Quantum DLT-S4 drive. The conversion can occur only on unformatted tape media. Once the tape has been formatted and converted to tape-worm, it cannot be converted back to tape. However, you can convert reformatted tape to tape-worm. 8. Choose whether to process the media task as soon as possible or when the next media task schedule is active. By default, the media task schedule is active at the same time as the file migration schedule (daily from 8 P.M. to 8 A.M). You can change the schedule by using the instructions in Scheduling file migration on page Select LABEL from the Next Task drop-down list, and then click Add Next Task. The Label task appears in the task list of the Media Tasks dialog box, as illustrated in Figure 53 on page 130. Figure 53 Label media task after Format media task 10. Type a label for the media in the Media Name text box. 11. In the When To Process section of the Media Tasks dialog box, choose the same scheduling option that you selected for the Format media task. 130 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

131 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices 12. (Optional) To add the media to a media group after it is labeled, assign an Add to Media Group media task to the media: a. Select ADD TO MEDIA GROUP from the Next Task drop-down list, and then click Add Next Task. The Add to Media Group task appears below the Label task in the task list of the Media Tasks dialog box. b. From the Media Folder drop-down list, select the media folder containing the media group to which the media should be added. c. From the Media Group drop-down list, select the media group to which the media should be added. d. In the When To Process section of the Media Tasks dialog box, choose the same scheduling option that you selected for the Format and Label media tasks. 13. Click Next. The Order Media in Task Queue page appears with the recently added media at the bottom of the media task queue list. 14. (Optional) Promote or demote the media in the list to change the order in which tasks are processed by clicking the up or down arrow to the right of the list box. 15. Click Finish. All media with tasks assigned appear in the Media Task Queue Manager until they are processed. Media with tasks selected to process as soon as possible may appear only briefly in the queue before the processing completes. Automatically labeling media and adding it to a media group The Automation page for media groups enables you to automatically label blank media and add it to the media group when the amount of free space on media in the group falls below a configured threshold. To configure automatic labeling of media for a media group: 1. On the Automation page for the media group, select Auto-label blank media when free space falls below MB, as illustrated in Figure 54 on page 132. Managing the lifecycle of removable media 131

132 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Figure 54 Media group Automation page 2. Choose whether to use a standard labeling method or barcodes: To use a standard method: a. Select Use standard method. b. In the Label Prefix text box, type a prefix for the media label. c. From the Number Width drop-down list, select the number of digits to be used to create the incremental numbering for the media label. The Sample Name text box provides an example of the label based on the prefix and number width criteria you set. For example, if you type Payroll as the prefix and select a number width of 3, then the label for the first piece of media is Payroll001, the second is Payroll002, and so forth. To use barcodes, select Use barcode. 3. If there are multiple libraries configured and you want to limit the selection of blank media for the media group to a single library, select the Restrict blank media search to this library check box, and then select the library from the drop-down list. 132 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

133 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Renaming media You can rename media through the Administrator without the Format and Label media tasks. The following topics provide details. What happens when you rename a piece of media Renaming a piece of rewritable media changes the label identifier on the media itself. Renaming a piece of write-once (non-rewritable) media only changes the reference that DiskXtender uses, and is therefore temporary. In other words, the name on the media itself does not change. Non-rewritable media reverts to its original label the next time you inventory the media. Renaming a piece of media does not affect the files or directories on the media. Note: Renaming original media does not rename any copy media associated with the original. The copies are updated, but the media names no longer match. In addition, you cannot rename copy media. How to rename a piece of media To rename media: 1. Right-click the media and select Rename. The media name appears highlighted in the tree view. 2. Type a new name for the media, and then press Enter. Repairing corrupt media If media is formatted with the UDF file system and the media becomes corrupt, you can run the Check Disk media task to attempt to repair the media. Corrupt media is listed in the Corrupt node of the Available Media tree in the File System Manager Administrator. For MO, MO WORM, UDO, UDO WORM, and DVD-RAM media formatted with the OTG file system, the Check Disk media task performs a scan of DiskXtender file tags. To assign a Check Disk media task: 1. Right-click the piece of media and select Edit Tasks. 2. Select the task from the Next Task drop-down list, and then click Add Next Task. The Check Disk task appears in the task list of the Media Tasks dialog box, as illustrated in Figure 55 on page 134. Managing the lifecycle of removable media 133

134 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Figure 55 Check Disk media task 3. Choose whether to report errors to the media log or to both report and fix any errors that are found. 4. Choose whether to process the media task as soon as possible or when the next media task schedule is active. By default, the media task schedule is active at the same time as the file migration schedule (daily from 8 P.M. to 8 A.M). You can change the schedule by using the instructions in Scheduling file migration on page Click Next. The Order Media in Task Queue page appears with the recently added media at the bottom of the media task queue list. 6. (Optional) Promote or demote the media in the list to change the order in which tasks are processed by clicking the up or down arrow to the right of the list box. 7. Click Finish. All media with tasks assigned appear in the Media Task Queue Manager until they are processed. Media with tasks selected to process as soon as possible may appear only briefly in the queue before the processing completes. Reusing media To ensure the most efficient use of media, you may want to eliminate wasted space on the media by compacting and reformatting the media. The following topics provide details: When media reuse is necessary on page 135 Understanding the media reuse process on page 135 Automatically reusing media on page 136 Monitoring and manually reusing media on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

135 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices When media reuse is necessary DiskXtender writes files sequentially to most removable media types. When you edit a file on the extended drive that has been written sequentially to rewritable media, DiskXtender does not edit the file data on the media. Instead, when a migrated file is edited, the file is written as a new file to the next blank area on the media, and the file tag on the extended drive is updated to point to the new file. The old file data still remains on the media, but is orphaned. This is true for DVD-RAM, MO, UDO, and tape media. Similarly, when you delete a file that has been written sequentially to these media types, the file and its data are deleted only from the extended drive and are not removed from the media. Deleting the file on the extended drive removes the file tag, which contains the location information for the file on the media. Without the file tag, DiskXtender can no longer track that file on the media (even though the data is still there), and the file is orphaned. The only exception to this is when a file is renamed on rewritable media. In that case, the file trailer on the rewritable media, where the filename is kept, is updated to reflect the new filename. The space taken up by older versions of files and deleted files is wasted space on the media. Understanding the media reuse process on page 135 provides details on how to reuse the media and minimize the amount of wasted space. Understanding the media reuse process You can reclaim this wasted space on media and use the media more efficiently by: 1. Returning all valid versions of files to the extended drive through compaction. 2. Rewriting the files to another piece of media. 3. Reformatting the media. 4. Writing new files to the media. When you compact a piece of media, DiskXtender evaluates each file on the media. If there is a file tag on the extended drive for a file on the piece of media, the file data is copied back to the extended drive and the migration information for the file is removed. In this way, the file appears as if it has never been migrated to media.! IMPORTANT If you allow folder renames on media that does not support folder renames, then do not compact the media. Data loss might occur because DiskXtender will not find the corresponding file tags on the extended drive, so the files will not be copied back to the drive. DiskXtender then evaluates the file against configured move rules. Because the files have already been written to media once, they usually qualify for migration as soon as they are copied back to the extended drive. This means that the files are migrated back to media as soon as the file migration schedule is active (and a background scan occurs, if an age delay is configured for the assigned move rules). When DiskXtender finishes evaluating each file on a piece of media during compaction, the media is automatically removed from the media group to which it is assigned. The media can then be reformatted, labeled, and assigned to a media group. This enables DiskXtender to begin migrating new files to the media. Managing the lifecycle of removable media 135

136 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Note: You can compact other removable media types, including DVD-R, MO WORM, UDO WORM, and tape-worm. However, you cannot reformat those media types. After the files are copied back to the extended drive through compaction and the media is removed from its media group, it remains assigned to the extended drive. The files also remain on the media. You can deallocate the media and remove it from the system. If you add the media to a media group again instead, the files are restored again to the extended drive, and DiskXtender continues writing files to the media from the point at which it last stopped. As a result, you cannot reuse these media types. You can configure DiskXtender to automatically reuse media based on the amount of wasted space on the media. You can also monitor the media by using DiskXtender reports, and then manually perform the steps to reuse the media at the appropriate time. Automatically reusing media If you use DVD-RAM, MO, UDO, or tape media in a device configured as part of a MediaStor media service, then you can configure DiskXtender to automatically compact a piece of media, reformat it, re-label it, and re-add it to a media group. This automatic reuse occurs based on the percentage of wasted space on the media, and is configured by using media group automation features. After the automatic compaction, media is reformatted with the same file system that was originally on the media. It is then labeled based on the configured label specifications, and added to the same media group. To configure automatic reuse of DVD-RAM, MO, UDO, or tape media: 1. Ensure that there is sufficient free space on the extended drive to accommodate the files that are written back to the extended drive during compaction. At a minimum, the equivalent of one side of the media should be available. If you use media compression, then keep in mind that you may need as much as four times the amount of space on one side of the media. Purge inactive data to free space on the extended drive, as discussed in Chapter 10, Purging Files. 2. When configuring a media group with removable media, select Auto-label blank media when free space falls below MB in the Media Labeling section on the Automation page, as illustrated in Figure 56 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

137 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Figure 56 Media group Automation page 3. Choose whether to use a standard labeling method or barcodes: To use a standard method: a. Select Use standard method. b. In the Label Prefix text box, type a prefix for the media label. c. From the Number Width drop-down list, select the number of digits to be used to create the incremental numbering for the media label. The Sample Name text box provides an example of the label based on the prefix and number width criteria you set. For example, if you type Payroll as the prefix and select a number width of 3, the label for the first piece of media is Payroll001, the second is Payroll002, and so forth. To use barcodes, select Use barcode. 4. If there are multiple libraries configured and you want to limit the selection of blank media for the media group to a single library, select the Restrict blank media search to this library checkbox, and then select the library from the drop-down list. 5. In the Media Compaction section, select Auto-compact media when wasted space exceeds %, and the type the percentage of wasted space that must be on the media before DiskXtender automatically compacts the media. Note: If media compaction fails, some, all, or none of the files from the media might have been moved back to the extended drive. If you can determine the cause of the compaction failure, make the appropriate adjustments and reschedule the compaction. The compaction process starts over, but any files already copied back to the extended drive are not duplicated. In addition, all files that have been compacted are re-migrated to media as they qualify for movement. Managing the lifecycle of removable media 137

138 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Monitoring and manually reusing media If you use DVD-RAM, MO, UDO, or tape media, then you can monitor the status of an individual piece of media. When the amount of wasted space on the media reaches a certain point, you can assign media tasks to compact the media, reformat it, and re-label it. You can then re-add it to a media group and begin migrating files to it. To monitor and manually reuse a piece of media: 1. Monitor the properties for the media on a regular basis to determine the amount of wasted space on the media: a. Right-click the piece of media and select Properties. The Media Properties dialog box appears. b. Click the Location tab. c. Make a note of the Byte Count value in the Extended Drive section. This is the amount of space in bytes on the extended drive that is occupied by files that have been written to the media. d. Click the Space tab. e. Make a note of the Used Space value in the Logical Capacity section. This is the amount of data in bytes that has been written to the media. f. Divide the byte count on the extended drive by the used space on the media to determine the percentage of wasted space on the media. g. If the percentage is high, proceed with the rest of this procedure to reuse the media. The default percentage of wasted space at which DiskXtender initiates media reuse as part of the media group automation process is 50 percent. 2. Right-click the piece of media and select Edit Tasks. 3. Select COMPACT from the Next Task drop-down list, and then click Add Next Task. The Compact task appears in the task list of the Media Tasks dialog box, as illustrated in Figure 57 on page 138. Figure 57 Compact media task 138 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

139 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices 4. Choose whether to process the media task as soon as possible or when the next media task schedule is active. By default, the media task schedule is active at the same time as the file migration schedule (daily from 8 P.M. to 8 A.M). You can change the schedule by using the instructions in Scheduling file migration on page Select FORMAT from the Next Task drop-down list, and then click Add Next Task. The Format task appears below the Compact task in the task list of the Media Tasks dialog box, as illustrated in Figure 58 on page 139. Figure 58 Format media task after Compact media task 6. From the File System drop-down list, select the file system with which to format the media. 7. Leave the Force low-level SCSI format checkbox clear to perform a quick format on the media. A low-level SCSI format is not necessary. 8. If the library and file system support it, choose whether to enable compression for the media by selecting or clearing the checkbox. 9. To reformat a piece of tape media as tape-worm, select the Convert this media to WORM checkbox. This option is available only if you are formatting the media in a Quantum DLT-S4 drive. Note: Once tape has been formatted and converted to tape-worm, it cannot be converted back to tape. However, a tape can be reformatted and converted to tape-worm. 10. In the When To Process section of the Media Tasks dialog box, choose the same scheduling option that you selected for the Compact media task. 11. Select LABEL from the Next Task drop-down list, and then click Add Next Task. The Label task appears below the Format task in the task list of the Media Tasks dialog box, as illustrated in Figure 59 on page 140. Managing the lifecycle of removable media 139

140 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Figure 59 Label media task after Compact and Format media tasks 12. Type a label for the media in the Media Name text box. 13. In the When To Process section of the Media Tasks dialog box, choose the same scheduling option that you selected for the Compact and Format media tasks. 14. Click Next. The Order Media in Task Queue page appears with the recently added media at the bottom of the media task queue list. 15. (Optional) Promote or demote the media in the list to change the order in which tasks are processed by clicking the up or down arrow to the right of the list box. 16. Click Finish. All media with tasks assigned appear in the Media Task Queue Manager until they are processed. Media with tasks selected to process as soon as possible may appear only briefly in the queue before the processing completes. 17. Add the media to a media group as discussed in Adding media to a standard media group on page 215. Troubleshooting a Compact media task When you run a Compact media task, you might encounter the following issues: Extended drive space issues If, during the processing of the Compact task, the extended drive becomes so full as to not be able to receive any more files, the Compact task goes into a suspended state for one hour. In addition, no other Compact tasks for other media are processed until the original hour (for which the attempted Compact task was suspended) has expired. After an hour has passed, DiskXtender retries the original compaction, and if the task is successful, processes any remaining Compact tasks. This suspension of all Compact tasks enables DiskXtender to move and purge files to clear needed extended drive space, and it ensures that drives, which might be needed to complete other media functions, are not being used to attempt Compact tasks that can not succeed until there is sufficient space on the extended drive. 140 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

141 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Compact task failure If a Compact media task fails, some, all, or none of the files from the media might have been moved back to the extended drive. If you can determine the cause of the compaction failure, make the appropriate adjustments and reschedule the compaction. The compaction process starts over, but any files already copied back to the extended drive are not duplicated. In addition, all files that have been compacted are re-migrated to media as they qualify for movement. Finalizing DVD-R media If you are finished writing files to a piece of DVD-R media, you can finalize the media. Finalization is a process of closing the media, making it read-only and preventing DiskXtender from writing any more files to it. Finalizing media makes the media more stable, better protecting the data on the media. It also enables the media to be taken out of the DiskXtender system and read on a computer with the Windows XP, Windows 2003, or Windows Server 2008 operating system. Finalizing media enables the files written to that media to be purged from the extended drive. Those files are not purged until the media is finalized, due to the potential instability of unfinalized media. There are two ways to set up finalization of media: Set up automated finalization of full media through the media group options. Assign the Finalize media task. If you have copies of the media, DiskXtender automatically finalizes the copy after it is updated. DiskXtender recognizes that the original is finalized, and therefore no more updates are made to the original, meaning no more updates are made to the copy. Automatically finalizing DVD-R media DiskXtender can automatically finalize DVD-R media when it is marked as full. Media is marked as full when it reaches the free space threshold configured on the Mark media full when free space falls below option for a media group. By default, this threshold is 1 MB. The Auto-finalize DVD+/-R media after marking full option, also available on the Options page for media groups, causes DiskXtender to automatically assign the Finalize media task after it reaches the free space threshold. You can also choose whether to automatically purge all files on the media after it has been finalized, as well as whether to mark the files for Direct Read. To enable automatic finalization: 1. When configuring a DVD-R media group, select Auto-finalize DVD+/-R media after marking full from the list on the Options page. 2. Choose the auto-finalization option. 3. (Optional) To automatically purge files after the media is finalized, select Purge files after auto-finalizing media from the list on the Options page, and then choose the Purge option. If you do not automatically purge the files after the media is finalized, the files are purged according to configured purge rules. Managing the lifecycle of removable media 141

142 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Chapter 10, Purging Files, provides details on choosing an appropriate purge strategy for your environment. 4. (Optional) To automatically mark purged files for Direct Read after the media is finalized, select Direct read files after auto-finalizing media from the list on the Options page, and then choose the Direct Read option. Direct Read is strongly discouraged in most environments. Review the recommendations in Reading files directly from media on page 295 before enabling this option. Manually finalizing DVD-R media To manually finalize a piece of media by assigning a Finalize media task: 1. Right-click the piece of media and select Edit Tasks. 2. Select the task from the Next Task drop-down list, and then click Add Next Task. The Finalize task appears in the task list of the Media Tasks dialog box, as shown in Figure 60 on page 142. Figure 60 Finalize media task 3. Choose whether to purge the file data for the files written to the media immediately upon finalization by selecting or clearing the Purge Files checkbox. If you leave the checkbox clear, the files remain on the extended drive until they qualify for configured purge rules. Chapter 10, Purging Files, provides details on choosing an appropriate purge strategy for your environment. 4. Choose whether to set the Direct Read attribute for the piece of media by selecting or clearing the Direct Read checkbox. Direct Read is strongly discouraged in most environments. Review the recommendations in Reading files directly from media on page 295 before selecting this option. 5. Choose whether to process the media task as soon as possible or when the next media task schedule is active. 142 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

143 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices By default, the media task schedule is active at the same time as the file migration schedule (daily from 8 P.M. to 8 A.M). You can change the schedule by using the instructions in Scheduling file migration on page Click Next. The Order Media in Task Queue page appears with the recently added media at the bottom of the media task queue list. 7. (Optional) Promote or demote the media in the list to change the order in which tasks are processed by clicking the up or down arrow to the right of the list box. 8. Click Finish. All media with tasks assigned appear in the Media Task Queue Manager until they are processed. Media with tasks selected to process as soon as possible may appear only briefly in the queue before the processing completes.! IMPORTANT If the Finalize task fails, do not attempt to retry the task. Media that fails finalization might have a problem that will require it to be removed from the system. If you remove media that has failed finalization, the files are demigrated (migration information is stripped from them so that they appear as if they have not been migrated), making them eligible for remigration to other media. Deallocating media from an extended drive The following topics provide instructions for deallocating removable media from an extended drive when you use either the MediaStor or the ACSLS media service. Deallocating MediaStor media from an extended drive To deallocate MediaStor media: 1. From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Configure Media Services. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears. 2. Ensure that the MediaStor media service is online. If the media service is not online, select the media service and click Set Online. 3. Select the media service and click Properties. The Media Service Properties dialog box appears. 4. Click the Media List tab. 5. Select the media and click Deallocate. 6. Click OK on the Media Service Properties dialog box. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears. 7. Click Close. Note: To deallocate media from a DiskXtender extended drive by using the MediaStor Administrator, select the media from its application pool and drag it to the Scratch Pool. Managing the lifecycle of removable media 143

144 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Deallocating ACSLS media from an extended drive To deallocate ACSLS media from an extended drive, reassign that media back to the ACSLS system (making ACSLS the owner of the media). Enter all commands for deallocating ACSLS media on the UNIX server where ACSLS is installed. To assign media back to the ACSLS system: 1. In the ACSSS Console, change to the appropriate directory. Type the following command and press Enter: cd /export/home/acsss/data/external/volrpt 2. In the ACSSS Console, request owner information to find the media to deallocate. Type the following command and press Enter: volrpt f owner_id.volrpt a x The placeholder x represents the ACS ID. A list showing the owner of each piece of media appears, as shown in the following example: VOLUME REPORT UTILITY :06:52 TOTAL VOLUMES: 2 SEQUENCE: sort by volume identifier Volume Volume Owner Label: Status: ID: VOLUME_HOME SYSTEM VOLUME_HOME DX_DXSERVER_E In this example, the media with volume label is currently unassigned. The media with volume label is currently assigned to DX_DXSERVER_E (the extended drive E on the server DXSERVER). 3. In the ACSSS Command Processor Window, assign the media to the ACSLS system. Type the following command and press Enter: set owner "System" VOL MediaRange In this command, the placeholder MediaRange represents the range of numbers for the media to deallocate. The following example assigns the media numbered from to to the system, which deallocates it from the extended drive: set owner "System" VOL When the new assignment is completed, the following message appears in the ACSSS Command Processor Window: "Set: set completed, Success." 144 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

145 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Removing media from a MediaStor library The method you use to remove a piece of media from a MediaStor library depends on whether you intend to reinsert the media at a later time: To permanently remove a piece of media, delete the media by using the instructions in Deleting media from a MediaStor library on page 145. To temporarily remove a piece of media, eject the media by using the instructions in Ejecting media from a MediaStor library on page 145. Media that has been ejected remains listed in the MediaStor and File System Manager Administrators with an offline status. If a read or write request for the media occurs, MediaStor prompts you to reinsert the media. Deleting media from a MediaStor library When you delete a piece of media, the media is ejected from the hardware device and removed from the media list in the Administrator. To delete media from media pools: 1. Ensure that the media has been deallocated and that it is listed in the Scratch Pool. Deallocating MediaStor media from an extended drive on page 143 provides instructions. 2. Set the hardware device offline by right-clicking the device and selecting Set Offline. 3. Right-click the media and select Delete. 4. Click Yes on the confirmation message. 5. Remove the media from the hardware device. If you do not remove the media from the hardware device after you delete it, it reappears in the Scratch Pool the next time you inventory the device. 6. Set the hardware device back online by right-clicking the device and selecting Set Online. Setting the library online and inventorying the library on page 104 provides instructions for proceeding. Ejecting media from a MediaStor library When you eject a piece of media, DiskXtender continues to track the media. It is listed in the Administrator with an offline status, and you are prompted to reinsert the media if a read or write request occurs. Note: If a library has no mailslot, special considerations for ejecting media apply. Set the library offline before you manually remove media from the shelf or magazine. After you remove the media, set the library back online and reinventory the library. To eject media from a library: 1. In the MediaStor Administrator, right-click the library in the Hardware tree and select Manage Media. The Manage Library Media dialog box appears. 2. Click Eject. The Eject Library Media dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 61 on page 146. Managing the lifecycle of removable media 145

146 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Figure 61 Eject Library Media dialog box Note: If specific shelves are selected in the Manage Library Media dialog box when you click Eject, MediaStor automatically enables the Eject media from specified shelves option and automatically enters those shelf numbers in the Shelves text box. 3. Select the media to eject: To eject media from specific shelves, select Eject media from specified shelves, and then type the shelf numbers in the Shelves text box. To eject the least frequently used pieces of media, select Eject least-used media, and then type the number of pieces of media in the Quantity text box. 4. Click OK. A message similar to the following appears: Please remove media from the mailslot. 5. Remove the media from the library, and then click OK. 146 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

147 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Expectations for files migrated to removable media After a file is moved to removable media, the type of media and the file system on the media determine whether you can edit or delete the file. These factors also determine whether you can edit or delete the folder in which a file is located. To keep the files on the media synchronized with the extended drive, certain operations may be prohibited on the extended drive. The following topics provide details on the operations allowed for each type of removable media. Expectations for files migrated to MO and UDO media Table 15 on page 147 lists the extended drive operations that can be executed on specific types of files or folders that have been migrated to MO and UDO media formatted with either the OTG or UDF file system. Table 15 Extended drive operations for files migrated to MO and UDO media Edit Rename Set attributes Delete Move within a media folder Move outside of a media folder Files moved to MO and UDO media formatted with the OTG file system Folders with files moved to MO and UDO media formatted with the OTG file system Files moved to MO and UDO media formatted with the UDF file system Folders with files moved to MO and UDO media formatted with the UDF file system N/A N/A N/A N/A When the MO or UDO media is formatted with the UDF file system, all changes to the files and folders on the extended drive are propagated to the files and folders on the media. When the MO or UDO media is formatted with the OTG file system, file renames and attribute changes are propagated to the files on the media. However, file edits and deletions, as well as folder deletions, are not propagated. Instead, when a file is edited, the file is written as a new file to the next blank area on the media, and the file tag on the extended drive is updated to point to the new file. The old file data still remains on the media, but is orphaned. Similarly, when a file is deleted on the extended drive, the file and its data are deleted only from the extended drive. They are not removed from the media. Deleting the file on the extended drive removes the file tag, which contains the location information for the file on the media. Without the file tag, DiskXtender can no longer track that file on the media (even though the data is still there), and the file on the media is orphaned. Supported file systems on page 121 provides details on system behavior in this scenario. Expectations for files migrated to removable media 147

148 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Expectations for files migrated to MO WORM and UDO WORM media Table 16 on page 148 lists the extended drive operations that can be executed on specific types of files or folders that have been migrated to MO WORM and UDO WORM media formatted with either the OTG or UDF file system. Table 16 Extended drive operations for files migrated to MO WORM or UDO WORM media Edit Rename Set attributes Delete Move within a media folder Move outside of a media folder Files moved to MO WORM and UDO WORM media formatted with the OTG file system Folders with files moved to MO WORM and UDO WORM media formatted with the OTG file system N/A N/A Files moved to MO WORM and UDO WORM media formatted with the UDF file system Folders with files moved to MO WORM and UDO WORM media formatted with the UDF file system N/A N/A When the MO WORM or UDO WORM media is formatted with the UDF file system, file and folder deletions on the extended drive are propagated to the media. If you rename a folder or set file attributes on the extended drive, however, then the rename is not propagated. When the MO WORM or UDO WORM media is formatted with the OTG file system, file deletions and attribute changes are allowed on the extended drive. However, these operations are not propagated to the media. When a file is deleted on the extended drive, the file and its data are deleted only from the extended drive. They are not removed from the media. Deleting the file on the extended drive removes the file tag, which contains the location information for the file on the media. Without the file tag, DiskXtender can no longer track that file on the media (even though the data is still there), and the file on the media is orphaned. Supported file systems on page 121 provides details on system behavior in this scenario. Expectations for files migrated to tape or tape-worm media Table 17 on page 148 lists the extended drive operations that can be executed on specific types of files or folders that have been migrated to tape or tape-worm media. Table 17 Extended drive operations for files migrated to tape or tape-worm media Edit Rename Set attributes Delete Files moved to tape or tape-worm media Move within a media folder Move outside of a media folder Folders with files moved to tape or tape-worm media N/A N/A 148 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

149 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Attribute changes and file and folder deletions are allowed on the extended drive. However, these operations are not propagated to the media. Supported file systems on page 121 provides details on system behavior in this scenario. Expectations for files migrated to DVD media Table 18 on page 149 lists the extended drive operations that can be executed on specific types of files or folders that have been migrated to DVD media formatted with either the OTG or UDF file system. Table 18 Extended drive operations for files migrated to DVD media Edit Rename Set attributes Delete Move within a media folder Move outside of a media folder Files moved to DVD-R media (which uses the UDF file system) Folders with files moved to DVD-R media (which uses the UDF file system) Files moved to DVD-RAM media formatted with the OTG file system Folders with files moved to DVD-RAM media formatted with the OTG file system Files moved to DVD-RAM media formatted with the UDF file system Folders with files moved to DVD-RAM media formatted with the UDF file system N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Files moved to DVD-ROM media (which uses the UDF file system) Folders with files moved to DVD-ROM media (which uses the UDF file system) N/A N/A Attribute changes and file and folder deletions are allowed on the extended drive for files migrated to DVD-R and DVD-ROM media. However, these operations are not propagated to the media. When DVD-RAM media is formatted with the UDF file system, all changes to the files and folders on the extended drive are propagated to the files and folders on the media. When DVD-RAM media is formatted with the OTG file system, attribute changes are propagated to the files on the media. However, file and folder deletions are not propagated. When a file is deleted on the extended drive, the file and its data are deleted only from the extended drive. They are not removed from the media. Deleting the file on the extended drive removes the file tag, which contains the location information for the file on the media. Without the file tag, DiskXtender can no longer track that file on the media (even though the data is still there), and the file on the media is orphaned. Supported file systems on page 121 provides details on system behavior in this scenario. Expectations for files migrated to removable media 149

150 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices What happens when you edit or move files that have been migrated to removable media Keep in mind the following important points when working with files that have been moved to removable media, and the folders in which those files are located: Supported file systems on page 121 provides details on system behavior when files are edited on the extended drive. This behavior depends on the type of media to which the file has been migrated, as well as the file system on the media. If you move a purged file to another location within the same media folder by dragging and dropping the file in Microsoft Windows Explorer, then the file is fetched to the extended drive. This behavior is caused by Windows Explorer. If you move a purged file to another location within the same media folder by using the command line, then the file is not fetched. If you move a folder with purged files to another location within the same media folder, however, then the files in the folder are not fetched. 150 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

151 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Performance tuning for removable media Review the following recommendations for improving DiskXtender performance with removable media by adjusting the configuration of media folders, media groups, rules, file deletions, and service options. Media folder considerations for removable media Use extra caution when planning the directory structure and creating media folders on the extended drive. With some types of removable media, folder renames are not allowed on the extended drive. After files are moved to media, you will not be able to change the directory structure. Media group considerations for removable media When you are creating media groups, consider the following settings to optimize DiskXtender performance with removable media: To create a media group for DVD-ROM media, select DVD-R as the media type. To automatically label media and add it to the media group as space is needed, enable automatic labeling on the Automation page for the media group. Automatically labeling media and adding it to a media group on page 131 provides details. To automatically compact media based on wasted space on the media, enable automatic compaction on the Automation page for the media group. Automatically reusing media on page 136 provides details. On the Options page for the media group, review, and if necessary, adjust the options in Table 19 on page 151. Table 19 Media group options for removable media (page 1 of 2) Option Library mount - minimum free space on media (KB) Library mount - minimum number of files Media fill method Description This option controls the minimum number of KB of free space that must be available on a piece of media for DiskXtender to request that the media service mount that media to write files to it. The default value is 32 KB. This setting only controls whether DiskXtender requests the media be mounted specifically for media writes. If the media is already mounted when the file moves are activated, DiskXtender attempts to write to the media regardless of the amount of free space on the media. This option controls the minimum number of files that must be on the move list before the media in the media group is mounted for file writes. The default value is one file. This setting only controls whether DiskXtender requests the media be mounted specifically for media writes. If the media is already mounted when the file moves are activated, DiskXtender attempts to write to the media regardless of the number of files on the move list. Leave the media fill method set to sequential to fill media one at a time in the order they appear in the tree view of the File System Manager Administrator or on the Items tab of the Media Group Properties dialog box. Sequential fill is designed to maximize file retrieval times for library media. Performance tuning for removable media 151

152 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Table 19 Media group options for removable media (page 2 of 2) Option Auto-finalize DVD+/-R media after marking full Purge files after auto-finalizing media Description If you use DVD-R, this option controls whether you automatically finalize a piece of media after it is marked as full. Media is automatically marked full when the amount of free space falls below 1 MB, as configured on the Mark media full when free space falls below option for media groups. If you do not automatically finalize full media, you must manually assign a Finalize media task to the media to finalize it. Finalizing DVD-R media on page 141 provides details. If you choose to automatically finalize DVD-R media when it is full, you can automatically purge all files on the media from the extended drive after the media is finalized. Purge files automatically after finalization only if it is likely they will no longer be accessed. If users are likely to continue accessing the files on the finalized media, then configure purge rules instead to purge the files when they are no longer being used. Chapter 10, Purging Files, provides details. Note: Even if you enable automatic purging of files after finalization, you should still configure purge rules. If a purged file is fetched from finalized media, it cannot be purged again unless it qualifies for a purge rule. Direct read files after auto-finalizing media If you choose to automatically purge files after DVD-R is automatically finalized, then you can also mark those files for Direct Read. Direct Read is strongly discouraged in most environments. Review the recommendations in Reading files directly from media on page 295 before enabling this option. Move rule considerations for removable media When you are creating move rules, consider the following settings to optimize DiskXtender performance with removable media: With removable media, it is often best to set up an age restriction from last write time in the move rule. This limits the number of times frequently changing files are written and rewritten to the media. On the Settings page for the move rule, do not select the options to purge files immediately after they are moved or to set Direct Read on the files. Instead, use the purge recommendations in Purge rule considerations for removable media on page 153, and review the recommendations for when to use Direct Read in Reading files directly from media on page 295. If you use DVD-R media, the Purge files immediately after move and Mark files for direct read options on the move rule Settings page are dimmed because you cannot purge files until the media is finalized. 152 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

153 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Purge rule considerations for removable media When you are creating purge rules, consider the following settings to optimize DiskXtender performance with removable media: Because access to files on library media can be slower than other media types, limit the number of times that user requests for files are satisfied by having to fetch file data from the media. In other words, leave as much file data on the extended drive as possible by waiting to purge files until it is absolutely necessary. To do this, configure an age delay for the purge rule. Select the Apply rule to files of age greater than option on the Age page of the purge rule wizard, specify the number of days (typically 30 or 60), and then select Last access time from the drop-down list. Also, on the Settings page of the purge rule wizard, select Do not force purges during background scans. This option prevents files from being purged until disk space is needed. Purging files as disk space is needed on page 282 provides details. If you use DVD-R media, you cannot purge files until the media they are written to is finalized. The Finalize media task and the media group auto-finalization functions both enable you to select purge files when the media is finalized. If you do not choose to purge files as a function of finalization, the data for those files remains on the extended drive until the files qualify for configured purge rules. Then it is the selections made in the purge rules that determine when the files are purged from the extended drive. Note: Even if you enable automatic purging of files after finalization, you should still configure purge rules. If a purged file is fetched from finalized media, it cannot be purged again unless it qualifies for a purge rule. File deletion considerations for removable media When deleting files, consider the following to optimize DiskXtender performance with removable media: When you delete a file from the extended drive, the type of media and the file system on the media control whether the file is deleted from the media. DiskXtender can successfully delete files from DVD-RAM, MO, and UDO media formatted with the UDF file system. With the media types in the following list, however, DiskXtender cannot delete the file from media. Instead, the file is marked for deletion. It still exists on the media, but it becomes an orphaned file and is no longer recognized or tracked by DiskXtender. DVD-R and DVD-ROM DVD-RAM formatted with the OTG file system MO WORM and UDO WORM MO and UDO formatted with the OTG file system Tape and tape-worm The deleted files are not actually removed from the media unless the media is compacted and reformatted. You can reformat DVD-RAM, MO, UDO, and tape media. Performance tuning for removable media 153

154 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices When a significant number of delete transactions are sent to removable media in a library, the completion of those transactions may take a long time. During that time, file fetches may be delayed or even canceled due to timeout issues. Do not empty the DiskXtender Recycler when users are most likely to access the system. Or, if the Recycler is disabled, do not delete a significant number of files from the extended drive when users are most likely to access the system. Service options for removable media On the Options tab of the Service Properties dialog box, consider adjusting the settings listed in Table 20 on page 154 to optimize DiskXtender performance with removable media. Table 20 Service options for optical and tape media Media type Options DVD-R, DVD-RAM, and DVD-ROM DVD - drive saver DVD timeslice - minimum mount DVD timeslice - last fetch DVD timeslice - maximum mount MO, UDO, MO WORM, and UDO WORM Optical drive saver Optical timeslice - minimum mount Optical timeslice - last fetch Optical timeslice - maximum mount Tape Tape timeslice - minimum mount Tape timeslice - last fetch Tape timeslice - maximum mount Tape block size default value Use hardware compression The options apply at the service level. This means that you cannot customize the option for each media service configured. For example, if you configure multiple MediaStor media services with different DVD libraries connected to each, the drive saver setting applies for all of them. Drive saver Timeslice - minimum mount The drive saver options enable you to specify how long DiskXtender waits after media becomes inactive before it automatically spins down the media. The default value is 5 minutes. Automatically spinning down media means that the media is still mounted but lies idle until the media is requested by DiskXtender or dismounted. The minimum mount timeslice options enable you to specify the minimum amount of time DiskXtender keeps removable media in a drive after it has been mounted. This means that the media is mounted for at least the amount of time you specify. DiskXtender does not automatically dismount the media, and you cannot dismount the media before the time limit is up. For DVD and optical media, the default value is 30 seconds. For tape media, the default value is 300 seconds. 154 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

155 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices Timeslice - last fetch Timeslice - maximum mount Tape block size default value Use hardware compression The last fetch timeslice options enable you to specify the amount of time removable media must remain mounted in a drive after DiskXtender has fetched data from that media. This means that the media is not dismounted immediately after a fetch. Instead, DiskXtender waits at least the entered amount of time before dismounting the media. For DVD and optical media, the default value is 5 seconds. For tape media, the default value is 60 seconds. The maximum mount timeslice options enable you to limit the amount of time that removable media can stay mounted in a drive if it is inactive and has no pending fetches, and if there is other media that has pending fetches. This enables DiskXtender to dismount inactive media in favor of other media that is being requested. The default value for DVD and optical media is 60 seconds. The default value for tape media is 1,200 seconds. The tape block size default value enables you to configure the size settings DiskXtender uses for formatting tape and tape-worm media. The value you use dictates the default block size of tape and tape-worm media that DiskXtender uses to format the media when the Media Prepare Manager or the Format media task are run. The default value is 64 KB. If the tape hardware device you use supports data compression, you can configure DiskXtender to compress data with the Use hardware compression option. Data compression enables DiskXtender to store data in a format that requires less space than usual. Performance tuning for removable media 155

156 Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices 156 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

157 5 Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager If you use IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) as a data storage or data backup system, you can migrate files on a DiskXtender extended drive to the TSM server. TSM can subsequently move the files to storage devices managed by the TSM server. The following topics provide details on configuring and managing the environment: How DiskXtender works with TSM Installing the TSM Backup/Archive Client Adding a TSM media service Managing the lifecycle of TSM media Expectations for files migrated to TSM Performance tuning for TSM Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager 157

158 Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager How DiskXtender works with TSM You can leverage the storage management capabilities of TSM with DiskXtender. You can configure a TSM media service in DiskXtender to move files on the extended drive to a TSM server. TSM can subsequently move the files to storage devices managed by the TSM server, as illustrated in Figure 62 on page 158. Extended drives G:\NTFS DiskXtender server (Microsoft Windows) DiskXtender installed Tivoli Storage Manager Backup/Archive Client installed H:\NTFS Tivoli Storage Manager Server installed and managing storage devices TSM server TCP/IP connection SCSI connection Storage device GEN Figure 62 DiskXtender with TSM After you create a TSM media service in DiskXtender to create the connection between DiskXtender and a TSM server, you must create virtual TSM media. The virtual media does not correspond to a physical piece of media in the TSM system, such as a tape cartridge. Instead, the virtual media is designed to simulate divisions of the larger repository (the TSM server) and corresponds to a filespace on the TSM server. The maximum size of a piece of virtual TSM media is 256 GB. This enables you to take advantage of the flexible file migration features available in DiskXtender. The TSM server manages the actual physical removable media in the storage device attached to the TSM server. Tasks like formatting, labeling, and copying media in the storage device attached to the TSM server are performed by TSM rather than by DiskXtender. 158 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

159 Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager Installing the TSM Backup/Archive Client Perform the following steps to prepare TSM for use with DiskXtender: 1. Ensure that TSM Server 5.4, 5.5, or is installed and configured on a different server than the DiskXtender server. Both the Microsoft Windows and IBM AIX operating system versions of TSM server are supported with DiskXtender. 2. On the DiskXtender server, install and configure version 5.5 or of the TSM Backup/Archive Client. (TSM is required for Windows Server 2008.) Note: If you install DiskXtender in a Microsoft clustering environment, perform this step and the next step on all nodes of the cluster where DiskXtender is installed. 3. In the TSM Backup/Archive Client, set the Allow Backup Delete option to Yes. Otherwise, you receive an error when you attempt to create the TSM media service in DiskXtender (or when you try to set the service online, if the setting is changed after the service is created). 4. Copy the dsm.opt file from the BACLIENT subdirectory of the TSM client installation directory to the BIN subdirectory of the DiskXtender installation directory (Drive:\Program Files\EMC\DiskXtender\BIN, where Drive is the system drive on the DiskXtender server). If you are planning to connect to multiple TSM servers, or if you are planning to use multiple TSM media services based on different profiles (policies) created on the same TSM server, then create a uniquely named dsm.opt file (such as dsm1.opt and dsm2.opt) for each TSM server or media service. If you are preparing an active Microsoft cluster node, and there are multiple active nodes in the cluster, then create a uniquely named dsm.opt file for each node. This allows for cluster failover, where one dsm.opt file is failed over and moved to another node. Naming the files differently prevents each file from being overwritten. You do not need to prepare a dsm.opt file for passive nodes. 5. Edit the copied dsm.opt file and change the information in Table 21 on page 159 in that file. Table 21 DiskXtender edits for TSM dsm.opt file Field tcpserveraddress Edit required Type the IP address or symbolic DNS name of the TSM server. Note: If the tcpserveraddress information in the dsm.opt file on the TSM server changes, the change must also be made to the dsm.opt file on the DiskXtender server. The information in the dsm.opt files must be identical. Differences between the dsm.opt files impact whether DiskXtender can migrate files to and fetch files from the TSM server. nodename passwordaccess Type the client nodename configured on the TSM server for DiskXtender. If you are preparing an active cluster node, type the virtual server name. Type prompt. Installing the TSM Backup/Archive Client 159

160 Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager In the following example, is the IP address of the TSM server, and DX-DXSERVER is the client nodename: *================================================== * tcp/ip *================================================== commmethod TCPIP tcpport 1500 tcpserveraddress nodename DX-DXSERVER passwordaccess prompt 6. Repeat step 5 for each option file in the BIN subdirectory of the DiskXtender installation directory. 7. Stop and restart the DiskXtender service to enable the changes to take effect. Starting and stopping the service on page 319 provides instructions. If you are adding the TSM media service to DiskXtender in a clustering environment, the dsm.opt file on each node is automatically replicated to all other nodes. 160 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

161 Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager Adding a TSM media service Configure one TSM media service in DiskXtender for each TSM server to which to connect, or for each profile configured for DiskXtender on a TSM server. There should be one dsm.opt file for each TSM server in the BIN subdirectory of the DiskXtender installation directory. To add a TSM media service: 1. From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Configure Media Services. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 63 on page 161. Figure 63 Configure Media Services dialog box 2. Click Add. The media service wizard appears, starting with the Select Media Service Type page, as shown in Figure 64 on page 161. Figure 64 Media service wizard Select Media Service Type page 3. Select Tivoli Storage Manager and click Next. Adding a TSM media service 161

162 Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager The TSM Information page appears, as shown in Figure 65 on page 162. Figure 65 Media service wizard TSM Information page 4. In the Options File text box, specify the options file that identifies the TSM server to connect to with this media service: To use the default options file, Drive:\Program Files\EMC\DiskXtender\BIN\dsm.opt, leave the text box blank. To use a different options file, in the Drive:\Program Files\EMC\DiskXtender\BIN directory, type the filename. Note: For cluster configurations, this step is necessary if you renamed the dsm.opt files as instructed. 5. In the Client Password text box, type a client password. This is the password the DiskXtender service uses to log on to the TSM client defined in the dsm.opt file. Note: If necessary, you can edit the password after you create the media service by using the TSM Information tab of the Media Service Properties dialog box. To access the TSM Information tab, open the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator and select Configure Media Services. Select the TSM media service and click Properties. Then click the TSM Information tab. 6. Click Next. 7. Review the summary information and click Finish. A message appears to ask whether to create the media for the TSM media service now. 8. Choose whether to create the TSM media: Click Yes to create the TSM media now. The Media Service Properties dialog box appears. Creating TSM media on page 164 provides details on creating the media. Click No to create the TSM media later. 162 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

