IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition
Media partitioning and the IBM Linear Tape File System (LTFS) Single Drive Edition (LTFS SDE) software are described. LTFS SDE was announced several years ago as part of the IBM Linear Tape-Option Ultrium 5 (LTO-5) tape drive technology.
With the recent announcement of IBM Linear Tape-Option Ultrium 6 (LTO-6) specifications, tape storage again provides several advantages to clients over other forms of data storage. For example, tape storage now provides capacity up to 6.25 TB (compressed) per tape cartridge in addition to reliability, portability, cost efficiency, and energy efficiency.
Based on the media partitioning capability of the LTO-5 and LTO-6 technology, IBM created LTFS as a self-describing tape file system, therefore, implementing a true file system for tape. LTFS can write files directly to tape media by using operating system commands and without any additional application. The tape drive appears on the operating system as though it is a USB-attached disk drive. Data can be easily written by dragging and dropping files to or from a tape drive, therefore, making it practical and easy to use.
LTFS SDE is available for Linux, Apple Mac, and Microsoft Windows systems and is available free of charge from the IBM Fix Central website. The acronyms LTFS and LTFS SDE are used interchangeably.
The following topics are included:
•Introduction to LTFS
•Installation on a Linux system
•Installation on a Mac OS X system
•Installation on a Windows system
•Managing LTFS SDE
•Troubleshooting
•Command reference
•Tools
1.1 Introduction to LTFS
LTFS is the first file system that works with LTO generation 5 and 6 tape technology (or IBM TS1140 tape drives) to set a new standard for ease of use and portability for open systems tape storage. With this application, accessing data that is stored on an IBM tape cartridge is as easy and intuitive as using a USB flash drive. Tapes are self-describing, and you can quickly recall any file from a tape without having to read the whole tape from beginning to end. Furthermore, any LTFS-capable system can read a tape that is created by any other LTFS-capable system (regardless of the operating system platform). Any LTFS-capable system can identify and retrieve the files that are stored on it. LTFS-capable systems have the following characteristics:
•Files and directories are displayed to you as a directory tree listing.
•More intuitive searches of cartridge and library content are now possible due to the addition of file tagging.
•Files can be moved to and from LTFS tape by using the familiar drag-and-drop metaphor common to many operating systems.
•Many applications that were written to use files on disk can now use files on tape without any modification.
•All standard File Open, Write, Read, Append, Delete, and Close functions are supported.
Archival data storage requirements are growing at over 60% annually. The LTFS format is an ideal option for long-term archiving of large files that need to be easily shared with others. This option is especially important because the LTO tape media that it uses are designed to have a 15-year to 30-year lifespan (depending on the number of read/write passes).
Industries that benefit from this tape file system are the banking, digital media, medical, geophysical, and entertainment industries. Many users in these industries use Linux or Macintosh systems, which are fully compatible with LTFS.
It is important to note that LTO Ultrium cartridges from earlier LTO generations (that is LTO-1 through LTO-4) are not partitionable and therefore cannot be used by LTFS. If LTO Ultrium 4 cartridges are used in an LTO Ultrium 5 drive to write data, the LTO-4 cartridge is treated like an unpartitioned LTO-5 cartridge. Even if an application can deal with partitions, it is not possible to partition the LTO-4 media that is mounted at an LTO Ultrium 5 drive. Similarly, Write Once Read Many (WORM) cartridges of any generation cannot be used by LTFS because they cannot be partitioned.
Although TS1140 tape drives are also supported by LTFS SDE version 1.3.0 and later, for simplicity, only LTO tape drives are discussed.
While LTFS presents the tape cartridge as a disk drive, remember that the underlying hardware is still a tape cartridge and is therefore sequential in nature. Tape does not allow random access. Data is always appended to the tape, and there is no overwriting of files. File deletions do not actually erase the data from tape but simply erase the pointers to the data. So, although with LTFS, you can simultaneously copy two (or more) files to an LTFS tape, you get better performance if you copy files sequentially.
