Tape Drive Licensing

[DavieRooker]

Hi all,

Still struggling to get to grips with BE2012, this time with tape library options.

We have an HP MSL2024 robotic library which contains 2 drives.

If I look at the License summary screen on the BE server it shows that we have "library expansion option" and "virtual tape library unlimited drive option".

Despite this, if I configure the MSL2024 as a single logical library BE2012 flags up an error that I'm not licensed for the correct amount of drives. If I configure the MSL2024 as 2 logical libraries then there is no error.

I'm not really sure of the advantage of 1 or 2 logical libraries TBH, I'm just curious as to why the is an error for something that we are supposedly licensed for.

If someone could shed some light on the logical library question then that would be great, as would an explanation for the error.

Regards,

[CraigV]

Hi,

BE includes a license for 1 tape drive in an autoloader or library. Every subsequent tape drive requires a Library Expansion Option license (LEO).

You need 1 x LEO license in order to license that second drive. (EDIT) - If you already have an LEO license and this is installed on the media server, then consider removing it and readding it.

Thanks!

[VJware]

Would you pls click on the BE icon (on top left corner of the UI) and then choose Installation & Licensing - Install Options & Licenses. Is there a license for Library Expansion Option installed at this screen ?

As BE includes support for any number of stand-alone tape drives and support for the first tape drive of any number of RLs, this is why there is no error when you configure the MSL as two logical RLs.

[DavieRooker]

Hi Guys,

As per original post, the LEO is listed in the licensing information. there is however no seperate listing in the setup screen for adding licenses etc.so I can't remove/add.

What would be the pro's and cons of 1 logical library as opposed to 2?

Regards,

[ZeRoC00L]

The PRO of 2 logical libraries is you don't need an extra LEO license.

THE CON is that you can only use the first 12 tapes for 1 tapeunit and the other 12 tapes for the other tapeunit.

[CraigV]

...and how does BE control 2 logical libraries? This would be the first time I've seen such a request on the forums.

Did you ever load an LEO license? If not, it comes back to what I mentioned where you need to purchase a license and then load it. They're not too expensive.

Thanks!

[DavieRooker]

I received 4 slf license files which I have loaded, should the LEO have come seperately.

Apologies for the apparent lack of knowledge of my own system, I have actually inherited it from a former employee who specced it but never built it.

Regards,

[Halwa_Wala]

Are you using any VTL alongwith the HP library? Also when you go to the license information screen, does it say Library Expansion Option as Installed - Yes?

[CraigV]

...you should have some sort of "paper trail". It might also be in an email.

If you don't have this you can contact the Symantec Licensing department and they can assist you as to what your licenses are for.

Otherwise log onto licensing.symantec.com, register, and add in the licenses there (or the maintenance contract #) and it should also spit out what they are for.

Thanks!

[DavieRooker]

Only the HP library is being used.

Yes, as per original post the Libray Expansion Option says "yes" and "yes"

[CraigV]

...then you need to establish which of those 4 *.slf files relate to the LEO license and then reinstall it.

I assume that you're also using the Symantec drivers for the tape drive, and that the robotics shows up as Unknown Medium Changer in Device Manager?

You can use tapeinst.exe to install the Symantec drivers for the drives.

Thanks!

[DavieRooker]

I have registered the licenses with Symantec and none of them mention LEO.

I thought I had installed the Symantec Tape drivers, although the device manager shows the tapes as HP Ultrium 6-SCSI SCSI Sequential Drive.

[CraigV]

That's fine if they show up as that. However, check the Drivers tab...it must show Symantec as the driver provider.

If none of the slf files show LEO as 1 of the licenses, then you might not have it. Contact Symantec licensing to take this further, alternatively a vendor who can do so.

Thanks!

[DavieRooker]

The tape drivers do indeed show Symantec as the provider, so no worries there.

CraigV if I can go back to your entry a few posts back, I take it from that BE2012 cannot control 2 logical libraries?

Regards,

[CraigV]

It was more of a question...it is something I've never seen asked on the BE forums in over 5 years of being on it. 2 separate libraries, not an issue...2 logical libraries, I'm not so sure of. I haven't seen anything on this in Symantec documentation either.

You can always configure it as such and then try running simultaneous backups.

Thanks!

[DavieRooker]

Thanks Craig,

I have no idea why this system was specced with 2 tape drives, in fact the whole system was just poorly researched.

I will try the 2 logical drive setup and report back.

[CraigV · Accepted solution]

No worries Davie. Me personally? I'd still go for the LEO license and make management of the hardware from within BE a lot easier and less complicated.

Thanks!

[DavieRooker]

I totally agree, but the management are now reluctant to drop another 400+ quid to fix a system that was alledgedly ready to go.

[Larry_Fine]

"2 logical libraries" is just another way of saying "hardware partitioning", it is somewhat vendor specific terminology.

There are pros and cons of hardware partitioning, but IMHO, if you don't know why you want hardware partitoning, then you probably don't want hardware partitioning.  Having multiple hardware partitions on the same BE server just makes administration a bit messier, so why make things messy without a reason.  Typically hardware partitioning is used by people that want two different servers to share a library.

[DavieRooker]

Sorry to bang on about this, but it's not really making sense.

At present I have the HP2024 set as 1 logical library, and BE2012 discovers it thus.

It seems to still be splitting the 2 magazines between the 2 drives.