163 Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager Managing the lifecycle of TSM media TSM media is considered virtual media because it does not correspond directly to a specific piece of media (like a tape cartridge). Instead, the virtual media is designed to simulate divisions of a TSM server and corresponds to a filespace on the TSM server. The use of virtual media enables you to take advantage of the flexible file migration features available in DiskXtender. The following topics provide details on creating and managing virtual TSM media throughout its lifecycle in DiskXtender. Understanding the TSM media lifecycle The following steps detail the lifecycle process for virtual TSM media: 1. Decide how many pieces of TSM media to create. Deciding how many pieces of TSM media to create on page 164 provides guidelines for making the decision. 2. Create the media and add it to the system: a. Create each piece of media for the media service. b. Allocate the media to the extended drive. c. Add the media to a media group. Creating TSM media on page 164 provides details. 3. DiskXtender moves files to the media until the media reaches its maximum capacity of 256 GB, at which point the media is considered full. 4. The full media remains in the media group. This enables continued access to the files on the media. 5. (Optional) If you no longer need the files that have been migrated to the media, or if you want to move the files to a different piece or type of media, remove the media from the media group. There are two ways to remove media from a media group: To copy the files on the media back to the extended drive and move the files to other media, compact the media. The media is automatically removed from the media group during compaction. Removing media but keeping the files on the drive on page 231 provides instructions. To remove the files on the media from the extended drive altogether, remove the media from the media group. Removing media and removing its files from the drive on page 233 provides instructions. 6. (Optional) Deallocate the media from the extended drive, and delete it from the media service. Removing TSM media from the system on page 166 provides instructions. Managing the lifecycle of TSM media 163

164 Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager Deciding how many pieces of TSM media to create You can create as many pieces of TSM media for a media service as is necessary, up to the DiskXtender limit of 512 pieces of media. This maximum number may be further limited by the number of client sessions allowed by settings on the TSM server. Even if the TSM media service is writing to a single TSM server, you may want to create multiple pieces of TSM media. This is important for the following reasons: DiskXtender performance improves when the system can write to and read from multiple pieces of media at once. Focusing all system activity on a single piece of media can cause a performance bottleneck. You can take advantage of the flexible file migration features available in DiskXtender. You can migrate data from multiple media folders to different locations (pieces of media) by using customized migration rules. More files remain available if an error or other system problem occurs. If a piece of media becomes inaccessible (for example, as a result of a failed transaction), the files on other pieces of media remain accessible while the inaccessible media is offline. The number of media to create depends on your environment and your tolerance for system downtime. There must be at least one piece of media for each media folder on the extended drive. For assistance in determining how many pieces of TSM media to create, contact EMC Professional Services. Creating TSM media To create a piece of virtual TSM media: 1. From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Configure Media Services. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears with the TSM media service listed. 2. Ensure that the TSM media service is online. If the media service is not online, select the media service and click Set Online. 3. Select the TSM media service and click Properties. The Media Service Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 66 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

165 Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager Figure 66 TSM Media Service Properties dialog box 4. On the Media List tab, click Create. The Create TSM Media dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 67 on page 165. Figure 67 Create TSM Media dialog box 5. In the Name and Description text boxes, type a name and a description for the virtual piece of media. The name identifies the media in the File System Manager Administrator. 6. Select a management class from the Management Class drop-down list. The management class you select associates the media with a policy domain, policy set, and migration destination on the TSM server. The TSM documentation provides more information on the use of management classes in Tivoli Storage Manager. 7. Click OK. 8. If you have created an extended drive, allocate the media to the extended drive: a. Select the media and click Allocate. The Select Extended Drive dialog box appears. b. Select the extended drive and click OK. Note: Media does not appear in the Administrator until it is allocated to an extended drive. Managing the lifecycle of TSM media 165

166 Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager 9. Click OK. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears. 10. Click Close. 11. If you have created media folders and media groups, add the media to a media group as discussed in Adding media to a standard media group on page 215. Removing TSM media from the system If necessary, you can delete a piece of virtual TSM media. When you delete the media, you will never be able to restore the files on the media through DiskXtender. The file space on the TSM server, as well as the files in the file space, are deleted when you delete the media from DiskXtender.! CAUTION Do not delete a piece of TSM media unless you are absolutely certain that you no longer need the files on the media. If you think you might need the files, compact the media before deleting it. Compaction writes the files on the media back to the extended drive so that they can be migrated to another piece of media. To remove a piece of virtual TSM media: 1. Ensure that the appropriate delete privileges are set for the client node in TSM. If the media has the backup attribute, for example, the backup delete option should be enabled. 2. Remove the media from its media group: To copy all migrated files and file data on the media back to the extended drive, assign a Compact media task to each piece of media. The files can then be migrated to another piece of media. Removing media but keeping the files on the drive on page 231 provides instructions. To remove files on the media from the extended drive, use the Remove Media From Media Groups Wizard to remove the media. Removing media and removing its files from the drive on page 233 provides instructions. 3. From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Configure Media Services. 4. Ensure that the TSM media service is online. If the media service is not online, select the media service and click Set Online. Note: If you attempt to delete media while the media service is offline, the changes might not take effect. 5. Select the TSM media service and click Properties. The Media Service Properties dialog box appears. 6. Deallocate the media by selecting the media and clicking Deallocate. 7. Select the media and click Delete. 8. Click Yes on the confirmation message, and then click OK. The Configure Media Services dialog box appears. 9. Click Close. 166 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

167 Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager Expectations for files migrated to TSM You can perform most operations on the extended drive for files that have been migrated to TSM media. Table 22 on page 167 lists the extended drive operations that can be executed on specific types of files or folders that have been migrated to TSM. Table 22 Extended drive operations for TSM files Edit Rename Set attributes Delete Move within a media folder Move outside of a media folder Files moved to TSM Folders with files moved to TSM N/A N/A All changes to the files and folders on the extended drive are propagated to the files and folders on the TSM server. Keep in mind the following important points when working with files that have been moved to TSM, and the folders in which those files are located: When you edit a file on the extended drive, the new (edited) file is migrated to TSM, and the original version of the file is deleted. In this way, only the newer version of the file remains on the TSM server. If you move a purged file to another location within the same media folder by dragging and dropping the file in Microsoft Windows Explorer, then the file is fetched to the extended drive. This behavior is caused by Windows Explorer. If you move a purged file to another location within the same media folder by using the command line, then the file is not fetched. If you move a folder with purged files to another location within the same media folder, however, then the files in the folder are not fetched. Expectations for files migrated to TSM 167

168 Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager Performance tuning for TSM Review the following recommendations for improving DiskXtender performance with TSM by adjusting the configuration of media folders, media groups, rules, and service options. Media folder considerations for TSM You can rename and delete folders on the extended drive when you are migrating files to TSM. As a result, you have a considerable amount of flexibility in creating the directory structure on the extended drive. However, keep in mind, that you cannot move files and folders outside of their original media folder. As a result, use caution when designating media folders. Media group considerations for TSM When you are creating media groups, consider the following settings on the Options page for the media group to optimize DiskXtender performance with TSM: Set the Media fill method option to Random. By default, the media fill method is set to Sequential. Setting the option to Random enables DiskXtender to connect to any available piece of media in the group and even multiple pieces of media at the same time when migrating files, rather than filling one piece of media and then moving on to the next one. This option can improve DiskXtender performance when writing to more than one piece of TSM media in a media group. Adjust the Maximum media simultaneously receiving files option to the total number of media that are in the media group. This enables DiskXtender to write to all media as necessary. Since you must manually create TSM media when it is needed, enable the Warn when group free space falls below option so that you are notified when the TSM media in the media group is starting to run out of space. You can then configure the warning to be sent out as an alert. Sending alerts for errors and warnings on page 326 provides instructions for configuring alerts. Move rule and purge rule considerations for TSM File migration and retrieval from TSM media is typically faster than from other media types. As a result, the file migration and purge strategy you select depends on other factors in your environment, such as the type of files on the extended drive and the volume of files that DiskXtender is managing. Review the recommendations in Chapter 7, File Migration, and Chapter 10, Purging Files, to determine appropriate migration and purge strategies for your environment. 168 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

169 Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager Service options for TSM When DiskXtender communicates with a TSM server to write files, it maintains the connection for at least five seconds. If necessary, you can adjust this connection time by using the TSM timeslice - minimum mount option on the Options tab of the Service Properties dialog box. The timeslice option controls the minimum amount of time DiskXtender keeps virtual media mounted in a virtual drive for file moves. You can mount virtual media in as many as 256 virtual drives at one time. If that number is exceeded, the additional mount requests are queued. The requests are then serviced as media is dismounted from the other virtual drives and the drives become available. For file fetches, DiskXtender maintains the connection for 1 second. You cannot edit the file fetch connection time. Performance tuning for TSM 169

170 Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager 170 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

171 6 Extended Drive Management An extended drive is an NTFS volume whose storage capacity is extended by DiskXtender file migration services. DiskXtender enables you to extend an NTFS-formatted hard drive by moving files to other storage media while making the files appear to remain on the drive. The following topics provide details on creating and managing a DiskXtender extended drive: Extended drive requirements Creating an extended drive Deleting an extended drive Extended drive directory structure Background scans Virus scans Extended Drive Management 171

172 Extended Drive Management Extended drive requirements DiskXtender extended drives should meet the requirements listed in the following topics: General extended drive requirements on page 172 Changing the size of the extended drive on page 172 Extended drive data requirements on page 173 General extended drive requirements Each extended drive should be: Formatted as an NTFS volume. Located on the DiskXtender server. This can either be a volume physically located on the DiskXtender server or a fibre-connected drive that has been mapped as a local drive. Not the system drive or a drive where applications are running. DiskXtender does not distinguish system or application files (like database binaries or application.dll files) unless you specifically configure the system to ignore these files. Avoid extending drives where system or application files reside to eliminate the possibility of accidentally purging or deleting these files. Not a volume mount point. Although the NTFS file system and later supports volume mount points, DiskXtender does not support the use of a mount point as the extended drive or as a media folder. DiskXtender cannot fetch, move, delete, or purge files from a mount point. Dedicated to files that are managed by DiskXtender. DiskXtender monitors all file activity on the extended drive. Whenever files are saved to or changed on the extended drive, DiskXtender needs to identify and analyze them to determine whether to take action. System performance suffers if DiskXtender must monitor extra file activity on the drive in addition to its managed files. A minimum of 100 MB in size (10 GB or more is recommended), with sufficient space planned for future growth. The DiskXtender installation guide provides details on determining the appropriate size for the extended drive. A drive that contains (or will contain) no more than 20 million to 25 million files. As a drive approaches this limit, system functions such as background scans and backups can take a significant amount of time. Changing the size of the extended drive You can expand the size of the extended drive if the following conditions are true: The extended drive has been configured as a Dynamic Disk in Windows, and the drive is not part of a Microsoft clustering environment. The extended drive is a CLARiiON LUN, and you expand the drive by using either the concatenate or the stripe expansion method in EMC Navisphere. If the extended drive is part of a Microsoft cluster, use the Microsoft Cluster Administrator to set the DiskXtender service resource and the extended drive resource (the DiskXtender Disk resource, not the Physical Disk resource) offline before you expand the LUN. The extended drive is a Veritas Storage Foundation (VSF) 5.0 volume. 172 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

173 Extended Drive Management Reducing the size of the extended drive is not supported in any of these scenarios. When configuring DiskXtender in these environments, the disk should be configured to enable future expansion before you add it as a DiskXtender extended drive in the File System Manager Administrator. For example, configure the disk as a Dynamic Disk in Windows before you add it as an extended drive. Extended drive data requirements DiskXtender supports a wide variety of file types. Because DiskXtender does not need to open a file in order to manage it, DiskXtender can manage most file types that can be saved on a Microsoft Windows NTFS volume. However, DiskXtender is designed to serve as an archiving tool for fixed or unstructured data. As a result, adherence to the following guidelines ensures optimal system performance. Some of the most common file types used with DiskXtender include but are not limited to: Microsoft Office files (.doc,.ppt,.xls, and so on) Adobe Acrobat files (.pdf) Text files (.txt) HTML files (.htm or.html) XML files (.xml) ZIP archives (.zip) Image files, such as JPEGs (.jpg), TIFFs (.tif), bitmaps (.bmp), and GIFs (.gif) Note: The DiskXtender Search Module can index a majority of the common file types in this list. Supported file types for indexing on page 256 provides a complete list of the file types that can be indexed. Files that are frequently accessed or changed could result in the production of lock files or temporary files. A lock file is a file produced by an application to prevent write access when it is already open by another user. A large number of such files can clog the DiskXtender system or inadvertently fill the DiskXtender Recycler if it is enabled. Therefore, the following file and data types are not recommended for use with DiskXtender: Frequently accessed files, such as files or files in user home directories or temporary directories! IMPORTANT If you must manage these types of files with DiskXtender, then use a media type that allows renames and provides faster performance, such as NAS. Data that is part of a database Application files for programs installed on the extended drive Note: Installing applications on or running applications from the DiskXtender extended drive is not recommended. The following file types are not supported by DiskXtender: Macintosh files Personal Folder files (.pst) Extended drive requirements 173

174 Extended Drive Management If the sixth character in a filename is a tilde and the eighth character is either null or a period (for example, filen~2.doc), then you can save the file to the extended drive, but DiskXtender does not move the file to media. This typically occurs in files with filenames that have been automatically shortened to an 8.3 format. International character support Table 23 DiskXtender can manage files with Unicode characters in either the filename or the file data. However, characters may display incorrectly if the correct language code pages are not installed. In addition, the application that displays DiskXtender logs and reports (RtfPad) is not Unicode compliant. Filenames in logs and reports may display incorrectly, even though the file data remains intact. Some applications used with DiskXtender do not provide the same level of international character support. Table 23 on page 174 lists some of the supported applications with these limitations. Product interoperability and international character support Product EMC AutoStart EMC NetWorker PowerSnap International character support Supports only ASCII characters. Supports file system backup if filenames and directory names are ASCII characters. Note: If you use the DiskXtender Search Module to index and search for files on a DiskXtender extended drive and the files include ANSI character encoding, such as Big5 (Chinese) or Shift-JIS (Japanese), then the corresponding code page must be installed and set as the default code page on the ISE server. If a different code page is set as the default on the ISE server, then perform the steps in the EMC DiskXtender Search Module Release 1.2 Release Notes to enable proper indexing and search of the ANSI-encoded files. Verify international character support statements for all applications installed on the DiskXtender server before you configure file migration. Path and filename length limitations The full path and filename for a file on the extended drive should total no more than 259 UTF-16 characters. The full path and filename includes the following components: Drive:\Directory1\Directory2\Filename.Extension where Drive is the assigned volume drive letter, Directory1 and Directory2 are optional folders on the drive, Filename is the name of the file, and Extension is the file extension. Note: Japanese path and filenames are limited to 145 characters or less. DiskXtender does not prevent users from saving a file to the extended drive when the character count for the path and filename exceeds 259 characters. However, files with excessive paths and filenames may not be migrated to media, depending on the type of media and the file system with which it is formatted. In addition, if the filepath for a file on the extended drive exceeds 259 characters and the DiskXtender Recycler is enabled, then you cannot delete the file. You must shorten the filepath or disable the Recycler in order to delete the file. Most types of media and media file systems support at least the same number of characters as DiskXtender. However, when writing to media that is formatted with the UDF file system, DiskXtender supports a shorter path and filename: only 127 characters. 174 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

175 Extended Drive Management Most NAS file systems support filepaths of 259 UTF-16 characters. However, if DiskXtender is writing to a share on the NAS device, the character count of the full filepath on the device is included in the maximum number of characters allowed. In other words, the total character count includes the path and filename on the extended drive and the full path to the share on the device. Note: If the sixth character in a filename is a tilde and the eighth character is either null or a period (for example, filen~2.doc), then DiskXtender does not move the file to media. This typically occurs in files with filenames that have been automatically shortened to an 8.3 format. File stream support File streams contain the data that is written to a file and give more information about a file than attributes and properties. For example, you can create a stream that contains search keywords or the identity of the user account that creates a file. The NTFS file system uses file streams to store private data. Because NTFS supports file streams, many applications now take advantage of file streams to store their data. DiskXtender can manage files with file streams as long as the media supports file streams. All DiskXtender media types support file streams except for some NAS devices. In general, file streams are supported on NAS devices that use Common Internet File System (CIFS) or Server Message Block 2.0 (SMB). If a NAS device uses a different protocol, consult the manufacturer for guidance on file stream support. DiskXtender support for file streams ensures that you can protect all application data in files, not just the primary data. File streams are moved and fetched along with the primary file data. In addition, file streams can be restored from storage media, along with primary file data, for disaster recovery purposes. Note: You cannot directly read files with streams from media by using the Direct Read feature in DiskXtender. You can set the Direct Read attribute for these files. However, when the file is requested, it is fetched to the extended drive instead of being read directly from the media. In addition, the Direct Read attribute is removed. If a NAS device configured with DiskXtender does not support file streams, then the file is not moved to media. In addition, a warning message is listed in the event logs to notify you that the file could not be moved to media. Encryption Microsoft Windows offline files DiskXtender can manage encrypted files on the extended drive as long as the files are not encrypted with an on-the-fly encryption (OTFE) method, also called real-time encryption. This type of encryption prevents DiskXtender specifically the DiskXtender service account from gaining access to the files to manage them. DiskXtender supports the offline files feature available in several Windows operating systems. When users access the extended drive, they can configure files or folders on the extended drive as offline files. This enables users to access the files when their machines are not connected to the network. When the machines reconnect to the network, any changes that were made to the files are updated on the extended drive. When you configure a purged file as an offline file, the file is fetched. DiskXtender continues to migrate, fetch, index, purge, and otherwise manage files that are configured as offline files. The files are updated on media and on the ISE server, if necessary, when they are synchronized back to the extended drive and are no longer offline. Note: When you rename an offline file and the file contains file streams, then the file streams are lost when you reconnect to the network and update the file on the extended drive. This issue occurs regardless of whether DiskXtender is installed on the server. Extended drive requirements 175

176 Extended Drive Management Microsoft Windows DFS links! DiskXtender is supported in a Microsoft Windows Distributed File System (DFS) environment. However, DiskXtender manages only the files that are physically located on the server where it is installed. It does not manage files on other servers that are connected to it by DFS links. For example, the following configurations are supported: The DFS link is on a server where DiskXtender is not installed (Server A), and the link points to an extended drive on a server where DiskXtender is installed (Server B). Users can use the DFS link on Server A to access the files on Server B, even if the files have been purged. DiskXtender manages only the files on Server B. The DFS link is on an extended drive on a DiskXtender server (Server A), and the link points to another server (Server B). Users can use the DFS link on Server A to access the files on Server B. The DiskXtender installation on Server A manages all of the files that are saved locally to its extended drive. However, it does not manage the files on Server B. CAUTION DFS is supported only in DFS non-replication mode. Attempting to use DiskXtender with DFS replication enabled might cause data loss. 176 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

177 Extended Drive Management Creating an extended drive When you create an extended drive in DiskXtender, you identify the NTFS volume to use as the file repository from which files are moved to storage media. You also set important system schedules and specify certain options that control the behavior of files on the extended drive. To create an extended drive: 1. From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select New Extended Drive. The Introduction page of the extended drive wizard appears. 2. Review the introduction and click Next. The Select Drive page appears, as illustrated in Figure 68 on page 177. Figure 68 Extended drive wizard Select Drive page 3. Select the NTFS volume to extend and click Next. If you have already configured a media service and created or added media, the Allocate Media To Extended Drive page appears, as illustrated in Figure 69 on page 178. Otherwise, the Settings page appears, as shown in Figure 70 on page 178. Proceed to step 5. Creating an extended drive 177

178 Extended Drive Management Figure 69 Extended drive wizard Allocate Media To Extended Drive page 4. To assign media to the extended drive, select the media and click Next. Or, click Next without selecting media. The Settings page appears, as shown in Figure 70 on page 178. Figure 70 Extended drive wizard Settings page 178 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

179 Extended Drive Management 5. Click Schedule to configure the following schedules for the extended drive: Migration of files from the drive to storage media Media task processing (formatting, labeling, and so on) Updates to copies of removable media File fetch activity Scheduling file migration on page 228 provides instructions for configuring the schedules. Note: Most environments do not require extended drive metadata exports. Review the information in When to use metadata exports on page 365 to determine whether metadata exports are an appropriate part of the backup strategy for your DiskXtender environment. If so, you can schedule metadata exports after you create the extended drive. Scheduling metadata exports on page 366 provides instructions. 6. Click Next. The Options page appears, as shown in Figure 71 on page 179. Figure 71 Extended drive wizard Options page 7. Review the list of options, and make any necessary changes to the defaults. To configure an option, select the option from the list, and then type or select a new value for the option in the controls below the list. The File System Manager Administrator online help provides details on each of the options. You can also configure the options after you create the extended drive by opening the Extended Drive Properties dialog box and selecting the Options tab. 8. Click Next. The Indexing page appears, as shown in Figure 72 on page 180. Creating an extended drive 179

180 Extended Drive Management Figure 72 Extended drive wizard Indexing page The Indexing page enables you to configure a connection to the Index and Search Engine (ISE) server if you are planning to index and search for files on the extended drive by using the DiskXtender Search Module. 9. If you have already installed and configured the DiskXtender Search Module, configure the connection to the ISE server. Otherwise, proceed to the next step. a. In the Index Server Name text box, type the name of the ISE server. b. In the Index Collection text box, type the name of the index collection for the extended drive. c. Select the Enable content indexing of files on this extended drive checkbox. d. Set a schedule for when files should be submitted to the ISE server for indexing. Chapter 9, Indexing Files, provides details on enabling indexing. 10. Click Next. 11. Review the summary information and click Finish. Note: After you create an extended drive, you can edit it by right-clicking the drive in the File System Manager Administrator and selecting Properties. The Extended Drive Properties dialog box appears, and contains tabs that correspond to the pages of the wizard you used to create the drive. The Extended Drive Properties dialog box also contains two additional tabs that provide general information about the extended drive, as well as statistics related to file activity on the drive. The File System Manager Administrator online help provides details on each tab in the dialog box. 180 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

181 Extended Drive Management Deleting an extended drive When you delete an extended drive, all associated settings are deleted as well, including all schedules and configured options for that extended drive. However, the deletion leaves all folders and files on the extended drive, as well as the Microsoft Windows partition or drive mapping. To delete an extended drive: 1. Remove all media from the media groups for the extended drive. Removing media but keeping the files on the drive on page 231 and Removing media and removing its files from the drive on page 233 provide instructions. 2. Deallocate all media from the extended drive: a. From the Service menu, select Configure Media Services. b. Ensure that the media service is online. If the media service is not online, select the media service and click Set Online. c. Select the media service and click Properties. The Media Service Properties dialog box appears. d. Click the Media List tab. e. Select the media and click Deallocate. f. Click OK, and then click Close. g. Repeat these steps for all media services. Note: The steps to deallocate Sun StorageTek ACSLS media are different from the steps listed here. Deallocating ACSLS media from an extended drive on page 144 provides instructions. 3. Right-click the extended drive and select Delete Extended Drive. 4. Click Yes on the confirmation message. Deleting an extended drive 181

182 Extended Drive Management Extended drive directory structure You can configure DiskXtender to move all of the files on the extended drive to media and manage those files. Or, you can configure DiskXtender to move and manage only the files in certain directories. To select the directories on the extended drive that DiskXtender should manage, you configure media folders. You can create a media folder in DiskXtender for a directory that already exists on the extended drive, or you can create a new directory on the drive during the media folder creation process. Either way, media folders correspond to physical directories on the drive, and can be viewed as such through Microsoft Windows Explorer. The following topics provide details on planning the directory structure and managing media folders. Planning the directory structure You can create a single media folder on the extended drive, or you can create multiple media folders. If you create a single media folder, the media folder can either be at the root of the drive or it can be a single directory that DiskXtender should manage on the drive. Creating multiple media folders enables you to segregate the data on both the extended drive and the storage media. Individual pieces of media are assigned to media groups in the media folder. By organizing the files into the media folders, you can control the media to which files are written. You can even create a media folder for the subdirectory of another media folder to more precisely control how files are moved to media and otherwise managed. When a file is written to a piece of media, the directory structure on the media mirrors the extended drive directory structure. The root media folder, however, does not appear on the storage media. For example, if the Reports media folder is located at the root of extended drive E, then E:\Reports\Accounts.doc on the extended drive is stored as Accounts.doc on the media. Regardless of the number of media folders you create, limit the number of files on the extended drive that are outside of media folders. DiskXtender monitors all file activity on the extended drive, both inside and outside of media folders. Whenever files are saved to or changed on the extended drive, DiskXtender needs to identify and analyze them to determine whether to take action. System performance suffers if DiskXtender must monitor extra file activity on the drive in addition to its managed files. Keep in mind the following guidelines when planning the directory structure for the extended drive: If you use a type of media that does not allow folder renames, such as EMC Centera or removable media formatted with the OTG file system, then use extra caution when planning the directory structure. After files are moved to media, you will not be able to change the directory structure. Do not use lengthy directory names, and minimize the depth of the directory hierarchy. The full path and filename of a file on the extended drive should total no more than 259 UTF-16 characters. Lengthy directory names can cause files to exceed the character count that DiskXtender supports for managing the files. Path and filename length limitations on page 174 provides details. 182 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

183 Extended Drive Management Creating a media folder To create a media folder: 1. Right-click the extended drive and select Create Media Folder. The Create Media Folder dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 73 on page 183. Figure 73 Create Media Folder dialog box 2. Choose whether to create the media folder by using a new folder or an existing folder on the extended drive: To create a new folder on the extended drive, type the media folder name (up to 64 characters) in the Enter Folder Name text box. To use an existing folder on the extended drive, click Browse, select a folder, and click OK. Note: If you use AutoStart to ensure high availability of the DiskXtender environment, then you must be a local administrator on the DiskXtender server in order to display the existing folder names. 3. Click OK. Setting media folder priority If you configure overlapping media folders, then order the folders to set the priority in which the files in the folders are evaluated against the rules assigned to each folder. Overlapping media folders occur if you identify both a directory and one of its subdirectories as separate media folders. If a file is located in overlapping media folders, the file is evaluated for migration, purge, deletion, or indexing based on the rules assigned to the media folder listed first in the tree view of the Administrator. If the file fails to qualify for action based on the rules assigned to the first of the overlapping media folders, the file is evaluated against the rules in the second media folder. If the file is excluded from action based on a rule in the first of the overlapping media folders, then the exclusion applies, even if the file qualifies for action based on a rule in the second media folder. You must also set the priority of the rules when you create them. Therefore, it is a combination of the order of the media folders and the order of the move rules that determines whether a file is migrated and to what media. Extended drive directory structure 183

184 Extended Drive Management Note: If you develop a complex file management strategy involving overlapping media folders and rules, use the Rule Evaluation Tool, available on the right-click menu for the rules, to verify how and whether a file will qualify for applicable rules. To edit the priority for a media folder, right-click the folder and select either Promote or Demote. Deleting a media folder When you delete a media folder, you also delete all of the media groups and rules in that folder. However, the corresponding directory on the extended drive, as viewed through Microsoft Windows Explorer, is not deleted. To delete a media folder: 1. Remove all media from the media groups in the media folder. Removing media but keeping the files on the drive on page 231 and Removing media and removing its files from the drive on page 233 provide instructions. 2. Right-click the media folder and select Delete. 3. Click Yes on the confirmation message. 184 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

185 Extended Drive Management Background scans Background scans enable DiskXtender to verify that all files on the extended drive that need to be managed are being managed. The following topics provide details on when and how background scans occur, as well as the settings available to customize a background scan. What happens during a background scan During a background scan, DiskXtender scans the extended drive, comparing the files on the drive to the configured items set up through the File System Manager Administrator, such as media folders and rules. Background scans then perform the following general tasks: Write files that qualify for move rules to the move list, including files that were not added to the move list when appropriate due to file sharing issues and files that qualify for migration based on configured age delays Purge files that qualify for purge rules with the Force files to purge during background scans option enabled Write files to the purge list, if the files qualify for purge rules with the Do not force purges during background scans option enabled Delete files that qualify for delete rules Write files that qualify for index rules to the Index Transaction Log (ITL) Synchronize files on media in multi-target migration media groups Fetch files that are purged but that qualify for index rules and require indexing Remove media from media groups When background scans occur By default, background scans run daily, starting at midnight. The background scan continues until it has evaluated each file on the drive. The only system tasks that halt a background scan (or prevent a background scan from starting) are: The stopping of the DiskXtender service Failover in a cluster environment or AutoStart domain Addition, editing, or deletion of a rule or media folder Addition or deletion of a media group Media compaction Initiation of a command to restore files from a piece of media to the extended drive Metadata export and import If a scan is interrupted or fails to start when it is scheduled, DiskXtender attempts to start another scan at the next scheduled time. Background scans are designed to run in the background so that you can continue to manage the system while they take place. Files are still accessible on the extended Background scans 185

186 Extended Drive Management drive and on media, and you can continue to use the File System Manager Administrator to monitor and configure the system. However, background scans do consume processor resources, which may affect the performance of other processes. If necessary, you can adjust the speed of the background scan, altering the processor resources needed to run the scan. Tuning background scan speed on page 188 provides details. Scheduling background scans By default, background scans run daily, starting at midnight. If necessary, you can change the background schedule or disable background scans altogether.! CAUTION Disabling background scans is strongly discouraged. If you disable background scans, you expose the DiskXtender system to a number of risks. Risks of disabling background scans on page 187 provides more information. To change the background scan schedule: 1. Right-click the extended drive and select Background Scan. The Extended Drive Background Scan dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 74 on page 186. Figure 74 Extended Drive Background Scan dialog box 186 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

187 Extended Drive Management 2. In the Schedule section of the Settings tab, choose one of the schedule options listed in Table 24 on page 187. Table 24 Background scan scheduling options Schedule increment Disable Once Description Disables the background scan feature. Schedules a one-time background scan to start at the time and date specified. Note: This is a one-time scan. Any later scans will have to be scheduled or started manually. Forcing a standard background scan on page 190 provides instructions on starting a scan manually. Daily Weekly Monthly Schedules a background scan to start each day at the time specified. Every day at midnight is the default schedule for background scans. Schedules a background scan to start at the specified time, on the specified day or days of each week. Schedules a background scan to start at the specified time on the specified day of the month. Choose any day between the 1st and 31st of each month. Note: If the date you select does not occur for a given month, then the scan occurs on the last day of the month. For example, if you select the 31st for the schedule, then the scan occurs on the 30th in April. 3. Click OK. Risks of disabling background scans The most important function of the background scan is to provide DiskXtender with a comprehensive snapshot of all of the files on the extended drive, and of the system as a whole. Because the data in the system changes constantly, background scans are configured to run automatically. This provides DiskXtender with consistently updated information. DiskXtender allows you to disable background scans, but you should disable the scans only if you have specific reason to do so. Disabling background scans leaves the system vulnerable to a number of risks, including: Files may not be moved to media: File sharing issues or sharing violations can prevent files from being added to the move list (and therefore being moved to media) when appropriate. DiskXtender must have full access to a file to obtain the information required for the move list. If the file is open or otherwise being accessed by a program or user, DiskXtender. cannot add it to the move list at that time. Background scans add these files to the move list when they become available. If you configure move rules with an age delay, files are qualified against these rules, and are therefore only written to the move list in preparation for migration, only during a background scan. Files may not be indexed. If you configure index rules with an age delay, files are qualified against these rules, and are therefore only written to the Index Transaction Log (ITL) in preparation for indexing, only during a background scan. Background scans 187

188 Extended Drive Management Files are not qualified against purge rules or delete rules. DiskXtender evaluates files against these rules only during background scans. Files are not qualified against new or edited rules. If there are files already on the drive when you create or edit any rules, the files are not qualified against the rules until the next background scan runs. Tuning background scan speed You can adjust the speed of the background scan, altering the processor resources needed to run the scan. Slower scans use less resources, while faster scans use more. To tune the scan speed: 1. Right-click the extended drive and select Background Scan. The Extended Drive Background Scan dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 74 on page In the Configuration section of the Settings tab, tune the scanning speed by using the Scanning speed slide bar. 3. Click OK. Running an advanced scan for troubleshooting For troubleshooting purposes, you can set advanced background scan configuration options to limit the tasks that a background scan performs.! CAUTION The advanced scan configuration options should be changed only in extraordinary situations. If configured incorrectly, key system functionality might be diminished or disabled. To set advanced background scan configuration options: 1. Right-click the extended drive and select Background Scan. The Extended Drive Background Scan dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 74 on page To set advanced scan settings for troubleshooting purposes, click Advanced Configuration. A warning appears and indicates the risks of changing configuration settings. 3. Click Yes to continue to the Advanced Scan Configuration dialog box, as shown in Figure 75 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

189 Extended Drive Management Figure 75 Advanced Scan Configuration dialog box 4. Select or clear the checkboxes listed in Table 25 on page 189 to configure the tasks that will be performed by the scan. Table 25 Background scan tasks Task checkbox Perform move rule evaluation Perform index rule evaluation Perform synchronization fetching Description Qualifies files against move rules Qualifies files against index rules (when content indexing is enabled) Fetches files for either multi-target migration synchronization or content indexing (when content indexing is enabled): Multi-target migration sync-fetch If you add a media group to a multi-target media group that already contains other media groups, the purged files on the media in the other media groups are fetched to the extended drive and then migrated to the new group. Content indexing sync-fetch In most cases, files that qualify for index rules are indexed before they are purged. However, if a qualifying file is purged first, then the file must be fetched to the extended drive so that it can be indexed. By default, background scans attempt to perform all of the listed tasks. 5. For each of the checkboxes that you select, type a file limit (for the move list, ITL, and the sync-fetch list, respectively) in the corresponding text box. Once DiskXtender reaches the specified limit, files are no longer added to the lists whose limits have been met. Limiting the number of files added to a specific list allows for precise management of lists, which can assist in troubleshooting situations. Note: When you enter a limit for the number of files that are added to the move list and to the ITL, the limit applies only during a background scan. If real-time moves are enabled so that files are qualified against move rules and index rules when the files are saved to the drive, there is no limit to the size of the move list and the ITL. 6. Click OK. The Extended Drive Background Scan dialog box appears. 7. Click OK. Background scans 189

190 Extended Drive Management Forcing a standard background scan If necessary, you can force a background scan to occur by using the default settings for all background scans. When a forced background scan may be necessary You might want to force a new background scan cycle to begin in the following situations: If you are planning any DiskXtender system maintenance, forcing a background scan and activating the file migration schedule is an excellent way to be sure all appropriate files are written to media before the maintenance is done. If you change any rule configurations (move, purge, delete, or index), these changes do not apply to existing files until a scan is run. Forcing a background scan will speed this process along. If you find you are unexpectedly running low on extended drive space, forcing a background scan and activating the file migration schedule also ensures that all appropriate files are written to media, and can be purged by the system (based on configured move and purge rules). How to force a standard background scan To force a standard background scan: 1. Right-click the extended drive and select Force Background Scan. 2. Click Yes on the confirmation message. The background scan might take as long as one minute to start. Forcing a special background scan If necessary, you can now force a background scan to perform special maintenance tasks. Aside from the additional maintenance tasks, a special scan functions as any other scan would. To force a special background scan: 1. Right-click the extended drive and select Background Scan. The Extended Drive Background Scan dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 74 on page On the Settings tab, select the Start new scan cycle checkbox. 190 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

191 Extended Drive Management 3. Click Maintenance Options to apply any special configuration settings to this scan. The Scan Maintenance Options dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 76 on page 191. Figure 76 Scan Maintenance Options dialog box 4. Select the checkbox for one or more of the special maintenance options listed in Table 26 on page 191. Table 26 Scan maintenance options Option Build new sync-fetch list (truncate existing) Strip "direct-read" attribute from all files Strip "indexed" attribute from all files Description Creates a new sync-fetch list and deletes the existing sync-fetch list. The sync-fetch list contains a list of all purged files that must be fetched back to the extended drive so that they can either be indexed or synchronized between media groups in a multi-target media group. Removes the Direct Read attribute from any files managed by DiskXtender. Removes the Indexed attribute from any files managed by DiskXtender. The Indexed attribute identifies files that have qualified for index rules and have been full-text indexed. Note: This option should be used only if you no longer use the DiskXtender Search Module. Otherwise, all previously indexed files will be subject to re-indexing. Strip "not indexed" attribute from all files Removes the Not Indexed attribute from any files managed by DiskXtender. The Not Indexed attribute identifies files that qualified for an index rule but could not be full-text indexed for example, because the ISE does not support a specific file type. This option is useful if you want to re-qualify files in the media folder against index rules for example, if the DiskXtender Search Module adds support for a certain file type.! CAUTION The options available on the Scan Maintenance Options dialog box expose functionality that should be used only in extraordinary situations. Selection of one or more of these options can result in permanent, system-wide changes. Note: These settings apply only to this special scan. To apply these settings to any future scans, configure the options each time and force a special scan. Background scans 191

192 Extended Drive Management 5. Click OK. The Extended Drive Background Scan dialog box appears. 6. Click OK to force the special scan. The background scan might take as much as one minute to begin. After the scan completes, the special scan settings are cleared. Future scheduled scans are performed with the default settings. Aborting a background scan You can abort a background scan at any time while it is running. To abort a background scan, right-click the extended drive and select Abort Background Scan. Note: If a background scan is aborted, another scan will automatically begin according to the schedule on the Extended Drive Background Scan dialog box. Viewing background scan statistics You can view statistics relating to the current activity for a current background scan, as well as the statistics from the most recently completed scan: The Activity tab of the Extended Drive Background Scan dialog box provides statistics for the current scan. The Statistics tab of the Extended Drive Background Scan dialog box provides statistics for the most recently completed scan. To access the dialog box, right-click the extended drive and select Background Scan. The File System Manager Administrator online help provides details on the statistics listed on each tab. 192 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

193 Extended Drive Management Virus scans Anti-virus protection is critical to any system. However, when you use an anti-virus program to scan files on a DiskXtender extended drive, review and follow the guidelines in the following topics to maximize DiskXtender performance by preventing unnecessary moves and fetches. Configuring virus scans of the extended drive Confirm that the anti-virus software is certified for use with DiskXtender. The EMC Information Protection Software Compatibility Guide provides details and can be found on the Powerlink website. Install the virus scan client on the DiskXtender server. Do not allow a user machine that is mapped to the DiskXtender server to run virus scans on the extended drive. In addition, minimize the impact of the virus scan on DiskXtender performance by using one of the following virus scan configuration strategies: Disable any real-time virus scan options. Instead, schedule periodic virus scans. The scheduled scans should not run concurrently with DiskXtender background scans. Instead, they should occur during times of low system activity. or If the anti-virus software allows it, add the DxDmService.exe file to the exclude list for virus scans. (DxDmService.exe is the program executable for the DiskXtender service.) In addition, configure the scan for inbound files only. In other words, only scan files that are written to the extended drive, not those that are read. The documentation for the anti-virus software should provide instructions for configuring these options. Configuring DiskXtender for virus scans The virus scan software should be included in the special application list in DiskXtender. When an application is on the list, DiskXtender can control whether purged files are directly read from media when accessed by the application, or if the application skips the purged files. In the case of anti-virus software, you might not want the anti-virus software to recall purged file data from media during a virus scan. Allowing DiskXtender to recall the file data would unnecessarily fetch purged files from media for virus scanning. This is not necessary if the files have been scanned prior to being moved and purged. Fetching files during a virus scan could significantly decrease DiskXtender performance. The special application list only applies to programs that run on the DiskXtender server. Because of this, user machines that are mapped to the DiskXtender server should not be permitted to run virus scans on the extended drive. Virus scans that are run from a user machine to a mapped extended drive will more than likely fetch purged files for scanning, defeating the purpose of the special application filtering option. Virus scans 193

194 Extended Drive Management Virus scan applications that are already filtered By default, the Special Applications List contains executables for the following anti-virus software: AVX Anti-Virus Dr. Solomon s Anti-Virus F-Secure Anti-Virus McAfee Anti-Virus Norton Anti-Virus Panda Anti-Virus Note: Not all anti-virus software is qualified for use with DiskXtender. The EMC Information Protection Software Compatibility Guide provides details. DiskXtender prevents the executables for each of these programs from fetching purged files to the extended drive during a virus scan. Add an application for DiskXtender to filter If the anti-virus software is not already on the Special Applications List, you must add the key executables for the software to the list. To add an executable to the special application filtering list: 1. From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Properties. The Service Properties dialog box appears. 2. Click the Options tab. 3. Select the Use special application filtering option from the list, as shown in Figure 77 on page 194. Figure 77 Use special application filtering option 4. Click Edit List. The Special Application List dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 78 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

195 Extended Drive Management Figure 78 Special Application List dialog box 5. Click Add. The Special Application Settings dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 79 on page 195. Figure 79 Special Application Settings dialog box 6. In the Application Executable text box, type the executable filename, including the.exe extension, for the application. Note: Wildcards are not supported when adding or editing applications in the special application filtering list. 7. From the Special Action drop-down list, select No Recall. 8. Click OK. 9. Repeat step 5 through step 8 to add any other key executables for the anti-virus software. 10. Click OK to close the Special Application List dialog box. 11. Click OK again to close the Service Properties dialog box. Virus scans 195

196 Extended Drive Management 196 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

197 7 File Migration The following topics discuss when and how to move files from the extended drive to storage media: Understanding the file migration process Developing a file migration strategy Enabling file migration Scheduling file migration Disabling file migration File Migration 197

198 File Migration Understanding the file migration process The term file migration refers to the function of moving files from a local hard drive to one or more pieces of storage media. In DiskXtender, the migration of a file is actually a copy. When DiskXtender moves a file to media, it is really copying the file data to media and adding extended attribute information to the file on the drive. The file is then managed by DiskXtender, and the data resides both on the extended drive and on the media. The following topics discuss the file migration process. Prerequisite steps for file migration To enable file migration through DiskXtender, you must prepare the media to which files will be migrated, prepare the extended drive, and configure migration rules and schedules. To set up file migration: 1. Create a media service for the storage media to which files will be migrated, and add media to the media service. The following chapters provide details: Chapter 2, Connecting to EMC Centera Chapter 3, Connecting to Network-Attached Storage Chapter 4, Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices 2. Create the extended drive and the media folders on the drive. Chapter 6, Extended Drive Management, provides details. 3. Create one or more media groups in each media folder. Media groups are specific groupings or pools of media within a media folder. 4. Allocate media from the media service to the extended drive. 5. Add the allocated media to the media groups. 6. Create move rules to specify: Which files should be moved to media Which files should not be moved to media Which media group the files should be moved to Whether to apply retention to the files so that the files cannot be edited or deleted for a certain period of time Note: Retention is available only when migrating files to EMC Centera or to retention-capable NAS devices. Chapter 8, File Retention, provides details. 7. If necessary, adjust the file migration schedule. By default, file migration takes place between 8 P.M. and 9 A.M. Scheduling file migration on page 228 provides details on how to adjust the schedule. 198 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

199 File Migration How files qualify for file migration Files are qualified against move rules at the following times: When the files are saved to the extended drive in other words, when they are added, edited, renamed, or moved. During a background scan. This is true in cases where the file did not qualify for a move rule when it was saved to the extended drive. For example: The file was already on the extended drive when the move rule was created. The move rules in the media folder may be configured with an age delay, so that files qualify only once they reach a certain age. You can also force all files to be evaluated against move rules during a background scan, regardless of move rule settings or when the files are saved to the extended drive. Disabling real-time rule qualification can improve performance on busy systems where a large number of files are saved to the extended drive in a short period of time. System resources can then be freed to service other requests, such as file fetches. To change when files are qualified against move rules, select Disable real-time moves for the Enable real-time moves option on the Options tab of the Service Properties dialog box in the File System Manager Administrator, as shown in Figure 80 on page 199. Be aware that the Enable real-time moves option applies to both move rules and index rules. Figure 80 Disabling real-time moves When a file meets the rule criteria for migration, the file is written to the move list for the media group. The move list contains a list of: New files that need to be migrated to media. Edited files that need to be remigrated to media. Even if a file meets the criteria for more than one move rule, the file is written to the move list based on only one of the move rules the one that is listed first in the File System Manager Administrator. Understanding the file migration process 199

200 File Migration How and when files are actually migrated When the file migration schedule begins, DiskXtender begins processing the move list for each media group. The files on the move list are checked again to ensure that they still qualify for configured move rules. If they still qualify, they are written to storage media. Note: If the file migration schedule is active when the file qualifies for a move rule, the file is written to media as soon as the target media becomes available. In other words, the file migration process may occur quickly after the file is saved to the extended drive, depending on the system configuration and the availability of the media. The piece of media a file is written to is determined by the move rule for which the file qualifies. Each move rule must identify a target media group for the qualifying files. Files are written to the first available piece of media that belongs to the media group. Extended attribute information is added to files that are successfully migrated to media. This information includes details about the media to which the file was written. To determine whether a file has been migrated, use the DiskXtender Explorer Add-ons to view the properties for the file or to run a file report for the file. Explorer Add-ons on page 394 provides details on performing these tasks. 200 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