To operate the tape file system, the following components are needed:
•Software in the form of an open source LTFS package
•Hardware, consisting of IBM LTO Ultrium 5 or Ultrium 6 tape drives and tape media
•Data structures that are created by LTFS on tape
Together, these components can handle a file system on LTO media as though it is a disk file system for accessing tape files, including the tape directory tree structures. The metadata of each cartridge, after it is mounted, is cached in server memory. Metadata operations, such as browsing the directory or searching for a file name, therefore do not require any tape movement and are quick.
The following sections provide a more detailed view of the design and implementation of LTFS:
•For index and data partition information, see “Tape partitions” on page 4.
•For Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE), see “Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE)” on page 7.
•On-tape data structures are defined by the W3C Extensible Markup Language (XML) 1.0 standard and use an XML schema to record the contents of the tape. See “XML schema” on page 8, and “Example of recording the LTFS XML schemas” on page 9.
1.1.1 Downloading LTFS
LTFS is distributed similarly to other IBM tape device drivers in that you can download it at no charge. For more information and a list of supported operating systems, see the following IBM Tape Storage Systems page:
IBM maintains the latest levels of tape-related System Storage software, the tape device driver, the LTFS software package, and documentation on the Internet. Use the Fix Central download portal:
To download the latest version of LTFS, follow these steps:
1. From the main Fix Central page, select the following options:
a. For Product Group, select System Storage.
b. For System Storage, select Tape systems.
c. For Tape systems, select Tape drivers and software.
d. For Tape drivers and software, select LTFS Single Drive Edition (SDE).
e. For Platform, to download the latest version of LTFS, select the correct platform.
f. Click Continue.
2. In the next window, select the LTFS fix pack to download and click Continue. Alternatively, you can select any of the following options:
– Information center URL:
– LTFS format specification is at this website:
– IBM LTFS Support Matrix
– Installation file
– Readme file
3. On the Download Options page, select the method that you want to use to download the LTFS and click Continue.
4. On the Terms and Conditions page, click I agree.
5. On the Download files page, click Download now.
1.1.2 Tape format compatibility
The LTFS tape format compatibility for LTFS versions 1.0 and 2.1.1 is described. The LTFS tape format version is updated from 1.0 to 2.1.1. For a PDF of the latest version, see the following LTFS Format Specification websites:
The older version of the LTFS SDE program (1.0.1.xx or older for Linux and Mac OS X, and 1.1.0 for Windows) supports only LTFS format version 1.0. The latest version of LTFS SDE (1.2.0.xx or later) supports LTFS format version 2.1.1. Table 1-1 shows a compatibility matrix for media versions 1.0 and 2.1.1.
Table 1-1 Media version compatibility
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LTFS SDE version
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LTFS 1.0 medium
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LTFS 2.1.1 medium
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1.0.1 or older for Linux and OS X
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Read/Write
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Cannot be mounted1
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1.1.0 for Windows
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Read/Write
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Cannot be mounted1
|
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1.2.0 or later
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Read/Write2
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Read/Write
|
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1.3.x Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X
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Read/Write2
|
Read/Write
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1 On Windows, an icon displays indicating that the medium is not formatted for LTFS.
2 After data is written, the medium format is automatically converted to 2.1.1. After the medium is converted, it cannot be mounted on the older LTFS program.
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Formatting media: The ltfsck utility checks and recovers media (1.7.3, “Checking or recovering a tape with the ltfsck command” on page 88). The mkltfs utility formats media (1.7.2, “Formatting a tape with the mkltfs command” on page 86). The ltfsck command in the older LTFS package cannot be used to check and recover a medium that is formatted to version 2.1.1. A medium that is formatted to version 2.1.1 cannot be converted to a 1.0 version format. By using the mkltfs command from a 1.0.x LTFS version, you can reformat the medium to a 1.0 format.
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1.1.3 Tape partitions
LTFS uses the capability of LTO Generation 5 (and later) technology to partition the LTO tape cartridge into two segments. By default, an LTO tape cartridge is set at manufacturing to a single partition of 80 wraps (or 136 wraps for LTO-6). LTFS can change the partition to either one partition or two partitions. Partitioning is done by using a reformat command (1.7.2, “Formatting a tape with the mkltfs command” on page 86). This command logically erases all data on a tape before it is partitioned.
