Topics | Configure | How To | Troubleshoot | Related Topics
Configuring PnP Disk Libraries
In locations where it is hard to configure and manage tapes due to operational issues Plug and Play (PnP) storage devices (e.g., FireWire, USB, SATA storage devices, etc.) can be used for storage instead of tapes. Once configured, PnP disks are treated like tapes in a Stand-Alone drive.
Disk devices that do not retain the Operating System drive letter when disconnected/unloaded can be configured as PnP disk libraries (for example, thumb drives, etc.).
| Support for devices like USB, FireWire, SATA storage devices is not dependant on any specific vendor make or model. These devices are considered supported as long as the host operating system appropriately detects the devices as disk targets. Therefore, these device types are not listed within the Hardware Compatibility Matrix. |
The following sections provide a detailed discussion on the features associated with PnP Disks.
 To
use a PnP disk, you must first configure a library in the MediaAgent in
which you plan to use the device. Note that only one PnP library can be
configured per MediaAgent. Although multiple drives can be configured, only
single-streamed jobs are supported. (Multiple drives provide the ability
to span across multiple media for a single-streamed job.)See Configure a PnP Disk Library for step-by-step instructions on configuring a PnP library. |
Once configured, PnP Disk Libraries are similar to a stand-alone drive and all the features, including the following are supported by these libraries:
| For PnP libraries, Manual Stamping of Media is supported for libraries that have only one USB drive. It is not supported for PnP libraries that have multiple USB drives. |
In addition, the following options specific to PnP Disk Libraries are also available available in the Library Properties - Media Usage tab:
Enabling this option ensures that blank disks with no other data is used for data protection operations and allows you to use disks exclusively for data protection purposes. (See Enable (or Disable) Option to Only Use Blank PnP Disks for step-by-step instructions.)
Enabling this option and specifying the minimum disk size ensures that data protection operations use disks with a specific size. Depending on the size of your data protection operations, you can avoid using smaller disks which may result in a job spanning multiple disks.
Data aging and media recycling are supported. In addition the following operations which are similar to the stand-alone drives are also supported:
As most of the operations supported by tape/optical libraries are also supported, refer to the following topics for specific information on the operation:
See also:
This feature requires a Feature License to be available in the CommServe® Server.
Review general license requirements included in License Administration. Also, View All Licenses provides step-by-step instructions on how to view the license information.