201 File Migration Developing a file migration strategy The flexible file migration features in DiskXtender are designed to accommodate both simple and complex migration strategies. A simple migration strategy may involve migrating all files on the extended drive to a single back end storage device. A more complex strategy may involve migrating different types of files, or files in different locations, to different types or even multiple pieces of media. DiskXtender file migration policies enable you to configure, very specifically, which files are migrated to which media. The following topics provide details. Choosing the files to migrate DiskXtender move rules enable you to target, very specifically, which files to migrate to media, and also which files should not be moved to media. The following topics provide details on developing a strategy for the move rules. Available criteria for move rules You can select files for migration or exclusion from migration by using the criteria in Table 27 on page 201. Table 27 Available criteria for selecting files to move Criteria Filename File size File age File attributes Details You can specify a particular filename, which may be useful for excluding a file from migration. You can also use the asterisk (*) symbol as a wildcard to substitute for one or more characters in a filename. For example: Specify *.* to target all files in a media folder. Specify *.doc to target all files with a.doc extension. Specify Payroll* to target all files with a filename that begins with the word Payroll, regardless of the file s extension. Specify *.tmp to target temporary files for exclusion from migration. You can target files smaller than a certain size in KB, larger than a certain size in KB, or within a range of sizes in KB. Age criteria enable you to specify the number of days that must pass since the file was created, last edited, or last accessed before DiskXtender migrates the file. You can target certain files with the Read-only, Archive, Compressed, Hidden, or System attributes. File attribute criteria are most effectively used to exclude files with certain attributes, such as the System attribute, from being moved. Simplifying move rules by grouping files in media folders If possible, group files into media folders based on the migration rule that should apply to the files. This enables you to simplify the rules for each media folder. For example, save all files that should be migrated to one type of media in one media folder, and all files that should be migrated to another type of media in a different media folder. Or, save all files that should be migrated immediately in one media folder, and all files that should be migrated after 30 days in a different media folder. Developing a file migration strategy 201

202 File Migration Delaying file migration until files are finalized Specify an age delay on move rules to prevent DiskXtender from moving files until they are finalized and will no longer be edited. This may be especially useful with optical media because of the way files are written to optical media. It limits the number of times frequently changing files are written and rewritten to the media. To specify an age delay, select the Apply rule to files of age greater than option on the Age page for the move rule, specify the number of days (typically 30 or 60), and then select Last write time from the drop-down list. Excluding unnecessary files from migration Create move rules to exclude any files that you do not want migrated to media. For example, never extend a system drive or a drive that contains application files. However, if there are system or application files on the extended drive, be sure to configure an exclude rule that excludes all files with the System attribute. This prevents the application and system files from being moved and subsequently purged. Rules that exclude files from migration are called exclusive move rules. To create an exclusive move rule, select the Exclude option on the Type page when creating the rule. Prioritizing overlapping move rules Even if a file meets the criteria for more than one move rule, the file is migrated or excluded from migration based on only one of the move rules the one that is listed first in the File System Manager Administrator. For example, if you create a move rule that moves all.doc files (*.doc) to a NAS media group and another move rule that moves all files with the word Report in the filename (*Report*) to an EMC Centera media, then a file named Report.doc would technically meet the criteria for both rules. However, Report.doc would be moved only to the NAS media group. This is because it would qualify for the *.doc move rule, which would be listed first in the Administrator. After a file meets the criteria for one move rule, DiskXtender does not qualify files against additional move rules. In addition, even if two move rules are configured with the same file criteria but point to different media groups, files are written only to the media group specified in the move rule listed first in the File System Administrator. To move a file to multiple pieces of media at the same time, use a multi-target migration strategy. Multi-target migration on page 204 provides details. As a result, if you create multiple move rules in a media folder, you must order the rules to define how files are evaluated against the rules. To edit the priority for a move rule, right-click the rule and select either Promote or Demote. Keep in mind the following guidelines: If a file qualifies for two different move rules, the file is moved based on the rule that is listed first in the tree view of the Administrator. If the file fails to qualify for migration based on the first rule, the file is evaluated against the second rule. If the file is excluded from migration based on the first rule, then the file is not migrated, even if it qualifies based on the second rule. If the file qualifies for migration based on the first rule, then the file is migrated, even if it is excluded from migration based on the second rule. 202 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

203 File Migration As a result of the last two guidelines, exclusive rules and rules with more specific file criteria should generally appear first in the list of rules. This enables exclusions and special conditions to take effect, while more general criteria in the later rules in the list can capture any remaining files. Choosing the media for the files DiskXtender media groups enable you to select the media to which files in a media folder will be migrated. When you configure the rules that select files for migration, you also specify the media groups that will receive the files. Each move rule can target only one media group. If you create multiple move rules, you can create multiple media groups to receive the files that qualify for the move rules. However, a media group is not exclusively owned by a move rule. In other words, you can configure multiple move rules that all point to the same media group. Multiple media groups in each media folder are necessary only if there are multiple types of media or if it is necessary to segregate files on different pieces of media. For example, you may want to write frequently accessed files to a faster media type, such as NAS, and infrequently accessed files to a slower media type, such as tape. Or, you may want to write certain file types to a retention-capable media type, such as EMC Centera, while other file types do not require retention and can be written to NAS. The way that you configure the media groups determines how files are written to the media in the groups. The following topics provide details. Understanding the three file migration models You can migrate files to media through DiskXtender with one of three file migration models. These migration models are configured primarily through DiskXtender media groups. Standard migration With the standard migration model in DiskXtender, files that are written to a media folder on the extended drive are qualified against the move rules configured for the media folder. If the file qualifies for migration, the file is written to the move list for the media group to which the move rule points. (The media group contains only one type of media and is called a standard media group. The standard media group belongs to the media folder in which the file is located.) When the file migration schedule is active, the file is migrated to a single piece of media in the media group, as illustrated in Figure 81 on page 203. Extended drive on DiskXtender server File Media GEN Figure 81 Standard migration Developing a file migration strategy 203

204 File Migration Multi-target migration With multi-target migration, each file is migrated from the extended drive to multiple targets (pieces, and even different types of media), as illustrated in Figure 82 on page 204. Tape Extended drive on DiskXtender server File Disk array GEN Figure 82 Multi-target migration Multi-target migration provides improved data availability and reliability. In the event that one of the pieces of media is not available, a file can be retrieved from another piece of media in a different target. Multi-target migration is achieved through configuration of multi-target media groups. A multi-target media group is designed solely to contain media targets, which consist of standard media groups that contain the media to which to write files, as shown in Figure 83 on page 204. Multi-target media group Standard media group with tape media Standard media group with NAS media Standard media group with DVD media Standard media group with EMC Centera media GEN Figure 83 Multi-target media group 204 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

205 File Migration A multi-target media group can contain as many as four standard media groups. When you create move rules for a multi-target environment, you select a multi-target media group to receive the qualifying files not the standard media groups within the multi-target group. When a file qualifies for movement to media based on move rules associated with a multi-target group, the file is moved to a piece of media in each target. Because the capacity and availability of the different types of media in each group are likely to vary, a piece of media in one target group is not likely to contain the same files as a piece of media in another target group. In other words, the media in target groups are not copies or duplicates of each other. Figure 84 on page 205 illustrates a scenario where File A and File B are migrated to the same piece of media in one media group, but to different pieces of media in another media group. Standard media group with NAS media NAS share 1 File A NAS share 2 Standard media group with tape media File B Tape 1 Tape 2 GEN Figure 84 Sample file migration pattern for multi-target migration A scenario such as the one illustrated in Figure 84 on page 205 is possible because different types of media have different maximum capacities. For example, the maximum capacity of a piece of tape media is likely to be smaller than the maximum capacity of a share on a NAS device, which is limited only by the size of the partition on which the share resides. As a result, File A and File B may be written to the same Developing a file migration strategy 205

206 File Migration NAS share. However, File A may be the last file written to Tape 1 because it fills the tape, so File B would be written to Tape 2. Note: If you configure multi-target migration through DiskXtender and the media in two different targets are two EMC Centera clusters, do not use EMC Centera replication. If you use both replication and multi-target migration, the CDF for each file may be stored on each EMC Centera cluster twice. If single-instance storage is disabled, then the file data will also be stored on each cluster twice. A similar problem occurs if you are replicating the extended drive with a tool such as EMC RepliStor. The migration to media in a multi-target group actually takes place as the media in each target group becomes available, meaning that there might be some delay in a file being written to all targets. Similarly, if all of the media types in the multi-target group support file deletions, then a file that is deleted from the extended drive is deleted from the media as the media becomes available. The most restrictive media type restrictions of all media types in the multi-target group apply to the files that have been written to media in the multi-target group. For example, if one target group contains a type of media that does not allow you to rename or delete files, you will not be able to rename or delete files in the folder, even if another group in the multi-target group does allow those transactions. If a file qualifies for purging, the file is not purged until it has been moved to all targets within a multi-target group. If a user requests a file that has been purged, the file is fetched from the first target media group listed under the multi-target group. You can change the media priority from which DiskXtender will fetch the file by changing the order in which the standard media groups appear under the multi-target group. To delete files from one target media group to reclaim space, but leave the files on other target media groups to ensure continued access to them, you can configure an expiration policy for the target group. You can delete files from media in a target media group based on the age of the file since it was created, last written, or last accessed. For example, you may want to migrate files to both NAS and tape media. While the files are still frequently accessed, they can be fetched from the faster NAS media. However, once the files reach a certain age, they can be expired (deleted) from the NAS media and left only on the tape media for retrieval. The Automatically expire files setting on the Options page for the media group enables you to configure an expiration policy for a target media group. Files are evaluated against the expiration criteria during a background scan. Those files that meet the criteria are deleted during the scan. Files that are deleted based on expiration policies are not placed in the DiskXtender Recycler since the files are still active on the extended drive and on other media. Note: You can define expiration policies for all but one of the target groups. In other words, you cannot expire files from all target groups in a multi-target group. To configure automatic deletion of files from the final target group, create a delete rule that targets the files and uses an appropriate age delay after the files are expired from the other targets. Keep in mind, however, that once a file is deleted from the final group, it can no longer be accessed because it is no longer on the extended drive. 206 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

207 File Migration Note: If a file has been migrated to EMC Centera or Retained NAS media and retention has been applied, then the file cannot be expired from the media until the retention expires. However, the file can be expired from media in other media groups that do not support retention. Tiered migration With tiered migration, also called hierarchical storage management (HSM), each file is migrated twice: from one extended drive to another extended drive, and then from that extended drive to tape media, as illustrated in Figure 85 on page 207. Extended drive on first DiskXtender server File Extended drive on second DiskXtender server File Tape GEN Figure 85 Tiered migration To accomplish this through DiskXtender, media folders on the second extended drive are configured as Aggregate NAS media on the first DiskXtender server. The files from the first extended drive are migrated to the Aggregate NAS media (the second extended drive) by using a standard migration process. In other words, the Aggregate NAS media belongs to a standard media group in a media folder on the first extended drive. The DiskXtender installation on the second server then moves the files to tape media, also with a standard migration process. In other words, the tape media belongs to a standard media group in the media folder configured on the second extended drive. When files are saved to a media folder on the first extended drive that contains a media group with Aggregate NAS media, DiskXtender does not allow you to rename the files or the folders in which they reside. This behavior mimics the behavior of the second extended drive (the Aggregate NAS media), because the second extended drive is writing to tape, which also does not allow file or folder renames. The restrictions on Aggregate NAS media are designed to ensure that files and file tags on both extended drives remain synchronized, and that the files on the subsequent tape media are not orphaned. Developing a file migration strategy 207

208 File Migration Tiered migration is supported only through the use of the Aggregate NAS media type and tape media. DiskXtender does not support tiered migration from one extended drive to another media type (such as EMC Centera) before a final migration to tape. Migration from Aggregate NAS to media other than tape (such as EMC Centera or optical) is also not supported. Media fill methods Marking media as full You can control the way in which DiskXtender selects the media in a media group when it writes files to the media. Media can be filled either sequentially or randomly. With the sequential media fill method, DiskXtender fills media one at a time based on the order in which they are listed for the media group in the File System Manager Administrator. In other words, DiskXtender continues writing files to a piece of media until it is full, and then it moves on to the next piece of media. Sequential fill is designed for use with removable media, such as optical or tape. With the random media fill method, DiskXtender writes files to any available media in the media group. Random fill is designed for use in environments where you are writing to disk-based media, such as EMC Centera, NAS, or TSM. With the random fill method, DiskXtender can write to multiple pieces of media at once. You can also select the number of media that DiskXtender can write to simultaneously. To select either the random or sequential media fill method for a media group, use the Media fill method setting on the Options page when you add or edit a media group. If you select the random fill method, you should also specify the number of media that can receive files simultaneously. This is configured with the Maximum media simultaneously receiving files setting, which is also on the Options page for media groups. When the amount of free space on a piece of media falls below a specified number of megabytes, then DiskXtender marks the media as full. When media is marked as full, DiskXtender no longer writes files to the media, although the media is left in its media group. This enables users to continue to access files on the media. Full media appears with a blue label in the File System Manager Administrator. By default, DiskXtender marks media as full when the amount of free space on the media falls below 1 MB. If you use EMC Centera, then the virtual media is marked as full when it reaches the free space threshold or when the maximum file count for the media (100,000 files) is reached. For NAS, remember that the capacity of a piece of media is limited by the capacity of the device on which the share configured as media resides. You can adjust the free space threshold for marking a media as full by configuring the Mark media full when free space falls below setting on the Options page for a media group. Note: Free space on media might fall below the configured level. This occurs because DiskXtender monitors media free space on a timed interval of every 15 minutes, and DiskXtender might continue to write files to the media in between the timed monitoring. After the timed verification occurs, the media is marked as full. However, at that point, the media free space might be less than the amount specified. You can also manually mark a piece of media as full by selecting the Media Full checkbox on the General tab of the Media Properties dialog box for the media. To access the Media Properties dialog box, right-click the media and select Properties. 208 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

209 File Migration Enabling file migration The following topics provide details on configuring file migration in DiskXtender: Configuring standard migration on page 209 Configuring multi-target migration in a new environment on page 220 Configuring multi-target migration in an existing environment on page 222 Configuring tiered migration on page 226 Configuring standard migration Perform the following steps to enable file migration in a standard environment, where DiskXtender moves files in a media folder to a single piece of media: 1. Create one or more standard media groups in each media folder. Creating a standard media group on page 209 provides details. 2. Allocate media from the media service to the extended drive. Allocating media to the extended drive on page 214 provides details. 3. Add the allocated media to the media groups. Adding media to a standard media group on page 215 provides details. 4. Create move rules to specify which files should and should not be migrated to media. Creating a move rule on page 217 provides details. Creating a standard media group To create a standard media group: 1. Right-click the Media Groups node under the media folder for which to create a standard media group, and then select New. The media group wizard appears, starting with the New Media Group page, as shown in Figure 86 on page 209. Figure 86 Media group New Media Group page 2. In the Name text box, type a name for the group. Enabling file migration 209

210 File Migration 3. In the Media Group Type drop-down list, leave the default of Media. This is the option for creating a standard media group type. 4. From the Media Type drop-down list, select the type of media you plan to add to the group. Note: If you are creating the media group for DVD-ROM media, select DVD-R as the media type. 5. Click Next. The Automation page appears. 6. If necessary, choose the automation settings for the media group: If you selected EMC Centera as the media type for the group, you can select options to automatically create virtual media for the media group based on the amount of available free space on the media in the group or based on the number of active (not full) media in the group, as illustrated in Figure 87 on page 210. Automatically creating virtual EMC Centera media on page 52 provides additional information. Figure 87 Media group Automation page for EMC Centera If you selected removable media such as tape or optical as the media type for the group, you can select options to automatically label blank media and add it to the media group based on the amount of available free space in the media group. You can also compact media, remove it from the media group, and reformat the media when the amount of wasted space on the media reaches a certain percentage. Figure 88 on page 211 illustrates the available options. Automatically labeling media and adding it to a media group on page 131 and Automatically reusing media on page 136 provide additional information. 210 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

211 File Migration Figure 88 Media group Automation page for removable media If you use NAS or TSM media, then the Automation page appears, but the options are dimmed. 7. Click Next. If you use EMC Centera, then the Metadata page appears, as shown in Figure 89 on page 211. Otherwise, the Options page appears, as shown in Figure 90 on page 212. Proceed to step 11. Figure 89 Media group Metadata page Enabling file migration 211

212 File Migration The Metadata page enables you to specify custom metadata that is stored with each file that is written to the EMC Centera media in the group. The custom metadata can be used to enhance EMC Centera Seek and Chargeback Reporter reports. 8. In the Name text box, type a name for the type of custom metadata to add to the CDF. 9. In the Value text box, type the value that should appear for the type of custom metadata. 10. Click Next. The Options page appears, as shown in Figure 90 on page 212. Figure 90 Media group Options page 11. To configure an option, select the option from the list, and then type or select a new value for the option in the controls below the list. Table 28 on page 212 provides details on the options to consider, which depend on the type of media in the group. Table 28 Recommended media group options for each media type (page 1 of 3) Media type Option Recommended setting EMC Centera Media fill method Random (the default) Maximum media simultaneously receiving files The default value for this option is the media count threshold that you type on the Automation page. You can tell DiskXtender to write to as many pieces as is appropriate for the best system efficiency. The number you enter depends on the optimal number of media that should receive files at any given time, as discussed in Communication threads on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

213 File Migration Table 28 Recommended media group options for each media type (page 2 of 3) Media type Option Recommended setting NAS and TSM Media fill method Random Note: For NAS and TSM media groups, the default is Sequential, so you must edit the setting. MO, UDO, tape, and WORM Maximum media simultaneously receiving files Warn when group free space falls below (MB) Media fill method Warn when group free space falls below (MB) Set this value to the total number of media that you plan to add to the media group. This enables DiskXtender to write to all media as necessary. Since you must manually create NAS and TSM media when it is needed, enable this option so that you are notified when the media in the media group is starting to run out of space. You can then configure the warning to be sent out as an alert. Sending alerts for errors and warnings on page 326 provides details. Sequential (the default) If you use the automation features for the media group to automatically label and add media to the group when it is needed, then you do not need to enable this option. However, if you do not enable automation, then you should enable this option so that you are notified when the media in the media group is starting to run out of space. You can then configure the warning to be sent out as an alert. Sending alerts for errors and warnings on page 326 provides details. Enabling file migration 213

214 File Migration Table 28 Recommended media group options for each media type (page 3 of 3) Media type Option Recommended setting DVD-RAM, DVD-R Media fill method Sequential (the default) Warn when group free space falls below (MB) Mark media full when free space falls below (MB) Auto-finalize DVD+/-R media after marking full Purge files after auto-finalizing media Direct read files after auto-finalizing media If you use the automation features for the media group to automatically label and add media to the group when it is needed, then you do not need to enable this option. However, if you do not enable automation, then you should enable this option so that you are notified when the media in the media group is starting to run out of space. You can then configure the warning to be sent out as an alert. Sending alerts for errors and warnings on page 326 provides details. If you plan to enable auto-finalization of DVD-R media, leave this option enabled. Otherwise, auto-finalization is not available. Choose whether to automatically finalize DVD-R media when it is marked as full. Choose whether to purge all files on DVD-R media from the extended drive after it is finalized. If you leave this option disabled, then files are purged based on configured purge rules. Developing a purging strategy on page 277 provides details. Choose whether to mark files for Direct Read after they are automatically purged after automatic finalization. Direct Read is strongly discouraged in most environments. Reading files directly from media on page 295 provides details. For all other options, the default value is recommended. The File System Manager Administrator online help provides details on each option. 12. Click Next. 13. Review the summary information and click Finish. Allocating media to the extended drive If you use automated EMC Centera media creation, you do not need to allocate media to the extended drive. If you use the ACSLS media service, then the process for allocating media to the extended drive is performed on the ACSLS server. Allocating ACSLS media to an extended drive on page 120 provides additional information. For all other media types, follow the steps below to allocate media: 1. From the Service menu, select Configure Media Services. 2. Ensure that the media service is online. If the media service is not online, select the media service and click Set Online. 3. Select the media service and click Properties. 4. Click the Media List tab. Media that is not yet allocated to an extended drive appears with no entry in the Application Pool column. 5. Select the media and click Allocate. 214 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

215 File Migration The Select Extended Drive dialog box appears, listing all available extended drives. 6. Select the extended drive and click OK. 7. Click OK. 8. Click Close. Allocated media appears in the appropriate node of the Available Media tree for the extended drive. Adding media to a standard media group If you use automated EMC Centera media creation, then media is automatically added to the media group when it is created. If you use automated labeling for removable media, then media is automatically added to the media group when it is labeled. However, if you do not use a media automation feature, you must manually add media to the media group. Note: If there are multiple EMC Centera media services, you can add media from only one media service to a media group. A single media group cannot contain media from different EMC Centera media services. You must create at least one media group for each EMC Centera media service. To add media to a standard media group: 1. Drag the media from the Original node of the Available Media tree and drop it in the media group. 2. Click Yes on the confirmation message. The Media Restore page of the Add Media to Media Group Wizard appears, as shown in Figure 91 on page 215. Figure 91 Add Media to Media Group Wizard Media Restore page Enabling file migration 215

216 File Migration 3. Set the appropriate restore options for any media that currently contain files: Log Duplicates Choose whether to keep a count of files on the media that were already resident on the extended drive by selecting or clearing the checkbox. The count appears in the media log for the piece of media. Direct Read Choose whether to apply the Direct Read attribute to all restored files by selecting or clearing the checkbox. Direct Read means that when accessed by a client, the file is read directly from media rather than fetched to the extended drive and read from there. Note: Direct Read is strongly discouraged in most environments. Review the recommendations in Reading files directly from media on page 295 before selecting this option. Restore older files to recycler Choose whether to restore any older versions of files to the DiskXtender Recycler, if the media supports multiple file versions. The most recent version of a file is restored to the extended drive. Multiple file versions might occur in the following situations: Media is formatted with an OTG file system. In this case, deleted versions of a file, as well as file versions resulting from file edits, remain on the media but are no longer available on the extended drive. File attributes are changed for a file that is written to EMC Centera media. If you do not want to restore older versions of files to the Recycler, then the older versions remain only on the media. The most recent version can still be restored to the extended drive. Process as soon as possible Choose whether to restore the media immediately, rather than as a scheduled File Restore media task (which is processed when the media task schedule is active), by selecting or clearing the checkbox. 4. Click Next. 5. Review the summary information and click Finish. 216 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

217 File Migration Creating a move rule Table 29 To create a move rule: 1. In the File System Manager Administrator, right-click the Move Rules node under the media folder, and then select New. The Move Rule Wizard appears, starting with the Type page. 2. Select criteria on each page of the wizard, and then click Next to access the next page of the wizard. Table 29 on page 217 provides details on the criteria you can specify on each page. Move rule criteria Move rule page Type File Name Criteria available Whether the rule qualifies files for migration or excludes files from being migrated. The location (folder and/or subfolder) and filename (typically extension or file type) specifications for the files this rule targets for migration. You can use the standard Microsoft Windows asterisk (*) wildcard, which represents one or more characters in the name or extension part of the filename. Note: You can target only one filename specification per move rule. To apply the rule to different kinds of files in the same folder, create separate rules. Size Attributes Whether the rule applies to files of all sizes or only files of a certain size (in KB). You can specify an upper size limit and a lower size limit. If both limits are specified, then only files whose size falls between the two limits are subject to the move rule. Whether the rule applies to files with any attribute or only files with certain attributes, including the Read-only, Archive, Compressed, Hidden, and System attributes. Note: Files possessing any of the selected attributes will qualify for the rule, as opposed to files needing to possess all of the selected attributes to qualify, or files needing to possess only the selected attributes to qualify. Age Whether files of any age qualify for migration, or if some period of days must pass after the file was created, last accessed, or last written to (modified). Note: If you choose to migrate files based on the last access time for the file, be aware that files can be accessed by applications as well as by users. For example, a virus scan of the extended drive might access a file to evaluate whether it is infected with a virus. The File System Manager Administrator online help provides additional details on selecting the options for each page of the wizard. 3. On the Settings page, choose or create the media group to which qualifying files should be migrated, as shown in Figure 92 on page 218. If you are creating an exclusive move rule, the Settings page appears, but the options are dimmed. Proceed to step 6. Enabling file migration 217

218 File Migration Figure 92 Move rule Settings page 4. Choose whether to immediately purge qualifying files (after they are moved to media) and mark them for Direct Read by selecting or clearing the Mark files for direct read after move checkbox. If you select this option, the Purge files immediately after move option becomes selected and dimmed. This is because the Mark file for direct read after move option automatically purges files.! IMPORTANT Direct Read is strongly discouraged in most environments. Review the recommendations in Reading files directly from media on page 295 before selecting this option. 5. If the checkbox is available, choose whether to immediately purge qualifying files after they are moved to media by selecting or clearing the Purge files immediately after move checkbox.! IMPORTANT If you select either the Purge files immediately after move or the Mark files for direct read checkbox, files moved by this rule are purged and are not subject to any exclusion purge rules. Even if you plan to purge files immediately after they are moved by using the move rule option, you should still configure purge rules. If you do not configure purge rules and the purged files are fetched, the files may not be purged again. Developing a purging strategy on page 277 provides details to help you determine whether this purge option is appropriate for your environment. 6. Click Next. If you selected a media group with EMC Centera or Retained NAS media, the Retention page appears, as shown in Figure 93 on page 219. Otherwise, the summary page appears. Proceed to step EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

219 File Migration Figure 93 Move rule Retention page 7. Select a retention setting for files that qualify for the rule, and click Next. Chapter 8, File Retention, provides details on available retention settings. 8. Review the summary information and click Finish to complete the wizard and create the rule. 9. Once you finish creating move rules, you must order them to set the priority in which DiskXtender qualifies files for migration, particularly in cases where rules may overlap (for example, if a file qualifies for two different rules). Keep in mind the following guidelines: If a file qualifies for two different move rules, the file is migrated based on the rule that is listed first in the tree view of the Administrator. If the file fails to qualify for migration based on the first rule, the file is evaluated against the second rule. If the file is excluded from migration based on the first rule, then the file is not migrated, even if it qualifies based on the second rule. If the file qualifies for migration based on the first rule, then the file is migrated, even if it is excluded from migration based on the second rule. As a result of the last two guidelines, exclusion rules should generally appear first in the list of rules. This enables the exclusion to take place. To edit the priority for a move rule, right-click the rule and select either Promote or Demote. Note: After you create a move rule, you can edit it by right-clicking the rule and selecting Properties. The Move Rule Properties dialog box appears, and contains tabs that correspond to the pages of the wizard you used to create the rule. To delete a move rule, right-click the rule and select Delete. Then click Yes on the confirmation message. Enabling file migration 219

220 File Migration Configuring multi-target migration in a new environment With multi-target migration, DiskXtender moves files in a media folder to multiple pieces of media. In a new environment, where DiskXtender is not yet migrating files to media, perform the following steps to enable multi-target file migration: 1. Create the multi-target media group in the media folder. Creating a multi-target media group on page 220 provides details. 2. Create one or more standard media groups in the media folder. Creating a standard media group on page 209 provides details. 3. Add the standard media groups to the multi-target media group. Adding groups to a multi-target group on page 220 provides details. Note: If you are adding two or more EMC Centera media groups to a multi-target group, then the media in those media groups must be from the same media service. A multi-target media group cannot contain media groups with media from different EMC Centera media services. 4. Allocate media from the media service to the extended drive. Allocating media to the extended drive on page 214 provides details. 5. Add the allocated media to the standard media groups. Adding media to a standard media group on page 215 provides details. 6. Create move rules to specify which files should and should not be migrated to media, selecting the multi-target media group as the target media group on the Settings page for the move rule. Creating a move rule on page 217 provides details on creating a move rule. 7. (Optional) Configure an expiration policy to automatically delete files from standard media groups once the files meet certain age criteria. Specifying expiration policies for target groups on page 221 provides instructions. Creating a multi-target media group To create a multi-target media group: 1. Right-click the Media Groups node under the media folder for which to create a multi-target media group, and then select New. The media group wizard appears, starting with the New Media Group page, as shown in Figure 86 on page In the Name text box, type a name for the multi-target media group. 3. From the Media Group Type drop-down list, select [Multi-Target]. 4. Click Next. 5. Review the summary information and click Finish. Adding groups to a multi-target group To add a standard media group to a multi-target media group: 1. Drag-and-drop the standard media group into the multi-target media group. 2. Click Yes on the confirmation message. If there are move rules assigned to the standard media group, a message appears to confirm whether to add the rules to the multi-target group. 3. Click Yes to add the rules or No to delete the rules. 220 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

221 File Migration 4. Repeat step 1 through step 3 for any remaining standard media groups to add to the multi-target group. You can add as many as four standard media groups to a multi-target group. Note: If you are adding two or more EMC Centera media groups to a multi-target group, then the media in those media groups must be from the same media service. A multi-target media group cannot contain media groups with media from different EMC Centera media services. 5. Choose the priority in which DiskXtender selects the target (standard media group) from which it is going to fetch a purged file that has been requested by a user. To change the order, drag-and-drop the media groups within the multi-target group. Note: You cannot control the order in which each file is written to each target. Files are moved to media as the media is available. If you have already been migrating files to other targets in a multi-target media group and you add another target (standard media group) to the multi-target group, the files on the other targets are automatically moved/synchronized to the new target during the next background scan. Specifying expiration policies for target groups To delete files from one target media group to reclaim space, but leave the files on other target media groups to ensure continued access to them, you can configure an expiration policy for the target group. Files are qualified against the expiration policy during a background scan. Files that meet the criteria are deleted from the media during the background scan. However, the files are not placed in the DiskXtender Recycler since they are still active on the extended drive and on other media. Note: If a file has been migrated to EMC Centera or Retained NAS media and retention has been applied, then the file cannot be expired from the media until the retention expires. However, the file can be expired from media in other media groups that do not support retention. To set expiration policies for multi-target media groups: 1. Determine the order in which files should be expired from the target groups. Evaluate the performance and availability of all media types, as well as the access requirements for the files that are migrated to the media groups. 2. Right-click a target media group for which to define an expiration policy, and select Properties. 3. The Media Group Properties dialog box appears. 4. Click the Options tab. 5. Scroll through the list and select the Automatically expire files option. 6. Select Automatically expire files that meet the following age criteria. 7. Specify the age of the files to be deleted in the Days text box. 8. From the Since drop down box, choose whether the age of the file is calculated from the time the file was created, last accessed, or last written. 9. Click OK. Enabling file migration 221

222 File Migration 10. Repeat these steps for each target group from which to expire files. You can define expiration policies for all but one of the target groups. In other words, you cannot expire files from all target groups in a multi-target group. Note: If a file has been expired from all target media groups but the last group, and then you remove the media from the media group, then the file is no longer available on the extended drive. 11. (Optional) To configure automatic deletion of files from the final target group, create a delete rule that targets the files and uses an appropriate age delay after the files are expired from the other targets. Keep in mind, however, that once a file is deleted from the final group, it can no longer be accessed. Configuring multi-target migration in an existing environment With multi-target migration, DiskXtender moves files in a media folder to multiple pieces of media. If DiskXtender is already migrating files to media by using a standard migration strategy, you can enable multi-target migration and begin migrating the files to one or more additional pieces of media. When you enable multi-target migration in an existing environment, the files that have already been written to media and purged must be fetched back to the extended drive so that they also can be written to the new media. The files are then purged again. This fetch process synchronizes the files on the first media with the files on the second media, and is called sync-fetch. Sync-fetch occurs during a background scan and is a system-intensive procedure. As a result, it is important to carefully plan sync-fetch to minimize the impact on user activity. The following topics provide details on enabling multi-target migration while taking into consideration the issues that affect performance. Preparing the environment for multi-target migration Perform the following steps to prepare the DiskXtender environment before enabling multi-target migration in an existing environment: 1. Connect DiskXtender to the additional storage device(s): To use an EMC Centera cluster, you must provide the connection information to DiskXtender and create virtual pieces of media that simulate divisions of the EMC Centera cluster. Chapter 2, Connecting to EMC Centera, provides details. To use a share on a network-attached storage device, create the shares, and connect DiskXtender to the shares. Each share is considered an individual piece of media in DiskXtender. Chapter 3, Connecting to Network-Attached Storage, provides details. To use a storage device with removable media such as tape or optical, connect DiskXtender to the software managing the device (either MediaStor or Sun StorageTek ACSLS) and add media to the device. Chapter 4, Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices, provides details. To use an IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) system to store DiskXtender files, install the TSM client on the DiskXtender server, connect DiskXtender to the TSM server, and then create virtual pieces of media that simulate divisions of the TSM server. Chapter 5, Connecting to Tivoli Storage Manager, provides details. 2. Plan to enable multi-target migration during off-peak hours of user activity. 222 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

223 File Migration 3. Ensure that the system is running without problems. For example: Review the DiskXtender event logs and the Windows event log. If DiskXtender is running in a cluster, review the cluster logs. If you use EMC Centera, run a health check on the device. If there are any issues, they must be resolved before enabling multi-target migration. 4. Ensure that there is sufficient space on the extended drive for files to be fetched for synchronization. At least 20 percent of the total size of the extended drive is recommended. To free space, purge files by either reducing the purge start watermark or manually purging files with the DiskXtender Explorer Add-ons. Chapter 10, Purging Files, provides details on purging. 5. If you use EMC Centera, ensure that there are sufficient communication threads available between DiskXtender and EMC Centera. Communication threads on page 35 provides guidelines for configuring the appropriate number of communication threads. 6. Minimize the activity on the extended drive by disabling as much system activity as possible while the sync-fetch process is in progress. For example: Disable anti-virus scans and backups. Disable the media task schedule. Scheduling file migration on page 228 provides details on setting the media task schedule. If the environment is configured for replication by using RepliStor, MirrorView, or SRDF, then pause replication. Note: The file migration schedule must be active during the sync-fetch process. This enables files to be written to the tape media and re-purged. 7. Plan to enable multi-target migration for only one extended drive at a time. You may want to further limit the impact and duration of sync-fetch by setting a limit for the number of files that can be fetched and re-migrated. The steps for limiting sync-fetch are discussed in the topic that follows. Enabling multi-target migration in an existing environment After you prepare the environment as discussed in Preparing the environment for multi-target migration on page 222, perform the following steps to enable multi-target migration in an existing environment: 1. Create a standard media group for the new media. Creating a standard media group on page 209 provides details. 2. Allocate the new media from its media service to the extended drive. Allocating media to the extended drive on page 214 provides details. 3. Add the new media to the standard media group. Adding media to a standard media group on page 215 provides details. 4. Create a multi-target media group. Creating a multi-target media group on page 220 provides details. 5. Add the media group that already has DiskXtender files to the multi-target media group by dragging and dropping the media group into the multi-target group. 6. Click Yes on the confirmation message. A message appears to confirm whether to add the existing move rules to the multi-target group. Enabling file migration 223

224 File Migration 7. Click Yes. The move rules that originally wrote files to the standard media group are edited to write files to the multi-target group (and therefore the standard media groups within the multi-target group). 8. Add the standard media group for the new media to the multi-target media group by dragging and dropping the media group into the multi-target group. Note: If you are adding two or more EMC Centera media groups to a multi-target group, then the media in those media groups must be from the same media service. A multi-target media group cannot contain media groups with media from different EMC Centera media services. 9. Click Yes on the confirmation message. 10. Select the standard media group from which purged files should be fetched by reordering the standard groups within the multi-target group. Files are fetched from the standard group listed first within the multi-target group. To reorder the groups, drag and drop the media groups within the multi-target group. 11. (Optional) Configure an expiration policy to automatically delete files from standard media groups once the files meet certain age criteria. Specifying expiration policies for target groups on page 221 provides instructions. 12. Start a background scan with advanced scan settings adjusted: a. Right-click the extended drive and select Background Scan. The Extended Drive Background Scan dialog box appears. b. To set advanced scan settings for troubleshooting purposes, click Advanced Configuration. A warning appears to indicate the risks of changing configuration settings. c. Click Yes to continue to the Advanced Scan Configuration dialog box. d. Select the Perform move rule evaluation and Perform synchronization fetching checkboxes. e. Type an appropriate file limit in the text box to the right of the Perform synchronization fetching checkbox. This setting limits the number of files that can be fetched to the extended drive and written to the new media group. When deciding on an appropriate limit, consider the amount of space available on the extended drive for fetching the files, as well as the amount of system downtime available for the sync-fetch process. (The default value for the move rule evaluation limit should be sufficient. Selecting this checkbox enables DiskXtender to continue moving new files to media as necessary.) f. Click OK. The Extended Drive Background Scan dialog box appears. g. Click OK. h. Right-click the extended drive and select Force Background Scan. i. Click Yes on the confirmation message. 224 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

225 File Migration The background scan starts. DiskXtender qualifies the files on the extended drive against the move rules, fetches the files from the original media, and writes them to the new media so that the files exist on both the original and the new media. As the free space on the extended drive diminishes and reaches the purge start watermark, DiskXtender automatically begins purging the files that have been synchronized. Monitoring the sync-fetch process While DiskXtender fetches files from the original media and writes them to the new media, monitor the process to ensure that it proceeds successfully: Monitor the CPU usage on the DiskXtender server, keeping in mind that DiskXtender may also be writing new files to the original media while it performs sync-fetch for the new media. Monitor the DiskXtender event logs and the hardware devices to ensure that there are no unexpected errors. Verifying the synchronization and resetting the system Perform the following steps to ensure that the synchronization is successful, and to return the DiskXtender environment to normal operation: 1. As files are synchronized, test the files to ensure that they can be accessed: a. Verify that files are being purged again. b. Fetch a purged file from media. c. Verify that new files are being migrated to both the original and new media. The File Properties dialog box for a file, available through the DiskXtender Explorer Add-ons, provides a list of the media to which a file has been migrated. 2. If DiskXtender is installed in a Microsoft clustering environment, propagate the changes to other nodes in the cluster: a. Use the Cluster Administrator to initiate a failover after the first background scan with sync-fetch is complete. The multi-target configuration changes are copied to the other node in the cluster during the failover. b. Fail the service back to the original node to continue synchronization with additional background scans. 3. Repeat the relevant steps in Enabling multi-target migration in an existing environment on page 223 until all files on all extended drives have been synchronized among the media groups. The background scan statistics indicate whether there are any files selected for sync-fetch. When this number is set to zero, then sync-fetch is complete for the extended drive. Enabling file migration 225

226 File Migration 4. When the synchronization is tested and complete, reset the system to normal operation. This includes, but may not be limited to: Reenabling regular backups and anti-virus scans Restarting replication, if replication is enabled Resetting all media activity schedules (file migration, fetches, media tasks, and copy media updates) Clearing the advanced background scan settings, and resetting a normal background scan schedule 5. If DiskXtender is installed in a Microsoft clustering environment, use the Cluster Administrator to initiate a cluster failover and failback. This is necessary to test cluster operation with the final configuration and to ensure that the configuration has been copied to both nodes. 6. Monitor the system under normal operating conditions for a minimum of a week to ensure that files are migrating to media, being fetched from media, and purging from the extended drive as expected and within an acceptable performance range. Configuring tiered migration Perform the following steps to enable tiered file migration, where DiskXtender moves files in a media folder to a second extended drive configured as Aggregate NAS media, and then from there to tape media: 1. On the second DiskXtender server (which is migrating files to tape media), add a MediaStor or Sun StorageTek ACSLS media service, and add media to the media service. Chapter 4, Connecting to Optical and Tape Devices, provides details. 2. Create one or more extended drives, and create a media folder for each share that you intend to use as Aggregate NAS media on the first DiskXtender server. Chapter 6, Extended Drive Management, provides details. 3. Create a standard media group that moves files to tape media for each media folder. In other words, select Tape from the Media Type drop-down list on the New Media Group page of the media group. Creating a standard media group on page 209 provides details on creating a media group. 4. Allocate tape media from the MediaStor or ACSLS media service to the extended drive. Allocating media to the extended drive on page 214 provides details. 5. Add the media to the media group. Adding media to a standard media group on page 215 provides details. 6. Create a move rule that moves all files in the media folder to the tape media group. In other words, type *.* as the filename specification on the File Name page for the move rule, and select the tape media group from the Media Group To Receive Files drop-down list on the Settings page for the move rule. Creating a move rule on page 217 provides details on creating a move rule. 7. Create a share for each media folder on the second DiskXtender server to use as Aggregate NAS media. Only the DiskXtender service account on the first DiskXtender server should have access to the share. 8. On the first DiskXtender server, create a NAS media service, and create Aggregate NAS media for the shares to the media folders on the second DiskXtender server. Chapter 3, Connecting to Network-Attached Storage, provides details. 226 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

227 File Migration 9. Create one or more standard media groups in each media folder, selecting NAS as the type of media to add to the group. 10. Allocate the Aggregate NAS media from the media service to the extended drive. 11. Add the allocated media to the media groups. 12. Create move rules to specify which files should and should not be migrated to media, selecting the Aggregate NAS media group as the target media group on the Settings page for the move rule. Enabling file migration 227

228 File Migration Scheduling file migration File migration takes place between 8 P.M. and 9 A.M. by default. In other words, files may qualify for move rules at any time when they are saved to the extended drive, but they do not actually move to media until the file migration schedule is active, which is overnight. If necessary, you can change the file migration schedule for each extended drive. Note: The media task and copy update schedules are active at the same time as the file migration schedule. The file fetch schedule is active 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can configure these schedules along with the file migration schedule. To change the file migration schedule: 1. Right-click the extended drive and select Properties. The Extended Drive Properties dialog box appears. 2. Click the Settings tab. 3. Click Schedule. The Schedule dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 94 on page 228. Figure 94 Schedule dialog box Within the scheduler, colored lines represent each activity, enabling you to quickly see which activities are scheduled for each hour of each day of the week. 4. To change schedule settings, select the area of the grid that corresponds to the time period during which you would like to schedule or clear an activity. 5. Select or clear the checkboxes in the Activities section to specify the activities for which you are changing the schedule. 228 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

229 File Migration! IMPORTANT Any time the file fetch (Allow Fetches From Media) schedule is not active, client fetch requests for purged files, including files marked for Direct Read, are not honored. Changing the schedule for this activity might prevent users from having access to necessary files. Retain the default setting for fetches (always active), unless you require a time-based restriction of access to purged files, such as during system maintenance. You may want to prefetch certain files during these times, to prevent the need for file fetches. Prefetching files from media on page 288 provides details. 6. You have the following choices: Click Set to set the activities that are selected and clear the activities that are clear in the highlighted area of the schedule grid. Click Clear to clear all scheduled activities in the highlighted area of the schedule grid, regardless of which options are selected in the Activities section. 7. Click OK. 8. Click OK again to close the Extended Drive Properties dialog box. 9. If there are multiple extended drives configured on the DiskXtender server, repeat these steps for each extended drive. Scheduling file migration 229

230 File Migration Disabling file migration You can temporarily disable file migration, if necessary. You can also permanently disable file migration for example, if you are preparing to uninstall DiskXtender. Temporarily disabling file migration To temporarily prevent files from being moved to media, edit the file migration schedule for the extended drive. Scheduling file migration on page 228 provides instructions. Keep in mind, however, that DiskXtender may continue to access storage media for file fetch activity when you disable the file migration schedule. To disable all media activity for example, to perform hardware maintenance set the media service or hardware device offline. In addition, files continue to qualify for move rules and are written to the move list when you disable the file migration schedule. Disable file migration only for a limited period of time. When files cannot be migrated, then they also cannot be purged. As a result, extended drive space issues may occur. Permanently disabling file migration Perform the following steps to permanently disable file migration in preparation for uninstalling DiskXtender: 1. Delete all move rules: a. Right-click a rule and select Delete. b. Click Yes on the confirmation message. 2. Remove all media from standard media groups: To copy all migrated files and file data on the media back to the extended drive, then assign a Compact media task to each piece of media. Removing media but keeping the files on the drive on page 231 provides instructions. To leave all migrated files and file data on the media but remove them from the extended drive, use the Remove Media From Media Groups Wizard to remove the media. Removing media and removing its files from the drive on page 233 provides instructions. 3. Force a background scan to complete removal of the media: a. Right-click the extended drive and select Force Background Scan. b. Click Yes on the confirmation message. 4. Delete all media groups. If there are multi-target media groups, delete the standard media groups first, and then the multi-target groups. a. Right-click a group and select Delete. b. Click Yes on the confirmation message. 5. Delete all media folders: a. Right-click a media folder and select Delete. b. Click Yes on the confirmation message. 230 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