Each partition (if there are two) has a bidirectional serpentine layout and must be an even number of wraps in size. This way, it begins and ends at Logical-Point LP3 (logical point to indicate the start of the user data region). See Figure 1-1 on page 5.
Figure 1-1 Logical view of LTFS volume (BOT=beginning of tape EOT=end of tape)
Partition 0, which is also called the index partition, is small and allocates two LTO wraps with about 37.5 GB on native LTO storage capacity. The remaining cartridge capacity, partition 1 - the data partition, consists of 76 LTO-5 wraps with about 1425 GB of native storage capacity. An LTFS volume must contain exactly one data partition and exactly one index partition. Both partitions are separated by a guard band, which is 2.5% of nominal LTO-5 cartridge capacity (two wraps). Both partitions on the media have the same BOT and EOT. LTO-6 tapes, which are almost double the size of LTO-5 tapes, have a proportionally larger data partition.
1.1.4 Index
An LTFS index is a snapshot representation of the entire content of the LTFS volume at a specific point in time. It is written in XML and contains pointers to the location, in the data partition, of each file and directory that are stored on tape. The primary copy is on the index partition, but for more security and recoverability, multiple copies are also copied to the data partition.
When a tape is mounted, the index is read from the drive. LTFS then parses the index file and creates an in-memory directory structure. The in-memory structure ensures that after a tape is mounted and the index is read, all tape directories are viewable and searchable without having to read from tape.
Because there are multiple LTFS indexes on tape, each index has a generation number. A generation number is a positive integer that increases as changes are made to the tape. In any consistent LTFS volume, the index with the highest generation number on the volume represents the current state of the entire volume.
How often an index is written to tape can be set in LTFS as one of these options:
•After every file close (which is ideal when you work with large files)
•Every 5 minutes (which is the default and good for smaller files)
•Only after a tape is unmounted (which can be more risky if tapes are only rarely unmounted)
Example of an LTFS volume
Figure 1-2 shows the content of a simple LTFS volume. This volume contains three files only: A, B, and C. File A consists of three extents, and files B and C have one extent. The file blocks are followed by a file mark only when an XML index immediately follows the files. From Figure 1-2, you can see that the LTFS volume is still mounted because after unmounting an LTFS volume, double file marks are written at the end of both the index and data partitions.
Figure 1-2 A simple LTFS volume
Back pointers
A back pointer is an entry in the XML schema for an index file that refers to a previous generation of an index. It allows LTFS to roll back to any previous generation of an index.
If an index resides in the data partition, the back pointer (shown in red in Figure 1-3 on page 7) contains the block position of the preceding Index in the data partition. If no preceding Index exists, no back pointer is stored in this Index. Back pointers are stored within the Index itself.
If an Index resides in the index partition and has generation number N, the back pointer for the index contains either the block position of an index that has generation number N in the data partition, or the block position of the last Index that has at most generation number N-1 in the data partition. If no index of generation number N-1 or less exists in the data partition, the Index in the index partition is not required to store a back pointer.
On a consistent volume, the final Index in the index partition must contain a back pointer to the final index in the data partition.
Figure 1-3 Index back pointers
Data placement policy
The LTFS index can also define a data placement policy. With this policy, you can specify under what circumstances the data for a file can be placed on the index partition. Any files in the index partition are loaded into memory when a tape is mounted and available for immediate use, unlike files in the data partition, which have to be read sequentially from the tape. For example, you might want to define a policy to place a text file, which contains a summary of the contents of the tape, in the Index partition. For more details about defining a data placement policy, see 1.5.3, “Managing LTFS SDE for Windows” on page 62.
1.1.5 Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE)
The Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE) application programming interface (API) (http://fuse.sourceforge.net/) provides a method of running a fully functional file system from within a user space program:
•The LTFS SDE for Linux version is implemented by using FUSE, which provides functions for a user-mode program to be able to implement a fully functional file system.
•The LTFS SDE for Mac OS X version is implemented by using OSXFUSE, which is the Mac OS X porting of FUSE. The system was initially implemented on Linux and Macintosh OS X and can be ported to any other UNIX technology-type systems that support FUSE.
