Drobo Disk array causing "Library Expansion Option Violation"

[Mark_Roberts_-_]

We just installed a Drobo disk array and are using it for backup to disk.  However now we are receiving errors in Backup Exec 2010 with:

Library Expansion Option Violation:

This server is licensed to support 0 tape drives in robotic libraries. However, the number of tape drives currently in use exceeds the license.  You must purchase additional Library Expansion Options, or disable 1 tape drive.  Please refer to product documentation for more information.


We don't have any tape drives or libraries at all.  So it must be thinking the Drobo drive array is a tape drive.  Any suggestions?

[CarolineKiel]

Hi,
sounds, as if the Drobo is seen from Backup Exec as a VTL (Virtual Tape Library). If that's the fact, you need a LEO (Library Expansion Option) license for every drive except the first one. So, if your VTL shows with three drives to BE, you'd need two LEOs.

Regards,
Oliver

[teiva-boy]

Just make sure the Drobo is configured as a CIFS share or iSCSI target and setup a B2D folder.  

[Colin_Weaver]

BE 2010 has two licensing options for this sort of scenario - older versions of BE had one.

First (and assuming the Drobo is a VTL best) is use the new VTL license which when used allows a many virtual tape devcies per physical VTL unit as you like - however I have seen at least one VTL that doesn't register correctly as a VTL  that generates the "This server is licensed to support 0 tape drives in robotic libraries error" with the VTL license. As such if you hit this scenario you might want to open a formal support case to allow us to invetigate the problem against your specific VTL.

Second is to purchase enough LEO Licenses to cover the number of virtual drives you have configured - I believe if you don;t have enough LEO liecnese that the error message will be similar but never indicate 0 - as you are always licensesd for 1 drive in a library without a LEO.

Note there is a cross over where it might work out cheaper to use LEO licenses instead of the VTL license depending on how many virtual drives you want to create.

[Larry_Fine]

As far as I know, Drobo doesn't do any sort of VTL  If Drobo is acting as a VTL, it isn't on the HCL, so it wouldn't be supported.  What is your Drobo model and connection method?

I suspect that for some reason, BE thinks that there is a tape library and drives attached.  Looks like this is a known issue  http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/351301.htm