231 File Migration 6. Deallocate all media from the extended drive, and delete the media services: a. From the Service menu, select Configure Media Services. b. Select the media service and click Properties. c. Click the Media List tab. d. Select all the media and click Deallocate. e. Click OK to return to the Configure Media Services dialog box. f. Select the media service and click Set Offline. g. Click Delete to delete the media service. h. Repeat these steps for each media service. 7. Delete the extended drive: a. Right-click the extended drive and select Delete Extended Drive. b. Click Yes on the confirmation message. Removing media but keeping the files on the drive The media compaction process enables you to remove media from a media group while leaving files that have been migrated to the media on the extended drive. Understanding the compaction process DiskXtender performs the following steps when you compact a piece of media: 1. Strips the migration information from any fetched files (files that have been migrated to media but where the file data is on the extended drive). This enables the files to requalify for move rules and be remigrated to other media in the media group. 2. Copies the file data for any purged files back to the extended drive, and strips the migration information from the files. This enables these files to requalify for move rules and be remigrated to other media in the media group. 3. Removes the media from the media group. Compaction was initially designed to enable you to maximize media capacity usage by reclaiming deleted file space on the media. In that scenario, active files are returned to the extended drive and rewritten to other media, while the old media is reformatted and reused. The removable media automation feature for media groups enables you to automate this process based on the amount of wasted space occupied by deleted files on the media. However, the compaction process can also be used to remove a piece of media while leaving active files on the extended drive, and rewriting those active files to another piece of media. Disabling file migration 231

232 File Migration Important guidelines for compacting media Keep the following important guidelines in mind when compacting media: Ensure that there is enough free space on the extended drive to accommodate the return of the files from the compacted media. For the best compaction results, the equivalent of at least one side of the media should be available as free space on the extended drive. If the extended drive becomes so full during the compaction that it cannot receive any more files, the compaction goes into a suspended state for one hour. In addition, no compactions for other media are processed until the original hour (for which the attempted compaction was suspended) has expired. After an hour has passed, DiskXtender retries the original compaction, and if it is successful, processes any remaining compactions. This suspension accomplishes two things: it enables DiskXtender to move and purge files to clear needed extended drive space, and it ensures that drives, which might be needed to complete other media functions, are not being used to attempt other compactions that can not succeed until there is sufficient space on the extended drive. If a compaction fails, some, all, or none of the files from the media might have been moved back to the extended drive. If you can determine the cause of the compaction failure, make the appropriate adjustments and reschedule the compaction. The compaction process starts over, but any files already copied back to the extended drive are not duplicated. In addition, all files that have been compacted are remigrated to media as they qualify for movement. If you allow folder renames on media that does not support folder renames, then do not compact the media. Data loss might occur because DiskXtender cannot find files on the extended drive that correspond to the files on the media. As a result, the file data for purged files cannot be copied back to the drive. In addition, if there are one or more of these files on the extended drive during the compaction, the media is placed in an error state and is not removed from the media group after compaction is complete. If the number of these errors exceeds the maximum specified in the Number of non-fatal errors before task is aborted option for the extended drive, then the compaction is stopped and the media enters an error state. In either of these cases, you must resolve the issues with the files by using the following procedure before the compaction task can resume: 1. Remove the media from the media group. 2. Manually delete any remaining files that were migrated to the media from the extended drive. 3. Add the media back to the media group, restoring the files on the media to the extended drive. 4. Resubmit or restart the compaction task. Assigning a Compact media task To assign a Compact media task: 1. Right-click the piece of media and select Edit Tasks. 2. Select COMPACT from the Next Task drop-down list, and then click Add Next Task. The task is added to the task list, as illustrated in Figure 95 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

233 File Migration Figure 95 Compact media task 3. Choose whether to process the media task as soon as possible or on a scheduled basis. If you choose to process the media task on a scheduled basis, the task is not processed until the media task schedule is active. The media task schedule is active at the same time as the file migration schedule (daily from 8 P.M. to 9 A.M.). Scheduling file migration on page 228 provides instructions for setting the two schedules. 4. Click Next. The Order Media in Task Queue page appears with the recently added media at the bottom of the media task queue list. 5. If necessary, promote or demote the media in the list to control task processing order by clicking the up or down arrow to the right of the list box. 6. Click Finish. All media with tasks assigned appear in the Media Task Queue Manager until they are processed. For media with tasks selected to process ASAP As soon as possible, those media might appear only briefly in the queue before the processing completes and the media is removed from the queue. Removing media and removing its files from the drive The Remove Media From Media Groups Wizard enables you to remove media from a media group and remove the files on the media from the extended drive. Note: You can also remove media from a media group by using a Remove from Media Group media task. The options available on the media task are the same as the options available in the wizard. The media task method is best used to remove a single piece of media from a media group in conjunction with other media tasks. To launch the media task process, right-click the piece of media and select Edit Tasks. Disabling file migration 233

234 File Migration Understanding what happens when you remove media In most cases, when you remove media from a media group, all files that have been migrated to that media are removed from the extended drive. However, the files remain on the media. This is true even if a retention period has been applied to a file. The file is removed from the extended drive, but it remains protected on the media and can be restored to the extended drive along with the rest of the files on the media, if necessary. There are two exceptions to this scenario: When you are removing media from a standard media group that belongs to a multi-target media group with other standard media groups, then files are not removed from the extended drive because they are also stored on another piece of media in the multi-target media group. If there is an unrecoverable problem with the media you are removing, then you cannot retrieve purged files from the media. These files are permanently lost, unless you can recover the full file data from a backup. When you are removing this damaged media, an EMC Customer Support Representative might recommend that you attempt to salvage as many files as possible from the media. During the salvage process, migration information is stripped from fetched files (files that have been migrated to media but where the file data is on the extended drive). Any purged files, where only a file tag for the file is on the extended drive, are deleted from the extended drive. This enables you to remove the media from the system and remigrate the salvaged files to another piece of media. Running the Remove Media From Media Groups Wizard To remove media by using the Remove Media From Media Groups Wizard: 1. Verify that all pending tasks for the media have been processed or deleted. a. From the Tools menu, select Media Task Manager to open the Media Task Queue Manager. b. To delete all tasks for a piece of media, select the media and click Delete Tasks. c. Click Yes on the confirmation message. You cannot remove media from a media group if there are pending tasks for the media. 2. Verify that the media is not in an error state. You might not be able to remove media if it is in an error state. To clear the error status for a piece of media: a. Right-click the media and select Clear Error Status. b. Choose any necessary options for clearing the error, and click OK (or OK All, if you are clearing the error status for multiple pieces of media). 3. (Optional) If you use the EMC Centera automation feature for the media group, disable auto-creation. Otherwise, DiskXtender might automatically replace the media you are removing. 4. Remove the media from the media group: Right-click the media and select Remove. Right-click the extended drive and select Remove Media From Media Groups. Then select the media and click Next. The Migrated File Options page of the Remove Media From Media Groups Wizard appears, as illustrated in Figure 96 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

235 File Migration Figure 96 Remove Media From Media Groups Wizard Migrated File Options page 5. If you are removing multiple pieces of media from the media group, select the media from the list. 6. If necessary, choose whether to remove all files on the media from the extended drive or, if the media is unrecoverable, to salvage as many files as possible from the media: (Recommended for most scenarios) Select Delete files from extended drive upon media removal. This option leaves the files on the media and removes them from the extended drive. You can restore the media to the media group, thereby restoring the files to the extended drive, at a later date, if necessary. If the media has encountered an unrecoverable error and you are removing it from the system, select Salvage files back to extended drive upon media removal. This option strips the migration information from all fetched files on the extended drive, and deletes any file tags for purged files.! CAUTION When you select the salvage option, purged files are deleted from the extended drive and cannot be recovered. These files are logged to the event log. 7. Click Next. If you selected the salvage option, a series of warning messages appear. Otherwise, the summary page appears. 8. If necessary, review and respond to the salvage warnings. 9. Review the summary information and click Finish. Disabling file migration 235

236 File Migration A message appears stating that the media will be removed at the conclusion of the next background scan. 10. Click OK. 11. (Optional) Force a background scan to complete removal of the media: a. Right-click the extended drive and select Force Background Scan. b. Click Yes on the confirmation message. Note: If you do not force a background scan, the media will be removed during the next scheduled background scan for the extended drive. 236 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

237 8 File Retention The term retention or file retention refers to the placement of an attribute on a file that restricts anyone from editing or deleting the file, effectively making the file read-only. The following topics provide details on retaining files in a DiskXtender environment: Understanding file retention Enabling file retention Changing file retention Deleting retained files File Retention 237

238 File Retention Understanding file retention When you apply retention to a file through DiskXtender, the file cannot be edited or deleted on the extended drive until the retention expires. You also cannot rename retained files, change their attributes, or move them to another location on the extended drive. If you edit a retained file, then you must save the file with a new filename to save the changes. The following topics provide details: When you can use file retention on page 238 Types of retention on page 239 When files qualify for retention on page 240 Retention restrictions for saving files to the extended drive on page 240 Delaying retention enforcement on page 240 Synchronizing retention on the extended drive and the media on page 241 What happens after retention expires on page 241 When you can use file retention Retention is available if you are migrating files to an EMC Centera cluster or to shares on a retention-capable NAS device, such as a Celerra Network Server with the File-Level Retention (FLR) file system or a supported Network Appliance device with SnapLock software. If you have an EMC Centera GE or EMC Centera CE+ device, then retained files are also protected on EMC Centera. If you have an EMC Centera Basic Edition and you apply retention through DiskXtender, retained files are protected on the extended drive but are not protected on the EMC Centera device. To enable retention for shares on a retention-capable NAS device, you must configure the shares as Retained NAS media in DiskXtender. Retained NAS on page 70 provides details. Retained files on Retained NAS media are protected on the media as well as on the extended drive. 238 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

239 File Retention Types of retention Table 30 Table 30 on page 239 lists the three types of retention settings that are available in DiskXtender. Types of retention Type of retention Fixed retention period Retention class Description A specific time period (in days) during which file retention is enforced. A symbolic representation of a retention period. When the retention class is defined, you specify a name and a retention period (in days). If necessary, you can edit the retention period for a retention class by changing the class definition, thereby changing the retention period for a group of files. Note: If you have an EMC Centera CE+ device, then you can only extend the retention period definition for a retention class. The list of retention classes and their definitions in DiskXtender is refreshed every time the EMC Centera media service is refreshed. This occurs approximately every two minutes. The list is stored and updated locally on the DiskXtender server (in addition to the definition on the EMC Centera). This enables retention enforcement on the extended drive even if the EMC Centera device is unavailable. Even though you can configure retention classes of less than one day on the EMC Centera cluster, you cannot use those retention classes in DiskXtender. Retention classes of less than one day are not listed in the DiskXtender interface. Media types that support the retention type EMC Centera Retained NAS EMC Centera Infinite retention Retention that can never expire. EMC Centera! CAUTION Because they can be edited albeit only by someone with administrative privileges on the EMC Centera cluster retention classes do not provide the same level of file security as a fixed retention period. If you have an EMC Centera Governance Edition device, an unscrupulous individual could edit a retention class to reduce the retention period so that retention expires early, thereby leaving important files vulnerable to editing or deletion. Use caution when assigning retention classes and EMC Centera administrative privileges. Understanding file retention 239

240 File Retention When files qualify for retention Files on a DiskXtender extended drive qualify for retention in other words, retention begins when the files qualify for a move rule with retention enabled. If an age delay is configured for the move rule with retention, then qualifying files are not retained until after the delay has passed. DiskXtender adds the retention information to the attributes for the file, and the file is then protected on the extended drive. The retention setting is passed to the media when the file is actually moved. How files qualify for file migration on page 199 and How and when files are actually migrated on page 200 provide additional details. Retention restrictions for saving files to the extended drive If files qualify for move rules with retention as soon as the files are saved to the extended drive (because there are no age delays configured for the rules and real-time moves are enabled), then users cannot create files directly on the extended drive. This is because the files are protected from further editing once they are saved or created on the extended drive. If this is the case, then users must create and edit files in another location and then move them to the extended drive when they are finished. Alternatively, you may want to disable real-time moves or specify an age delay for the move rule. When real-time moves are disabled, files only qualify for move rules during a background scan. When move rules contain an age delay, files do not qualify for the rules until a certain number of days have passed since the file was created, last accessed, or last written to (modified). Retention is applied and the file is moved to media after the age delay has passed. Delaying retention enforcement DiskXtender automatically delays the application of retention on a file for 10 seconds after the file is saved to the extended drive. Delaying the enforcement of retention allows programs that open and close files in the background when saving (like Microsoft Word) to save files to the drive unimpeded. If retention is applied to a file as soon as the data hits the drive, the program may not be able to finish saving the file because DiskXtender would deny any modifications to the file. If necessary, you can extend the number of seconds that retention enforcement is delayed. To edit the retention delay, use the Delay in seconds before retention period is enforced option on the Options tab of the Extended Drive Properties dialog box. To access the Extended Drive Properties dialog box, right-click the extended drive and select Properties. You can further delay retention enforcement, if necessary, by setting an age delay for the move rules. When move rules contain an age delay, files do not qualify for the rules and therefore, retention is not enforced until a certain number of days have passed since the file was created, last accessed, or last written to (modified). Keep in mind, however, that when you specify a retention delay, you must balance your company s requirements for data protection with the practices used to create and store files on the extended drive. 240 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

241 File Retention Synchronizing retention on the extended drive and the media DiskXtender protects files on the extended drive as soon as they qualify for move rules with a retention setting. The retention is then passed to the media when the file is migrated. If you set global retention on the EMC Centera device and then you configure a different retention period through DiskXtender, the DiskXtender retention period applies. This is true even if the DiskXtender retention period is zero days (no retention). When you set a retention period of zero days through DiskXtender, then the file is not protected on the EMC Centera device, even if EMC Centera is configured for a global retention period of one or more days. Note: DiskXtender always applies a retention period to files written to EMC Centera, even if the retention period is zero days (no retention). You cannot automatically apply the global retention period set on the EMC Centera device to files on the extended drive. To match the global retention period on EMC Centera with the retention set on files on the extended drive, specify the same retention setting in DiskXtender as on EMC Centera. In the unlikely event that there is a delay between the time that the file qualifies for a move rule and the time that the file is actually migrated, then the total retention period is equivalent to the retention setting in the move rule plus the amount of time that the file was protected on the extended drive before it was migrated. For example, assume that the retention period on a move rule is 30 days. A file qualifies for the move rule as soon as it is saved to the extended drive on Monday at 9 A.M. The file is immediately protected on the extended drive starting at 9 A.M. However, the file is not migrated to media until Wednesday at 1 P.M. because the media is offline. When DiskXtender migrates the file on Wednesday, it passes the retention period of 30 days to the media. The file is then protected on the media for 30 days after it is migrated to the media. DiskXtender updates the retention information for the file so that it is synchronized with the media for 30 days of retention. However, the file has already been protected on the extended drive for two days. As a result, the file is protected on the extended drive for a total of 32 days, and not the 30 days specified in the move rule. What happens after retention expires After retention expires, users can edit and delete the files as if retention had never been applied. DiskXtender does not automatically delete files after retention expires unless you configure delete rules. Automatically deleting files on page 304 provides details. Understanding file retention 241

242 File Retention Enabling file retention You can enable retention automatically on files by configuring retention settings on move rules. You can also set retention on individual files by using the DiskXtender Explorer Add-ons. Setting retention automatically To set retention automatically for files on the extended drive, configure retention on the move rules: 1. Configure a media service with retention-capable media: either EMC Centera or Retained NAS. Chapter 2, Connecting to EMC Centera, and Chapter 3, Connecting to Network-Attached Storage, provide details. 2. Configure an extended drive and create media folders on the extended drive for the files to manage with DiskXtender, as discussed in Chapter 6, Extended Drive Management. 3. Create media groups in the media folders for the retention-capable media, as discussed in Chapter 7, File Migration. 4. Allocate the retention-capable media to the extended drive, and add it to the new media groups. 5. Right-click the Move Rules node under a media folder and select New. The Move Rule Wizard appears, starting with the Type page. 6. Select Include to create a rule that qualifies files for migration, and then click Next. 7. Specify additional criteria for file migration and retention on the File Name, Size, Attributes, and Age pages of the wizard, clicking Next to proceed to each page of the wizard. Chapter 7, File Migration, provides details on creating move rules. 8. On the Settings page, select the media group with the retention-capable media from the drop-down list. 9. Click Next. 10. On the Retention page, shown in Figure 97 on page 243, select the retention setting for the files that will qualify for the rule: To apply a fixed retention period, select Retention Period and then specify the retention period in days in the text box. If you selected a Retained NAS media group in step 8, then you must specify a retention period of one or more days. Zero-day retention (in other words, no retention) is not available for move rules that move files to Retained NAS media. To apply a retention class, select Retention Class and then select the retention class from the drop-down list. Note: Retention classes of less than one day do not appear in the drop-down list. To apply retention that never expires, select Infinite Retention. 242 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

243 File Retention Figure 97 Move Rule Wizard Retention page 11. Click Next. 12. Review the summary information and click Finish. 13. Repeat these steps to create retention move rules for each media folder that contains files that should be retained. If there are files on the extended drive when you create the move rules, the files are not qualified against the new rules until the next background scan occurs. New files that are saved to the drive are qualified against the new rules when they are saved to the drive, as long as real-time moves remain enabled. How files qualify for file migration on page 199 and How and when files are actually migrated on page 200 provide additional information. Setting retention manually on specific files To set retention manually on specific files: 1. Log on to a computer with the Explorer Add-ons installed. The account must be a member of the DxAdministrators group on the DiskXtender server. 2. Ensure that the file meets the criteria to qualify for a configured move rule that writes to retention-capable media. 3. Launch the Explorer Add-ons. You have the following choices: Open the Shell Xtensions Wizard: a. Right-click a file on the extended drive in Microsoft Windows Explorer and select DiskXtender > DiskXtender Shell Wizard. b. On the first page of the wizard, select Set Retention and click Next. c. On the Select Files page, select the files to retain and click Next. Use the DiskXtender shortcut menu in Microsoft Windows Explorer: a. Select the files or folder containing the files to retain. b. Right-click the files and select DiskXtender > Set Retention Period. The Set Retention page appears. Enabling file retention 243

244 File Retention 4. Select the retention setting for the files: To apply a fixed retention period, select Retention Period and then specify the retention period in days in the text box. To apply a retention class, select Retention Class and then select the retention class from the drop-down list. Note: Retention classes of less than one day do not appear in the drop-down list. To apply retention that never expires, select Infinite Retention. 5. Click Next. 6. Review the summary information and click Finish. 7. Click Yes on the confirmation message. 244 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

245 File Retention Changing file retention After you apply retention to a file, the only way to change the retention setting for the file is by using the DiskXtender Explorer Add-ons. You cannot change the retention setting for a file by changing the move rule for which the file originally qualified. Once a file qualifies for a move rule with a retention setting of one or more days (or a retention class or infinite retention), then the retention on the file is not changed automatically, even if the file is qualified against the move rules again as part of a background scan. When you change retention for a purged file, the file remains purged. In other words, DiskXtender does not need to fetch a file to change the retention setting for the file. The following topics provide details: When you can change retention on page 245 How to change retention with the Explorer Add-ons on page 246 When you can change retention If you have Retained NAS media, then you cannot edit the retention period for a file until the original retention period expires. If you use EMC Centera, you can extend the retention period or change the retention class. You cannot, however, reduce a retention period or switch from a retention class to either a fixed retention period or infinite retention. If you have EMC Centera CE+, then you cannot reduce the time period assigned to a retention class. In addition, you cannot edit the name of a retention class. To change the name of a retention class, you must create a new retention class with the new name, and then switch the retention setting on the files to the new retention class. Table 31 on page 245 lists the options for editing retention on files migrated to EMC Centera. Table 31 Retention editing options If you use this retention option Then you can switch to this retention option A fixed retention period A different fixed retention period, as long as you are extending the retention period. A retention class, as long as the retention class definition is for a time period that is greater than the current fixed retention period. Infinite retention. A retention class A different retention class. Note: The new retention class definition can be a shorter time period than the previous retention class definition. Infinite retention Not applicable. If you use infinite retention, you cannot switch to a different retention option. Changing file retention 245

246 File Retention How to change retention with the Explorer Add-ons To change retention: 1. Log on to a computer with the Explorer Add-ons installed. The account must be a member of the DxAdministrators group on the DiskXtender server. 2. Launch the Explorer Add-ons. You have the following choices: Open the Shell Xtensions Wizard: a. Right-click a file on the extended drive in Microsoft Windows Explorer and select DiskXtender > DiskXtender Shell Wizard. b. On the first page of the wizard, select Set Retention and click Next. c. On the Select Files page, select the files and click Next. Use the DiskXtender shortcut menu in Microsoft Windows Explorer: a. Select the files or a folder containing the files. b. Right-click the files and select DiskXtender > Set Retention Period. The Set Retention page appears. 3. Select the retention setting for the files: To apply a fixed retention period, select Retention Period and then specify the retention period in days in the text box. To apply a retention class, select Retention Class and then select the retention class from the drop-down list. Note: Retention classes of less than one day do not appear in the drop-down list. To apply retention that never expires, select Infinite Retention. The retention options that are available depend on the type of retention that has already been applied to the file. When you can change retention on page 245 provides details. 4. Click Next. 5. Review the summary information and click Finish. 6. Click Yes on the confirmation message. 246 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

247 File Retention Deleting retained files If you have an EMC Centera Basic or EMC Centera GE device, you can delete retained files by performing a privileged delete with the DiskXtender Explorer Add-ons. To delete retained files on a CE+ device, contact an EMC Centera technical representative. Note: Consider the compliance regulations followed by your company before you perform a privileged delete. To perform a privileged delete: 1. Ensure that the profile that DiskXtender uses to connect to EMC Centera has the Privileged Delete right. The EMC Centera online help provides additional information on profiles. Access profiles should be configured by an EMC Centera technical representative. 2. Log on to a computer with the Explorer Add-ons installed. The account must be a member of the DxAdministrators group on the DiskXtender server. 3. Launch the Explorer Add-ons. You have the following choices: Open the Shell Xtensions Wizard: a. Right-click a file on the extended drive in Microsoft Windows Explorer and select DiskXtender > DiskXtender Shell Wizard. b. On the first page of the wizard, select Privileged Delete and click Next. c. On the Select Files page, select the files and click Next. Use the DiskXtender shortcut menu in Microsoft Windows Explorer: a. Select the files or a folder containing the files. b. Right-click the files and select DiskXtender > Privileged Delete. The Privileged Delete page appears, as shown in Figure 98 on page 247. Figure 98 Explorer Add-ons Privileged Delete page 4. Type an audit string explaining why you are deleting the file. Deleting retained files 247

248 File Retention The audit information can later be viewed by performing an EMC Centera query. 5. Click Next. 6. Review the summary information and click Finish. 7. Click Yes on the confirmation message. The file is permanently deleted. Even if the DiskXtender Recycler is enabled, the file is not placed in the Recycler. 248 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

249 9 Indexing Files The DiskXtender Search Module, available separately from DiskXtender for Windows, enables you to index and search data on the extended drive. The following topics provide details on indexing files on the extended drive so that you can search for them: Understanding the indexing process Supported file types for indexing Developing an indexing strategy Enabling indexing Disabling indexing Resynchronizing the index files and the extended drive Indexing Files 249

250 Indexing Files Understanding the indexing process A thorough understanding of the indexing process is necessary for monitoring and troubleshooting purposes. Review the following topics to learn more about how and when files are indexed and available for searches. DiskXtender architecture for indexing The DiskXtender Search Module is installed separately from DiskXtender and includes the following two components: The Index and Search Engine (ISE) The user interface The ISE manages content indexing and is installed on a separate server from the DiskXtender server. A single ISE server can index files from as many as 10 DiskXtender servers. Each DiskXtender server should manage no more than five extended drives. The user interface provides a way to search a collection of indexes for files managed by DiskXtender, and then to view the search results. It also enables you to perform several important administrative tasks on the ISE, such as index preparation tasks and the addition of index file storage. The user interface can be installed on the ISE server. It can also be installed on a different computer, so that you can connect remotely to perform searches and administrative tasks. Figure 99 on page 251 illustrates a DiskXtender environment where the DiskXtender Search Module is installed. 250 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

251 Indexing Files Workstations saving and retrieving files Microsoft Windows workstations with the user interface installed performing searches and administering the ISE Microsoft Windows server with DiskXtender Indexing Indexing Extended drives Microsoft Windows server with the DiskXtender Search Module Index and Search Engine (ISE) Storage media such as EMC Centera, NAS, or tape GEN Figure 99 DiskXtender architecture for indexing Note: The DiskXtender Search Module is not intended for end-user searches of data. Only users with administrative privileges on the ISE server or on the domain can view search results. Only select individuals, such as a security officer or IT manager who has the authority or job responsibility for retrieving the company s data, should be allowed to have search capabilities. You can install the DiskXtender Search Module along with DiskXtender in a new environment. You can also install the DiskXtender Search Module in an environment where DiskXtender is already managing files. The ISE can index new files that are saved to the extended drive, as well as files that were on the extended drive prior to the DiskXtender or DiskXtender Search Module installation. The DiskXtender Search Module installation guide provides detailed system requirements and installation procedures for the ISE and the user interface. Understanding the indexing process 251

252 Indexing Files Prerequisite steps for indexing You must configure index collections on the ISE and enable indexing on the DiskXtender server before content indexing can begin. To set up indexing: 1. On the ISE, create an index collection for each extended drive that contains files to index. An index collection is a set of all index files for an extended drive. Index collection information is stored in a database on the ISE. 2. On the ISE server, add the DiskXtender service account to the DxIndexers group. This provides DiskXtender with the necessary permission to communicate with the ISE. 3. On the DiskXtender server, enable content indexing for each extended drive that contains files to index. You must specify: The ISE server that should index the files on the extended drive. The index collection that should receive the files. A schedule for when indexing should occur. Indexing can be scheduled to occur regularly on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. You can also manually force indexing to occur once at a certain date and time. To maximize system performance, schedule indexing to occur at a time when there is minimal system activity. 4. On the DiskXtender server, in each media folder, create DiskXtender index rules to identify which files you do and which files you do not want to index. If you do not want to index any files in the media folder, do not create an index rule. The rule criteria you can use to select files for indexing or exclusion from indexing include file location, name, type, size, attributes, and age. How files qualify for indexing Files are qualified against index rules at the following times: When the files are saved to the extended drive in other words, when they are added, edited, renamed, or moved. During a background scan. This is true in cases where the file did not qualify for an index rule when it was saved to the extended drive. For example: The file was already on the extended drive when the index rule was created. The index rules in the media folder may be configured with an age delay, so that files qualify only once they reach a certain age. You can also force all files to be evaluated against index rules during a background scan, regardless of index rule settings or when the files are saved to the extended drive. Disabling real-time rule qualification can improve performance on busy systems where a large number of files are saved to the extended drive in a short period of time. System resources can then be freed to service other requests, such as file fetches. To change when files are qualified against index rules, select Disable real-time moves for the Enable real-time moves option on the Options 252 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

253 Indexing Files tab of the Service Properties dialog box in the File System Manager Administrator, as illustrated in Figure 100 on page 253. Be aware that the Enable real-time moves option applies to both index rules and move rules. Figure 100 Disabling real-time moves When a file meets the rule criteria for indexing, the file is written to the Index Transaction Log (ITL) for the extended drive. The ITL contains a list of: New files that need to be indexed. Edited files that need any corresponding index information to be updated. Deleted files that need any corresponding index information to be deleted. There is one ITL for each extended drive with indexing enabled. If a file is purged when it qualifies for indexing, the file is fetched to the extended drive before it is written to the ITL. File data must be present on the extended drive during the indexing process so that the ISE can scan the file. In existing systems with a significant number of files, the process of indexing purged files can significantly impact DiskXtender performance. Developing an indexing strategy on page 257 provides guidance on maximizing performance in such a scenario. Note: After the file is indexed, the file is automatically purged again. You do not need to wait until the extended drive reaches the purge start watermark or until the next background scan occurs (whichever is appropriate, depending on your purge settings). If a file qualifies for both indexing and purge at the same time, the file is indexed before it is purged. Files that qualify for index rules are not written to the purge list until after they are submitted for indexing even if they qualify for both an index rule and a purge rule at the same time (during a background scan). As a result, it is critically important that indexing takes place successfully on a regular basis. Otherwise, files may never be written to the purge list, meaning there may not be any files to purge if the extended drive begins to run out of disk space. Understanding the indexing process 253

254 Indexing Files How and when files are actually indexed When the indexing schedule begins, the DiskXtender server attempts to connect to the ISE to kick off the indexing process. If the connection is successful, the ISE processes the ITL. When it encounters a new file that needs to be indexed, or an edited file that requires an update to an index, the ISE scans the file and writes the appropriate index information to the ISE database and the working index files for the index collection on the ISE. When the ISE encounters a file on the ITL that has been deleted from the extended drive, it removes the file index information from the ISE database so that searches will no longer return the deleted file in their results. The ISE continues processing the ITL until there are no more entries left on the ITL, or until the process is interrupted (for example, if the indexing process is paused on the ISE server). Note: If users are saving files to the extended drive while indexing is taking place, and the files qualify for index rules, then the files are added to the ITL and are processed during the current active schedule. If the connection between the DiskXtender server and the ISE server is not successful for example, because there are already 25 other extended drives submitting files to the ISE server for indexing then the connection is retried after 30 minutes. Files that are successfully indexed are marked with the Indexed attribute on the extended drive. Files that have qualified for indexing and been submitted to the ISE for indexing, but that the ISE cannot index for example, because the file is not a supported file type are marked with the Do Not Index attribute. To determine whether a file is marked with the Indexed attribute or the Do Not Index attribute, or to manually mark a file with the Do Not Index attribute so that it is not indexed, use the DiskXtender Explorer Add-ons to view the properties for the file. The Indexed and Do Not Index options appear in the middle of the DiskXtender File Properties dialog box, as illustrated in Figure 101 on page 254. Figure 101 Indexing attributes on the DiskXtender File Properties dialog box 254 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

255 Indexing Files Explorer Add-ons on page 394 provides details on how to view file properties. Note: Files that qualify for exclusive index rules, as well as files that have not qualified for any index rules at all, are marked with neither the Indexed nor the Do Not Index attribute. No content indexing attribute is assigned to these files. Once a file is indexed, the file is available for searches. Understanding the indexing process 255

256 Indexing Files Supported file types for indexing The ISE can index the following file types, as long as the files are smaller than 2 GB in size: Microsoft Word Microsoft RTF Microsoft Excel Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Visio Note: To index Visio files, you must install the Visio IFilter 2003 Add-in on the ISE server. Download the add-in from the Microsoft website, and install it before you begin indexing files. HTML JPEG (Exchangeable Image File Format, or EXIF, markers only) Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) Text files Note: The ISE cannot index a text file unless it contains either several hundred characters, or a carriage return or line feed at the end of each line. TIFF (metadata only) XML ZIP Note: The ISE indexes only supported file types within the ZIP file. However, all ZIP files are marked with the Indexed attribute, even if the ZIP file does not contain any supported file types. The ISE supports the indexing and search of files with Unicode characters in the filename, file metadata, and file data. If the files include ANSI character encoding, such as Big5 (Chinese) or Shift-JIS (Japanese), then the corresponding code page must be installed and set as the default code page on the ISE server. If a different code page is set as the default on the ISE server, then perform the steps in the EMC DiskXtender Search Module Release 1.2 Release Notes to enable proper indexing and search of the ANSI-encoded files. 256 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

257 Indexing Files Developing an indexing strategy Review the following topics for information on developing an indexing strategy that will maximize performance and avoid common problems based on the type of environment in which you are installing the DiskXtender Search Module. The following scenarios are covered: Indexing in a new DiskXtender environment with no files on page 257 Indexing in an environment with existing files on page 258 Adjusting an indexing strategy for ongoing maintenance on page 260 Indexing in a new DiskXtender environment with no files You have many indexing strategy options if you are installing DiskXtender on a new server that does not already have files. To maximize performance in a new environment: Exceed the minimum hardware and network requirements for the ISE and DiskXtender servers. Servers with a faster CPU speed, additional memory, plenty of disk space, and faster networks perform better than servers that meet only the minimum requirements. Review the list of Supported file types for indexing on page 256, and determine whether you are going to be storing any unsupported file types on the extended drive. Try to minimize the number of unsupported files that are submitted to the ISE for indexing. Indexing performance improves when you limit the number of files that the ISE is required to scan. Some strategies to accomplish this include: Save unsupported file types in a separate media folder than the supported file types. In the media folder with the unsupported file types, do not create any index rules. Create exclusive index rules to exclude unsupported file types from being indexed. (On the first page of the Index Rule Wizard, select Exclude. Then type *.extension on the File Name page, where extension is the file extension for the unsupported file type.) You must create one rule for each unsupported file type to exclude. In addition, exclusive index rules should be listed first in the list of index rules for a media folder. Ordering the rules this way ensures that the appropriate files are excluded from indexing. Selecting files for indexing on page 265 provides details.! IMPORTANT You may want to create separate purge rules for files that are excluded from indexing. Excluded files are eligible to be purged as soon as disk space is needed. They do not need to be indexed first. Review the guidelines in Adjusting an indexing strategy for ongoing maintenance on page 260. These guidelines also apply to a new environment that does not yet have a significant number of files. Developing an indexing strategy 257

258 Indexing Files Indexing in an environment with existing files There are a number of important considerations for setting up indexing if you are installing the DiskXtender Search Module to index files in one of the following situations: In addition to installing the DiskXtender Search Module, you are installing DiskXtender in the environment. However, the server on which you are installing DiskXtender already contains a number of files. You are installing the DiskXtender Search Module in an environment where DiskXtender is already managing files. These indexing strategy considerations are designed to ensure that you are able to avoid errors and maintain an acceptable level of system performance while DiskXtender and the DiskXtender Search Module perform the system-intensive process of indexing (and migrating and purging, as necessary) the existing files on the extended drive. Once this initial processing is complete, you might be able to adjust the indexing strategy to more of a maintenance strategy one that needs to accommodate only new files saved to the extended drive on an ongoing basis. If there are a significant number of files on the extended drive when you install the DiskXtender Search Module, consider the following indexing strategy tips: Analyze the files on the extended drive, and try to minimize the number of unsupported files that are submitted to the ISE for indexing. Create exclusive index rules to exclude unsupported file types from being indexed. (On the first page of the Index Rule Wizard, select Exclude. Then type *.extension on the File Name page, where extension is the file extension for the unsupported file type.) You must create one rule for each unsupported file type to exclude. In addition, exclusive index rules should be listed first in the list of index rules for a media folder. Ordering the rules this way ensures that the appropriate files are excluded from indexing. Selecting files for indexing on page 265 provides details.! IMPORTANT You may want to create separate purge rules for files that are excluded from indexing. Excluded files are eligible to be purged as soon as disk space is needed. They do not need to be indexed first. Do not submit all files on the extended drive for indexing at once. Stagger the indexing of files over time. Some strategies to accomplish this include: Create index rules for one media folder at a time over the course of an appropriate time period. For example, create the index rules for one media folder on one night. The files in that media folder are then qualified against the rules during the next background scan and submitted for indexing based on the indexing schedule. On the next night, create the index rules for the next media folder, and so on. Target specific, high-priority files for the initial indexing effort by creating an index rule with a File Name specification based either on the file type or filename. For example, index all Microsoft Word files first. Then add index rules over time to include the remaining files on the extended drive. Index all the most recent or the oldest files on the extended drive first. Then change the age specification incrementally over time to include more files. For example, index all files that have been created within the last 30 days. (On the Age page of the Index Rule Wizard, select the Less than option, type 258 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

259 Indexing Files 30 in the Days text box, and select Create time from the Since drop-down list.) After all of the qualifying files have been indexed, change the rule to files created within the last 60 days, then 90 days, and so on. Use the advanced background scan option to limit the number of files that are added to the ITL during a single scan. (Edit the Max pending files value next to the Perform index rule evaluation option on the Advanced Scan Configuration dialog box. The default value is 100,000 files.) Running an advanced scan for troubleshooting on page 188 provides details. If this is a new DiskXtender installation, wait to purge files until after they have been indexed. File data must be present on the extended drive to be indexed. If a file is purged when it qualifies for an index rule, the file is fetched to the extended drive before it is written to the ITL and submitted for indexing. The file is then automatically purged again after it is indexed. In systems with a significant number of files, this process can significantly impact performance. To delay purging, wait to configure purge rules until after all files in a media folder have been indexed. Alternatively, configure an appropriate age delay on the purge rules. Do not use the Purge files immediately after move option on move rules. Chapter 10, Purging Files, provides details on configuring purging. If this is an existing DiskXtender installation, prefetch purged files when you are ready to index them. During a prefetch, DiskXtender retrieves files from media and writes the file data to the extended drive. File data must be present on the extended drive to be indexed. For example, if you are indexing a single media folder at a time, create a prefetch request for all files in the media folder before the background scan occurs to qualify the files for indexing. Prefetch requests on page 289 provides instructions on creating a prefetch request.! CAUTION Determine the amount of available free space on the extended drive before prefetching files. You do not want to fill the extended drive with the prefetched files. If a single ISE server is indexing files for two or more DiskXtender servers, do not submit all files on all servers for indexing at once. Balance the processing requirements for the ISE server by staggering the indexing schedules. Index the files on only one server at a time. After the indexing process for the first server is complete, then index the files on the second DiskXtender server, and so on.! CAUTION Errors may occur if more than one DiskXtender server submits all files for the initial indexing process at the same time. The DiskXtender Search Module installation guide provides details on troubleshooting the errors. Note: Each ISE server can index files from no more than 10 DiskXtender servers. Each DiskXtender server submitting files for indexing should manage no more than five extended drives. Once the initial indexing process for all servers is complete, the ISE server can index files from no more than 25 extended drives at one time. (Requests from additional extended drives are denied. The connection between the ISE server and the additional extended drives is retried after 30 minutes.) In addition, errors can occur when the ISE server is required to process too many requests at the same time. Developing an indexing strategy 259

260 Indexing Files Adjusting an indexing strategy for ongoing maintenance After you finish indexing all existing files on the extended drive, consider the following tips for adjusting the indexing strategy for ongoing maintenance: Maintain or establish exclusive index rules to exclude common unsupported file types from indexing. Indexing performance improves when you limit the number of files that the ISE is required to scan. Ensure that files are indexed before they are purged: The best purge option for ensuring that files are indexed first is to purge files based on the purge watermarks (amount of used space) on the extended drive. If you are purging files during background scans, configure an age delay for the purge rule so that the purging takes place after indexing. If you configure an age delay on the index rules, ensure that the age delay on the purge rules is equal to or greater than the age delay on the index rules. Do not purge files immediately after they are moved with the move rule option for purging. Chapter 10, Purging Files, provides details on purging files. Ensure that indexing is taking place successfully on a regular basis so that indexed files can be purged as disk space is needed. Files that qualify for index rules are not written to the purge list until after they are submitted for indexing even if they qualify for both an index rule and a purge rule at the same time (during a background scan). If files are not indexed regularly, then the files may never be written to the purge list, meaning there may not be any files to purge if the extended drive begins to run out of disk space. You may also want to create separate purge rules for files that are excluded from indexing. Excluded files are eligible to be purged as soon as disk space is needed. They do not need to be indexed first. Balance the processing requirements for the DiskXtender server by adjusting activity schedules. System performance decreases as the DiskXtender server is required to manage more activities at the same time. These activities include: Users and applications saving files to the extended drive (and qualification of the files against move and index rules) Users and applications fetching purged files from media Moving files to media Background scans Media tasks Copy media updates Backups and DiskXtender metadata exports Virus scans Balance the schedules for the movement of files to media, background scans, media tasks, copy media updates, backups, metadata exports, and virus scans during the times when users are less likely to be accessing the files on the extended drive. To improve performance on busy systems where a large number of files are saved to the extended drive in a short period of time, disable real-time moves and indexing qualification. System resources can then be freed to service other requests, such as file fetches. By default, DiskXtender qualifies files against move 260 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

261 Indexing Files rules and index rules as soon as the files are saved to the extended drive (in real time). If there are a significant number of users saving files to and accessing files on the extended drive during a certain period of time, you can change this default behavior so that files are qualified for migration only during a background scan. To disable real-time moves, select Disable real-time moves option for the Enable real-time moves option on the Options tab of the Service Properties dialog box, as illustrated in Figure 100 on page 253. If a single ISE server is indexing files for multiple DiskXtender servers and extended drives, balance the processing requirements for the ISE server by staggering the indexing schedules. The ISE server can index files from no more than 25 extended drives at one time. (Requests from additional extended drives are denied. The connection between the ISE server and the additional extended drives is retried after 30 minutes.) In addition, errors can occur when the ISE server is required to process too many requests at the same time. The DiskXtender Search Module installation guide and online help provide details on troubleshooting the errors. Note: Each ISE server can index files from no more than 10 DiskXtender servers. Each DiskXtender server submitting files for indexing should manage no more than five extended drives. Developing an indexing strategy 261

262 Indexing Files Enabling indexing To enable indexing for files on an extended drive: 1. On the ISE, create an index collection for each extended drive that contains files to index. An index collection is a set of all index files for an extended drive. Creating an index collection for each extended drive on page 262 provides detailed instructions. 2. On the ISE, add the DiskXtender service account to the DxIndexers group. This provides DiskXtender with the necessary permission to communicate with the ISE. 3. (Optional) If you plan to index Microsoft Visio files, download the Visio IFilter 2003 Add-in from the Microsoft website and install it on the ISE server. 4. In DiskXtender, enable content indexing for each extended drive that contains files to index. Specify the ISE that should index the files on the extended drive, and set a schedule for when indexing should occur. Enabling indexing on the extended drive on page 264 provides detailed instructions. 5. Create DiskXtender index rules to identify which files you do and which files you do not want to index. You can index new files that are saved to the extended drive, as well as files that are already being managed by DiskXtender. Selecting files for indexing on page 265 provides detailed instructions. Note: Be sure that you have reviewed the guidelines in Developing an indexing strategy on page 257 before you enable indexing. The guidelines are designed to assist you in maximizing DiskXtender performance during indexing. Creating an index collection for each extended drive You must create an index collection for each extended drive that contains files to index. An index collection is a set of all index files for an extended drive. To create an index collection: 1. From the Configuration menu in the DiskXtender Search Module user interface, select Namespace Table. The Namespace Table dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 102 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

263 Indexing Files Figure 102 Namespace Table dialog box Note: The Application Name text box is dimmed. By default, it contains DiskXtender. 2. In the Index Collection text box, type a name for the collection. You may want to use the hostname of the DiskXtender server and the extended drive letter to form an index collection name.! IMPORTANT Each index collection name should be unique. Otherwise, connection problems between the ISE and the DiskXtender server may occur. 3. In the Password text box, type a password for the collection. 4. Click Add. 5. Repeat step 2 through step 4 to create an index collection for each extended drive to index. Note: To delete an index collection, select the index collection from the list and click Remove. (Use caution when deleting an index collection that contains index files. You can no longer index or search files on the extended drive associated with the deleted index collection.) 6. Click Save to close the Namespace Table dialog box. Enabling indexing 263

264 Indexing Files Enabling indexing on the extended drive To enable indexing on the extended drive: 1. In the File System Manager Administrator, right-click the extended drive and select Properties. The Extended Drive Properties dialog box appears. 2. Click the Indexing tab, as shown in Figure 103 on page 264. Figure 103 Extended Drive Properties dialog box Indexing tab 3. In the Index Server Name text box, type the hostname for the ISE server. Note: The ISE server must be in the same domain as the DiskXtender server. 4. In the Index Collection text box, type the name of the index collection for the extended drive. This name must match the name of the index collection that you specified in Creating an index collection for each extended drive on page Click Test Connection to test for: A successful connection between the DiskXtender server and the ISE Successful authentication to the index collection 6. Select the Enable content indexing of files on this extended drive checkbox. Note: If you clear the Enable content indexing of files on this extended drive checkbox, files are not qualified against index rules. Therefore, they are not written to the ITL. 264 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