•The LTFS SDE for Windows version is implemented by using Frame File System Driver (FFSD). FFSD provides functions for a user space program to be able to implement a fully functional file system on Windows.
The FUSE framework provides a file system infrastructure for UNIX technology-type systems and implements a set of standard file system interfaces to LTFS. The loadable kernel module and the user-space library offer an API. This way, users can develop their own file systems, independently of the knowledge of kernel programming.
When an LTFS volume is mounted, the directory information (see 1.1.6, “XML schema” on page 8) is read from the index partition and placed in the in-memory directory. During I/O tape operations, the in-memory directory is updated to reflect the new data on tape. At various times, the contents of the in-memory directory are written back to tape.
FUSE also provides ease of maintenance to the kernel API and supports the usage of user space libraries and tools without having access to kernel data. System root access is not required for the users.
Within the Linux system, FUSE can be compiled and loaded similarly to any other daemons. The FUSE kernel module is responsible for the routing requests that come from applications to the corresponding file system daemon. In addition, FUSE communicates with the file system daemon by using a special file descriptor that is obtained by opening the /dev/fuse directory.
Because tape is a sequential device, access times for data might differ depending on the position on the tape of the data to be accessed. However, with the current speed of LTO Ultrium 6 Tape Drives of 160 MBps, the delay is likely less than 60 seconds.
1.1.6 XML schema
LTFS uses an XML schema to record information about the data files on the tape media. The use of XML provides the following benefits, among others, to the LTFS format:
•It is easy to document and to understand due to its human-readability.
•It is relatively simple to port to different systems to produce interchangeable data.
•It can be used for standardization.
•It eases data recovery in the event of catastrophic failure.
For more information about the XML schema, see this website:
When tape media is formatted for use by LTFS, an empty root directory structure is written to the index partition. For robustness and to provide compatibility with tape utilities that are not multiple partition aware, the same structure is also written to the data partition. In both cases, a single file mark is written before the schema. A double file mark is written after it, delimiting the index schema and indicating the end of data in the partition (Figure 1-3 on page 7).
When an LTFS volume is mounted to write data on, the last file mark in the index partition is removed and is put back when the volume is unmounted. During mount time, if one file mark is found at the end of the index partition, the volume is not properly unmounted. Then, LTFS uses the recovery procedures to find the latest recorded version of the XML schema to get the volume to a consistent status.
The XML schema contains a back pointer to the index that describes the previous generation (Gen-1) of the file system, which contains a back pointer to Gen-2, and so on. This pattern continues until the earliest generation of the index is reached. Although initially conceived of as a recovery mechanism, this feature allows LTFS to maintain file system versions because data files are never overwritten or erased from the tape until the tape is reformatted.
Tape labels
LTFS tape labels identify the various tape partitions and indicate data policies and criteria for placing files in the index partition. They also identify the tape and specify default mount parameters that might be overridden by the user. The tape label is the only block that is always written uncompressed to the tape.
After LTFS formats a tape media, the index and data partitions contain a VOL1 label and an LTFS label. The VOL1 label is in accordance to ANSI Standard X 3.27. It contains ASCII-encoded characters and is exactly 80 bytes in length. Example 1-1 on page 9 is an actual VOL1 label.
Example 1-1 Format of a VOL1 tape label
VOL1DV1270L LTFS 4
The LTFS label is based on an XML schema (see 1.1.6, “XML schema” on page 8) and contains information about the LTFS data partition on which the structure is stored. Example 1-2 is an example of an actual LTFS label.
Example 1-2 Format of an LTFS tape label 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
- <ltfslabel version="2.1.0">
<creator>IBM LTFS 1.3.0.0 (2200) - Windows - mkltfs</creator>
<formattime>2012-09-26T17:54:05.000962000Z</formattime>
<volumeuuid>b540acdc-e415-42d4-8ef2-5ee784f1bcbb</volumeuuid>
- <location>
<partition>a</partition>
</location>
- <partitions>
<index>a</index>
<data>b</data>
</partitions>
<blocksize>524288</blocksize>
<compression>true</compression>
</ltfslabel>
Example of recording the LTFS XML schemas
The following figures summarize the steps that are taken by LTFS when files are written to the partitions. They illustrate how the XML schemas are recorded during the partition changes when a policy exists to have small files written to the index partition. They also show how multiple generations of indexes are stored on tape. In this scenario, the tape is already formatted.
