- Sun Storage Virtual Tape Library VTL User Guide

Advantages of VTL tape virtualization
4 VTL User Guide • May 2008 G • 96267
AdvantagesofVTLtapevirtualization
AddingSunStorageTekVirtualTapeLibraryappliancestoanexistingtape‐based
backuparchitecturecanthusrealizethefollowingadvantages :
■ “Shorterruntimesandreduceddependency onbackupwindows”onpage 4
■ “Shorterruntimes fornon‐sequentialbackupjobs”onpage 5
■ “Improvedreliability”onpage 5
■ “Betterutilizationoftapesubsystems”onpage 5
■ “Larger, moreflexiblelibraries”onpage 6
■ “CompatibilitywithACSLS managementsoftware”onpage 6
■ “Truetapevirtualizationwithdynamicallyallocateddisk space”onpage 7.
Shorterruntimesandreduceddependencyon
backupwindows
VTLappliancescanhandleanarrowbackupwindowbyusingnumbersofvirtual
drivesoperatinginparallel,somethingthatwouldbehighlyimpractic al with
physical tapedrives.Inthisway,thecritical,fir stcopyoftheprimarydataisreliably
transferredtodisk‐basedvirtualtapeinminimumtime.Thereafter,vaulting

softwareand/or VT L tape‐cachingfeaturesca n copythebackupfromvirtualto
physical mediausinga smaller,moreeconomicalnumberofphysicaldrives.Seethe
figurebelow:
Multiple virtual drives speed backup during the critical backup window
virtual
tape
drives
virtual library
physical library
primary storage
physical
tape
drives
Back up to multiple virtual tape
drives during the critical
backup window
At other times, copy virtual tapes to
physical media using one or two
dedicated tape drives
backup
window