265 Indexing Files 7. In the Index Scheduling section, choose how often indexing should occur. Table 32 on page 265 explains the scheduling options. Table 32 Index scheduling options Schedule increment Disable Description Disables the index schedule. When the schedule is disabled, the ITL is not processed and files are not indexed. Note: If the Enable content indexing of files on this extended drive checkbox is selected, files are still qualified against index rules and written to the ITL, even if the indexing schedule is disabled. Once Daily Weekly Monthly The ITL is processed and files are indexed once at the time and date specified. The ITL is processed and files are indexed once each day at the specified time. The ITL is processed and files are indexed weekly on the day(s) and at the time specified. The ITL is processed and files are indexed at the specified time on the specified day of the month. Choose any day between the 1st and 31st of each month. Note: If the date you select does not occur for a given month, then the ITL is processed on the last day of the month. For example, if you select the 31st for the schedule, then the scan occurs on the 30th in April. When the schedule is active, the ITL is processed and files on the ITL are submitted to the ISE for indexing. The ITL is processed until all files on the ITL have been submitted. 8. Click OK. Note: The Resync Options button is not used to enable content indexing. Resynchronization is necessary only as a repair process in the unlikely event that the files on the extended drive are not synchronized with the indexes on the ISE. Resynchronizing the index files and the extended drive on page 270 provides details. Selecting files for indexing Index rules enable you to specify which files should and should not be indexed. You can configure index rules for each media folder. The criteria you can use to select files for indexing or exclusion from indexing include file location, name, type, size, attributes, and age. Developing an indexing strategy on page 257 provides guidance on setting up index rules and other indexing settings to maximize performance. Enabling indexing 265

266 Indexing Files To create an index rule: 1. In the File System Manager Administrator, right-click the Index Rules node under the media folder for which to create the index rule, and then select New. The Index Rule Wizard appears, starting with the Type page. 2. Select criteria on each page of the wizard, and then click Next to access the next page of the wizard. Table 33 on page 266 provides details on the criteria you can specify on each page. Table 33 Index rule criteria Index rule page Type File Name Criteria available Whether the rule qualifies files for indexing or exclusion from indexing. The location (folder and/or subfolder) and filename (typically extension or file type) specifications for the files this rule targets for indexing. You can use the standard Windows asterisk (*) wildcard, which represents one or more characters in the name or extension part of the filename. Note: You can target only one filename specification per index rule. To apply the rule to different kinds of files in the same folder, create separate rules. Size Attributes Whether the rule applies to files of all sizes or only files of a certain size (in KB). You can specify an upper size limit and a lower size limit. If both limits are specified, then only files whose size falls between the two limits are subject to the index rule. Whether the rule applies to files with any attribute or only files with certain attributes, including the Read-only, Archive, Compressed, Hidden, and System attributes. Note: Files possessing any of the selected attributes will qualify for the rule, as opposed to files needing to possess all of the selected attributes to qualify, or files needing to possess only the selected attributes to qualify. Age Whether files of any age qualify for indexing, or if some period of days must pass after the file was created, last accessed, or last written to (modified). If you do not set an age specification for the index rule and it is an inclusive index rule, qualifying files are written to the ITL immediately when they are saved to the media folder on the extended drive. If you set an age specification for an inclusive index rule, files are written to the ITL during a background scan after the appropriate time has passed. If you disable the real-time moves option on the Options tab of the Extended Drive Properties dialog box, files are evaluated against index rules (and move rules) only during a background scan. Note: If you choose to index files based on the last access time for the file, be aware that files can be accessed by applications as well as by users. For example, a virus scan of the extended drive might access a file to evaluate whether it is infected with a virus. The File System Manager Administrator online help provides additional details on selecting the options for each page of the wizard. When you reach the end of the wizard, a summary page provides a listing of the criteria you selected. 3. Click Finish to complete the wizard and create the rule. 266 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

267 Indexing Files 4. Once you finish creating index rules, you must order them to set the priority in which DiskXtender indexes files, particularly in cases where rules may overlap (for example, if a file qualifies for two different rules). Keep in mind the following guidelines: If a file qualifies for two different index rules, the file is written to the ITL based on the rule that is listed first in the tree view of the Administrator. If the file fails to qualify for indexing based on the first rule, then the file is evaluated against the second rule. If the file is excluded from indexing based on the first rule, then the file is not written to the ITL, even if it qualifies based on the second rule. If the file qualifies for indexing based on the first rule, then the file is written to the ITL, even if it is excluded from indexing based on the second rule. As a result of the last two guidelines, exclusion rules should generally appear first in the list of rules. This enables the exclusion to take place. To edit the priority for an index rule, right-click the rule and select either Promote or Demote. Note: After you create an index rule, you can edit it by right-clicking the rule and selecting Properties. The Index Rule Properties dialog box appears, and contains tabs that correspond to the pages of the wizard you used to create the rule. Keep in mind, however, that if there are files already on the drive when you edit an index rule, the files are not qualified against the edited rule until the next background scan occurs. To delete an index rule, right-click the rule and select Delete. Then click Yes on the confirmation message. Enabling indexing 267

268 Indexing Files Disabling indexing If necessary, you can disable content indexing either for a single extended drive or for all extended drives that are submitting files to an ISE for indexing. The following topics provide details: Disabling indexing for an extended drive on page 268 Disabling all content indexing on page 269 Disabling indexing for an extended drive There are two elements to content indexing that you can disable for an extended drive: The qualification of files against index rules and the writing of files to the ITL. To disable this indexing feature, clear the Enable content indexing of files on this extended drive checkbox on the Indexing tab of the Extended Drive Properties dialog box in the File System Manager Administrator, as illustrated in Figure 104 on page 268. Figure 104 Disabling index rule qualification The indexing schedule (processing of the ITL and submission of files to the ISE for indexing). To disable this indexing feature, select the Disable option in the Index Scheduling section on the Indexing tab of the Extended Drive Properties dialog box in the File System Manager Administrator, as illustrated in Figure 105 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

269 Indexing Files Figure 105 Disabling the indexing schedule Note: If you disable the indexing schedule while the schedule is active and processing the ITL, then DiskXtender does not stop the ongoing processing of the ITL. Once the ongoing process is complete, the indexing schedule is disabled and the ITL is no longer processed. To stop DiskXtender from processing the ITL while it is ongoing, clear the Enable content indexing of files on this extended drive checkbox. If you disable rule qualification, then the indexing schedule is also disabled. If you disable the indexing schedule but do not disable rule qualification, however, files continue to be written to the ITL as they qualify for configured index rules. This is useful to temporarily disable the indexing process; for example, to perform maintenance on the ISE. However, keep in mind that the ITL for each extended drive is kept as a file on the extended drive of the DiskXtender server. The file will continue to grow, occupying additional space on the drive, until you either delete the index rules or disable rule qualification as well. In addition, files that qualify for index rules cannot be purged. If the indexing schedule is disabled for a significant amount of time, extended drive space issues are likely to occur. Disabling all content indexing To disable indexing for all extended drives that the ISE indexes, you can pause the ISE. You may want to pause the ISE for system maintenance for example, to take a snapshot of the system for backup purposes. Do not disable indexing for a significant amount of time. Files on the DiskXtender extended drives continue to qualify for index rules, and therefore cannot be purged. Extended drive space issues are likely to occur unless indexing takes place regularly. The DiskXtender Search Module installation guide and online help provide details on pausing the ISE and disabling all indexing. Disabling indexing 269

270 Indexing Files Resynchronizing the index files and the extended drive DiskXtender and the ISE work together to ensure that the index files on the ISE are current with the files on the extended drive. However, in the unlikely event that the files on the extended drive are not synchronized with the indexes on the ISE, you can schedule a resynchronization process. The resynchronization process ensures that: There is corresponding index information on the ISE for all files on the extended drive that are marked as indexed. There are no orphan indexes on the ISE for files that have been deleted from the extended drive.! IMPORTANT Resynchronization is designed to repair a damaged system. It is a system-intensive process and should be scheduled accordingly to accommodate the necessary system resources for an appropriate duration of time. When index resynchronization may be necessary Scenarios that may require resynchronization include: Files that have been indexed are deleted or renamed on the extended drive while the DiskXtender service is stopped. Files that have been indexed are deleted or renamed on the extended drive while indexing was disabled. An extended drive is damaged and an out-of-date backup is used to restore the drive. One or more index files is deleted and an out-of-date backup is used to restore the files. Scheduling index resynchronization To schedule index resynchronization: 1. Right-click the extended drive and select Properties. The Extended Drive Properties dialog box appears. 2. Click the Indexing tab. 3. Click the Resync Options button. The Index and Search Resynchronization Settings dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 106 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

271 Indexing Files Figure 106 Index and Search Resynchronization Settings dialog box 4. Select Full resynchronization of Extended Drive and Index Server. 5. Click OK. 6. On the Indexing tab, set the indexing schedule for a time that is most appropriate for resynchronization to take place. Consider the number, size, and type of files on the extended drive that must be evaluated and, if necessary, re-indexed. 7. Click OK again. The resynchronization process takes place the next time that indexing is scheduled to take place. Resynchronizing the index files and the extended drive 271

272 Indexing Files 272 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

273 10 Purging Files The following topics discuss when and how to purge files from the extended drive, as well as how to manage user access to purged files: Understanding the purge process Developing a purging strategy Enabling purging Controlling user access to purged files Controlling third-party software access to purged files Purging Files 273

274 Purging Files Understanding the purge process When DiskXtender moves files, it is really copying the files to storage media. In other words, the file data exists on both the media and on the extended drive. When DiskXtender purges a file, it removes the file data from the extended drive and leaves behind a file tag on the extended drive. A file tag contains information about the file, including name, size, age, retention period (if applicable), and other attributes. Purging files frees space on the extended drive, while maintaining the appearance that the files are still on the drive. In Microsoft Windows Explorer, the icons for purged files (file tags) appear differently than the icons for fetched or unmigrated files. Table 34 on page 274 provides details on file icons for unmanaged, fetched, and purged files. Table 34 Icons for files on the extended drive File type Icon Icon description Unmigrated or fetched file Standard Windows icon for the associated file type. Purged file (file tag) in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 The standard file icon appears to have a dimmed X in the lower left corner. Purged file (file tag) in earlier Windows versions The standard file icon appears to have a clock attached to the lower left corner. A purged file is still accessible, and to a user machine, appears to reside on the extended drive. When the user requests the file, DiskXtender accesses the media where the file is stored and retrieves the file data, displaying it for the user. When a file has been migrated to a single piece of media, a file tag consumes between 0 bytes and 1 cluster of disk space. (On Microsoft Windows NTFS systems, a cluster of disk space averages approximately 4 KB, although the size depends on a number of variables.) When a file has been migrated to multiple pieces of media through multi-target migration, then a file tag is likely to consume 1 cluster of disk space. Note: If you enable multi-target migration and then later decide to remove a file from one or more media targets so that the file is on only a single piece of media, the file tag size remains the same size that it was when it was on multiple targets. In other words, you cannot decrease the size of a file tag by removing a file from media targets. Although the size of a file tag is likely much smaller than the size of the full file data, the file and the folder in which the file is located appear with the original file size in Windows Explorer. To view the effects of purged files on disk space, view the properties for the entire extended drive through Windows Explorer. Because space and file retrieval requirements vary, DiskXtender provides several different ways to purge files from the extended drive, enabling you to be very specific as to when files are purged from the extended drive. 274 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

275 Purging Files Files cannot be purged from the extended drive until they are moved to media and indexed, if indexing is enabled. If a file is being moved to multiple pieces of media as part of a multi-target migration strategy, then the file must also be moved to all target media before it can be purged. However, once a file is moved to media, you can choose whether to automatically purge that file from the extended drive either: Immediately after it has been moved When extended drive space is low During the next background scan (after the file qualifies for a purge rule) You can also select specific files and purge them manually by using the DiskXtender Explorer Add-ons. There may even be some files that you do not want to purge at all. The purge options you choose are likely determined by a number of factors, including the type of storage media, how much space is on the extended drive, how often files are accessed, and how long files are normally active. Developing a purging strategy on page 277 provides recommendations for selecting a purging strategy that is appropriate for your environment. Note: Retention on files does not affect whether a file can be purged. Files under retention can be purged from the extended drive because the data resides on the media; however, you cannot delete the file tag. Prerequisite steps for purging Regardless of the purge method you choose, files must be moved to media and indexed, if indexing is enabled, before they can be purged. The prerequisite steps for each available purge method listed in Table 35 on page 275 are also required before files are purged. Table 35 Prerequisite steps for purging Purge method Purging based on disk space Purging immediately after migration Purging during background scans Purging manually by using the Explorer Add-ons Purging files moved to DVD-R media Prerequisite steps 1. Configure purge rules that select the files to purge, and select the Do not force purges during background scans option for the rules. 2. Adjust the purge watermarks for the extended drive to specify when purging should begin and end to maintain a reasonable amount of free space on the extended drive. Select the Purge files immediately after move option for the move rules that are used to select files for migration. 1. Configure purge rules that select the files to purge, and select the Force files to purge during background scans option for the rules. 2. Adjust the purge watermarks for the extended drive to specify when purging should begin and end to maintain a reasonable amount of free space on the extended drive. No prerequisite steps are necessary. Finalize the media by using one of the following methods: Automatically based on media group settings Manually with a Finalize media task Understanding the purge process 275

276 Purging Files How and when purging takes place Table 36 on page 276 describes how files qualify for purging and when purging takes place. Table 36 Purge process overview by purge method Purge method Purging based on disk space Purging immediately after migration Purging during background scans How files qualify for purging and when purging takes place 1. Files qualify for purging when they qualify for purge rules during a background scan. 2. Qualifying files are written to the purge list in the order determined by the priorities set in the purge rules. 3. When the amount of used space on the extended drive reaches the purge start watermark, DiskXtender begins purging files on the purge list. 4. Purging continues until the amount of used space on the extended drive is reduced to the purge stop watermark. Files qualify for purging when they qualify for a move rule with the Purge files immediately after move option selected. Once the file is successfully moved to media, the file is purged. 1. Files qualify for purging when they qualify for purge rules during a background scan. 2. Qualifying files are purged during the background scan unless they also qualify for indexing. If they qualify for indexing, then the files are indexed according to the indexing schedule. Once indexing of the file is complete, the file is automatically purged, even if the indexing takes place while a background scan is inactive. Note: Files might be purged before a background scan takes place (regardless of purge rule settings) if disk space is needed before the next background scan starts. Purging manually by using the Explorer Add-ons Purging files moved to DVD-R media 1. Files qualify for purging when you issue the purge command from the Explorer Add-ons. 2. Files are purged immediately. You can choose to automatically purge all files on the media when it is finalized. If you select this option for the finalization process, then files are purged as soon as the finalization process is complete. If you do not purge all files after finalization, the files must qualify for purge rules. They are then purged either when disk space is needed or during background scans, depending on purge rule settings. Note: If you are migrating files to multiple media targets and the file qualifies for purging, the file is not purged until it has been moved to all targets within the multi-target group. 276 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

277 Purging Files Developing a purging strategy In most cases, only inactive files files that are no longer being viewed or edited by users on the extended drive should be purged. System performance improves when fewer files must be recalled from media for viewing and editing. Recalling files can be a system-intensive process, especially with media types such as removable media and EMC Centera. DiskXtender must locate the file on the media and copy the file back to the extended drive before the file is opened. For removable media, this also means mounting the media with the file in a drive before the file can be copied. However, you must balance the need to maintain file data on the drive for viewing and editing with the need to remove file data to maintain an adequate amount of free disk space for other files. DiskXtender provides several purge options so that you can customize a purge strategy for your environment. It may be necessary to implement several purge options to achieve the optimal balance of file availability and adequate disk space. The following topics provide guidance on selecting the right combination of purge options for your environment. Recommended purge methods for different environments Table 37 on page 277 lists the recommended environments for each purge method. Table 37 Recommended environments for each purge method (page 1 of 2) Purge method Recommended environments Purging based on disk space Environments with media types that have a slower file retrieval time, such as removable media, which must be mounted in a drive Environments with EMC Centera, which has a limited number of communication threads available for total file activity High-volume environments, where a significant number of files are being moved to media and then accessed for viewing or editing Environments where DiskXtender is managing user home directories Environments where the DiskXtender Search Module is indexing files on the extended drive Purging during background scans Environments with media types that have a faster file retrieval time, such as NAS or TSM Environments where DiskXtender is being used to archive files that are infrequently or never accessed again for viewing or editing Environments where the volume of file activity is such that file migration must be scheduled to take place at a different time than file purging (background scans) Environments that need to maintain a high volume of free space on the extended drive even if it means sacrificing system performance during file retrieval Developing a purging strategy 277

278 Purging Files Table 37 Recommended environments for each purge method (page 2 of 2) Purge method Purging immediately after migration Purging manually by using the Explorer Add-ons Automatically purging files moved to DVD-R media as soon as the media is finalized Recommended environments Environments with media types that have a faster file retrieval time, such as NAS or TSM Environments where DiskXtender is being used to archive files that are infrequently or never accessed again for viewing or editing Low-volume environments where file migration can take place at the same time as file purging with a minimal impact to system performance Environments that need to maintain a high volume of free space on the extended drive even if it means sacrificing system performance during file retrieval Small environments where an administrator is responsible for manually monitoring the capacity of the extended drive and can target certain inactive files for purging Environments with DVD-R media Environments where the files on the finalized media are infrequently or never accessed again for viewing Combining purge methods in a mixed environment It may be the case that your environment contains a mix of file types. Some of the files may be used on a regular basis, while others are never accessed again after they are saved to the extended drive. You may want to target the immediately inactive files for immediate move and purge to free up space on the extended drive, while leaving the frequently accessed files on the drive forever (never purging them) or until it is absolutely necessary to recover space on the drive. DiskXtender rules enable you to target, very specifically, how to manage files. You can select files for different move and purge methods by using the criteria in Table 38 on page 278. Table 38 Available criteria for selecting files to purge Criteria Filename File size File age File attributes Details You can specify a particular filename, which may be useful for excluding a file from being purged. You can also use the asterisk (*) symbol as a wildcard to substitute for one or more characters in a filename. For example: Specify *.* to target all files in a media folder. Specify *.doc to target all files with a.doc extension. Specify Payroll* to target all files with a filename that begins with the word Payroll, regardless of the file s extension. Specify *.tmp to target temporary files for exclusion from purging. You can target files smaller than a certain size in KB, larger than a certain size in KB, or within a range of sizes in KB. Age criteria enable you to specify the number of days that must pass since the file was created, last edited, or last accessed before DiskXtender moves or purges the file. You can target certain files with the Read-only, Archive, Compressed, Hidden, or System attributes. File attribute criteria are most effectively used to exclude files with certain attributes, such as the System attribute, from being purged. 278 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

279 Purging Files Consider the following purge strategies for mixed environments: If possible, group different file types into different media folders. This enables you to simplify the rules for each media folder. For example, save all frequently accessed files in one media folder, and save all infrequently accessed files in another media folder. Then create a single purge rule for each media folder that applies to all files in the media folder. Create purge rules to exclude certain frequently accessed files from purging. These rules are called exclusive purge rules. To create an exclusive purge rule, select the Exclude option on the Type page when creating the rule. If there are other files on the extended drive that should not be purged, such as files with the System attribute, then create exclusive purge rules to prevent the files from being purged. Select the Force files to purge during background scans option for purge rules that target large, infrequently accessed files. This enables DiskXtender to clear space on the drive by purging large, inactive files quickly. Specify an age delay on purge rules to prevent DiskXtender from purging files until they are no longer needed. To specify an age delay, select the Apply rule to files of age greater than option on the Age page for the purge rule, specify the number of days (typically 30 or 60), and then select Last write time or Last access time from the drop-down list. This sets an age delay for purging files that may be viewed or edited for a limited duration of time after they are created. Keep in mind, however, that applications, such as backup and anti-virus applications, may also access files. Create multiple purge rules to select files for purging based on extended drive space, and set the priority for the purge rules so that certain files are written to the purge list and therefore purged first. For example, create a purge rule that targets all files larger than 100 KB for purge based on extended drive space, and then create a second purge rule that targets all other files for purge based on extended drive space. Set the priority for the first purge rule to First on the Settings page of the purge rule, and the priority for the second purge rule to Second. This way, files larger than 100 KB are purged first, which frees space more quickly on the extended drive when it reaches the purge start watermark. If you create multiple purge rules in a media folder, you must order them to define how files are evaluated against the rules. To edit the priority for a purge rule, right-click the rule and select either Promote or Demote. Keep in mind the following guidelines: If a file qualifies for two different purge rules, the file is purged based on the purge rule that is listed first in the tree view of the Administrator. If the file fails to qualify for purging based on the first purge rule, the file is evaluated against the second purge rule. If the file is excluded from purging based on the first purge rule, then the file is not purged, even if it qualifies based on the second purge rule. If the file qualifies for purging based on the first purge rule, then the file is purged, even if it is excluded from purging based on the second purge rule. As a result of the last two guidelines, exclusive rules and rules with more specific file criteria should generally appear first in the list of rules. This enables exclusions and special conditions to take effect, while more general criteria in the later rules in the list can capture any remaining files. Developing a purging strategy 279

280 Purging Files! IMPORTANT Even if you plan to purge files immediately after they are moved by using the move rule option, you should still configure purge rules. If you do not configure purge rules and the purged files are fetched, the files may not be purged again. Special purge situations Review the following special purge situations to determine if they must be accommodated in your purge strategy: Purging and indexing on page 280 Purging files during DVD media finalization on page 281 Purging and indexing If you use the DiskXtender Search Module to index DiskXtender files so that you can search for them, then files are purged after they are indexed. The exception to this guideline is when extended drive free space is getting low. To free up additional space on the drive when necessary, files might be purged before they are indexed. If this occurs, the files are fetched back to the drive for indexing as soon as the indexing schedule and the drive space allows: If this is a new DiskXtender installation, wait to purge files until after they have been indexed. File data must be present on the extended drive to be indexed. If a file is purged when it qualifies for an index rule, the file is fetched to the extended drive before it is written to the ITL and submitted for indexing. The file is then automatically purged again after it is indexed. In systems with a significant number of files, this process can significantly impact performance. To delay purging, wait to configure purge rules until after all files in a media folder have been indexed. Alternatively, configure an appropriate age delay on the purge rules. Do not use the Purge files immediately after move option on move rules. Ensure that files are indexed before they are purged: The best purge option for ensuring that files are indexed first is to purge files based on the purge watermarks (amount of used space) on the extended drive. If you are purging files during background scans, configure an age delay for the purge rule so that the purging takes place after indexing. If you configure an age delay on the index rules, ensure that the age delay on the purge rules is equal to or greater than the age delay on the index rules. Do not purge files immediately after they are moved (by using the move rule option for purging). You may want to create separate purge rules for files that are excluded from indexing. Excluded files are eligible to be purged as soon as disk space is needed. They do not need to be indexed first. 280 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

281 Purging Files Purging files during DVD media finalization If you use DVD-R media, then you cannot purge files until the media they are written to is finalized. The Finalize media task and the media group auto-finalization functions both enable you to select a purge files option, which tells DiskXtender to purge all files that have been written to that media at the time the media is finalized. If you do not choose to purge files as a function of finalization, the data for those files remains on the extended drive until the files qualify for configured purge rules. Then it is the selections made in the purge rules that determine when the files are purged from the extended drive. Developing a purging strategy 281

282 Purging Files Enabling purging The following topics provide instructions for enabling purging: Purging files as disk space is needed on page 282 Purging files during background scans on page 284 Purging files immediately after migration on page 286 Purging individual files on page 286 Purging files as disk space is needed To enable purging of files as disk space is needed: 1. Configure file migration, as discussed in Chapter 7, File Migration. 2. In the File System Manager Administrator, right-click the Purge Rules node under the media folder containing the files to purge, and then select New. The Purge Rule Wizard appears, starting with the Type page. 3. Select criteria on each page of the wizard, and then click Next to access the next page of the wizard. Table 39 on page 282 provides details on the criteria you can specify on each page. Table 39 Purge rule criteria Purge rule page Type File Name Criteria available Whether the rule qualifies files for purging or excludes files from being purged. The location (folder and/or subfolder) and filename (typically extension or file type) specifications for the files this rule targets for purging. You can use the standard Microsoft Windows asterisk (*) wildcard, which represents one or more characters in the name or extension part of the filename. Note: You can target only one filename specification per purge rule. To apply the rule to different kinds of files in the same folder, create separate rules. Size Attributes Whether the rule applies to files of all sizes or only files of a certain size (in KB). You can specify an upper size limit and a lower size limit. If both limits are specified, then only files whose size falls between the two limits are subject to the purge rule. Whether the rule applies to files with any attribute or only files with certain attributes, including the Read-only, Archive, Compressed, Hidden, and System attributes. Note: Files possessing any of the selected attributes will qualify for the rule, as opposed to files needing to possess all of the selected attributes to qualify, or files needing to possess only the selected attributes to qualify. Age Whether files of any age qualify for purging, or if some period of days must pass after the file was created, last accessed, or last written to (modified). Note: If you choose to purge files based on the last access time for the file, be aware that files can be accessed by applications as well as by users. For example, a virus scan of the extended drive might access a file to evaluate whether it is infected with a virus. The File System Manager Administrator online help provides additional details on selecting the options for each page of the wizard. 282 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

283 Purging Files 4. On the Settings page, select Do not force purges during background scans, as shown in Figure 107 on page 283. Figure 107 Purge rule settings for purging as disk space is needed 5. From the Priority drop-down list, select the priority in which files that qualify for this rule are written to the purge list. Priorities can be used to ensure that certain files, such as larger files or files that are accessed less frequently, are purged first when disk space is needed. This optimizes the purge process. 6. Click Next. 7. Review the summary information and click Finish to complete the wizard and create the rule. 8. Once you finish creating purge rules, you must order them to set the priority in which DiskXtender qualifies files for purging, particularly in cases where rules may overlap (for example, if a file qualifies for two different rules). Keep in mind the following guidelines: If a file qualifies for two different purge rules, then the file is purged based on the rule that is listed first in the tree view of the Administrator. If the file fails to qualify for purging based on the first rule, then the file is evaluated against the second rule. If the file is excluded from purging based on the first rule, then the file is not purged, even if it qualifies based on the second rule. If the file qualifies for purging based on the first rule, then the file is purged, even if it is excluded from purging based on the second rule. As a result of the last two guidelines, exclusion rules should generally appear first in the list of rules. This enables the exclusion to take place. To edit the priority for a purge rule, right-click the rule and select either Promote or Demote. Enabling purging 283

284 Purging Files Note: After you create a purge rule, you can edit it by right-clicking the rule and selecting Properties. The Purge Rule Properties dialog box appears, and contains tabs that correspond to the pages of the wizard you used to create the rule. To delete a purge rule, right-click the rule and select Delete. Then click Yes on the confirmation message. 9. (Optional but recommended) Adjust the purge watermarks for the extended drive: a. Right-click the extended drive and select Properties. The Extended Drive Properties dialog box appears. b. Click the Options tab. c. Scroll through the list and select the Purge start watermark option. d. Change the value from the default of 95 percent to a new percentage. A value of 80 percent may be more appropriate, especially if you are running DiskXtender in a high-volume environment. e. Select the Purge stop watermark option from the list of options. f. Change the value from the default of 90 percent to a new percentage. A value of 70 or 75 percent may be more appropriate, especially if you are running DiskXtender in a high-volume environment. g. Click OK. Purging files during background scans To enable purging of files during background scans: 1. Configure file migration, as discussed in Chapter 7, File Migration. 2. In the File System Manager Administrator, right-click the Purge Rules node under the media folder containing the files to purge, and then select New. The Purge Rule Wizard appears, starting with the Type page. 3. Select criteria on each page of the wizard, and then click Next to access the next page of the wizard. Table 39 on page 282 provides details on the criteria you can specify on each page. The File System Manager Administrator online help provides additional details on selecting the options for each page of the wizard. 4. On the Settings page, select Force files to purge during background scans, as illustrated in Figure 108 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

285 Purging Files Figure 108 Purge rule settings for purging during background scans 5. Click Next. 6. Review the summary information and click Finish to complete the wizard and create the rule. 7. Once you finish creating purge rules, you must order them to set the priority in which DiskXtender qualifies files for purging, particularly in cases where rules may overlap (for example, if a file qualifies for two different purge rules). Keep in mind the following guidelines: If a file qualifies for two different purge rules, then the file is purged based on the purge rule that is listed first in the tree view of the Administrator. If the file fails to qualify for purging based on the first purge rule, then the file is evaluated against the second purge rule. If the file is excluded from purging based on the first purge rule, then the file is not purged, even if it qualifies based on the second purge rule. If the file qualifies for purging based on the first purge rule, then the file is purged, even if it is excluded from purging based on the second purge rule. As a result of the last two guidelines, exclusion rules should generally appear first in the list of rules. This enables the exclusion to take place. To edit the priority for a purge rule, right-click the rule and select either Promote or Demote. Note: After you create a purge rule, you can edit it by right-clicking the rule and selecting Properties. The Purge Rule Properties dialog box appears, and contains tabs that correspond to the pages of the wizard you used to create the rule. To delete a purge rule, right-click the rule and select Delete. Then click Yes on the confirmation message. Enabling purging 285

286 Purging Files Purging files immediately after migration To enable purging of files immediately after file migration: 1. Create the move rules that select the files to migrate. Chapter 7, File Migration, provides details. 2. On the Settings page of the move rules, select the Purge files immediately after move option, as illustrated in Figure 109 on page 286. Figure 109 Purge files immediately after move option 3. Finish configuring file migration, as discussed in Chapter 7, File Migration.! IMPORTANT Even if you plan to purge files immediately after they are moved by using the move rule option, you should still configure purge rules, as discussed in either Purging files as disk space is needed on page 282 or Purging files during background scans on page 284. If you do not configure purge rules and the purged files are fetched, the files may not be purged again. Purging individual files You can use the DiskXtender Explorer Add-ons to manually purge files from the extended drive on a one-time basis, independent of the other purge settings for the extended drive. To purge files by using the DiskXtender Explorer Add-ons shortcut menu: 1. In Microsoft Windows Explorer, select the files or folder containing the files to purge. 2. Right-click the files and select DiskXtender > Purge Files. 3. Click Yes on the confirmation message. 286 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

287 Purging Files Controlling user access to purged files The following topics provide details on how to recall purged files from media when necessary: Fetching files from media on page 287 Disabling file fetches on page 287 Prefetching files from media on page 288 Reading files directly from media on page 295 Fetching files from media If a user attempts to access a file on the extended drive that has been migrated to media and purged, the file is retrieved from the media and copied back to the extended drive. The user can then open the file on the extended drive. Retrieving a purged file from media is called a fetch. If a user fetches a large file that exceeds the amount of available free space on the extended drive, then this activates the purge start watermark and DiskXtender attempts to purge files on the purge list to free space on the extended drive. If DiskXtender is not able to free enough space on the extended drive, then the fetch fails. If the environment is a multi-target migration environment, purged files are fetched from the first target media group listed under the multi-target group. You can change the media priority from which DiskXtender fetches the file by changing the order in which the standard media groups are listed under the multi-target group. When purge rules are configured, fetched files are qualified against the purge rules again during the next background scan, and purged again as appropriate based on purge rule settings. Disabling file fetches If necessary, you can prevent users from fetching files from media or directly reading files from media by disabling the file fetch schedule for an extended drive. You may want to disable fetches, for example, when you have to perform system maintenance. In this scenario, you may want to prefetch certain files from media. Prefetching files from media on page 288 provides details. Note: When you disable the file fetch schedule, you prevent only client fetches from occurring. Prefetch media tasks and prefetch requests continue. To disable file fetches: 1. Right-click the extended drive and select Properties. The Extended Drive Properties dialog box appears. 2. Click the Settings tab. 3. Click Schedule. The Schedule dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 110 on page 288. Controlling user access to purged files 287

288 Purging Files Figure 110 Schedule dialog box Within the scheduler, colored lines represent each activity, including the file migration, media task, and copy media update schedules. This enables you to quickly see which activities are scheduled for each hour of each day of the week. 4. Select the area of the grid that corresponds to the time period during which you would like to disable file fetches. 5. Clear the Allow fetches from media checkbox in the Activities section. 6. Ensure that the checkboxes are selected or cleared appropriately for the file migration, media task, and copy media update activities. 7. Click Set. 8. Click OK. 9. Click OK again to close the Extended Drive Properties dialog box. Prefetching files from media To reduce read requests from media during high traffic times, you can anticipate file retrieval needs and prefetch frequently used files. During a prefetch, DiskXtender retrieves files from storage media and writes the file data to the extended drive. DiskXtender provides two ways to prefetch files: If you know that you will need specific files, select the files by setting up a prefetch request through the Prefetch Request Wizard. Prefetch requests on page 289 provides details. To temporarily remove a piece of media from a device (for example, to perform maintenance), prefetch all files from the piece of media by assigning a Prefetch media task to the media. Prefetch media task on page 294 provides details. Prefetched files, regardless of method, remain in a migrated state and continue to be subject to purge rules, as with any other normally migrated files. Also, if you remove the media containing the files from the media group, DiskXtender removes the file data from the extended drive as it normally would, even though the files are prefetched. 288 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

289 Purging Files If you prefetch a file marked for Direct Read, the file is fetched and the Direct Read attribute is removed from the file. Depending on how you choose to mark files for Direct Read, the file might be marked for Direct Read again when it is purged. Reading files directly from media on page 295 provides details on Direct Read. Prefetch requests To select specific files for retrieval from storage media, you can set up either a direct or indirect prefetch request: Create a direct prefetch request to browse to and select certain files and folders. You can also select files for a direct request by using a text file that lists specific files, and save the list of files you select to a text file for use again later. Note: If the contents of a file list loaded for a direct request changes, DiskXtender does not register those changes for resubmission. For this reason, direct requests should not be used for recurring prefetches where file lists are regenerated each time. Instead, save the recurring file list for use later in an indirect prefetch request. Create an indirect prefetch request to load an existing file list. This option is intended for re-occurring batch prefetches where the list of files being prefetched might change. You designate the name of the file containing the file list, and then rebuild that list if needed. With an indirect request, DiskXtender registers only the name of the file that contains the list of files to be prefetched. As long as that list is saved under the specified filename, the contents of the list can change as often as required. The following topics provide details on creating and managing prefetch requests. Creating a direct prefetch request A wizard leads you step-by-step through the process to create a direct prefetch request. Note: Prefetch is a memory-intensive procedure. When planning to prefetch a large number of files, for optimal performance, create several smaller prefetch request lists instead of one large list. If you use removable media, you also might want to create separate lists (if possible) for files fetched from separate pieces of media. This reduces the potential for drive and media competition within a library. To create a direct prefetch request: 1. From the Tools menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Prefetch Request Manager. The Prefetch Manager dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 111 on page 290. Controlling user access to purged files 289

290 Purging Files Figure 111 Prefetch Manager 2. Click New. The Prefetch Information page of the Prefetch Wizard appears, as illustrated in Figure 112 on page 290. Figure 112 Prefetch Wizard Prefetch Information page 290 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

291 Purging Files 3. In the Tracking Details text boxes, type the identifying information listed in Table 40 on page 291 for the request. This information appears in the Prefetch Properties page after the request is complete. Table 40 Prefetch Information page request details Item Owner Title Description Description The name of the person initiating the prefetch request The name of the prefetch job A description of the request (up to 128 characters in length) 4. Select Direct and click Next. The Prefetch Schedule page appears, as illustrated in Figure 113 on page 291. Figure 113 Prefetch Wizard Prefetch Schedule page 5. Select one of the scheduling options listed in Table 41 on page 291. Table 41 Prefetch scheduling options (page 1 of 2) Scheduling option Prefetch frequency Settings to configure ASAP Once Once, immediately after you finish configuring the prefetch in the wizard. This is the default. Once on the specified date and time. Note: The default values when this option is enabled are the current date and time. None Date Time Hourly On an hourly basis (once every x hours where x is a number between 1 and 24) at the interval and time you specify. Hourly rate Time Controlling user access to purged files 291

292 Purging Files Table 41 Prefetch scheduling options (page 2 of 2) Scheduling option Prefetch frequency Settings to configure Daily Weekly Every x days at the specified time, where x is a number between 1 and 365. Every x weeks on the specified days (Monday through Sunday) and time, where x is a number between 1 and 52. Daily frequency Time Weekly frequency Time Days of the week Monthly Every x months on the specified date (1 st through 31 st ) and time, where x is a number between 1 and 12. Note: If the date you select does not occur for a given month, then the prefetch occurs on the last day of the month. For example, if you select the 31st for the schedule, then the scan occurs on the 30th in April. Monthly frequency Time Day of the month Keep in mind that prefetch is a memory-intensive procedure. It should be scheduled for times of minimal system activity. 6. Click Next. The Prefetch File List page appears, as illustrated in Figure 114 on page 292. Figure 114 Prefetch Wizard Prefetch File List page 7. Create the prefetch file list: a. Click Add. b. Browse to and select the files to prefetch. c. Click OK. A confirmation message may appear to verify addition of subfolders or files that are already present on the extended drive. Files that are already resident on the extended drive at the time the prefetch is run are ignored. d. Click Yes or Yes To All to continue. 292 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

293 Purging Files Note: You can also load a list of files from a prefetch request (.dxp) file. To load a list of files, click Load From File, navigate to the prefetch request file and click Open. The file must meet the requirements that are listed in Creating an indirect prefetch request on page (Optional) To prefetch the same files again at a later date, save the list to a file by clicking Save To File and selecting a location and filename for the list. Prefetch request files are saved by default with a.dxp extension at the root of the extended drive. 9. Click Finish. When a request is pending, you can edit or delete the request. When a request is in progress, you can abort the request or view a log of the request activity. When a request is completed, you can edit the request, resubmit it, delete it, or view a log of the final request activity. The File System Manager Administrator online help provides details. Creating an indirect prefetch request To create an indirect prefetch request: 1. Create the prefetch file and save it with a.dxp file extension. The entries in the prefetch file should meet the following guidelines: Each file must be identified by a complete, correct directory path, such as: \Accounts\October\Expenses.xls Each file should be listed on a separate line (separated by a hard return). To insert a comment, start the line containing the comment with a semi-colon (;). When planning to prefetch a large number of files, for optimal performance, create several smaller prefetch request lists instead of one large list. If you use removable media, you also might want to create separate lists (if possible) for files fetched from separate pieces of media. This reduces the potential for drive and media competition within a library. Figure 115 on page 293 provides an example of a prefetch file. Figure 115 Prefetch file example 2. From the Tools menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Prefetch Request Manager. The Prefetch Manager dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 111 on page 290. Controlling user access to purged files 293

294 Purging Files 3. In the Prefetch Manager, click New. The Prefetch Information page of the Prefetch Wizard appears, as illustrated in Figure 112 on page In the Tracking Details text boxes, type the identifying information listed in Table 40 on page 291 for the request. This information appears in the Prefetch Properties page after the request is complete. 5. Select Indirect. 6. In the File text box, type the path and name for the file, or click Browse to browse to and select the file. 7. Click Next. The Prefetch Schedule page appears, as illustrated in Figure 113 on page Select on the of the scheduling options listed in Table 41 on page 291. Keep in mind that prefetch is a memory-intensive procedure. It should be scheduled for times of minimal system activity. 9. Click Finish. When a request is pending, you can edit or delete the request. When a request is in progress, you can abort the request or view a log of the request activity. When a request is completed, you can edit the request, resubmit it, delete it, or view a log of the final request activity. The File System Manager Administrator online help provides details. Prefetch media task To prefetch all files from a certain piece of media, you can assign a Prefetch media task. This task is particularly useful if you know a specific piece of media will not be available for file retrieval for an extended period of time. It makes it possible to set the media offline and physically remove the media from the system without the risk that it might be needed to provide file data for client requests. To assign a Prefetch media task: 1. Right-click one or more pieces of media and select Edit Tasks. The Media Tasks dialog box appears. 2. Select PREFETCH from the Next Task drop-down list, and then click Add Next Task. The task is added to the task list in the Media Tasks dialog box, as illustrated in Figure 116 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

295 Purging Files Figure 116 Prefetch media task 3. Choose whether to process the media task as soon as possible or on a scheduled basis. If you choose to process the media task on a scheduled basis, the task is not processed until the media task schedule is active. The media task schedule is configured when you set the file migration schedule. Scheduling file migration on page 228 provides details. 4. Click Next. The Order Media in Task Queue page appears with the recently added media at the bottom of the media task queue list. 5. (Optional) To change the order in which tasks are processed, promote or demote the media in the list by clicking the up or down arrow to the right of the list box. 6. Click Finish. Reading files directly from media In some situations, you may want to read purged files directly from media, rather than copying (fetching) the files back to the extended drive and opening them there. This behavior is called Direct Read in DiskXtender. Direct Read is strongly discouraged in most DiskXtender environments. In select situations, Direct Read can ease the strain on system resources caused by fetching certain files back to the extended drive. However, Direct Read requests can be as much as three times slower than normal fetch requests. Direct Read is not intended to preserve the amount of free space on the extended drive. When planning a file migration strategy, you must consider the amount of space required for files that will be fetched from media in addition to new files that are written to the extended drive. Use file purging features instead of Direct Read to manage extended drive free space. The following topics provide more information on Direct Read. Controlling user access to purged files 295

296 Purging Files When to enable Direct Read Direct Read can be beneficial in archive environments with the following types of files: Large files that are accessed through applications that employ Byte Offset Read Note: Byte Offset Read enables an application to read a very small portion of a file rather than reading the entire file. Files with fixed content (read-only files, or files that are not edited once they are created) that are not accessed frequently Files that are permanently archived and are not accessed frequently When to avoid Direct Read Direct Read should not be used in environments where the extended drive is used as a file server for active and frequently accessed files. Avoid Direct Read with the following types of files: Files that are accessed frequently, such as files in user home directories or database index files. Files that are accessed through applications that must open the entire file. Also avoid Direct Read in the following environments: A significant number of users (more than 500) are accessing the same or different files. Files are moved to a slow media type, such as tape. Bottlenecks and media damage can occur if DiskXtender must repeatedly mount media to read files. Files are moved to multiple media groups (multi-target migration). If you attempt to open a file that is marked for Direct Read and the first target in a multi-target media group is unavailable, then the operation fails. DiskXtender does not open the file from the other targets. How to enable Direct Read Direct Read can be enabled when you purge a file. You can either set Direct Read for all purged files on an extended drive or target certain files. The Direct Read option is also available when you restore files from a piece of media to the extended drive. To set Direct Read for all files on an extended drive: Select the Force direct read for all files option on the Options tab of the Extended Drive Properties dialog box. Note: This option does not change the Direct Read attribute for a file. Rather, it overrides the attribute. Therefore, you can view the results of changing this setting relatively quickly. You might want to use this option to evaluate the performance impact of implementing Direct Read before you configure move rules with Direct Read. To target certain files for Direct Read: Select the files in Microsoft Windows Explorer and use the DiskXtender Explorer Add-ons. The Explorer Add-ons online help provides more information. When creating a move rule to move the files to media, select the Mark file for direct read after move option on the Settings page. 296 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

297 Purging Files When finalizing DVD-R media with the Finalize media task, select the Mark files for direct read option. Manually finalizing DVD-R media on page 142 provides details. When automatically finalizing DVD-R media, select the Direct read files after auto-finalizing media option in the media group. Automatically finalizing DVD-R media on page 141 provides details. Note: The Direct Read file attribute is enabled when you use any of these four options. As a result, if later you decide to disable the Direct Read option, the change can take a significant amount of time to complete. This is because DiskXtender must edit the attributes for each file. If you are unsure whether Direct Read is appropriate for your environment, use the extended drive option listed previously instead of these options. To set Direct Read during a file restore: When you add a piece of media with files to a media group, select the Direct read checkbox on the Media Restore page of the Add Media to Media Group Wizard. When you add a File Restore media task to a piece of media, select the Direct read checkbox on the Media Tasks page. Setting the Direct Read memory cache If you enable Direct Read, the file data for Direct Read files must be fetched to a temporary cache for distribution to the requesting client. The Direct read memory cache option determines how much space to allow for that temporary cache. Calculating the optimal size of the cache Each open file consumes at least 64 KB of this cache. Configure the size of the cache based on the expected number of concurrently open files on the extended drive. The default value for this setting is 1 MB, which handles 16 concurrently open files (64 KB x 16 = 1 MB). The Direct Read cache should never exceed more than 10 percent of the available physical memory on the system. Changing the size of the cache To change the size of the Direct Read cache: 1. Right-click the extended drive and select Properties. The Extended Drive Properties dialog box appears. 2. Click the Options tab. 3. Select the Direct read memory cache option. 4. Type the size that should be allowed for the cache. 5. Click OK. Controlling user access to purged files 297