The recording of the LTFS XML schemas follows these steps:
1. An LTFS-formatted tape is mounted in read/write mode. The following changes to the partitions are then performed (Figure 1-4 on page 10):
– The last file mark in the index partition is erased.
This action indicates that a new session started and that any file changes on the data partition are not recorded.
– New files, F1 and F2, are written to the data partition.
The last file mark in the data partition is overwritten by file F1 to erase the end-of-data (EOD) indicator.
Figure 1-4 Files F1 and F2 added to the data partition
2. A small file, called f3, is written. Assuming that LTFS is configured to cache at most one file, the file is written as soon as it is closed by the application that writes it.
Before LTFS switches partitions, a new XML schema (which is aware of F1 and F2) is written to the end of the data partition (Figure 1-5). The new Index #1 contains a back pointer to the previous valid Index #0. It is enclosed by two file marks to indicate the boundaries of the XML schema and to ensure that its data is written to tape.
Figure 1-5 New index with a back pointer to the previous index
3. LTFS switches the partitions and writes the cached file f3 to the index partition (Figure 1-6 on page 11). The file marks that are used to delimit the previous XML schema (Index #0 at the index partition) are overwritten by the f3 file.
Figure 1-6 Small file f3 written to the index partition
4. The LTFS volume becomes unmounted. Figure 1-7 shows the partition changes:
– The new XML schema, called Index #2, is aware of the f3 file and is written to the end of the index partition.
– Index #2 points back to the previous generation Index #1, which is stored in the data partition. A double file mark is appended to the index partition to indicate the EOD.
Figure 1-7 LTFS volume gets unmounted
5. The data partition XML schema is updated (Figure 1-8 on page 12).
By adding the f3 file to the index partition, Index #1 at the end of the data partition is now out-of-date. Index #2 is now copied back to the data partition to ensure that both partitions provide a consistent view of the file system. Adding the f3 file also provides the ability to roll back to previous generations of the files on the tape.
Figure 1-8 Final partition view after tape unmount
6. The LTFS tape is unmounted and can be physically removed.
The actual XML schema on tape can be viewed by using IBM Tape Diagnostic Tool (ITDT) or the LTFS Format Verifier (see 1.8.1, “IBM LTFS Format Verifier” on page 92). For more information about ITDT, see this website:
For example, the following ITDT command (on Linux) lists the XML schema for the last index partition on tape and writes it to the file LastIndexPartition0.xml. See Example 1-3.
Example 1-3 Viewing the index by using ITDT
# itdt -f /dev/rmt0 chgpart 0 seod bsf 2 fsf 1 read -d LastIndexPartition0.xml
Changing to partition 0...
Spacing to end of data...
Backward spacing 2 filemarks...
Forward spacing filemark...
Initializing device...
Reading file from tape...
Opening destination file LastIndexPartition0.xml...
Setting block size to variable...
Read complete, 1 records 2781 total bytes read...
Transferrate 0.19 Mbytes/s...
Exit with code: 0
The index partition XML schema for the particular layout of the three files is shown in Example 1-4.
