Table of Contents
Sync Introduction
This guide has been written to assist those responsible for tape management with the process of integrating their backup software or tape management system with the TapeTrack Media Management Software.
For those who have their own TapeTrack Framework Server, these instructions relate to connecting to your own system, while, for those who use TapeTrack via a relationship with their data protection provider, these instructions relate to connecting into your vendor's system.
Prerequisite knowledge
Knowledge of the following skills would be advantageous in implementing TapeTrack synchronization:
- Experience with a text file editor such as Windows Notepad or vi.
- Experience with a task schedule such as Windows Task Scheduler or crond.
- Experience with the backup software you are synchronizing.
- Experience with Windows DOS batch scripting, or UNIX shell scripting.
Synchronization Process
TapeTrack's Synchronization Suite is a powerful toolkit that allows you to set fields within TapeTrack based upon the values of fields within your backup or tape management software.
The logic flow of synchronization is as follows:
- Load the definition file to instruct the program on where to get the data and how to interpret the data.
- Logon to the TapeTrack Framework Server
- Read each record from the data source, establish each of the fields to be synchronized for each record.
- On the first record, or on any record where the Customer and/or Media scope change, download a cache of Volume information from the TapeTrack Framework Server.
- Where the Volume information has changed apply the update to the TapeTrack Server.
- On the last record from the data source print statistics about the update session.
Where the Customer and/or Media scope do not change this means that the synchronization program only needs to download this information once.
Care should be taken not to randomize Volumes within a Customer and or Media scope as this will degrade the performance of the program.
If Volume scope is randomized it is strongly recommended that the data source be sorted as a step prior to synchronization.
The benefits of synchronization
Synchronization with your backup or tape management system has the following benefits:
- Automation of tape movement requests, including setting description fields and the next move date of each tape.
- The ability to synchronize off a picking and distribution list or a complete inventory list.
- Elimination of errors that are possible with manual data input.
- Ensuring that tape movements are not dependent on manual intervention that cease if a key employee is absent.
- The ability to securely synchronize over the Internet.
- Warning messages when tapes are in the library that are expected not to be.
- Warning messages when tapes are not in the library that are expected to be.
- Automatic confirmation of tapes when they are entered into the library, reducing the need for manual barcode scanning.