298 Purging Files Direct Read exceptions There are some exception situations in which a file marked for Direct Read might be fetched anyway, or when the Direct Read attribute might be automatically removed from a file: When a file marked for Direct Read (that is not read-only) is opened with a write access application such as Microsoft Word, the file is fetched to the extended drive instead of being read directly from the media. DiskXtender cannot read a file with streams directly from the media. For this reason, when a streamed file marked for Direct Read is requested, the file is fetched and the Direct Read attribute is removed from the file. If you prefetch a file marked for Direct Read, the file is fetched and the Direct Read attribute is removed from the file. Depending on how you choose to mark files for Direct Read, the file might be marked for Direct Read again when it is purged. 298 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

299 Purging Files Controlling third-party software access to purged files You can configure DiskXtender to force a type of data access for purged files when those files are called by specific software applications. For example, you might not want anti-virus software to recall purged file data from media during a virus scan. The DiskXtender special application filtering option enables you to specify applications and whether DiskXtender should allow the application to read purged files directly from media or to ignore purged files altogether. Note: The special application filtering option applies only to applications that run on the DiskXtender server. Contact EMC Customer Service by using the Powerlink website for details on the limitations and special situation configurations for special application filtering. To configure special application filtering: 1. From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Properties. The Service Properties dialog box appears. 2. Click the Options tab. 3. Scroll through the list and select the Use special application filtering option, as shown in Figure 117 on page 299. Figure 117 Service Properties Options tab Note: Disabling special application filtering is strongly discouraged except when recommended by EMC Customer Service as part of a troubleshooting scenario. If special application filtering is disabled, DiskXtender may not be able to function, and the extended drive may fill to its capacity. 4. Click Edit List. The Special Application List dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 118 on page 300. Controlling third-party software access to purged files 299

300 Purging Files Figure 118 Special Application List dialog box A list of common anti-virus and backup executables and the recommended action (either No recall or Direct read) is provided, including: AVX Anti-Virus Dr. Solomon s Anti-Virus F-Secure Anti-Virus McAfee Anti-Virus Norton Anti-Virus Panda Anti-Virus Tivoli Backup The File System Manager Administrator online help provides a detailed list of the default applications and the recommended action for each. 5. Add, edit, or delete applications, or reset the list to its defaults: To add an application: a. Click New. b. In the Application Executable text box, type the executable filename (including the.exe extension) for the application. c. From the Special Action drop-down list, select the type of data access that DiskXtender should allow. Choose No Recall to enable the software to ignore purged files (the program sees the purged files as 0 bytes and skips over them). This is the default. Choose Direct Read to enable the software to read the purged file data directly from the media. d. Click OK. 300 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

301 Purging Files To edit an application or the action for purged file access, select the executable and click Edit.! CAUTION The four TSM Backup executables in the Applications list (dsm.exe, dsmc.exe, dsmcsvc.exe, and damagent.exe) are set to Direct Read by default and should remain that way. If you use TSM as a media service, changing the action for these four files to No Recall can result in data loss. To delete an application from the list, select the executable and click Delete.! CAUTION Deleting default applications set by DiskXtender might cause system problems, including deadlock, due to the application and DiskXtender attempting to run conflicting processes at the same time. However, if you know the listed application is not being used on the DiskXtender server, deleting the application might improve performance. To reset the list of applications to the original defaults, click Reset Defaults. When the list is reset, all of the applications you added since DiskXtender installation are removed, all of the applications you deleted are reinstated with their original settings, and all of the applications you changed are reset to their original values. 6. Click OK. Controlling third-party software access to purged files 301

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303 11 Deleting Files The following topics discuss when and how you can delete a file from the extended drive, and if necessary, how you can restore the file: Deleting files from the extended drive Deleting files from media Recovering deleted files Deleting Files 303

304 Deleting Files Deleting files from the extended drive In certain situations, you might not want to keep files on the extended drive after a period of time. There are two ways to delete files from the extended drive: Manually (for example, through Microsoft Windows Explorer) Automatically, by using DiskXtender delete rules Manually deleting files In most cases, you can manually delete files from the extended drive by using Microsoft Windows Explorer. The only situation in which you cannot delete files is if the files have been moved to EMC Centera or Retained NAS media and retention is set. However, you may be able to delete even retained files if you have an EMC Centera Basic or Governance Edition device and you perform a privileged delete. Deleting retained files on page 247 provides details. If you enable the DiskXtender Recycler, files that are deleted manually are placed in the Recycler. You can then delete the files permanently or restore them to the extended drive, if necessary. If you delete a file from the Recycler and the file has been migrated to media, DiskXtender attempts to also delete the file from media. If you leave the DiskXtender Recycler disabled and you delete files from the extended drive, DiskXtender attempts to delete the file from media (if the file has been migrated to media). Files deleted through privileged deletes are not placed in the Recycler. Instead, they are deleted permanently. Automatically deleting files DiskXtender can automatically delete files from the extended drive based on certain file criteria by using delete rules. When a file qualifies for a delete rule, DiskXtender deletes the file from the extended drive and attempts to delete the file from media (if the file has been migrated to media). Files that qualify for delete rules are not placed in the Recycler. Instead, they are deleted permanently. Delete rules are processed and therefore, files are deleted automatically during background scans. Developing an automatic deletion strategy Delete rules can be used, for example, to help manage archival of particular files kept to comply with legal requirements. You could create a delete rule that deletes all files in a particular directory when you are no longer legally required to keep them. After the files no longer meet the required criteria (for example, the files reach a certain age), DiskXtender can automatically delete them in accordance with a delete rule. If you use EMC Centera or Retained NAS media, you can use delete rules and retention periods to keep files protected under retention for a period of time, then automatically delete them when they are no longer needed. 304 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

305 Deleting Files! CAUTION Never extend a system drive or a drive that contains application files. However, if there are system or application files on the extended drive, be sure to configure an exclude rule that excludes all files with the System attribute. This prevents the application and system files from being deleted. You can view file attributes through Microsoft Windows Explorer. Note: To clear space on the extended drive but leave files accessible on the drive, purge the files instead of deleting them. Understanding delete rules Delete rules enable you to specify which files should and should not be deleted by DiskXtender. Delete rules do not, however, prevent users from manually deleting files. To prevent users from deleting files, you must use file retention. Chapter 8, File Retention, provides details. You can configure delete rules for each media folder. The criteria you can use to select files for deletion or exclusion from deletion include file location, name, type, size, attributes, and age. Developing an automatic deletion strategy on page 304 provides ideas for when to use delete rules. Creating a delete rule To create a delete rule to automatically delete files from the extended drive: 1. In the File System Manager Administrator, right-click the Delete Rules node under the media folder for which to create the delete rule, and then select New. The Delete Rule Wizard appears, starting with the Type page. 2. Select criteria on each page of the wizard, and then click Next to access the next page of the wizard. Table 42 on page 305 provides details on the criteria you can specify on each page. Table 42 Delete rule criteria (page 1 of 2) Delete rule page Type File Name Criteria available Whether the rule qualifies files for (includes) or excludes files from being deleted. The location (folder and/or subfolder) and filename (typically extension or file type) specifications for the files this rule targets for deletion. You can use the standard Microsoft Windows asterisk (*) wildcard, which represents one or more characters in the name or extension part of the filename. Note: You can target only one filename specification per delete rule. To apply the rule to different kinds of files in the same folder, create separate rules. Deleting files from the extended drive 305

306 Deleting Files Table 42 Delete rule criteria (page 2 of 2) Delete rule page Size Attributes Criteria available Whether the rule applies to files of all sizes or only files of a certain size (in KB). You can specify an upper size limit and a lower size limit. If both limits are specified, then only files whose size falls between the two limits are subject to the delete rule. Whether the rule applies to files with any attribute or only files with certain attributes, including the Read-only, Archive, Compressed, Hidden, and System attributes. Note: Files possessing any of the selected attributes will qualify for the rule, as opposed to files needing to possess all of the selected attributes to qualify, or files needing to possess only the selected attributes to qualify. Age Whether files of any age qualify for deletion, or if some period of days must pass after the file was created, last accessed, or last written to (modified). Note: If you choose to delete files based on the last access time for the file, be aware that files can be accessed by applications as well as by users. For example, a virus scan of the extended drive might access a file to evaluate whether it is infected with a virus. The File System Manager Administrator online help provides additional details on selecting the options for each page of the wizard. When you reach the end of the wizard, a summary page provides a listing of the criteria you selected. 3. Click Finish to complete the wizard and create the rule. 4. Once you finish creating delete rules, you must order them to set the priority in which DiskXtender qualifies files for deletion, particularly in cases where rules may overlap (for example, if a file qualifies for two different rules). Keep in mind the following guidelines: If a file qualifies for two different delete rules, then the file is deleted based on the rule that is listed first in the tree view of the Administrator. If the file fails to qualify for deletion based on the first rule, then the file is evaluated against the second rule. If the file is excluded from deletion based on the first rule, then the file is not deleted by DiskXtender, even if it qualifies based on the second rule. If the file qualifies for deletion based on the first rule, then the file is deleted, even if it is excluded from deletion based on the second rule. As a result of the last two guidelines, exclusion rules should generally appear first in the list of rules. This enables the exclusion to take place. To edit the priority for a delete rule, right-click the rule and select either Promote or Demote. Note: After you create a delete rule, you can edit it by right-clicking the rule and selecting Properties from the shortcut menu. The Delete Rule Properties dialog box contains tabs that correspond to the pages of the wizard you used to create the rule. To delete a delete rule, right-click the rule and select Delete. Then, click Yes on the confirmation message. 306 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

307 Deleting Files Deleting files from media If a file has been migrated to media, DiskXtender attempts to delete the file from media when one of the following situations occurs: The DiskXtender Recycler is disabled and a file is deleted manually from the extended drive. The DiskXtender Recycler is enabled, the file is in the Recycler, and you empty or delete the file from the Recycler. The file qualifies for a delete rule during a background scan. DiskXtender can successfully delete files from the following media types: Standard and Aggregate NAS DVD-RAM, MO, MO WORM, UDO, and UDO WORM media formatted with the UDF file system EMC Centera with no retention or expired retention Note: If you have an EMC Centera Basic or Governance Edition device and you set retention, you can delete retained files by using a privileged delete. Deleting retained files on page 247 provides details. TSM With the media types in the following list, however, DiskXtender cannot delete the file from media: DVD-R and DVD-ROM DVD-RAM, MO, MO WORM, UDO, and UDO WORM media formatted with the OTG file system Tape and tape-worm Instead, the file is marked for deletion. It still exists on the media, but it becomes an orphaned file and is no longer recognized or tracked by DiskXtender. The deleted files are not actually removed from the media until the media is reformatted.! IMPORTANT When a significant number of delete transactions are sent to some types of media, including EMC Centera or removable media libraries, the completion of those transactions may take a long time. During that time, file fetches may be delayed or even canceled due to timeout issues. Do not empty the DiskXtender Recycler when users are most likely to access the system. Or, if the Recycler is disabled, do not delete a significant number of files from the extended drive when users are most likely to access the system. Deleting files from media 307

308 Deleting Files Recovering deleted files The following topics discuss the options for recovering a file that has been accidentally deleted from the extended drive: Recovering files from the DiskXtender Recycler on page 308 Recovering files from a backup on page 314 Recovering files from the DiskXtender Recycler If the DiskXtender Recycler is enabled and a user accidentally deletes a file, you can restore the file to the extended drive. The restored file retains all of its migration information, if it was migrated to media. You do not need to re-migrate the restored file to media. The DiskXtender Recycler functions similar to the Microsoft Windows Recycle Bin, but only affects files on a drive extended through DiskXtender. When the deletion occurs, the file is placed in the Recycler instead of being permanently deleted. This occurs for files on the extended drive that are managed by DiskXtender (files that have qualified for movement to media) and files that are not managed by DiskXtender (files that do not qualify for movement to media). There is one DiskXtender Recycler for each extended drive. The Recycler for each extended drive appears under the extended drive node in the left pane (tree view) of the File System Manager Administrator. Note: You cannot rename a file or folder on the extended drive if there is a file or folder with the same name in the Recycler. An error message appears to notify you that the rename could not proceed. In addition, if the filepath for a file on the extended drive exceeds 259 characters and the Recycler is enabled, then you cannot delete the file. This is because DiskXtender cannot manage files with filepaths that exceed 259 characters. You must shorten the filepath or disable the Recycler in order to delete the file.! IMPORTANT The Recycler is not a substitute for regular backups of the extended drive. It is intended only for short-term storage of deleted files to provide rapid recovery when an accidental deletion takes place. As a result, the Recycler is located on the extended drive, and it factors into the total amount of space on the extended drive. To avoid filling the drive with deleted files, empty the Recycler on a regular basis. You can schedule the Recycler to empty automatically, or you can manually empty the Recycler as needed. The following topics provide details on the DiskXtender Recycler. 308 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

309 Deleting Files Enabling the Recycler The DiskXtender Recycler is disabled by default, meaning that users can delete files permanently from the extended drive. To enable the DiskXtender Recycler: 1. Disable the Microsoft Windows Recycle Bin on the DiskXtender server: a. Right-click the Recycle Bin icon on the Microsoft Windows Desktop, and then select Properties. b. On the Recycle Bin Properties dialog box, select the tab that corresponds to the drive letter for the extended drive. c. Select the Do not move files to the Recycle Bin checkbox. d. Repeat step b and step c for each extended drive. e. Click OK. Note: Attempting to use the Microsoft Windows Recycle Bin as well as the DiskXtender Recycler can result in Access Denied errors when users try to delete files from the extended drive. 2. Double-click the DiskXtender Recycler in the tree view of the File System Manager Administrator. The Recycler Properties dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 119 on page 309. Figure 119 Recycler Properties dialog box General tab 3. On the General tab, select Enabled and click OK. Excluding files from the Recycler If the Recycler is enabled, you can exclude certain files from being placed in the Recycler when they are deleted from the extended drive. Instead, the files are deleted permanently when they are deleted from the extended drive. Recovering deleted files 309

310 Deleting Files These exclusions are intended to save space on the extended drive by preventing files from being placed in the Recycler when you are certain that they will never need to be restored. You can exclude files based on the location and name of the file. Certain files, like Windows and shell temporary files, database lock files, and utility files, are excluded by default. In addition, you can specify whether files of a certain migration status (migrated, purged, or fetched) are excluded from the Recycler. Files that are automatically excluded from the Recycler By default, files deleted according to delete rules or by using EMC Centera privileged deletes are excluded from the Recycler. The files are permanently deleted. In addition, files with a filepath greater than 259 characters are excluded from the Recycler. You cannot delete the files. Certain files, like Windows and shell temporary files, database lock files, and utility files, are also excluded by default. How to specify files to exclude from the Recycler To specify files to exclude from the Recycler: 1. In the File System Manager Administrator, right-click the Recycler and select Properties. The Recycler Properties dialog box appears. 2. In the Exclusion Criteria section, choose whether to exclude files from the Recycler based on their migration status. To exclude files with a certain migration status, select the checkbox next to the migration status. The options are Not Managed, Fetched, and Purged. 3. In the Exclude the following files from the Recycler text box, specify the files to exclude from the Recycler, and then click Add. The standard Windows asterisk (*) wildcard is allowed in the exclusion criteria to represent one or more characters. Table 43 on page 310 lists the options for specifying exclusion criteria. Table 43 Recycler exclusion criteria Files to exclude Exclusion criteria to enter Example A specific file Files of a certain type Files in a certain folder Specify the name of the file, including the name, extension, and full path on the extended drive to the file. You do not need to specify the drive letter for the extended drive. DiskXtender appends the extended drive letter to the exclusion when you add it. Specify an asterisk for the filename, and then include the file extension. Specify the path to the folder from the root of the extended drive. Include a backslash (\) to indicate that you are specifying a folder. You do not need to specify the drive letter for the extended drive. DiskXtender appends the extended drive letter to the exclusion when you add it. \MediaFolder\File.txt *.log \MediaFolder\ 310 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

311 Deleting Files 4. (Optional) To delete a file exclusion from the list, select the exclusion and click Delete. 5. (Optional) To edit a file exclusion in the list, delete the exclusion and then re-add it. 6. Click OK. Opening the Recycler Once you enable the DiskXtender Recycler, you can open the Recycler to view a list of files that users delete from the extended drive. You can then delete the files permanently or restore them to the extended drive. Note: The DiskXtender Recycler appears as a folder on the extended drive and is visible through Microsoft Windows Explorer. However, you cannot open files or delete files from the Recycler by using Microsoft Windows Explorer. You must use the File System Manager Administrator. To open the Recycler, right-click the Recycler in the tree view of the File System Manager Administrator and select Open. The Recycler is illustrated in Figure 120 on page 311. Figure 120 DiskXtender Recycler You can perform the tasks listed in Table 44 on page 311 from within the Recycler. Table 44 Available tasks from within the DiskXtender Recycler Task Empty the entire Recycler Permanently delete individual files Restore files from the Recycler to the extended drive How to perform the task From the File menu, select Empty. Select the files. Then from the File menu, select Delete. Deleting files from the Recycler on page 313 provides details. Select the files. Then from the File menu, select Restore. Restoring files from the Recycler on page 314 provides details. Note: To open a file listed in the Recycler dialog box, you must restore the file. Sort the list of files in the Recycler Select the column heading by which to sort. Note: Depending on the number of files you have in the Recycler, the sort process might take several minutes. Recovering deleted files 311

312 Deleting Files Emptying the Recycler Because the DiskXtender Recycler resides on the extended drive, the disk space used by the Recycler factors into the total available disk space for the extended drive. Empty the Recycler on a regular basis to help maintain an adequate amount of space on the extended drive. When you empty the Recycler, the files in the Recycler are permanently removed from DiskXtender. In other words, the files are deleted from any media to which they have been written, if the media supports file deletions. Deleting files from media on page 307 provides more information. You can empty the Recycler either manually when needed or on a scheduled basis. If you schedule the Recycler to be emptied, you can choose whether to empty the entire Recycler or to remove only files that meet certain age criteria, such as files that were deleted more than seven days ago. You can also empty the Recycler on a file-by-file basis by deleting individual files from the Recycler. Deleting files from the Recycler on page 313 provides more information. Emptying the entire Recycler To empty the entire Recycler: 1. Right-click the Recycler and select Open. The DiskXtender Recycler appears. 2. From the File menu, select Empty. 3. Click Yes on the confirmation message. Emptying the Recycler on a schedule To automatically empty the Recycler on a scheduled basis: 1. Right-click the Recycler and select Properties. The Recycler Properties dialog box appears. Click the Schedule tab, shown in Figure 121 on page 312. Figure 121 Recycler Properties dialog box Schedule tab 312 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

313 Deleting Files 2. In the Emptying Schedule region of the dialog box, choose when to empty the Recycler. Table 45 on page 313 lists the available scheduling options. Table 45 Recycler emptying options Scheduling option Description Settings to configure Disable Never empty the Recycler. This is the default. None Once Once on the specified date and time. Note that the default date and time are the current date and 12:00 A.M., respectively. Because this default time most likely occurs in the past, the Recycler will not be emptied unless you change this to a date and/or time in the future. Time Date Daily Every day at the specified time. Time Weekly Monthly Every week on the specified days (Monday through Sunday) at the specified times. Every month on the specified date (1 st through 31 st ) and time. Note: If the date you select does not occur for a given month, then the Recycler is emptied on the last day of the month. For example, if you select the 31st for the schedule, then the scan occurs on the 30th in April. Time Days of the week Time Day of the month Quarterly Each quarter of the year in the specified month of the quarter (1st through 3rd), on the specified day of the month (1st through 31st), and at the specified time. Time Day of the month Month in the quarter 3. If you choose to empty the Recycler (by selecting an option other than Disable in the previous step), choose whether to remove only files of a certain age or greater: a. In the Days text box, type the number of days that must have passed since the specified age criteria. To remove all files from the Recycler, do not change the default of zero days. b. From the Since drop-down list, choose whether the file age is calculated from the time the file was created, last written, last accessed, or deleted from the extended drive. 4. Click OK. Deleting files from the Recycler You can permanently delete a select file or group of files in the Recycler from DiskXtender. When you delete a file from the Recycler, the file is also deleted from any media to which the file has been written, if the media supports file deletions. Deleting files from media on page 307 provides more information. To delete files individually from the Recycler: 1. Right-click the Recycler and select Open. The DiskXtender Recycler appears. 2. Select the files to delete. Recovering deleted files 313

314 Deleting Files Note: To sort the list of files in the Recycler, select the column heading by which to sort. Depending on the number of files in the Recycler, the sort process might take several minutes. 3. From the File menu, select Delete. 4. Click Yes on the confirmation message. Restoring files from the Recycler If the DiskXtender Recycler is enabled and a file is deleted from the extended drive, you can restore the file to the extended drive. To restore files from the Recycler: 1. Right-click the Recycler and select Open. The DiskXtender Recycler appears. 2. Select the files to restore. Note: To sort the list of files in the Recycler, select the column heading by which to sort. Depending on the number of files in the Recycler, the sort process might take several minutes. 3. From the File menu, select Restore. If there is another file on the extended drive with the same name as the file you are restoring, the system prompts whether to overwrite the file on the drive. If you choose to overwrite the file, a confirmation message appears. 4. Click Yes on the confirmation message. Recovering files from a backup When files on the extended drive are accidentally deleted, you may be able to restore the files from a backup of the extended drive, as discussed in Recovering from a backup on page 385. Files should be restored to the same location from which they were deleted. Do not restore files to a different location. The type of media to which the files are migrated determines whether it is necessary to restore the file tag or the full file with all of its data. Table 46 on page 314 lists the media types that require recovery of the file tag or the full file. Table 46 File recovery requirements by media type Media types that allow recovery of the file tag DVD-R DVD-RAM formatted with the OTG file system DVD-ROM MO, MO WORM, UDO, and UDO WORM formatted with the OTG file system Tape Tape-WORM Media types that require recovery of the full file DVD-RAM formatted with the UDF file system EMC Centera without retention or after retention expires MO, MO WORM, UDO, and UDO WORM formatted with the UDF file system Standard and Aggregate NAS TSM These requirements are necessary because the type of media determines whether a file can be deleted from the media when it is deleted from the extended drive. Files that have been migrated to the media types in the first column of Table 46 on 314 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

315 Deleting Files page 314 cannot be deleted from the media when they are deleted from the extended drive. In that scenario, the file remains on the media until the media is compacted and reformatted. Since the file remains on the media, you can restore the file tag from the backup, and the connection between the file tag on the extended drive and the file on the media is restored, as long as the backup software supports EAs. If a file is deleted from the media when it is deleted from the extended drive (which happens with the media types in the second column of Table 46 on page 314), then you must restore the full file with all of its data to the extended drive. The file can then be re-migrated to media and purged, if necessary. If you use a media type that requires recovery of the full file, then you must ensure that there is at least one backup set with a copy of the full file. In addition, you must be able to easily identify which backup set contains the copy of the full file. Backup sets from backup software that supports EAs (which includes most backup software) are likely to contain file tags for some files and the full file data for other files. This can make the process of tracking the backup location of the full data for each file quite complex. As a result, the use of the DiskXtender Recycler is recommended for restoring accidentally deleted files from the media types in the second column of Table 46 on page 314.! IMPORTANT If the DiskXtender Recycler is enabled, do not restore a file from a backup set unless you are certain that the file is not in the DiskXtender Recycler and that the file in the backup set is a full version of the file (not a file tag). Data loss can occur when you restore a file tag from a backup set but the file data is no longer on the media. Recovering deleted files 315

316 Deleting Files 316 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

317 12 Service Management Because DiskXtender functions as a Microsoft Windows service, part of administering the DiskXtender server includes administering the service. The following topics provide details: Understanding the DiskXtender service Starting and stopping the service Editing the service account Service Management 317

318 Service Management Understanding the DiskXtender service DiskXtender functions as a Microsoft Windows service rather than as a user-mode application. As such, the DiskXtender service can continue to be active even after you log off Microsoft Windows, as long as the server is still running.! IMPORTANT Because the service continues to run as long as the server is running, if you are planning to shut down the DiskXtender server, stop the DiskXtender service before doing so. This enables the service to complete whatever function it was performing before the system shuts down. When DiskXtender is writing a file to media, stopping the service before shutting down the server reduces the possibility of file write errors or media errors occurring during shutdown. Managing the service If necessary, you can pause, stop, and restart the DiskXtender service. You can also configure whether the service starts automatically upon operating system startup. You can stop, start, and edit automatic startup for the service by using either the File System Manager Administrator or the Services and Applications option in the Microsoft Windows Administrative Tools console. The DiskXtender service is called EMC DiskXtender in the Microsoft Windows Services and Applications list. You must be a member of both the local Administrators group and the DxAdministrators group on the DiskXtender server to manage the service, including starting and stopping the service, editing startup settings, and editing the service account. Managing the service in a high availability environment If DiskXtender is installed in a clustered environment, the DiskXtender service should be stopped, paused, or started by using only the Microsoft Cluster Administrator. Do not manage services through the Service Manager or the Microsoft Windows Administrative Tools. If you stop the service in the Administrator or through the Administrative Tools, the system detects that the service failed and fails over to the other node in the cluster. Similarly, if you use AutoStart and you stop the service by using the Service Manager or the Administrative Tools, then the AutoStart MonServ process automatically restarts the service. If you are planning to stop the service for an extended period of time, either stop monitoring the DiskXtender service resource group or stop the MonServ process for the service. 318 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

319 Service Management Starting and stopping the service To stop, pause, or restart the DiskXtender service: 1. (Optional) If you are stopping or pausing the service, send a message to notify users so that they have enough time to finish their tasks. 2. From the Computer drop-down list in the Administrator, select the DiskXtender server with the service to manage. 3. From the Tools menu, select Service Manager. The Service Manager dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 122 on page 319. Figure 122 Service Manager dialog box 4. Stop, pause, or start the service as necessary by double-clicking the corresponding option. 5. Click Yes on the confirmation message. 6. To edit the startup type, click Edit Service Settings. The Edit Service Settings dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 123 on page 319. Figure 123 Edit Service Settings dialog box Starting and stopping the service 319

320 Service Management 7. Select a startup type: Automatic Select this option to start the service every time the operating system starts. This is the default. Manual Select this option to start the service either manually by a user or by a dependent service. Disabled Select this option to prevent the service from starting until the startup type is changed to Automatic or Manual. 8. Click OK. 9. Click Close. 320 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

321 Service Management Editing the service account You can edit the username and password for the DiskXtender service account. This account information is specified during installation. To edit the service account: 1. Ensure that the new account has the Log on as a service privilege on the DiskXtender server. This privilege is automatically assigned to the account entered during installation. If you change the service account, add this privilege to the new account if it does not already have the privilege. 2. From the Computer drop-down list in the Administrator, select the server with the service account to manage. 3. From the Tools menu, select Service Manager. The Service Manager dialog box appears. 4. Click Edit Service Settings. The Edit Service Settings dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 123 on page 319. In the Log On As section, the This Account option is enabled by default and contains the user name and password entered when you installed DiskXtender. 5. Edit the service account information: This Account The domain name and user name for the service account. Note: To conform with Microsoft Windows account management requirements, the domain name must be 15 characters or less. Password The password for the service account. 6. If you change the password for the account, type the new password again in the Confirm Password text box.! IMPORTANT Unless you have specific reason to do so, do not select the System Account option for logon. The local system account might not have all of the rights necessary to perform all DiskXtender functions, particularly if the media service resides on a different computer. In addition, the service account must have full access permissions on all media folders and subfolders. Without proper access rights, DiskXtender cannot move or purge files. 7. Click OK. 8. Click Close. Editing the service account 321

322 Service Management 322 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

323 13 Monitoring the System DiskXtender provides several functions that enable you to monitor, diagnose, and troubleshoot the system. The following topics provide more information: Monitoring service events, errors, and warnings Monitoring file activity Monitoring media Monitoring licensing Reports Audit logs Monitoring the System 323

324 Monitoring the System Monitoring service events, errors, and warnings DiskXtender provides built-in utilities for monitoring service events, errors, and warnings. The Event Viewer contains a listing of all DiskXtender events, errors, and warnings. This information is also logged to event logs. Errors and warnings are logged automatically, while DiskXtender must be configured to log other events. The Event Viewer and event logs provide a quick look at DiskXtender activities. Logs can help identify and solve potential problems during runtime that might otherwise become critical problems if ignored. If the Event Viewer and event logs become too large and cumbersome to navigate, you can clear them. A visual indicator appears in the Administrator window when a warning or error occurs. The Event Viewer icon on the toolbar changes from an informational icon to a triangular caution symbol to indicate a warning or an exclamation point to indicate an error, as illustrated in Table 47 on page 324. Table 47 Event Viewer icons for events, warnings, and errors Event Viewer toolbar icon Toolbar icon for warnings in the Event Viewer Toolbar icon for errors in the Event Viewer In addition, the number of errors and warnings since the service was last started is listed in the status bar at the bottom of the Administrator. For further notification, you can configure automatic communication of warnings and errors through alerts. Event Viewer The Event Viewer displays all events for the extended drive. If you do not want to automatically save a record of the events on the extended drive, you can disable event logging in the Service Event Configuration dialog box and monitor events in the Event Viewer. Configuring event logging on page 328 provides more information on disabling event logging. To open the Event Viewer, select Event Viewer from the Service menu. You can also take a snapshot of the contents of the Event Viewer and save it for later use. A snapshot is a capture of up to the last 2,048 lines of the Event Viewer. To take a snapshot of the Event Viewer, select Snapshot from the File menu in the Event Viewer. The snapshot appears in RtfPad. You can save, print, and the snapshot from RtfPad. 324 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

325 Monitoring the System Event logs In addition to the viewing capabilities offered by the Event Viewer, there are three DiskXtender event logs: The All Events Log lists all activities for the DiskXtender service. Event logging is useful to trace service events of interest to you. You can configure which events are traced. The Errors Only Log lists only DiskXtender system errors and is a useful tool for detecting and diagnosing those errors. Note: You can use the System Error Lookup feature to obtain additional information about each error, including the error name and description, and to quickly translate error codes that appear in DiskXtender. Looking up errors on page 327 provides more information. The Warnings Only Log lists only DiskXtender system warnings to warn you of possible problems, such as: Requests for media (either to read or write to a file) that could not be satisfied because the media was not present in DiskXtender (not in any drive or library) Files that could not be migrated because media was full or because there were no more media available in a media group Disk full warnings for the NTFS volume on the extended drive The purpose of this list is to provide a simpler means of discovering problems that are hindering DiskXtender performance. Errors and warnings also appear in the Event Viewer, but the Errors Only Log and Warnings Only Log provide a more precise focus on these important events. You can also configure errors and warnings to be sent out automatically as alerts. Sending alerts for errors and warnings on page 326 provides more information. Because they are necessary for system diagnostics, error and warning logging cannot be disabled. If technical support is needed, you might be asked to open these logs and specify the information reported. When opened, the logs slow down DiskXtender performance. When closed, the impact they have on performance is insignificant. The logs should be opened and used only for debugging purposes. Note: Because tracing events impedes system performance, no events are traced by default. Errors and warnings are logged automatically because of their necessity for troubleshooting. Configuring event logging on page 328 provides more information. To view a log, open the Service menu, select Event Logs, and then choose the log to view (All Events, Warnings Only, or Errors Only). The selected log appears in RtfPad. The log displays both the time and a message for each event. The most recent events are last on the list. (The list automatically scrolls to display the most current events.) You can save, print, and the log from RtfPad. Monitoring service events, errors, and warnings 325

326 Monitoring the System Sending alerts for errors and warnings You can configure DiskXtender to automatically send an alert to a specific address when a warning or error occurs. By default, DiskXtender does not send alerts. You can add, edit, and delete alerts for specific addresses. In addition to the automatic alerts that DiskXtender issues, there are two configurable alerts: Extended drive free space You can configure DiskXtender to send an alert when the amount of free space on the extended drive falls below a specified threshold (in megabytes). The threshold is configured by using the Warn when free space is getting low option on the Options tab of the Extended Drive Properties dialog box. The default is 10 MB. When you receive this alert, you can take the necessary action to purge or delete files from the extended drive before it runs out of space. Media group free space You can configure DiskXtender to send an alert when the amount of free space in a media group falls below a specified threshold (in megabytes). The threshold is configured by using the Warn when group free space falls below option on the Options tab of the Media Group Properties dialog box. This alert is disabled by default. If you use automated media preparation features, such as automated EMC Centera media creation or automated labeling for removable media, you would not need this alert. In this case, DiskXtender can add media to the media group automatically as necessary. However, if you do not use automated media preparation, enable this alert to ensure that you are notified when it is necessary to add media to the media group so that DiskXtender has a ready supply of media available for file migration. Adding an alert To add an alert: 1. From the Service menu, select Properties. The Service Properties dialog box appears. 2. Click the Alerts tab. 3. Click Add. The Alert Settings dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 124 on page 326. Figure 124 Alert Settings dialog box Adding an alert 4. In the Alert address text box, type the address to which the alert should be sent. 326 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

327 Monitoring the System 5. Choose whether to send the alert for warnings errors, or both. You can also temporarily disable the alert by clearing both checkboxes. 6. Click Add. 7. In the Mail Server text box at the bottom of the Alerts tab, type the name of the mail server to use to deliver the alerts. The DiskXtender server should have relay permissions on the mail server. This enables DiskXtender to connect to the mail server and send the alert messages. Note: You do not need to configure a mail client on the DiskXtender server to send alerts. The well-known port for SMTP servers is supported, so no additional configuration should be required for use with routers or firewalls. 8. Click Close. Editing an alert Deleting an alert To edit an alert: 1. From the Service menu, select Properties. The Service Properties dialog box appears. 2. Click the Alerts tab. 3. Select the alert and click Edit. 4. Edit the values as necessary on the Alert Settings dialog box. 5. Click OK. To delete an alert: 1. From the Service menu, select Properties. The Service Properties dialog box appears. 2. Click the Alerts tab. 3. Select the alert and click Delete. 4. Click Yes on the confirmation message. Looking up errors Each DiskXtender error is displayed as an error number. The error lookup feature enables you to obtain additional information about the error, including the error name and description, and to quickly translate the error codes provided in DiskXtender messages. You can look up errors from either the DiskXtender Administrator or from the event log in RtfPad. Looking up errors from the DiskXtender Administrator To look up error information from the Administrator: 1. From the Help menu, select Error Glossary. The System Error Lookup dialog box appears. 2. Type the error number in the Error Number text box and click Look Up. Monitoring service events, errors, and warnings 327

328 Monitoring the System Looking up errors from the event log in RtfPad To look up errors from an event log: 1. Highlight the error code number in the event log. 2. From the View menu in RtfPad, select Error Lookup. Viewing error string details When you look up an error, the error string, if applicable, and its description are displayed in the System Error Lookup dialog box, as illustrated in Figure 125 on page 328. Figure 125 System Error Lookup dialog box To scroll through the list of system errors, click the forward or backward arrow buttons. Configuring event logging Event logging is necessary only when tracing events of interest to you. You can configure which events are traced. Because tracing events impedes system performance, no events are traced by default, though errors and warnings are logged automatically because of their necessity for troubleshooting. You can configure which events are logged, and whether to trace the local service events or remote procedure calls (remote administration events). For all logs, you can control the format of the log entries and adjust the maximum sizes for the log files. For the All Events Log, you can disable logging and enable the tracing of events upon startup. You can enable logging to the Windows Application Log for the Warnings Only Log and the Errors Only Log. 328 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

329 Monitoring the System Log properties configuration You can control several aspects of logging functionality, including log entry format, log file size, event logging, automatic startup of event logging, and logging of errors and warnings to the Microsoft Windows Application Log. To configure log properties: 1. From the Service menu, select Event Settings. The Configuration tab of the Service Event Configuration dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 126 on page 329. Figure 126 Service Event Configuration dialog box Configuration tab 2. In the Line Format section, specify logging of particular event attributes. These options are enabled by default: To disable logging the time each event occurs, clear the Time checkbox. To disable logging the date each event occurs, clear the Date checkbox. To disable logging the thread the event used to communicate with the processor, clear the Thread ID checkbox. 3. In the Event Log section, configure the All Events Log. Event logging is enabled by default; however, no events are traced. Event tracing configuration on page 330 provides more information on selecting events to trace. To change the maximum size for the log file, type a new value in the Maximum Log Size text box. The default size is 5 MB. After the maximum log size is reached, the log is truncated from the beginning of the file (oldest events). To disable logging to the All Events Log, select the Disable log file (viewer only) checkbox. Events are still logged to the Event Viewer. To automatically initiate event logging when the DiskXtender service is started, select the Trace messages on startup checkbox. Monitoring service events, errors, and warnings 329

330 Monitoring the System 4. In the Warning Log section, configure the Warnings Only Log: To change the maximum size for the log file, type a new value in the Maximum Log Size text box. The default size is 5 MB. After the maximum log size is reached, the log is truncated from the beginning of the file (oldest events). To enable logging of DiskXtender warnings to the Microsoft Windows Application Log, select the Write to Windows Application Log checkbox. Because DiskXtender warning logs are cleared when the service is restarted, this enables the Microsoft Windows Application Log to maintain a running log for DiskXtender warnings outside of the DiskXtender service. To access the Microsoft Windows Application Log, open the Start menu and then select Programs > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer. Note: You cannot disable logging to the Warnings Only Log. 5. In the Error Log section, configure logging to the Errors Only Log: To change the maximum size for the log file, type a new value in the Maximum Log Size text box. The default size is 5 MB. After the maximum log size is reached, the log is truncated from the beginning of the file (oldest events). To enable logging of DiskXtender errors to the Microsoft Windows Application Log, select the Write to Windows Application Log checkbox. Because DiskXtender error logs are cleared when the service is restarted, this enables the Microsoft Windows Application Log to maintain a running log for DiskXtender errors outside of the DiskXtender service. Note: You cannot disable logging to the Errors Only Log. 6. You have the following choices: To begin tracing events, click Apply to save changes and then select the Trace tab. Event tracing configuration on page 330 provides more information on tracing events. If you are finished configuring log properties, click OK. Event tracing configuration You can configure which events are traced and reported to the Event Viewer and the Events Log. By default, all event tracing is disabled. Unless you are instructed to enable tracing of events by an EMC Customer Support Representative, you can leave the default settings in place. Enabling event tracing hinders performance and should be performed only when debugging is required. Note: Event tracing configuration affects events only; errors and warnings relating to events of the types listed are logged regardless of event tracing settings. To configure events to be logged: 1. From the Service menu, select Event Settings. The Service Event Configuration dialog box appears. 2. Click the Trace tab. The System drop-down list displays Server Processing by default, as illustrated in Figure 127 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

331 Monitoring the System Figure 127 Service Event Configuration dialog box Trace tab 3. From the System drop-down list, select whether to trace Server Processing (local computer service events) or Remote Procedure Calls (remote administration service events). 4. In the Options list, select the checkbox next to an event to begin tracing that event. 5. Click OK. Clearing the Event Viewer and event logs Event logs have a specific size limitation, after which the log is truncated from the beginning of the file. While the log size is regulated through automatic truncation ( Configuring event logging on page 328 provides more information), large logs are often cumbersome and difficult to navigate. You can manually clear event logs regularly to make it easier to find new information. Note: You might want to save the log before clearing it. To save a log, open it and then select Save from the File menu in RtfPad. To clear the Event Viewer or an event log: 1. Open the Service menu, select Event Logs, and then choose one of the following options: To clear the Event Viewer and the All Events Log, select Clear Event Log. To clear the Warnings Only Log, select Clear Warning Log. To clear the Errors Only Log, select Clear Error Log. 2. Click Yes on the confirmation message. Monitoring service events, errors, and warnings 331

332 Monitoring the System Monitoring file activity You can monitor statistics for the number of files pending migration, purge, and indexing. You can also monitor statistics indicating how many files have already been migrated, purged, deleted, and submitted for indexing. These statistics enable you to verify that these file activities are occurring. Note: Indexing statistics are available only if you use the DiskXtender Search Module and you have enabled indexing for the extended drive. Monitoring pending file activity Monitor the following locations for statistics on the number of files pending migration, purge, and indexing: Background Scan Properties, Statistics tab Provides the number of files qualifying for move rules and index rules during the last background scan. Description view (bottom right pane) of the File System Manager Administrator when an extended drive is selected Provides the number of files pending migration and purge for the extended drive. This is a count of the number of files currently on the move and purge lists. Note: Because the move list might contain multiple entries for any given file, the actual count for files queued for a move represents an approximation rather than an exact count. (Duplicate entries are discarded when moves are processed.) The statistics are intended to provide a window into DiskXtender system activity to indicate that file migration and purging is occurring. They are not intended to provide an exact count of files awaiting migration or purging. These statistics enable you to verify that files are qualifying for configured rules. You can also verify that files are qualifying for configured index rules by ensuring that the ITL file is being updated. To check for updates, monitor the date on the file. The ITL for an extended drive is located in the \DxLogs\Transaction Logs folder on the extended drive. 332 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

333 Monitoring the System Monitoring completed file activity The following topics discuss how to monitor completed file activity: Viewing summary statistics for completed file activity on page 333 Determining the status of a file on page 333 Tracking indexing activity on page 334 Viewing summary statistics for completed file activity Monitor the following locations for statistics on the number of files successfully migrated, purged, deleted, and submitted for indexing: Background Scan Properties, Statistics tab Provides the number of files purged and deleted during the last background scan. Extended Drive Properties, Statistics tab Provides the total number and size in bytes of files fetched, migrated, purged, submitted for indexing, and edited or deleted on the extended drive since the service was restarted or since the counts were manually reset. Media Group Properties, Statistics tab Provides the total number and size in bytes of files migrated to the media group since the service was restarted or since the counts were manually reset. These statistics enable you to verify that file migration, purging, and deletion is occurring after files qualify for configured rules, and that files are being submitted to the ISE for indexing. Determining the status of a file To determine the status of a file, run a DiskXtender file report. What is included in a file report A DiskXtender file report provides details on the status of each file selected, including the following information: Whether a file has been moved to media, and if so, the name of the media on which the file resides Whether the file is resident on the extended drive or if it has been purged Whether the file is marked for Direct Read Whether the file has been indexed (detailed file reports only) The retention setting applied to the file, if any (detailed file reports only) How to run a file report To run a file report to determine the status of a file: 1. Log on to a computer with the Explorer Add-ons installed. The account must be a member of the DxAdministrators group on the DiskXtender server. 2. Launch the Explorer Add-ons. You have the following choices: Open the Shell Xtensions Wizard: a. Right-click a file on the extended drive in Microsoft Windows Explorer and select DiskXtender > DiskXtender Shell Wizard. b. On the first page of the wizard, select Reports and click Next. c. On the Select Files page, select the files on which to report and click Next. Monitoring file activity 333

334 Monitoring the System Use the DiskXtender shortcut menu in Microsoft Windows Explorer: a. Select the files or folder containing the files on which to report. b. Right-click the files and select DiskXtender > File Report. The Report Options page appears, as illustrated in Figure 128 on page 334. Figure 128 Explorer Add-ons Report Options page 3. Choose whether to run a detailed (Full detail) or Summary report. 4. Choose whether to report on all files selected (All files), only files that have been moved to media (Migrated files only), or only files that have been migrated to media but are resident on the extended drive (Fetched files only). 5. If you choose to run a report on only migrated files, the Media Filter list becomes active. Select the media containing the files on which to run the file report. 6. In the File Name box, type or browse to a location and filename for the report. 7. Click Next. 8. Review the summary information and click Finish. The report appears in RtfPad. You can save, print, or the report. Tracking indexing activity To monitor that files are being submitted to the ISE for indexing and that indexing is taking place: Select the extended drive in the tree view of the File System Manager Administrator. The number of files that have been indexed is listed in the bottom right pane of the window. Note: The statistic for indexed files is reset each time the DiskXtender service is restarted. Check the DiskXtender Event Viewer. In the File System Manager Administrator, open the Service menu and select Event Viewer. 334 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