Example 1-4 Index partition XML schema
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
- <ltfsindex version="2.1.0">
<creator>IBM LTFS 1.3.0.0 (2200) - Windows - ltfs</creator>
<volumeuuid>b540acdc-e415-42d4-8ef2-5ee784f1bcbb</volumeuuid>
<generationnumber>4</generationnumber>
<updatetime>2012-09-26T18:10:49.000275000Z</updatetime>
- <location>
<partition>a</partition>
<startblock>12</startblock>
</location>
- <previousgenerationlocation>
<partition>b</partition>
<startblock>15</startblock>
</previousgenerationlocation>
<allowpolicyupdate>true</allowpolicyupdate>
- <dataplacementpolicy>
- <indexpartitioncriteria>
<size>1048576</size>
<name>f3</name>
</indexpartitioncriteria>
</dataplacementpolicy>
<highestfileuid>4</highestfileuid>
- <directory>
<name>DV1270L6</name>
<readonly>false</readonly>
<creationtime>2012-09-26T17:54:05.000962000Z</creationtime>
<changetime>2012-09-26T18:02:39.000212000Z</changetime>
<modifytime>2012-09-26T18:02:39.000212000Z</modifytime>
<accesstime>2012-09-26T17:54:05.000962000Z</accesstime>
<backuptime>2012-09-26T17:54:05.000962000Z</backuptime>
<fileuid>1</fileuid>
- <contents>
- <file>
<name>f3</name>
<length>2</length>
<readonly>false</readonly>
<creationtime>2012-09-26T18:02:39.000197000Z</creationtime>
<changetime>2012-09-26T18:10:03.000853000Z</changetime>
<modifytime>2012-09-26T18:10:03.000853000Z</modifytime>
<accesstime>2012-09-26T18:02:39.000197000Z</accesstime>
<backuptime>2012-09-26T18:02:39.000197000Z</backuptime>
<fileuid>2</fileuid>
- <extentinfo>
- <extent>
<fileoffset>0</fileoffset>
<partition>a</partition>
<startblock>10</startblock>
<byteoffset>0</byteoffset>
<bytecount>2</bytecount>
</extent>
</extentinfo>
</file>
- <file>
<name>F1</name>
<length>1</length>
<readonly>false</readonly>
<creationtime>2012-09-26T18:02:39.000212000Z</creationtime>
<changetime>2012-09-26T18:09:42.000806000Z</changetime>
<modifytime>2012-09-26T18:09:42.000806000Z</modifytime>
<accesstime>2012-09-26T18:02:39.000212000Z</accesstime>
<backuptime>2012-09-26T18:02:39.000212000Z</backuptime>
<fileuid>3</fileuid>
- <extentinfo>
- <extent>
<fileoffset>0</fileoffset>
<partition>b</partition>
<startblock>11</startblock>
<byteoffset>0</byteoffset>
<bytecount>1</bytecount>
</extent>
</extentinfo>
</file>
- <file>
<name>F2</name>
<length>11</length>
<readonly>false</readonly>
<creationtime>2012-09-26T18:02:39.000212000Z</creationtime>
<changetime>2012-09-26T18:09:57.000837000Z</changetime>
<modifytime>2012-09-26T18:09:57.000837000Z</modifytime>
<accesstime>2012-09-26T18:09:54.000212000Z</accesstime>
<backuptime>2012-09-26T18:02:39.000212000Z</backuptime>
<fileuid>4</fileuid>
+ <extentinfo>
- <extent>
<fileoffset>0</fileoffset>
<partition>b</partition>
<startblock>12</startblock>
<byteoffset>0</byteoffset>
<bytecount>11</bytecount>
</extent>
</extentinfo>
</file>
</contents>
</directory>
</ltfsindex>
1.1.7 Recent enhancements
The following enhancements were made to LTFS SDE version 1.3.0 since version 1.2.5:
•LTO-6 support
The LTO-6 tape drives are supported in LTFS SDE.
•TS1140 support
The TS1140 tape drives are supported in LTFS SDE.
•Symbolic link support
A symbolic link (symlink) is used to create a reference to (an alias for) another file.
•Enable Logical Block Protection (LBP)
Logical Block Protection (LBP) is a drive feature to detect data transfer errors between the application and drive. Normally, a 4-byte cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is generated on the drive for each file. With LBP, this CRC is also generated on the host before the file is written to the drive and compared with the drive-generated CRC. It is supported in the IBM LTO-5, LTO-6, and TS1140 drives. By default, it is turned off in LTFS.
•Enable stand-alone encryption
To keep compatibility between library-managed encryption (LME) and application-managed encryption (AME), any encrypted cartridges that are created by LTFS SDE are compatible with encrypted cartridges that are created in an LTFS Library Edition (LE) environment (LME and system-managed encryption (SME)), and vice versa. All data on the cartridge is encrypted by a single key. However, encryption is not supported on TS1140 tape drives.
•Faster file lookup
The metadata structure is redesigned to enable faster file lookup by using a new algorithm.