335 Monitoring the System Events that indicate that indexing is successfully occurring appear similar to the following examples: MSG 01/17 16:57:05 (0DA0) Index synchronization for extended drive D: has started. MSG 01/17 16:57:05 (0DA0) Index synchronization for extended drive D: has completed successfully. Note: To enable more detailed tracing of content indexing events on the DiskXtender server, select the Content Indexing option on the Trace tab of the Service Event Configuration dialog box. (From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Event Settings.) Keep in mind, however, that enabling event tracing can impact system performance. Check the index root directory on the ISE server, and ensure that index files are being created and updated. Check the ISE event log. Use a text viewer to open the ISE000number.log file in the C:\Program Files\EMC\Index and Search\logs directory on the ISE server. (C:\Program Files\EMC\Index and Search is the DiskXtender Search Module installation directory, and number is a number such as 1, 2, 3, and so on. Open the log file with the highest number. This is the log file with the most recent events.) To monitor whether specific files have been successfully indexed, run a detailed file report or view file properties by using the DiskXtender Explorer Add-ons. Files that have been successfully indexed are marked with the Indexed attribute. Files that have qualified for indexing and been submitted to the ISE for indexing, but that the ISE cannot index for example, because the file is not a supported file type are marked with the Do Not Index attribute. Files that qualify for exclusive index rules, as well as files that have not qualified for any index rules at all, are marked with neither attribute. (In other words, no content indexing attribute is assigned to these files.) Explorer Add-ons on page 394 provides additional details on the use of the utility to run a detailed file report or view file properties. Monitoring file activity 335

336 Monitoring the System Monitoring media The following topics provide information on the DiskXtender options available for monitoring media and clearing errors when they occur: Media status indicators on page 336 Media task queue on page 336 Media group free space on page 338 Media logs on page 338 Media properties on page 339 Clearing media error status on page 340 Media status indicators The label for each piece of media automatically changes color in the tree view of the Administrator depending on its status, as listed in Table 48 on page 336. Table 48 Media status indicated by color Media color Black Green Blue Red Media status Online Online but with a task pending, in progress, or suspended Full Error Note: Clearing media error status on page 340 provides instructions for clearing media errors. Yellow Offline You can change tree view so that all media appears with a black label. To disable media status indicators, open the View menu and select Enable Color. This clears the checkmark next to the option. Media task queue If you assign media tasks to multiple pieces of media, you can monitor the status of the tasks with the Media Task Queue Manager. Note: Media tasks are assigned to media either individually, by using a right-click menu option, or in groups, by using features such as the Media Prepare Manager and the Copy Media Manager. 336 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

337 Monitoring the System You can change the processing order of the media in the queue by using the arrow buttons on the right side of the Media Task Queue Manager dialog box, which are selected in Figure 129 on page 337. Figure 129 Promote/demote arrow buttons Because all assigned tasks for a piece of media are processed together, moving a piece of media in the queue also moves all tasks assigned to that media. If necessary, you can stop, or abort, a media task that is currently in progress. To abort pending or suspended media tasks, use the Edit Tasks option and delete the appropriate tasks from the media. You can abort all media tasks with the exception of the Format, Finalize, Label, and Label Copy tasks. If the aborted task remains in the task queue as a failed task, clear the error status to process the remaining tasks (if any) for that piece of media. Clearing media error status on page 340 provides instructions. You can also remove pending tasks for a piece of media from the media task queue. When all tasks are deleted from a piece of media, the media is removed from the media task queue. Note: Because you cannot delete a task if it is already in progress, you must first abort any tasks that are currently processing before deleting them. The File System Manager Administrator online help provides details on aborting media tasks. Monitoring media 337

338 Monitoring the System Media group free space Automated media preparation features enable you to set up a variety of automated media functions and eliminate a time-consuming requirement of system administration: the need to manage media groups and the available space within them by creating, preparing, and/or compacting media when necessary. These features include automated EMC Centera media creation and automated labeling for removable media: EMC Centera automation enables you to automatically create virtual EMC Centera media and add it to the media group as space is needed in the group. If you use the MediaStor or Sun StorageTek ACSLS media services, removable media automation enables you to automatically label and compact media as space is needed in the group. This enables you to load and format media (if applicable), and let other media maintenance activity be triggered by internal DiskXtender events. Automatically labeling media and adding it to a media group on page 131 provides details on automated media preparation. However, if you do not use automated media preparation, you can configure DiskXtender to send an alert when the amount of free space in the media group falls below a specified threshold (in megabytes). The threshold is configured by using the Warn when group free space falls below option on the Options tab of the Media Group Properties dialog box. When you enable this alert, the system notifies you when it is necessary to add media to the media group so that DiskXtender has a ready supply of media available for file migration. Sending alerts for errors and warnings on page 326 provides additional details on alerts. Media logs Opening a media log Clearing a media log DiskXtender maintains a log of activity for each piece of media. These logs are useful for viewing task processing information and error codes/status for failed tasks. In addition, if a media task is suspended, an entry in the media log notes when the task will be retried. To open a media log, right-click the piece of media and select View Log. The media log appears in RtfPad. As with any information appearing in RtfPad, you can save, print, or the log. While media log size is regulated through automatic truncation, the log might become long and difficult to navigate. If necessary, you can clear the log so that it is easier to find new information. To clear the log for a piece of media, right-click the media and select Clear Log. Then click Yes on the confirmation message. Note: You might want to save the log before clearing it. To save a log, open it and select Save from the File menu in RtfPad. 338 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

339 Monitoring the System Media properties The Media Properties dialog box enables you to view detailed information about a piece of media, including the type, file system, location, number of files, amount of free and used space, number of file reads, writes, and errors, and the status of a media task, if one is in progress. To view media properties, double-click the piece of media. The Media Properties dialog box appears, with the General tab selected, as illustrated in Figure 130 on page 339. Figure 130 Media Properties dialog box Depending on the type of media and its status, the tabs in Table 49 on page 339 are available on the Media Properties dialog box. Table 49 Media Properties dialog box tabs Tab name General Location Space Statistics Progress Description Provides identifying information for the media, such as the name, serial number, type, file system, and status of the media. For original, copy, and duplicate media, you can use this tab to provide a brief description of the media. This description is then used for media reports. You can also use the General tab to manually mark the piece of media as full. When media is marked as full, DiskXtender no longer writes files to the media, although the media is left in the media group so that users can continue to access files on the media. Full media appears with a blue label in the Administrator interface. Provides information about the physical and logical location of the media. You can also provide an offline location for the media, which is used for mount requests and media reports. This location is also shown when a MEDIA NOT FOUND error appears. Provides statistical information on the physical and logical capacity of the media. Appears only for original and copy media, and provides statistics relating to mounts, file input and output, and errors for the media. Appears only during certain system activities, and provides the progress of the current activity. The File System Manager Administrator online help provides detailed information on the data available on each tab. Monitoring media 339

340 Monitoring the System Clearing media error status If the label for a piece of media is red in the Administrator, it means that an error has occurred on the media. This might occur when a task for a piece of media fails, or when an aborted task remains in the task queue as a failed task. It might also occur if DiskXtender encounters problems while writing files to the media. When a media encounters errors, you might need to clear the error status before any other activities for that media can take place. To clear the error status for a piece of media: 1. Right-click the media and select Clear Error Status. One of the following occurs: If the media has encountered a task error, the Clear Media Error Status dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 131 on page 340. Figure 131 Clear Media Error Status dialog box Choose whether to cancel all pending tasks and clear the error status, or to clear the error status and continue processing assigned tasks. If the media has encountered a write error, the Clear Media Write Error Status dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 132 on page 340. Figure 132 Clear Media Write Error Status dialog box Choose whether to mark the media as full or to continue writing files to the media after clearing the error. When media is marked as full, DiskXtender no longer writes files to the media. 2. Click OK or OK All, if you are clearing the error status for multiple pieces of media. 340 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

341 Monitoring the System Monitoring licensing As files are added to the extended drive for DiskXtender to manage, you should regularly monitor the DiskXtender license to ensure that you do not exceed the capacity allotted by the license. If you exceed the storage capacity of the license, a 90-day grace period commences. You must update the license with additional storage capacity before the grace period expires. Otherwise, file migration is disabled. Contact the EMC Licensing Support team at licensing@emc.com for assistance with updating the license. You can monitor license usage for a single DiskXtender installation from the File System Manager Administrator. The License Server Administrator enables you to monitor total license usage by all DiskXtender installations. You should also regularly review the License Server event logs to ensure that the License Server service and the licenses it manages are healthy and available to the DiskXtender servers that rely on them. Monitoring licensing from DiskXtender To view license usage by a single DiskXtender installation: 1. From the Service menu in the File System Manager Administrator, select Properties. The Service Properties dialog box appears. 2. Click the Licensing Information tab, which is illustrated in Figure 133 on page 341. Figure 133 Service Properties Licensing Information tab Monitoring licensing 341

342 Monitoring the System Table 50 on page 342 lists the information provided on the Licensing Information tab of the Service Properties dialog box. Table 50 Service Properties Licensing Information tab Item Licensee Company License Server Licensing Details Description The user information entered during the DiskXtender installation. The company information entered during the DiskXtender installation. The name of the server containing the installation of License Server that is currently administering the licenses for this DiskXtender installation. Detailed description of the license configured in License Server. This includes the number of DiskXtender servers, the storage capacity available for use with DiskXtender, and whether the license is cluster-enabled. The number of DiskXtender server licenses currently in use and the total capacity current in use are also listed. Note: Figure 133 on page 341 displays a license that is not cluster-enabled. Monitoring licensing from License Server The License Server Administrator interface displays the total licensed capacity and the amount of capacity currently in use when you select the license. You can also monitor the total capacity used by each DiskXtender installation, if there are multiple installations that use the same license. Monitoring total license usage To monitor total license usage by all DiskXtender installations in the environment: 1. Open the License Server Administrator. 2. Select the DiskXtender license node in the tree view. The description view in the bottom right pane displays: The total number of licensed servers The total number of licensed servers that are in use The total amount of licensed storage capacity The total amount of storage capacity in use Monitoring license usage by DiskXtender installation To monitor the amount of licensing storage capacity used by each DiskXtender installation: 1. Open the License Server Administrator. 2. From the Tools menu, select License Manager. The License Manager displays: The name of each DiskXtender server connected to License Server for licensing The total amount of licensing storage capacity used by that DiskXtender server 342 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

343 Monitoring the System Reports The DiskXtender reporting feature is a useful tool for tracking system statistics. The following topics provide a description of each of the reports available, as well as instructions for running a report. Types of reports Table 51 Table 51 on page 343 lists the reports available in DiskXtender. Reports Report name Extended Drive Information Media Media Files Description Displays information about the extended drives you select, including properties and assigned media. Full reports also display additional information, including schedule information, metadata export statistics, move statistics, and fetch statistics. Includes information on the selected media, either as a summarized list or a detailed description of properties. Information displayed in the detailed report includes location information, total used/free space, and read/write/mount statistics. Provides information about the files on the selected pieces of media. Note: You can also run a file report (for a selected group of files rather than for a piece of media) by using the Explorer Add-ons. The Explorer Add-ons online help provides more information. Media Services Media Tasks Product Registry Information Provides information on the media services configured on the selected DiskXtender servers. Displays a list of media tasks that are pending, are in progress, or that have failed for selected media on the selected extended drives. Provides a complete listing of all information contained in the Microsoft Windows registry about the DiskXtender service on the selected servers. How to run a report To run a report: 1. To run a Media Files Report, run a File Report media task on the pieces of media for which to gather file information: a. Right-click the piece(s) of media and select Edit Tasks. b. From the Next Task drop-down list, select File Report. c. Click Add Next Task. d. Choose either a full (complete listing of all files on the media) or summary (file totals only) report. e. Click Next and then click Finish. 2. From the Tools menu, select Report Generator. The Select Report(s) To Run page of the Report Wizard opens. 3. Select the type of report to run and click Next. Reports 343

344 Monitoring the System If you choose multiple report types, the appropriate Report Wizard pages for each report are merged to form one wizard to lead you through the report generation process. 4. On the Select Computer(s) page, select the DiskXtender servers for which to generate a report, and then click Next. The remaining pages of the Report Wizard depend on the type of report you are running and enable you to customize the report. You can select additional criteria, such as extended drives and media, to narrow the statistics that are displayed. You can also create custom layouts to define the font, font sizes, tab stops, and header and footer contents used when the report is displayed. The File System Manager Administrator online help provides details on the options available for each page of the wizard. When you complete the Report Wizard, the report appears in RtfPad. You can save, print, or the report. 344 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

345 Monitoring the System Audit logs An audit log is a secure log file that functions independently of the existing DiskXtender logs (event and warning logs) and Microsoft Windows system logs. The purpose of the audit log is to provide a secure, access-controlled means for monitoring change events to the DiskXtender service, and whether each event succeeds or fails. An audit log enables you to monitor important DiskXtender events, including: Addition, editing, and deletion of configuration objects (extended drives, media folders, media groups, rules, and so on) Media management tasks Service stops and starts The performance impact caused by audit logging is minimal. Audit logging is available on both the DiskXtender server and on the MediaStor server. Enabling and configuring the audit log Audit logging is automatically enabled, and the DiskXtender service account is automatically added to the security administrators group (DxSecurityAdmins on the DiskXtender server and MsSecurityAdmins on the MediaStor server), during DiskXtender installation. However, you can also manually enable audit logging later by adding a user to the group and performing the steps below. To enable and configure the audit log: 1. Add the user account to the security administrators group. 2. From the Tools menu, select Audit Log. The Audit Log Configuration Settings dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 134 on page 346. Audit logs 345

346 Monitoring the System Figure 134 Audit Log Configuration Settings dialog box 3. Click Enabled to enable audit logging. 4. In the Max Logfile Size section, choose whether to limit the maximum file size for the audit log: To limit the file, type a maximum size in megabytes. The default is 10 MB. Note: If the log file reaches its maximum size, a warning message appears and the audit log is disabled. You must either clear the log or increase the maximum file size for the log, and then re-enable audit logging. To allow an unlimited audit log file size, select Unlimited. Note: Because the audit log is a text file, it can be compressed to save disk space. 5. In the Audit Log Location section, type the path where the audit log should be stored, or click Browse to navigate to and select a location. The path can be either a local path or a UNC path. If you specified an unlimited file size in step 4, then you should change the default location from the DiskXtender installation directory. If the system drive becomes full, your system might crash. If there are multiple DiskXtender servers in the environment, select a different audit log location for each server. If multiple servers are writing an audit log to the same location, the log file contains entries from each of the servers, and it is difficult to distinguish the entries from one server to another. Note: If you change the location of the audit log after audit logging has begun, the old log remains in the original location, but is no longer updated. 6. In the Operations to Audit section, choose the events to audit by selecting or clearing the checkboxes. Deciding which events to audit on page 347 provides details. 346 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

347 Monitoring the System 7. To log DiskXtender audit operations to the Windows event log as well as to the DiskXtender audit log, select the Send messages to Windows event log (in addition to audit log) checkbox. 8. Click OK. Deciding which events to audit You can choose the events to audit by selecting and clearing the Operations to Audit checkboxes on the Audit Log Configuration Settings dialog box. Table 52 on page 347 lists the DiskXtender events that are logged when you select each checkbox. Table 52 Available events for audit logging (page 1 of 2) Operation checkbox Creates Deletes Modifications Events logged when the checkbox is selected Creation of the following configuration items: Media services Media Media folders Media groups Rules (move, index, purge, and delete) Prefetch requests Report layouts and styles Deletion of the following configuration items: Media services Media Media folders Media groups Rules (move, index, purge, and delete) Prefetch requests Report layouts and styles Modification of the following configuration items: Media services Media Media folders Media groups Rules (move, index, purge, and delete) Prefetch requests Report layouts and styles Media tasks and queue Service configuration Audit log configuration Audit logs 347

348 Monitoring the System Table 52 Available events for audit logging (page 2 of 2) Operation checkbox Log On/Off Registry Log Saves Misc Operations Events logged when the checkbox is selected Service stops and restarts DiskXtender updates to the registry log Miscellaneous operations, such as: Metadata import and export (and aborting a metadata export) Media allocation and deallocation Clearing of extended drive statistics, media statistics, media group statistics, and media errors Media copy promotion Media service being set online or offline DiskXtender service startup and status being set Special application list and media information being set Extended drive serial number being changed The MediaStor Administrator online help provides details on the MediaStor events that are logged when you select each checkbox. Controlling access to the audit log To gain read-only access to the audit log and its configuration settings, a user must be a member of the DxMonitors group on the DiskXtender server. (The corresponding group on the MediaStor server is MsMonitors.) DxAdministrators (or MsAdministrators in MediaStor) also have read-only access to the audit log and the audit log settings, but they can edit all other aspects of the DiskXtender configuration. To gain full access to view the audit log and edit audit log configuration settings, a user must be a member of the DxSecurityAdmins group on the DiskXtender server (or MsSecurityAdmins on the MediaStor server). Table 53 on page 348 summarizes the group membership required for access to the audit log and its configuration. Table 53 Access to the audit log for DiskXtender security groups Item to access MsUsers DxMonitors DxAdministrators DxSecurityAdmins Audit log None Read-only Read-only Read-only Audit log configuration settings None Read-only Read-only Read/write Only the service account is added to the security administrators group by default. No users are added to the monitors group by default. You can add users to either group by using Windows group management features. 348 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

349 Monitoring the System Viewing the audit log To view the audit log: 1. From the Tools menu, select Audit Log. The Audit Log Configuration Settings dialog box appears. 2. Click Display. The Select an Output Filename to Display the Audit Data dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 135 on page 349. Figure 135 Select an Output Filename to Display the Audit Data dialog box 3. Enter a filename for the audit log output file (saved as an HTML file) and click Save. The audit log appears in HTML format in the default HTML viewer for the server. Typically, the default HTML viewer is a web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer. A sample audit log is illustrated in Figure 136 on page 350. Audit logs 349

350 Monitoring the System Figure 136 Sample audit log Note: If you upgrade DiskXtender and then you open the audit log, the audit log displays the version number before the upgrade. To reset the version number to the current version, clear the audit log of all events, as discussed in Clearing the audit log on page 351. Audit log data Table 54 on page 350 lists the information that is tracked for each event that is logged. Table 54 Audit log fields (page 1 of 2) Field Index Number (#) Date/Time User Description The index number for the logged entry. The date and time the event occurred. The user name or ID for the user initiating the event. Note: If the event is system-generated (for example, saving the registry log), "Internal" is displayed as the user. Action Item Type Item Name The action performed on the specified object, such as create, modify, delete, and so on. The object type accessed, such as move rule, media, extended drive, and so on. The name of the object accessed. Note: Not all entries include an item name. 350 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

351 Monitoring the System Table 54 Audit log fields (page 2 of 2) Field Item ID Parent ID Result Error Code Description The object ID (as a hexadecimal number, or a zero if the user is "Internal") used by DiskXtender. The extended drive the object is located on, if applicable. The success or failure of the specified action. The error code that corresponds with a failed action. Note: If you upgrade DiskXtender and then you open the audit log, the audit log displays the version number before the upgrade. To reset the version number to the current version, clear the audit log of all events, as discussed in Clearing the audit log on page 351. Clearing the audit log If you are a member of the security administrators group (DxSecurityAdmins on the DiskXtender server and MsSecurityAdmins on the MediaStor server), you can reset the audit log. Resetting the audit log deletes all entries in the audit log. Resetting the log might be useful if you are short on disk space; however, creating a backup of the log before resetting is recommended. To clear the audit log: 1. Create a backup of the audit log in another location so that you do not permanently lose the log entries. 2. From the Tools menu, select Audit Log. The Audit Log Configuration Settings dialog box appears. 3. Click Reset. 4. Click Yes on the confirmation message. Exporting the audit log! You can export the data from the audit log to a tab-delimited text file. The data can then be moved into a spreadsheet or database application. IMPORTANT Once you export the data, it is no longer protected by DiskXtender. In other words, users who are not members of the security administrators group can view and edit the information. You must implement other protective measures (such as password protection, available in many spreadsheet applications) to maintain security of the information. To export the audit log: 1. From the Tools menu, select Audit Log. The Audit Log Configuration Settings dialog box appears. 2. Click Export. The Save As dialog box appears. Audit logs 351

352 Monitoring the System 3. Navigate to and select a location in which to store the text file and click Save. If the export was successful, a message appears indicating such success. 4. Click OK to complete the export. Backing up the audit log Frequent backups of the audit log are recommended. DiskXtender does not automate the backup of audit logs. Therefore, you must manually back up the file by using a dedicated backup software solution. Disabling the audit log To disable audit logging: 1. From the Tools menu, select Audit Log. The Audit Log Configuration Settings dialog box appears. 2. Select Disabled to disable audit logging. Note: If you remove all users from the security administrators group (DxSecurityAdmins on the DiskXtender server and MsSecurityAdmins on the MediaStor server), then the audit log is automatically disabled. 352 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

353 14 Backup and Recovery The following topics provide details on backing up and recovering the DiskXtender system: Developing a backup strategy Backing up the extended drive Ensuring storage redundancy Backing up the DiskXtender server Protecting against accidental deletion of files Recovering deleted files Recovering the system after a failure Backup and Recovery 353

354 Backup and Recovery Developing a backup strategy DiskXtender is an archival product that stores the primary copy of a file on storage media. Because it is the primary copy of a file that resides on storage media in DiskXtender not a backup copy of a file it is important to establish a comprehensive backup process to make a copy of the file. This copy can be used to recover the data if it is lost. A comprehensive backup strategy enables you to restore individual files, or even the full DiskXtender system, in the event of problems or an entire system shutdown. The strategy should protect the three basic components of the DiskXtender system: The extended drive from both the accidental deletion of individual files and the more complete destruction or corruption of the entire volume The DiskXtender server, including the DiskXtender installation The hardware devices and storage media to which files are migrated This chapter discusses the considerations for implementing a regular backup process for each one of these components. It also provides guidelines for the necessary tools that are available to every DiskXtender installation for backup and restore procedures. However, each DiskXtender environment is unique. Different hardware devices, network configurations, existing tools outside of DiskXtender, and business needs all contribute to the infinite variety of configurations that are available. It is important to take all of these variables into consideration when developing a backup strategy for your environment. Some of the procedures discussed will not be appropriate in every environment. Additional backup procedures may even be necessary, depending on your configuration. The goal of these topics is to provide you with the background to evaluate your own system and determine any additional points of possible failure so that you can design a strategy that meets your specific needs. If necessary, EMC Professional Services staff can assist you in choosing the appropriate backup software for your environment and developing a custom backup solution for you. The following best practices are recommended for backing up the DiskXtender system: Use qualified backup software to back up each extended drive and the system drive on the DiskXtender server. Qualified backup software is listed in the EMC Information Protection Software Compatibility Guide on the Powerlink website. Use the Registry Log Wizard to change the location in which the DiskXtender registry backup is saved. The new location should be on a network drive that is backed up regularly. Enable the DiskXtender Recycler so that you can restore files that have been accidentally deleted from the extended drive. 354 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

355 Backup and Recovery Ensure that there is an additional copy of the secondary storage to which you are migrating files through DiskXtender. Table 55 on page 355 provides details for each type of storage. Table 55 Recommended media protection methods Type of storage EMC Centera NAS Removable media (tape or optical) TSM Recommended protection method Enable EMC Centera replication to another EMC Centera cluster. Use qualified backup software to back up the NAS device. Create copies of each piece of media by using the DiskXtender Copy Media Manager, or configure multi-target migration to another type of media. (Available for both the MediaStor and Sun StorageTek ACSLS media services.) Follow recommended TSM backup practices. These best practices are discussed in the remainder of this chapter, as well as recommendations for alternative backup procedures when you are unable to follow these best practices. Note: Ensuring high availability of the DiskXtender system through the use of Microsoft clustering or AutoStart is discussed in the DiskXtender installation guide. Replicating the extended drive through products like RepliStor, SRDF, or MirrorView is also covered in the DiskXtender installation guide. Developing a backup strategy 355

356 Backup and Recovery Backing up the extended drive Most backup applications, including all of the applications qualified for use with DiskXtender, are capable of backing up a file on the extended drive and its metadata, including the extended attributes (EAs) that DiskXtender uses to store migration information. If a file is restored to the extended drive without its extended attributes, then DiskXtender treats the file as a new file and migrates it again. When backup software is EA-aware, backup performance is improved. This is because the backup software can back up file tags for managed files on the extended drive. Creating extended drive backups with software that is EA-aware on page 356 and Creating snapshot backups of the extended drive on page 359 provide recommendations for performing these types of backups. Note: Even if the backup software is capable of successfully backing up file tags, you may want to back up a full version of each file before it is migrated and purged to ensure that there is a full copy of each file available in one of your backup sets. When backup software is not EA-aware, such as IBM Tivoli Storage Manager, file tags are backed up as zero byte files, and the migration information for a file is not captured. Therefore, if you restore a zero-byte file from backup, the file is re-migrated, and data loss can occur. To prevent this situation, you must include the full file data in each backup. Purged files must be read from media so that they can be included in the backup. This slows system performance and requires more disk space for the backup set. If you use backup software that does not support EAs, follow the specific backup process discussed in Creating extended drive backups with software that is not EA-aware on page 361 to minimize the performance impact and ensure that you do not encounter data loss by restoring incomplete files. The DiskXtender metadata export feature can be used to supplement backups from software that is not EA-aware. Metadata exports capture the file migration information that cannot be captured by backup software that is not EA-aware. Metadata exports on page 365 provides details. If necessary, EMC Professional Services staff can assist you in choosing the appropriate backup software for your environment and developing a custom backup solution for you. Creating extended drive backups with software that is EA-aware The most efficient, flexible, and reliable method of backing up the extended drive is to use a qualified backup application that is EA-aware. The following topics provide details: Qualified backup software that is EA-aware on page 357 What is included in an EA-aware backup on page 357 Installing and configuring EA-aware backup software on page 357 Configuring DiskXtender for EA-aware backup software on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

357 Backup and Recovery Qualified backup software that is EA-aware The EMC Information Protection Software Compatibility Guide, available on the Powerlink website, provides a complete and updated list (including supported versions) of the backup software qualified for use with DiskXtender. The qualified applications include: NetWorker Microsoft Windows NTBackup Symantec Backup Exec Symantec NetBackup HP OpenView Storage DataProtector CA ARCserve Backup BakBone NetVault CommVault Galaxy Enterprise Edition Qualified backup software that performs snapshot backups is discussed in Creating snapshot backups of the extended drive on page 359. What is included in an EA-aware backup When a backup is performed by any of these programs, only file tags are backed up for purged files. In addition, you can choose whether to back up only file tags or the full file data for fetched files. (The full file data is backed up for files that are unmanaged, meaning that DiskXtender has not moved the files to media.) Backing up file tags for managed files significantly reduces the amount of time it takes to create the backup set. It also minimizes the size of each backup set to optimize storage capacity. If a file is being used by another application during the backup, the file may still be backed up, depending on the settings available in the backup software. Although EA-aware backup applications enable you to restore individual files from backup, review the information in Recovering deleted files on page 385 to determine whether this functionality or the DiskXtender Recycler should be used. Note: You may want to back up a full version of each file before it is migrated and purged to ensure that there is a full copy of each file available in one of your backup sets. Installing and configuring EA-aware backup software Follow the recommended best practices of the qualified backup software to install the software and perform regular full, incremental, and differential backups according to your company s backup policies. In addition, the following general best practices are recommended: Install the client software for the backup program on the DiskXtender server. Install backup server software on a different computer. Back up the DxLogs directory on the extended drive, as well as all media folders. This ensures a more comprehensive recovery if you must restore the entire extended drive. Note: The DxLogs directory includes the DiskXtender Recycler and all of the files within the Recycler. The Recycler should be restored from a backup only if you must restore the entire extended drive. In other words, do not restore individual files from a backup to the Recycler. Otherwise, data loss may occur. Recovering deleted files on page 385 provides details on recovering individual files that have been accidentally deleted. Backing up the extended drive 357

358 Backup and Recovery Schedule backups for times of minimal system activity to minimize the impact to system performance. Consider all system activity on the DiskXtender server, including anti-virus scans, background scans, file migration, file fetch activity, and so on. Configuring DiskXtender for EA-aware backup software When configuring DiskXtender for EA-aware backup software, you must choose whether to back up only the file tag or the full file data for fetched files. In addition, if you are setting retention on files that are migrated to EMC Centera or Retained NAS media, you may want to increase the delay period before retention is applied. The following topics provide instructions for configuring these options: Choosing whether to back up file data for fetched files on page 358 Increasing the retention delay on page 358 No additional configuration steps beyond these two should be required in DiskXtender. Do not enable metadata exports of the extended drive. If the backup software relies on the Archive attribute to determine which files should be included in an incremental backup, then a metadata export can interfere. This is because the metadata export process clears the Archive attribute. If the attribute is cleared by a metadata export, then the file is not included in the next incremental backup by the backup software because the backup software sees the cleared attribute and skips the file, assuming that the file was backed up in a previously scheduled process. Choosing whether to back up file data for fetched files DiskXtender enables you to choose whether to back up the full file data or only file tags for fetched files. Fetched files are files that have been moved to media but not yet purged. By default, only the file tags are backed up for fetched files. To configure whether to back up the file data or only the file tag for fetched files: 1. Right-click the extended drive and select Properties. 2. Click the Options tab. 3. Scroll through the list and select 3rd party backup mode for managed files. 4. Select the backup mode: To back up only the file tags for fetched files, leave the default selection of Fast backup - read migration info only. To back up the full file data for fetched files, select Snapshot compatible - unfiltered file data. Note: Do not select the full backup option. When this option is selected, the backup includes the full file data for all files, even if the files are purged. This option is recommended only for backup applications that do not support EAs, such as TSM. 5. Click OK. 6. Repeat these steps for each extended drive. Increasing the retention delay If you are setting retention on files that are migrated to EMC Centera or Retained NAS media, you may want to increase the delay period before retention is applied. The default setting of 10 seconds may not be sufficient when you are restoring files with retention. This is because some backup programs restore a file in two passes: the first pass includes the file data, and the second pass includes file metadata, including EAs. If the delay is not sufficient, retention may be applied after the first pass, which prevents the second pass from being successful to complete the file restore. 358 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

359 Backup and Recovery Increase the retention delay before retention is applied to files. If you increase the retention delay after retention is applied, the delay setting will not take effect when the file is restored. To increase the retention delay: 1. Right-click the extended drive and select Properties. 2. Click the Options tab. 3. Select Delay in seconds before retention period is enforced from the list. 4. Increase the delay in seconds by typing the new time period in the text box. A delay of 30 seconds should be sufficient. 5. Click OK. 6. Repeat these steps for each extended drive. Note: If you cannot increase the retention delay due to file retention procedures at your company, you can avoid file restore issues with retention by restoring files from the backup to an alternate location and then copying the restored files back to the extended drive. Creating snapshot backups of the extended drive Snapshot backup software takes a snapshot of the extended drive at a certain point in time. A backup application such as NetWorker can then create a backup that reflects the state of the drive at the time of the snapshot. So, if a snapshot backup begins at 8 P.M. and a file changes at 8:30 P.M. while the backup is still in progress, then the change to the file is not included in the snapshot backup that started at 8 P.M. It must be included in the next backup set. The following topics provide details on snapshot software for extended drive backups: Qualified snapshot backup software on page 359 What is included in a snapshot backup on page 360 Installing and configuring software for snapshot backups on page 360 Configuring DiskXtender for snapshot backups on page 360 Qualified snapshot backup software The following snapshot and backup software is qualified for creating a snapshot backup of the DiskXtender extended drive: Microsoft Windows 2003 Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS) Note: The backup software used to back up the VSS snapshot, such as NetWorker or NTBackup, must be licensed and enabled for use with VSS. It also must be EA-aware. Do not use IBM Tivoli Storage Manager, which does not support EAs, to back up VSS snapshots. NetWorker PowerSnap Module for CLARiiON and the PowerSnap Module for Symmetrix DMX! IMPORTANT SnapImage is not qualified with DiskXtender when setting retention on files migrated to EMC Centera and Retained NAS media. Updates to this list (including supported versions) are provided in the EMC Information Protection Software Compatibility Guide, available on the Powerlink website. Backing up the extended drive 359

360 Backup and Recovery What is included in a snapshot backup By definition, a snapshot reflects the entire extended drive at a certain point in time. Therefore, the entire extended drive is included in each snapshot backup. A snapshot backup does not fetch files from media, even if you change the 3rd party backup mode setting on the Options tab of the Extended Drive Properties dialog box to Full backup. In other words, file tags are backed up as file tags, and full files are backed up as full files. Snapshot backups typically include all files, even if the files are being used by another application during the snapshot. However, some snapshot backups can be used only to restore an entire volume. You may not be able to restore individual files from a snapshot backup. As a result, review the information in Recovering deleted files on page 385 to determine whether to restore files from the snapshot backup or the DiskXtender Recycler. Installing and configuring software for snapshot backups Follow the recommended best practices of the qualified snapshot and backup software to install the software and perform regular snapshot backups according to your company s backup policies. Configuring DiskXtender for snapshot backups To configure DiskXtender for snapshot backups: 1. Right-click the extended drive and select Properties. 2. Click the Options tab. 3. Scroll through the list and select 3rd party backup mode for managed files. 4. Select Snapshot compatible - unfiltered file data. This option enables the snapshot software to back up the full file data for fetched and unmanaged files, and the file tags for purged files. In other words, it enables the software to back up the extended drive in its exact state at the time of the snapshot. 5. Click OK. 6. Repeat these steps for each extended drive. If you are setting retention on files that are migrated to EMC Centera or Retained NAS media, you may want to increase the delay period before retention is applied by performing the steps in Increasing the retention delay on page 358.No additional configuration steps should be required in DiskXtender. Do not enable metadata exports of the extended drive. If the backup software relies on the Archive attribute to determine which files should be included in an incremental backup, then a metadata export can interfere. This is because the metadata export process clears the Archive attribute. If the attribute is cleared by a metadata export, then the file is not included in the next incremental backup by the backup software because the backup software sees the cleared attribute and skips the file, assuming that the file was backed up in a previously scheduled process. 360 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

361 Backup and Recovery Creating extended drive backups with software that is not EA-aware Backing up the extended drive with software that is not EA-aware, such as IBM Tivoli Storage Manager, presents several risks and configuration challenges. EAs are important in a backup because they store file migration information. If a file is restored to the extended drive without its EAs, then DiskXtender treats the file as a new file and migrates it again. This would result in data loss, as the correct version of the file with the full file data is overwritten on the media with the zero-byte file. Therefore, when you use software that is not EA-aware, you must back up the full file data. Unfortunately, backing up the full file data for each file slows system performance and requires a significant amount of disk space for the backup. The following best practices are recommended when you use backup software that is not EA-aware: 1. If there are files on the extended drive before you install DiskXtender, perform a full backup of the extended drive before the installation. 2. After you install DiskXtender, perform only incremental backups so that the backup captures only new or edited files. Avoid backing up files that have not changed. You can use differential backups to reduce the requirement for periodic full backups. 3. Delay file migration so that files can be captured by a backup before they are moved to media and extended attributes are added for the migration information. To delay file migration, set an age delay for the move rule by selecting the Apply rule to files of age option on the Age page of each move rule, and then choosing the age criteria. 4. Change the default setting for the 3rd party backup mode setting: a. In the File System Manager Administrator, right-click the extended drive and select Properties. b. Click the Options tab. c. Select the 3rd party backup mode for managed files option from the list. d. In the bottom portion of the dialog box, select Full backup - read all file data, including migration info. e. Click OK. f. Repeat these steps for each extended drive on the DiskXtender server. 5. Delay file purging until it is absolutely necessary. This increases the likelihood that file data will be resident on the extended drive when the backup occurs. If the file data is on the extended drive, it does not need to be retrieved from media during the backup. a. Configure an age delay for purge rules by selecting the Apply rule to files of age option on the Age page of each purge rule, and then choosing the age criteria. b. Leave the default setting on the Settings page for each purge rule. With the default setting of Do not force purges during background scans, files are purged based on the extended drive used space percentages configured in the purge watermarks. Backing up the extended drive 361

362 Backup and Recovery 6. Configure a separate purge rule that prevents files with the Archive attribute enabled from being purged: a. On the Type page of the new purge rule, select Exclude. b. On the Attributes page of the purge rule, select Apply rule to files with the following attributes, and then select the Attributes checkbox. c. Complete the wizard. d. Reorder the list of purge rules so that the exclusive purge rule is listed first. This ensures that files are qualified against the exclusive purge rule before the other purge rules. 7. Enable the DiskXtender metadata export feature to periodically export files that are managed by DiskXtender (in other words, migrated to media): Note: The DxLogs and Recycler directories on the extended drive are not included in a metadata export. In addition, the size of a metadata export depends on the size of the extended drive and the data included in the export (files managed or not managed by DiskXtender), as well as the type of export (incremental or full). In general, the size of a metadata export is 1,500 bytes per file in the export. If the files on the extended drive have been migrated to a multi-target media group, then the size of the export increases to 2,000 bytes per file. a. Right-click the extended drive and select Properties. b. Click the Settings tab on the Extended Drive Properties dialog box. c. Click Meta-Data Export. The Extended Drive Meta-Data Export dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 137 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

363 Backup and Recovery Figure 137 Extended Drive Meta-Data Export dialog box d. Click the Browse button to the right of the UNC Path text box, and browse to the folder in which to save the export sets. Or, type the path in the text box. The metadata export should not be stored on the extended drive. Instead, it should be stored at a network location. In addition, archive the metadata export as you would any other backup data for disaster recovery. e. In the Scheduling section, select the frequency with which incremental exports should be performed. f. To perform a full export the next time that the incremental export schedule is active, select the Force next export to be full checkbox. g. To perform regular full exports, select the Perform at scheduled interval checkbox. h. Click Full Export Frequency. The Full Meta-Data Export Frequency dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 138 on page 364. Backing up the extended drive 363

364 Backup and Recovery Figure 138 Full Meta-Data Export Frequency dialog box i. Select the frequency for full backups and click OK. j. On the Extended Drive Meta-Data Export dialog box, select the Export Dx-managed files (meta-data only) checkbox. When this option is selected, only files that have been migrated to media are included in the metadata export. This minimizes the size of the metadata export and the impact on system performance. The remaining (unmigrated) files should be captured by the TSM backup. Since DiskXtender does not apply EAs to unmigrated files, the TSM backup of the file is sufficient. k. Click OK. l. Click OK again to close the Extended Drive Properties dialog box. 8. When restoring individual files from backup, verify that the files are not zero bytes. If a file is zero bytes, do not restore the file. 9. If it is necessary to recover the entire extended drive, recover files in the following order: a. Restore the files from media or from a metadata export. b. Restore the files from the TSM backup, and choose the option to not replace existing files of the same name. This ensures that only files that have not yet been migrated to media, or files outside of media folders, are restored.! IMPORTANT The four TSM backup executables in the special application filtering list on the Options tab of the Service Properties dialog box (dsm.exe, dsmc.exe, dsmcsvc.exe, and dsmagent.exe) are set to Direct Read by default and should remain that way. This behavior enables TSM to read file data directly from media during a backup, if necessary, rather than fetching the file to the extended drive and reading it there. If DiskXtender is required to fetch files to the extended drive, there may not be enough space on the extended drive to accommodate the file data. In addition, if you use removable media in a library, thrashing may occur as DiskXtender attempts to mount the media in the drives to fetch the file data. 364 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

365 Backup and Recovery Metadata exports The following topics provide an overview of the DiskXtender metadata export feature, including when to use it, what is included in an export, how to enable exports, and where to store exports. When to use metadata exports The DiskXtender metadata export feature can be used to supplement backups by software that is not EA-aware. Metadata exports include the file migration information that cannot be captured by backup software that is not EA-aware. Creating extended drive backups with software that is not EA-aware on page 361 provides details. Metadata exports can also serve as a last resort backup solution for the extended drive, if you are unable to use other backup software. However, keep in mind that metadata exports are not equivalent to fully featured backup programs, most of which include versioning, partial backup and recovery, and robust reporting and handling for special conditions such as file locks. In addition, metadata exports do not include the DxLogs or Recycler directories on the extended drive.! IMPORTANT Metadata exports should not be enabled if you already use backup software that is EA-aware. If the EA-aware backup software relies on the Archive attribute to determine which files should be included in an incremental backup, then a metadata export can interfere. This is because the metadata export process clears the Archive attribute. If the attribute is cleared by a metadata export, then the file is not included in the next incremental backup by the backup software because the backup software sees the cleared attribute and skips the file, assuming that the file was backed up in a previously scheduled process. What is included in a metadata export When you configure the metadata export, you can choose whether the export includes: Files managed by DiskXtender (migrated files) Files in media folders that have not been migrated Files on the entire extended drive that are outside of media folders and that have not been migrated Metadata export sets include only the file tags for all files that are managed by DiskXtender, even if the files are fetched (resident on the extended drive). All necessary migration information and EAs for migrated files are captured in the export. The full file data is included in the export for files that have not been migrated, regardless of whether that file is in a media folder or outside of a media folder. If you use metadata exports to supplement backups by software that is not EA-aware, the export needs to include only migrated files. If you do not use other backup software and metadata exports are the only backup solution available for the extended drive, then include all of the files on the extended drive in the export. Backing up the extended drive 365

366 Backup and Recovery Scheduling metadata exports The first time you create a metadata export, DiskXtender creates a full export. After the initial export, set a regular schedule for incremental exports, as well as full exports. You can also force a metadata export manually, if necessary. How to schedule metadata exports Schedule exports for times of minimal system activity to minimize the impact to system performance. Consider all system activity on the DiskXtender server, including anti-virus scans, background scans, file migration, file fetch activity, and so on. To schedule metadata exports: 1. Right-click the extended drive and select Properties. The Extended Drive Properties dialog box appears. 2. Click the Settings tab. 3. Click Meta-Data Export. The Extended Drive Meta-Data Export dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 137 on page In the UNC Path text box in the Location section, type or browse to the folder in which to save the export sets. Storing metadata exports on page 368 provides recommendations on selecting a location. 5. In the Scheduling section, select the frequency with which to create incremental metadata exports. Table 56 on page 366 provides details on the scheduling options. Table 56 Export scheduling options Scheduling option Export frequency Settings to configure Disable Never. This is the default. None Once Once on the specified date and time. Note that the default date and time are the current date and 12:00 a.m., respectively. Because this default time likely occurs in the past, the export will not run unless you change the defaults to a date and/or time in the future. Date Time Daily Every day at the specified time. Time Weekly Monthly Every week on the specified days (Monday through Sunday) at the same time each day specified. Every month on the specified date (1 st through 31 st ) and time. Note: If the date you select does not occur for a given month, then the export occurs on the last day of the month. For example, if you select the 31st for the schedule, then the scan occurs on the 30th in April. Time Days of the week Time Day of the month 6. To force DiskXtender to create a full metadata export the next time the incremental export schedule is activated, select the Force next export to be full (setting cleared upon completion) checkbox. After the export completes, this setting is cleared. Selecting this option does not affect any scheduled full exports described in the next step. 366 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

367 Backup and Recovery 7. (Optional) Set a regular schedule for DiskXtender to create full metadata exports: Note: Logically, you cannot schedule full exports more frequently than incremental exports. For this reason, certain options might be dimmed when you try to set a schedule for full metadata exports, depending on the incremental export schedule. a. Select the Perform at scheduled interval checkbox. Selecting this option does not affect a forced full export described in the previous step. b. Click Full Export Frequency. The Full Meta-Data Export Frequency dialog box appears, as illustrated in Figure 138 on page 364. c. Choose the frequency with which to perform full metadata exports: Select Always to create a full metadata export every time the incremental export schedule is active. If you select this option, DiskXtender always creates a full export and never creates incremental exports. Select Once per week on to create a full metadata export once per week on the day you select from the drop-down list. If you select this option, DiskXtender creates a full export on the selected day and creates incremental exports at the times configured for the incremental export schedule. Select Once per month on the (1 st 4 th ) (day) to create a full metadata export once a month on the day of the month you select from the drop-down list. For example, you can select the 1st Sunday of each month. If you select this option, DiskXtender creates a full export on the selected day and creates incremental exports at the times configured for the incremental export schedule. d. Click OK. 8. Select which files should be included in or excluded from the export. By default, all of these options are selected, meaning that all files on the extended drive are included in each export. You can restrict which file information is captured by DiskXtender by clearing one or more of the following checkboxes: Export Dx-managed files (meta-data only) Leave this option selected to ensure that DiskXtender captures all the necessary information to restore the file tags for migrated files. Export non-dx-managed (unmigrated) files (all file data) Select this option to export information for files located in media folders that have not yet been migrated to media. Include files not in media folders (all files on drive) Select this option to export information for all files located on the extended drive outside of DiskXtender media folders. 9. Click OK. 10. Click OK again to close the Extended Drive Properties dialog box. Backing up the extended drive 367

368 Backup and Recovery How to force a metadata export When you force a metadata export, DiskXtender creates an incremental export of the files on the extended drive. If DiskXtender has not yet performed an export, then forcing an export creates a full export of the extended drive. To force a metadata export: 1. In the UNC Path text box of the Extended Drive Meta-Data Export dialog box, verify that you have specified the folder in which to save exports (including forced exports). How to schedule metadata exports on page 366 provides instructions. 2. Right-click the extended drive and select Force Meta-data Export. A message appears to remind you that a metadata export might take a considerable amount of time for a large extended drive. 3. Click Yes to continue. Storing metadata exports When you configure metadata exports, you must specify the location in which metadata export files are stored. When the export is created, DiskXtender creates a folder hierarchy within the identified folder that lists the name and serial number of the extended drive, and within that, a folder with the date of the most recent export, as illustrated in Figure 139 on page 368. Figure 139 Export folders created in Microsoft Windows Explorer Each time a new full export is created, a new dated folder is created that replaces the old one. This means that only the current full and associated incremental exports are resident in the UNC path at any given time. The metadata export should not be stored on the extended drive. Instead, it should be stored at a network location. In addition, protect and back up the metadata export as you would any other backup data for disaster recovery. The size of a metadata export depends on the size of the extended drive and the data included in the export (files managed or not managed by DiskXtender), as well as the type of export (incremental or full). In general, the size of a metadata export is 1,500 bytes per file in the export. If the files on the extended drive have been migrated to a multi-target media group, then the size of the export increases to 2,000 bytes per file. 368 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

369 Backup and Recovery Stopping a metadata export in progress If necessary, you can stop a metadata export after one has started. This function might be useful if a scheduled export begins at an inconvenient or inappropriate time, or if you forced an export and later determined it was going to take more time than could be allotted for the function. To stop a metadata export in progress: 1. Right-click the extended drive and select Abort Meta-data Export. 2. Click Yes on the confirmation message. An additional message appears to confirm that the export was aborted. 3. Click OK. The system finishes exporting the file it was on when the stop export command was issued, and retains whatever files were exported to that point. Any files not exported are captured during the next export. Backing up the extended drive 369

370 Backup and Recovery Ensuring storage redundancy The following topics provide recommendations for ensuring redundancy of the media to which files on the extended drive are migrated: Copying removable media on page 370 Replicating EMC Centera on page 378 Backing up NAS on page 379 Backing up TSM on page 379 Multi-target migration on page 379 Copying removable media To back up all removable media types supported by the MediaStor (tape or optical) and Sun StorageTek ACSLS media services (tape), you can create a copy of each piece of media. Copy media are media that are being used as copies, or backups, of original media on the extended drive. If an original piece of media becomes unreadable, the copy of the media can be promoted to original status (after the original is removed from the system). Copy media has the same label as the original it corresponds to, but it has a unique serial number. However, as soon as the copy is promoted to original, the serial number on the copy is changed to match the serial number that was on the original. DiskXtender provides two ways to create copy media: The Copy Media Manager enables you to create copies of multiple pieces of media at one time. The Label Copy media task enables you to create a copy of a single side of a single piece of media. Alternatively, use a media task to copy from a standalone drive to a library drive or vice versa, or between two standalone drives. If necessary, you can even create and maintain off-site copies of original media for disaster recovery. When the Update Copy Media schedule for an extended drive is active, DiskXtender evaluates each copy against its original to determine whether any updates should be made to the copy. DiskXtender searches for the number of sectors written, and knows how much of the media it has left to copy. If updates are required, DiskXtender updates the copy. When DiskXtender updates a piece of copy media, it copies the data from the original media to the copy. In other words, files are not fetched to the extended drive during a copy update. If the copy is of DVD media and the original is finalized, DiskXtender automatically finalizes the copy as soon as the update of the copy is complete. If a piece of original media formatted with the UDF file system becomes corrupt, you may be able to repair the media by using a Check Disk media task. However, if you cannot repair the media, you can replace the original with the copy by promoting the copy to original status. 370 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

371 Backup and Recovery Choosing media to use as a copy The blank media selected for copy must match the original, including: File system (for example, UDF media must be copied to UDF media) Block size/sector size Note: You can set the block size for tape or WORM-tape media by using the Tape block size default value setting on the Options tab of the Service Properties dialog box. Total media capacity Compression settings (in other words, both must be compressed or both must be uncompressed) In addition, the media must be allocated to an extended drive, formatted, and labeled for use. You must also use a compatible media type for the copy. Table 57 on page 371 lists each media type from which you can create copies, the file system used on the media, and the type of media you can use for the copy. Table 57 Compatible media types for copy media Media type to copy File system on media Media types you can use for the copy DVD-R UDF DVD-R DVD-RAM OTG DVD-RAM UDF DVD-RAM Magneto-optical OTG Magneto-optical Magneto-optical WORM UDF Magneto-optical Magneto-optical WORM OTG Magneto-optical Magneto-optical WORM UDF Magneto-optical Magneto-optical WORM Tape OTG Tape WORM-tape WORM-tape OTG Tape WORM-tape UDO OTG UDO UDO WORM UDF UDO UDO WORM OTG UDO UDO WORM UDF UDO UDO WORM Ensuring storage redundancy 371

372 Backup and Recovery Caveats for copy media selection Review the following caveats for copy media before you select the type of media to use as a copy: If you use the UDF file system, data from the original might not fit on the copy because the same files might consume additional storage from one piece of media to the next. This is the case even if the same type of media (rewritable to rewritable or WORM to WORM) is used for both the original and the copy. If you use a different media type for copy media (for example, rewritable to WORM or WORM to rewritable), then you cannot promote a piece of copy media and add it to the same media group where the original was located. Promoting copy media to original media on page 377 provides instructions on successfully promoting copy media when the original is a different media type. For double-sided media in standalone drives, DiskXtender enables you to create a copy of an original piece of media on the flip side of that same piece of media. However, if you use the other side of an original for its copy, DiskXtender is unable to update the copy. Creating media copies There are two ways to create copy media: To create copies of multiple pieces of media, use the Copy Media Manager. To create a copy of a single side of a single piece of media, assign the Label Copy media task to the media. This method is also necessary when you copy a piece of media from a standalone drive to a library drive or vice versa, or between two standalone drives. To create and maintain off-site copies of original media for disaster recovery, follow the special procedures in Remote media copies on page 376. Copy Media Manager The Copy Media Manager enables you to create copies of multiple pieces of media at once. Essentially, you are assigning the Label Copy media task to multiple pieces of media. To create a copy with the Copy Media Manager: 1. If you use double-sided media, verify that both sides of the original media are original, and both sides of the blank media are blank. 2. From the Tools menu, select Copy Media Manager. The Copy Media Manager appears, as illustrated in Figure 140 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

373 Backup and Recovery Figure 140 Copy Media Manager dialog box 3. Click Label New Copy Media. The Label Copy Media page appears, as illustrated in Figure 141 on page 373. Figure 141 Label Copy Media page 4. Do one of the following: If you are creating a copy of an original piece of media that does not already have a copy, select Label first copy media. If you are making additional copies of original media that already has a copy or copies, select Label additional copy media. 5. Click Next. The Select Original Media page appears, as illustrated in Figure 142 on page 374. Ensuring storage redundancy 373

374 Backup and Recovery Figure 142 Select Original Media page 6. Select the pieces of media to copy and click Next. Note: Select the front and back of two-sided media to copy the media in this wizard. To copy a single side of a piece of media, use the Label Copy media task. 7. Review the summary information and click Finish. Because the Copy Media Manager essentially assigns the Label Copy media task to multiple pieces of media, the copy is scheduled to occur as soon as possible when the media task schedule is active (between 8 P.M. and 9 A.M. by default). If necessary, you can edit the media task schedule at the same time that you edit the file migration schedule. Scheduling file migration on page 228 provides instructions. After the task completes, the media appears with the new label in the Copy media node of the Available Media list in the File System Manager Administrator. Label Copy media task The Label Copy media task enables you to assign a piece of blank media to be used as a copy of a piece of existing media. To assign a Label Copy media task: 1. Right-click the piece of media and select Edit Tasks. 2. Select LABEL COPY from the Next Task drop-down list, and then click Add Next Task. The task is added to the list in the Media Tasks dialog box, as illustrated in Figure 143 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

375 Backup and Recovery Figure 143 Label Copy media task 3. From the Original Media drop-down list, select the piece of original media to copy.! IMPORTANT If you use two-sided media, be sure that the original media you select is not the flip side of the media to which you are assigning the Label Copy task. DiskXtender must be able to read the original at the same time it is updating the copy, and the software cannot read both sides of a single piece of media at once. 4. Choose whether to process the media task as soon as possible or on a scheduled basis. If you choose to process the media task on a scheduled basis, the task is not processed until the media task schedule is active. The media task schedule is active at the same time as the file migration schedule (daily from 8 P.M. to 9 A.M. by default). Scheduling file migration on page 228 provides instructions for setting the two schedules. 5. Click Next. The Order Media in Task Queue page appears with the recently added media at the bottom of the media task queue list. 6. If necessary, promote or demote the media in the list to control task processing order by clicking the up or down arrow to the right of the list box. 7. Click Finish. All media with tasks assigned appear in the Media Task Queue Manager until they are processed. Ensuring storage redundancy 375

376 Backup and Recovery Remote media copies DiskXtender supports remote media copying, meaning that original media and their associated copies can reside in different hardware devices, and even in different geographical locations. This capability enables you to create and maintain off-site copies of original media for disaster recovery. You can create remote copies by using either the Copy Media Manager or the Label Copy media task. Note: Regardless of the remote media copy method you choose, it might be helpful to use the editable Offline Location text box located on the Location tab of the Media Properties dialog box to more specifically identify the location of all remote media. Creating remote copies with the Copy Media Manager Creating remote copies by using the Copy Media Manager is somewhat complicated, in that doing so involves bypassing built-in DiskXtender functionality that is designed to enhance performance. The Copy Media Manager does not allow you to specifically select which blank media are used to make copies of the selected originals. By default, DiskXtender selects local blank media. This means that to make remote copies of media with the Copy Media Manager (which is more efficient if you plan to make copies of multiple originals), you must not have any blank media in the local media service. This forces DiskXtender to select blank media from a remote media service. In addition, to keep all remote copies in the same location, ensure that the remote media service that is to contain the copies is the only one that contains blank media. As with all media, you can determine the location of the media by looking at the Physical Location field in the description view of the Administrator when the media is selected. Creating remote copies with the Label Copy task The process to create remote copies with the Label Copy task is the same as the process to create copies on the local device with the Label Copy task. When you select the media to which to assign the task, you select media in the remote device. As with all media, you can determine the location of the media by looking at the Physical Location field in the description view of the Administrator when the media is selected. Updating copy media When the copy update schedule is active, DiskXtender evaluates each copy against its original to determine whether any updates should be made to the copy. DiskXtender searches for the number of sectors written, and knows how much of the media it has left to copy. If updates are required, DiskXtender updates the copy. When DiskXtender updates a piece of copy media, it copies the data from the original media to the copy. In other words, files are not fetched to the extended drive during a copy update. By default, the copy update schedule is active at the same time as the file migration and media task schedules (between 8 P.M. and 9 A.M). If necessary, you can edit the copy update schedule at the same time that you edit the other schedules. Scheduling file migration on page 228 provides instructions. 376 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

377 Backup and Recovery Any piece of copy media that is offline at the time the copy schedule is active is not updated. Those copies are updated the next time the schedule is active, if they are online at that time. If the copy is of DVD media and the original is finalized, DiskXtender automatically finalizes the copy as soon as the update of the copy is complete. You can view the percentage at which the copy is currently synchronized to the original by opening the Copy Media Manager. (From the Tools menu, select Copy Media Manager.) The Copy Media Manager also displays the number of copies there are for a piece of original media. Note: In some cases, the update status for a copy might appear as 100 percent, but the written bytes between the copy and the original are different. If this happens, open the media properties for the copy and clear the statistics on the Statistics tab. This enables DiskXtender to reset the tally for written bytes and update the copy appropriately. Promoting copy media to original media If necessary, you can replace a piece of original media with the copy. If you promote a copy that is not 100 percent updated to an original, any changes not updated on the copy are lost.! CAUTION Promoting copy media is intended only for disaster recovery, in the event an original is lost or damaged beyond repair. After a copy has been promoted to original, it must remain as an original. Attempting to demote the copy and return the original back to the system is not supported and might result in data loss. To promote a piece of copy media to original media: 1. (Optional) If the media is formatted with the UDF file system and it is corrupt, attempt to repair the media before replacing it with a copy. To repair media, run a Check Disk media task as discussed in Repairing corrupt media on page Delete the original media from DiskXtender: a. If the piece of media is currently assigned to a media group, remove it from the media group. Removing media and removing its files from the drive on page 233 provides instructions. Note: This process removes the files on the media from the extended drive. b. Deallocate the media from the extended drive. c. If the media is being managed by the MediaStor media service, delete the media from MediaStor. Deleting media from a MediaStor library on page 145 provides instructions. 3. From the Tools menu, select Copy Media Manager. The Copy Media Manager appears. 4. Select the piece of copy media to promote, and then click Promote Copy to Original. 5. Click Yes on the confirmation message. Another confirmation message appears to let you know that the copy has been promoted and is no longer considered a copy. Ensuring storage redundancy 377

378 Backup and Recovery 6. Add the promoted media to the system: If the promoted media is the same type of media as the original, add the promoted media to the original media group, restoring the files on the media to the extended drive. If the promoted media is a different media type than the original (in other words, a WORM copy of rewritable media or a rewritable copy of WORM media), you cannot add the promoted media to the same media group as the original. This is because media groups allow a single type of media. To restore the files on the media to the extended drive: a. In the same media folder in which the original media used to reside, create a new media group for the promoted media type. b. Add the promoted media to the new media group, restoring the files on the media to the extended drive. c. To re-migrate the files to another piece of media in the original media group, compact the promoted media by using the instructions in Removing media but keeping the files on the drive on page 231. Note: Because DiskXtender cannot change the serial number on write-once media (such as DVD-R or WORM-tape), DiskXtender tracks the serial number internally and equates the copy serial number with the original when copies of these media types are promoted. For this reason, if you promote a piece of write-once copy media, remove it from the DiskXtender system, and then re-add it later, the media is again seen as a copy and must be re-promoted. Replicating EMC Centera The EMC Centera replication feature protects against data corruption and data loss by automatically copying data from one EMC Centera cluster to another EMC Centera cluster. As an EMC Centera cluster acquires new content from an application, the replication mechanism ensures that this new content is automatically and transparently transferred across a WAN or LAN to a designated EMC Centera in another location. Replication is used on an ongoing basis to keep two or more EMC Centera clusters synchronized with new content. In a typical replication setup, the EMC Centera clusters are geographically separate to ensure disaster recovery or to distribute the content for access from another location. For example, a company may replicate to a second EMC Centera cluster to enable recovery from the loss of the primary EMC Centera or to avoid multiple requests for the same content across a WAN connection. The replication process itself is transparent to DiskXtender. In other words, after DiskXtender migrates files to EMC Centera, the files are replicated from the source cluster to the target cluster without any DiskXtender involvement. However, when a failure occurs on the source cluster, you can configure DiskXtender to enable users to read files from a target cluster. Replication on page 42 provides additional details on the use of EMC Centera replication with DiskXtender. 378 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

379 Backup and Recovery Backing up NAS! Use dedicated backup software to back up files on the NAS device shares configured as NAS media in DiskXtender. Because the full file data (and not file tags) are stored on the shares, the extended attribute restrictions that apply to backing up the extended drive do not apply to backing up NAS. Full and incremental backups of the NAS shares should be performed on a regular basis according to your company s recommended backup policies. IMPORTANT Only the DiskXtender service account and any accounts required for backups should have full access to the share that corresponds to a piece of NAS media. No other user accounts or applications should have write access to the share. Backing up TSM Follow recommended TSM procedures to back up the TSM system, including the TSM server and client configuration, as well as the media to which the TSM server ultimately writes. Multi-target migration Regardless of the type of media, you can ensure redundancy of files on media by migrating files on the extended drive to multiple pieces of media with the DiskXtender multi-target migration feature. With multi-target migration, you can migrate a single file to different pieces and even different types of media at the same time. Multi-target migration on page 204 and Configuring multi-target migration in a new environment on page 220 provide details on multi-target migration. Ensuring storage redundancy 379

380 Backup and Recovery Backing up the DiskXtender server In addition to backing up the files on the extended drive, you should perform regular backups of the rest of the DiskXtender server, including the system drive and the DiskXtender configuration itself, which is stored in the Microsoft Windows registry. The following topics provide details. You should also record the following information in a document dedicated to backup and restore procedures: The name of the servers on which DiskXtender is installed The version of the operating system on the DiskXtender servers The size and drive letter of each partition The volume serial number for each partition (extended drive) This information is necessary for restoring the server in the event of a total system failure. Backing up the system drive Use a dedicated backup tool to back up the system drive on the DiskXtender server according to your company s backup policy. Backing up DiskXtender registry settings To back up the DiskXtender configuration for either File System Manager or MediaStor, back up the DiskXtender settings that are stored in the Microsoft Windows registry. The Registry Log Wizard, available in both the File System Manager Administrator and the MediaStor Administrator, enables you to do this. For virtual media such as TSM and EMC Centera, the registry log backup is especially important because virtual media is defined through the File System Manager configuration. In the event of system failure, it is most efficient to restore that configuration to access and restore, if necessary, files on the media. The registry log is automatically updated every hour. DiskXtender saves one registry log per server per day for each of the last seven days. The registry log file with the most recent (hourly) updates is named DiskXtender.rlog (for File System Manager) or MediaStor.rlog (for MediaStor). The registry log file for each of the last seven days is named DiskXtender_mm_dd_yyyy.rlog or MediaStor_mm_dd_yyyy.rlog, respectively, where mm_dd_yyyy represents the date the file was created. By default, the registry log is saved to a folder in the DiskXtender installation directory. You should designate a different location in which to store the registry log files by using the Registry Log Wizard. The registry log should be stored at a network location. In addition, archive the registry log files as you would any other backup data for disaster recovery. Note: Each DiskXtender installation creates its own registry log file. You cannot restore a registry log file from one server to another server in order to move or reuse a DiskXtender configuration. The server to which you are restoring a registry log file must have the same name as the server from which the registry log file was generated. In addition, you must restore a registry log file to a DiskXtender installation that is the same release as the one that created the registry log file. 380 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

381 Backup and Recovery Changing the registry log location By default, File System Manager and MediaStor automatically save registry log files into a Registry Log folder in the install directory, Drive:/Program Files/EMC/DiskXtender (or MediaStor), where Drive is the system drive on the server. However, in the event of a system crash, it is likely that you will lose information on the main drive, and therefore lose the registry log files. Therefore, you should designate a different location to store the registry log files. To change the registry log location: 1. From the Tools menu in either the File System Manager Administrator or the MediaStor Administrator, select Registry Log. The Registry Log Wizard appears, as illustrated in Figure 144 on page 381. Figure 144 Registry Log Wizard Introduction page 2. Select Set the automatic registry log location and click Next. The Automatic Registry Log Location page appears, as illustrated in Figure 145 on page 381. Figure 145 Registry Log Wizard Automatic Registry Log Location page Backing up the DiskXtender server 381

382 Backup and Recovery 3. Type or browse to the UNC path to which the registry log should be saved. To ensure fail-proof disaster recovery, the backup location should be a separate volume from where the Microsoft Windows server files are located. You might want to save the registry log files to a different computer. 4. Click Next. 5. Review the summary information and click Finish. A warning message appears, as illustrated in Figure 146 on page 382. Figure 146 Registry log media task warning message 6. Click OK. Retaining versions of the registry log DiskXtender automatically saves one registry log per server per day for each of the last seven days. You can change (from the default of seven) the number of days that DiskXtender retains registry logs. To set the number of days to retain registry log files: 1. From the Tools menu in either the File System Manager Administrator or the MediaStor Administrator, select Registry Log. The Registry Log Wizard appears, as illustrated in Figure 144 on page Select Specify how many days to retain registry log images and click Next. The Registry Log Image Retention page appears, as illustrated in Figure 147 on page 382. Figure 147 Registry Log Wizard Registry Log Image Retention page 382 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

383 Backup and Recovery 3. Type the number of days automatically saved registry log files should be kept. Note: Setting this to zero days disables the versioning function. The original.rlog file is saved and overwritten each time the registry log information is updated, but no previous versions are saved. 4. Click Next. 5. Review the summary information and click Finish. Copying the registry log file If necessary, you can create an additional copy of the current registry settings. The copy is a one-time backup and does not update regularly. It also does not affect the location where regular registry logs are updated. Regularly create a manual copy of the registry log to be sure you have a usable copy of the system configuration. If something happens to the system where the automated registry log files are stored, the primary copies of the registry log file might be unusable for system restoration. To copy the current registry log: 1. From the Tools menu in either the File System Manager Administrator or the MediaStor Administrator, select Registry Log. The Registry Log Wizard appears, as illustrated in Figure 144 on page Select Copy current registry log information to another location and click Next. The Copy Registry Log Information page appears, as illustrated in Figure 148 on page 383. Figure 148 Registry Log Wizard Copy Registry Log Information page 3. Type or browse to a directory path and filename. 4. Click Next. 5. Review the summary information and click Finish. Backing up the DiskXtender server 383

384 Backup and Recovery Protecting against accidental deletion of files You can prevent users from accidentally deleting files from the extended drive by controlling access to the files, setting the read-only attribute for the files, or by setting retention on the files. For environments where these methods are not appropriate, however, you can enable the DiskXtender Recycler, which enables you to restore files that have been accidentally deleted. You may also be able to restore files from backup sets if you use a qualified backup tool. The following topics provide details: Preventing users from deleting files on page 384 Enabling the DiskXtender Recycler on page 384 Preventing users from deleting files Microsoft Windows provides several options for controlling access to and protecting files on an NTFS volume. To protect files from unauthorized access by users, you can create network shares on the extended drive for certain media folders, and then restrict the users who can access the shares. You can also specify security at the file and folder level on the extended drive. Alternatively, you can set the Read-only attribute on a file to prevent it from being edited or accidentally deleted. The Microsoft Windows documentation provides details on these security options. If the files on the extended drive are critical enough that they require absolute protection, then you can prevent users from deleting the files by setting retention on the files. File retention is available when you are migrating files to either EMC Centera or a share on a supported NAS device with retention software installed. Chapter 8, File Retention, provides details on file retention. Enabling the DiskXtender Recycler The DiskXtender Recycler for each extended drive functions similarly to the Microsoft Windows Recycle Bin, but only affects files on a drive extended through DiskXtender. The DiskXtender Recycler is designed to protect against accidental deletion of files on the extended drive. When a user deletes a file from the extended drive and the Recycler is enabled, the file is placed in the Recycler instead of being permanently deleted. You can then restore files from the Recycler, if necessary. Chapter 11, Deleting Files, provides additional details on the Recycler. 384 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

385 Backup and Recovery Recovering deleted files The following topics discuss the options for recovering a file that has been accidentally deleted from the extended drive: Recovering from the DiskXtender Recycler on page 385 Recovering from a backup on page 385 Recovering from the DiskXtender Recycler If the DiskXtender Recycler is enabled and a user accidentally deletes a file, you can restore the file to the extended drive. The restored file retains all of its migration information, if it was migrated to media. You do not need to re-migrate the restored file to media. To restore a file from the DiskXtender Recycler: 1. Right-click the Recycler in the tree view of the File System Manager Administrator and select Open. 2. In the DiskXtender Recycler dialog box, select the file to restore. 3. Open the File menu and select Restore. Note: If the file is not in the DiskXtender Recycler, you may be able to restore the file from a backup. The type of media determines whether it is necessary to restore the full file data or the file tag from the backup. Recovering from a backup on page 385 provides details. Recovering from a backup When files on the extended drive are accidentally deleted, you may be able to restore the files from a backup of the extended drive. Files should be restored to the same location from which they were deleted. Do not restore files to a different location. The type of media to which the files are migrated determines whether it is necessary to restore the file tag or the full file with all of its data. Table 58 on page 385 lists the media types that require recovery of the file tag or the full file. Table 58 File recovery requirements by media type Media types that allow recovery of the file tag DVD-R DVD-RAM formatted with the OTG file system DVD-ROM MO, MO WORM, UDO, and UDO WORM formatted with the OTG file system Tape Tape-WORM Media types that require recovery of the full file DVD-RAM formatted with the UDF file system EMC Centera without retention or after retention expires MO, MO WORM, UDO, and UDO WORM formatted with the UDF file system Standard and Aggregate NAS TSM These requirements are necessary because the type of media determines whether a file can be deleted from the media when it is deleted from the extended drive. Files that have been migrated to the media types in the first column of Table 58 on page 385 cannot be deleted from the media when they are deleted from the extended drive. In that scenario, the file remains on the media until the media is compacted and Recovering deleted files 385

386 Backup and Recovery reformatted. Since the file remains on the media, you can restore the file tag from the backup, and the connection between the file tag on the extended drive and the file on the media is restored, as long as the backup software supports EAs.! CAUTION If the media to which the file was written has been compacted, then you must restore the full file, and not just the file tag. If a file is deleted from the media when it is deleted from the extended drive (which happens with the media types in the second column of Table 58 on page 385), then you must restore the full file with all of its data to the extended drive. The file can then be re-migrated to media and purged, if necessary. If you use a media type that requires recovery of the full file, then you must ensure that there is at least one backup set with a copy of the full file. In addition, you must be able to easily identify which backup set contains the copy of the full file. Backup sets from backup software that supports EAs (which includes most backup software) are likely to contain file tags for some files and the full file data for other files. This can make the process of tracking the backup location of the full data for each file quite complex. As a result, the DiskXtender Recycler is recommended to restore accidentally deleted files from the media types in the second column of Table 58 on page 385.! IMPORTANT If the DiskXtender Recycler is enabled, do not restore a file from a backup set unless you are certain that the file is not in the DiskXtender Recycler and that the file in the backup set is a full version of the file (not a file tag). Data loss can occur when you restore a file tag from a backup set but the file data is no longer on the media. 386 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

387 Backup and Recovery Recovering the system after a failure The following tasks are required to restore the DiskXtender server after a system failure. 1. If necessary, reformat the hard drive on the DiskXtender server. 2. Reinstall the operating system on a server with the same name as the failed DiskXtender server. 3. Create partitions on the hard drive for the extended drive(s). 4. Reinstall and configure the necessary media service software: If you use EMC Centera and you used an application profile to connect to the EMC Centera cluster, copy the DiskXtender.pea file to the same location it was in before the failure. If the node name aliases for the access nodes are referenced in the local HOSTS file on the source computer, add them to the local HOSTS file on the target computer. If you use MediaStor, recover the MediaStor server, if necessary. (If the MediaStor server did not encounter any failures, then the recovery steps that follow are not necessary. Proceed to step 5.) a. Reformat the hard drive and reinstall Microsoft Windows. b. Ensure that all necessary hardware is attached properly to the server. c. Reinstall MediaStor. d. Use the Registry Log Wizard in the MediaStor Administrator to restore the MediaStor registry log file. Restoring the registry log on page 390 provides instructions. e. Restart the server. f. Use the MediaStor Administrator to set all libraries online and perform a full inventory. If you use NAS, recover the files on the NAS device by using backup application recovery procedures, if necessary. If you use TSM, install the TSM Backup/Archive Client on the DiskXtender server, and set the Allow Backup Delete option to Yes. In addition, restore the dsm.opt file from backup to the DiskXtender bin directory, or copy the file from the TSM BACLIENT directory and edit it as you did when you initially set up the TSM media service. If you use Sun StorageTek ACSLS, connect the server to the library drives, and power on the libraries. 5. Install DiskXtender by using the instructions in the DiskXtender installation guide. Recovering the system after a failure 387

388 Backup and Recovery 6. Restore the extended drives to the new partitions: If you used backup software that is EA-aware, or if you used snapshot backup software, follow the restore procedures provided in the documentation for the software. If your extended drive backup strategy relied only on metadata exports, restore the most recent metadata export. If you performed regular metadata exports in addition to backups with software that is not EA-aware, restore the most recent metadata export. Then restore the most recent backup set, selecting the option to not replace existing files of the same name. Restoring the metadata export on page 388 provides details on restoring the export. 7. Use the Registry Log Wizard in the File System Manager Administrator to restore the DiskXtender registry log file. Restoring the registry log on page 390 provides instructions. Note: If the volume serial number and the drive letter have been changed, then use the Change Extended Drive Serial Number Wizard to change the extended drive ID and the drive letter. The wizard launches automatically when necessary. The online help for the wizard provides assistance in completing the wizard. 8. Restart the server. 9. Verify that the restore procedure was successful: Ensure that all hardware and services are online. Verify that all DiskXtender settings are configured correctly. Verify that files can be migrated, fetched, purged, and deleted as expected. Contact EMC Customer Service if you have any questions or need assistance with restoring the system after a failure. Restoring the metadata export If you created metadata exports, you can restore the exported files to the extended drive after a disaster occurs. You can restore the files to the same extended drive or to a different drive, if necessary. The restore process does not overwrite files if a file of the same name already exists on the extended drive. Because of the potential for confusion or for maintenance of outdated or corrupted files, do not use the metadata import/export function except as a disaster recovery tool. To restore the extended drive from a meta-data export: 1. Right-click the extended drive to restore and select Meta-data Import. The Extended Drive Meta-Data Import Wizard welcome page appears. 2. Click Next. The Provide Meta-Data Set Location page appears with the metadata export folder location listed in the UNC Path text box by default, as illustrated in Figure 149 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

389 Backup and Recovery Figure 149 Extended Drive Meta-Data Import Wizard Provide Meta-Data Set Location page 3. To change the export from which the extended drive is restored, type or browse to the path in the UNC Path text box.! CAUTION You must select the same UNC path that you specified for the metadata export. Do not attempt to specify the DiskXtender-created metadata export folder (identified by date) for the restore. The Extended Drive Meta-Data Import Wizard finds the most recent exports automatically and enables you to select the correct one. 4. Click Next. The Select Meta-Data Set page appears, as illustrated in Figure 150 on page 389. Figure 150 Extended Drive Meta-Data Import Wizard Select Meta-Data Set page Because you can create export sets for more than one extended drive and maintain them in the same UNC path, you might have multiple export sets from which to choose. However, DiskXtender retains only the most recent exports for each extended drive, so only one export set appears within each metadata export folder. Recovering the system after a failure 389

390 Backup and Recovery Note: To view the folder and date information for an export set, select the export set and click Details. The Meta-Data Set Details dialog box appears. When you finish viewing the details, click Done. 5. Click Next. 6. Review the summary information and click Finish. The extended drive files are restored to the point at which the export was created. If you exported only files that had not been migrated, then the metadata exports do not contain file tags for files that are on media. If this is the case with the export you are restoring, you also need to restore files that were migrated to media. To restore files from media, run the File Restore media task for each piece of media. If the meta-data export contains both migrated and non-migrated files, the files in the export that had been migrated to media are not restored unless that media is in the media group at the time the export is restored. If you have unfinalized DVD media and the metadata import restores the file tags for managed files, running a File Restore task on the unfinalized media does not retrieve the file data because the tags are already on the drive. You must run a Prefetch media task on the unfinalized DVD media to fetch the file data to the extended drive and keep it there until the media is finalized. Prefetch media task on page 294 provides instructions for running the task. Restoring the registry log To restore the registry configuration for either File System Manager or MediaStor: 1. From the Tools menu in either the File System Manager Administrator or the MediaStor Administrator, select Registry Log. The Registry Log Wizard appears, as illustrated in Figure 144 on page Select Restore service configuration from a registry log and click Next. The Restore Registry Log page appears, as illustrated in Figure 151 on page 390. Figure 151 Registry Log Wizard Restore Registry Log page 3. Type the path and filename for or browse to the registry log file. 390 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

391 Backup and Recovery When browsing to the registry log file, select the directory where the registry log files are located and click OK. Then select the registry log file from the Registry Log Images dialog box and click OK. In most cases, select the registry log file named DiskXtender.rlog, which has the most recent updates. However, if the system corruption took place sometime before the most recent registry log file was saved, you might want to restore an earlier version of the file. In this case, choose the registry log file with the most recent date. 4. Click Next. The Restore Registry Log Warning page appears to warn you that restoring the registry log will overwrite the current configuration. 5. Click Next. The Restore Registry Log Note page appears with a final warning that restoring the registry log will overwrite the current configuration. 6. Click Next. 7. Review the summary information and click Finish. The registry log information is copied, and the backup configuration is restored to the server. Then a message appears to prompt you to restart the server. 8. Click OK. Recovering the system after a failure 391

392 Backup and Recovery 392 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

393 A Utilities DiskXtender contains a number of utilities that assist you in monitoring and maintaining the system: Explorer Add-ons Jukebox Manager SCSI Manager Support utilities Utilities 393

394 Utilities Explorer Add-ons Installed either on their own or with DiskXtender, the Explorer Add-ons connect to the extended drive through Microsoft Windows Explorer so that users without a full installation of DiskXtender can perform individual file management. Understanding Explorer Add-ons functionality The Explorer Add-ons enable you to perform the following tasks: Run DiskXtender file reports View file properties Set Direct Read for specific files Purge specific files Change the retention setting for specific files Delete retained files from a piece of media on either an EMC Centera Basic or Governance Edition (GE) device Note: When you perform a privileged delete, the file is permanently deleted. Even when the DiskXtender Recycler is enabled, the file is not placed in it. The Explorer Add-ons also provide a client fetch notification feature. When a client with the Explorer Add-ons installed requests a file that must be fetched from media and the retrieval takes more than a few seconds, a progress message appears to note that file retrieval is taking place. This situation occurs most often when a requested file exists on a piece of media that must be mounted in a drive. You can access the Explorer Add-ons by using a wizard or by right-clicking files in Microsoft Windows Explorer and selecting DiskXtender. The advantage of the wizard is the ability to select multiple files from multiple directories. To select files from a single directory, it might be faster to use the shortcut menu. The Unload Shell Xtensions option, which is listed on the Microsoft Windows Start menu for File System Manager or the Explorer Add-ons, enables you to remove the Explorer Add-ons wizard information from operating system memory. This information is reloaded the next time any Explorer Add-ons function is called. You should not need to remove the wizard information from memory unless instructed to do so by an EMC Customer Support Representative. 394 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

395 Utilities Installing the Explorer Add-ons The Explorer Add-ons are installed automatically on the DiskXtender server when you install File System Manager. To install the Explorer Add-ons on a different computer as well: 1. Determine the release of the Explorer Add-ons that you need. The operating system on the machine determines the necessary release. For a 32-bit operating system, use release 6.3. For a 64-bit operating system, use release 6.4. You can use either release 6.3 on a 32-bit operating system or release 6.4 on a 64-bit operating system to connect to DiskXtender 6.4. In other words, a 32-bit Explorer Add-ons installation can connect to a 64-bit DiskXtender installation. The reverse is also true a 64-bit Explorer Add-ons installation can connect to a 32-bit DiskXtender installation. 2. Ensure that a supported operating system is installed on the computer: Release 6.3 supports the following 32-bit operating systems: Microsoft Windows 2003 Standard or Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 2 (32-bit) Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Standard or Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 1 (x86-32) (32-bit) Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 Microsoft Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 Release 6.4 supports the following 64-bit operating systems: Microsoft Windows 2003 Standard or Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 2 (x64) Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Standard or Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 1 (x64) Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 Microsoft Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 The minimum system requirements for these operating systems are sufficient to run the Explorer Add-ons. 3. Exit all applications. If other software is running, the setup wizard might not be able to write to all necessary files. 4. Insert the DiskXtender installation CD into the drive. 5. From the Microsoft Windows Start menu, select Run. The Run dialog box appears. 6. Browse or type the path to the setup file: drive:\diskxtender 6.n\Explorer Add-ons\Setup.exe where n is the release number and drive is the drive holding the installation CD. 7. Click OK. The setup wizard appears, starting with the Installation page. 8. Click Next. The Installation Options page appears. Explorer Add-ons 395

396 Utilities 9. Select Install new product and click Next. The License Agreement page appears. 10. Scroll to the bottom of the license agreement as you read the agreement. The Accept terms of agreement checkbox is enabled. 11. Select the checkbox and click Next. The Registration page appears. 12. Type an appropriate name in the Customer Name text box, and the company name in the Organization text box. 13. Click Next. The Target Computers page appears. 14. Select the computers on which to install the Explorer Add-ons. The local computer is listed by default. You can browse to additional computers, or select them by clicking Add and then typing in the name or IP address. Note: The Explorer Add-ons are installed to the system drive for each computer listed. You cannot change the installation drive or directory. 15. Click Next. 16. Review the summary information and click Finish. 17. When the installation is complete, click Exit to close the setup wizard. Note: If you installed the Explorer Add-ons on one or more remote computers, in addition to or instead of the local computer, the Setup Result dialog box appears before the final confirmation. Take note of any computers listed in the dialog box that require a restart, or computers where the installation failed, and then click OK. 18. Review the privileges required for each Explorer Add-ons feature, listed in Privileges required for the Explorer Add-ons on page 396, to determine whether it is necessary to adjust the privileges for any users that will be running the Explorer Add-ons. Privileges required for the Explorer Add-ons The privileges listed in Table 59 on page 396 are required to use the Explorer Add-ons. Table 59 Required privileges for the Explorer Add-ons (page 1 of 2) Explorer Add-ons feature All features View file reports View file properties Required privileges The DiskXtender service account must have full access permissions on all media folders and subfolders. The Explorer Add-ons features will not function properly if the service does not have full access to the files. The logged on Explorer Add-ons user must be a member of the DxUsers group on the DiskXtender server. The logged on Explorer Add-ons user must be a member of the DxUsers group on the DiskXtender server. 396 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

397 Utilities Table 59 Required privileges for the Explorer Add-ons (page 2 of 2) Explorer Add-ons feature Set Direct Read Purge files Edit retention Privileged delete Required privileges The logged on Explorer Add-ons user must be a member of the DxAdministrators group on the DiskXtender server. The logged on Explorer Add-ons user must be a member of the DxAdministrators group on the DiskXtender server. The logged on Explorer Add-ons user must be a member of the DxAdministrators group on the DiskXtender server. The profile that DiskXtender uses to connect to the EMC Centera cluster must have the Privileged Delete right. The EMC Centera online help provides additional information on access profiles, which should be configured by an EMC Centera technical representative. The logged on Explorer Add-ons user must be a member of the DxAdministrators group on the DiskXtender server. Launching the Shell Xtensions Wizard To launch the Shell Xtensions Wizard of the Explorer Add-ons: 1. Use the Microsoft Windows Start menu or right-click a file in Microsoft Windows Explorer: From the Start menu, select Programs > EMC DiskXtender File System Manager (or EMC DiskXtender Explorer Add-ons, if only the Explorer Add-ons are installed) > Shell Xtensions Wizard. Right-click a file on the extended drive and select DiskXtender > DiskXtender Shell Wizard. The wizard appears, as illustrated in Figure 152 on page 397. Figure 152 Shell Xtensions Wizard Select Function page 2. Choose the function for which to use the wizard and click Next to proceed. The Explorer Add-ons online help provides details on each page of the wizard. Explorer Add-ons 397

398 Utilities Opening the Explorer Add-ons shortcut menu To open the Explorer Add-ons shortcut menu: 1. In Microsoft Windows Explorer, select the files and/or directories on the extended drive on which you would like to perform the Explorer Add-ons function. Note: When you select a directory, all files in the directory and its subdirectories are subject to the actions performed through the Explorer Add-ons. 2. Right-click the selection and choose DiskXtender. The Explorer Add-ons menu appears, as illustrated in Figure 153 on page 398. Figure 153 Explorer Add-ons menu The Explorer Add-ons online help provides details on the tasks required once you select an option on the menu. 398 EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

399 Utilities Jukebox Manager Installed with MediaStor, the Jukebox Manager utility provides an interface for viewing and managing system libraries. Understanding Jukebox Manager functionality Jukebox Manager enables you to perform the following library tasks: View a library profile, including barcode information for tape and optical media, if the library supports volume tags Inventory the library Insert media Move media Mount media Flip media Dismount media Exchange media (dismount media in a drive, return it to its original shelf, and mount a new piece of media in the drive) Eject media Jukebox Manager provides only a general overview of the library and its contents, including whether media exists in drives and shelves. It does not specify any information about the media or its contents, nor does it allow media-related functions. This is sufficient for some diagnostic procedures; however, if more detailed diagnostics are necessary, it might be more helpful to use SCSI Manager. Starting Jukebox Manager To start the Jukebox Manager utility: 1. Be sure that neither SCSI Manager nor the MediaStor service is running. Jukebox Manager cannot initialize if MediaStor or SCSI Manager is running. Only one of these services can access devices at a time. 2. From the Microsoft Windows Start menu, select Programs > EMC MediaStor > Utilities > JUKE Manager. The Jukebox Manager window appears, and Jukebox Manager automatically initializes. Note: If Jukebox Manager fails to initialize, you can initialize it manually. From the File menu in Jukebox Manager, select Initialize. A checkmark appears beside the Initialize command in the File menu, and the Jukebox List window appears. As Jukebox Manager initializes, it looks for all SCSI, iscsi, and FireWire libraries on the system and lists them in the Jukebox List window, as illustrated in Figure 154 on page 400. Jukebox Manager 399

400 Utilities Figure 154 Jukebox Manager utility Jukebox List window The description for each library is the actual inquiry string from the device. This can be helpful when working with an EMC Customer Support Representative to resolve an issue. Note: If you close a Jukebox window or shut down Jukebox Manager, the Jukebox List window also closes. You can open it again by selecting the List option from the Jukebox menu (when Jukebox Manager is initialized). 3. From the Jukebox List window, you have the following choices: View a library profile, including the SCSI ID or identification number of the library, a description of the library, and particular functions of the library, such as whether double-sided media is supported. Open a Jukebox window for a library, from which you can view and manage media in the library. To open a Jukebox window, select the library and then click Select. The Jukebox window is illustrated in Figure 155 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

401 Utilities Figure 155 Jukebox Manager utility Jukebox window The Jukebox Manager online help provides more information on the utility. Jukebox Manager 401

402 Utilities SCSI Manager Installed with MediaStor, the SCSI Manager utility provides an interface for viewing and troubleshooting SCSI, iscsi, and FireWire devices. Understanding SCSI Manager functionality A working knowledge of SCSI, including commands and hardware connectivity, is necessary to fully utilize SCSI Manager features, which include viewing SCSI device profiles and status, browsing media data, and performing SCSI commands to manipulate the device. Available SCSI commands include: Format Inquiry Mode Sense Read Capacity Read Sector Request Sense Receive Diagnostics Rezero Unit Send Diagnostics Test Unit Ready Write Sector You can also issue custom commands. Starting SCSI Manager To start the SCSI Manager utility: 1. Be sure that neither Jukebox Manager nor the MediaStor service is running. SCSI Manager cannot initialize if MediaStor or Jukebox Manager is running. Only one of these services can access devices at a time. 2. From the Microsoft Windows Start menu, select Programs > EMC MediaStor > Utilities > SCSI Manager. The SCSI Manager window appears, and SCSI Manager automatically initializes. Note: If SCSI Manager fails to initialize, you can initialize it manually. From the File menu in SCSI Manager, select Initialize. A checkmark appears beside the Initialize command in the File menu, and the Device List window appears. As SCSI Manager initializes, it looks for all SCSI, iscsi, and FireWire devices on the system and lists them in the Device List window, as illustrated in Figure 156 on page EMC DiskXtender Release 6.4 Microsoft Windows Version Administration Guide

403 Utilities Figure 156 SCSI Manager utility - Device List window Note: If you close a Device window or shut down SCSI Manager, the Device List window also closes. You can open it again by selecting the Device List option from the System menu (when SCSI Manager is initialized). 3. From the Device List window, you have the following choices: View a device profile, including the SCSI ID or identification number of the device, a description of the device, which features a specific device supports, and therefore whether those commands are applicable for the device. Open a Device window for a device, from which you can view and manage the device. To open a Device window, select the device and then click Select. The Device window is illustrated in Figure 157 on page 403. Figure 157 SCSI Manager utility Device window The SCSI Manager online help provides more information on the utility. SCSI Manager 403