•Sixty-four-bit time stamp
In the LTFS functional specification, the supported time stamp is from “0000/01/01 00:00:00 GMT” to “9999/12/31 23:59:59 GMT”. In the previous versions, LTFS has some time stamps that are handled differently between 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows.
•Reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) enhancements
Numerous enhancements exist. For example, drive dumps can now be performed without the need to shut down LTFS.
1.2 Installation on Linux
The installation, implementation, and usage of IBM LTFS are explained. This information is based on the documentation that is published in the LTFS Information Center:
1.2.1 Hardware and software requirements
The requirements for LTFS implementation are listed. At the time of writing this book, LTFS supports the following Linux operating systems and hardware platforms:
•Supported Linux operating systems (i386 and x86_64 only):
– Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 6.1, and 6.2 1
– SLES 11 SP1 and SP2 2
•Supported hardware:
– IBM AT compatible machine
– x86 or x86_64 processor
– 1-GB available RAM for each 1,000,000 files to be stored on a particular tape
– Fibre Channel (FC) host bus adapter (HBA) that is supported by IBM LTO-5, LTO-6, and TS1140 tape drives
– Serial-attached Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) (SAS) HBA that is supported by IBM LTO-5 and LTO-6 tape drives
For more information about connectivity and configurations, see the IBM System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC) website.
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Readme file: The current information for LTFS supported hardware and software configurations and notices or limitations is in the LTFS program readme file.
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1.2.2 Prerequisites
You need to install certain software before you install LTFS. LTFS requires the following software. All of these products, other than the tape device driver, are already installed if the latest service packs for your Linux version are installed:
•FUSE 2.7 or later (Kernel and shared library modules are required.). Details of how to download FUSE are beyond the scope of this document. For more information, see this website:
•libxml2 2.6.16 or later (included in rpm from Red Hat or Novell)
•libuuid 1.36 or later, or equivalent Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) functions that conform to Open Software Foundation (OSF) Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) 1.1 (included in rpm from Red Hat or Novell)
•libicu 3.6 or later (included in rpm from Red Hat or Novell)
•IBM Tape Device Driver for Linux (lin_tape) 1.71 or later (available from IBM Fix Central website)
ITDT, although not a prerequisite, is invaluable in configuring LTFS and troubleshooting tape drive issues and needs to be installed.
To check whether FUSE is installed, run the following command:
# lsmod | grep fuse
Check its version by using this command:
# rpm -qa|grep fuse
If any of the modules are not listed, you must load them before you proceed with the LTFS installation. For more details, see 1.2.4, “Installation procedure” on page 16.
1.2.3 Installing the HBA and HBA device driver
To install the HBA and its device driver for the use of FC tape drives with LTFS, see the HBA manufacturer documentation. For a list of supported adapters, go to the LTO website:
For information about connectivity and supported configurations, see the SSIC website:
1.2.4 Installation procedure
The procedure to install the IBM LTFS program on a Linux system is explained.
Installing FUSE
Complete the following steps to install the required software on a Linux system:
1. Log on as an administrator.
2. FUSE 2.3.9 is included as part of the LTFS installation package and is also installed as part of a standard SLES 11 installation. However, if necessary, it can also be downloaded from this website:
3. Extract the FUSE package:
# gunzip fuse-2.9.1.tar.gz
4. The configure, make, and make install shell commands configure, build, and install FUSE. For a detailed explanation of how to install FUSE, see the INSTALL file that is included in the FUSE package.
Installing the IBM Tape Device Driver
|
Linux: The installation of an IBM Tape Device Driver is required only for Linux.
|
Before you install the IBM Tape Device Driver for use with LTFS, complete the following tasks:
1. Connect the tape drive and HBA.
2. Power on the tape drive.
3. Power on the server.
4. Install the tape device driver:
a. Download the most recent version of the IBM Tape Device Driver from the IBM Fix Central portal (see also “Downloading LTFS” on page 3):
b. Download the IBM Tape Device Drivers Installation and User’s Guide from the IBM Support and Download site:
c. Follow the procedures in the IBM Tape Device Drivers Installation and User’s Guide (summarized) to install the IBM Tape Device Driver (Example 1-5).
Example 1-5 Procedure to install the IBM Tape Device Driver
# rpmbuild --rebuild lin_tape-1.74.0-1.src.rpm
# rpm -ivh /usr/src/packages/RPMS/x86_64/lin_tape-1.74.0-1.x86_64.rpm
Preparing... ########################################### [100%]
1:lin_tape ########################################### [100%]
Starting lin_tape: FATAL: module '/lib/modules/3.0.13-0.27-default/kernel/drivers/scsi/lin_tape.ko' is unsupported
Use --allow-unsupported or set allow_unsupported_modules to 1 in
/etc/modprobe.d/unsupported-modules
lin_tape loaded
# vi /etc/modprobe.d/unsupported-modules
# /etc/init.d/lin_tape restart
Shutting down lin_tape:
Starting lin_tape:
# cat /proc/scsi/IBM*
lin_tape version: 1.74.0
lin_tape major number: 251
lin_tape version: 1.74.0
lin_tape major number: 251
Attached Tape Devices:
Number model SN HBA SCSI FO Path
0 ULT3580-HH6 1068000264 MPT SAS Host 0:0:1:0 NA
Enabling the system logError information for LTFS operations is displayed on the terminal console. The level of error reporting is based on the log trace level. To set the log trace level, go to the LTFS Information Center at the following address and search for “setting log trace level”:
When the LTFS commands are used, error and trace information is recorded by using the system log mechanism. This mechanism is disabled by default. To enable the LTFS system log and locate more information about LTFS logs, follow these steps:
1. Log on to the operating system as root.
2. Edit the system log configuration file on any available editor to enable the system log. Apply one of the following edits, depending on your base system. See Example 1-6.
Example 1-6 System log configuration file
For RHEL 5.6, 5.7, or 5.8 add the following line to /etc/syslog.conf
user.* /var/log/userlog
For RHEL 6.1, 6.2, or SLES 11 add the following line to /etc/rsyslog.conf
:msg, contains, "LTFS" /var/log/ltfs.log
3. Enable the setting by restarting syslog (for RHEL 5.6, 5.7, or 5.8) or ryslog (for RHEL 6.1, 6.2, or SLES 11) and by issuing the following command:
/etc/init.d/syslog restart
4. Open the /etc/logrotate.d/syslog file on any available editor. See Example 1-7. Add or edit the following lines.
Example 1-7 Add or edit syslog file
For RHEL 5.6, 5.7, or 5.8:
/var/log/userlog {
size 1M
rotate 4
missingok
compress
sharedscripts
postrotate
/bin/kill -HUP `cat /var/run/syslogd.pid 2> /dev/null` 2> /dev/null || true
/bin/kill -HUP `cat /var/run/rsyslogd.pid 2> /dev/null` 2> /dev/null || true
endscript
}
For RHEL 6.1, 6.2, or SLES:
/var/log/ltfs.log {
size 1M
rotate 4
missingok
compress
sharedscripts
postrotate
/bin/kill -HUP `cat /var/run/syslogd.pid 2> /dev/null` 2> /dev/null || true
/bin/kill -HUP `cat /var/run/rsyslogd.pid 2> /dev/null` 2> /dev/null || true
endscript
}
LTFS records and displays the following types of logs:
Error A message that indicates an unrecoverable error occurred or an operation unexpectedly failed
Warning A message that indicates an unexpected condition occurred, but the operation can continue
Information A message that provides more information about the current operation
Trace A message that provides information about debugging and troubleshooting
Installing LTFS SDE
To install the IBM LTFS program on a Linux system from a binary rpm file, complete the following steps from a Linux command prompt. The same procedure can be used for upgrading existing versions.
1. Log on as root.
2. If LTFS is already installed and mounted, unmount it by entering the following command:
# umount /mnt/ltfs
3. Run the following command to install a binary rpm file:
rpm -ivh ltfs-1.3.0.0-[revision]-[distribution].[arch].rpm
For example, to install LTFS revision 1.3.0.0 by using the SUSE11 Linux distribution on Intel 80386 architecture, use the following command:
rpm -ivh ltfs-1.3.0.0-2300-SUSE11_2.x86_64.rpm
4. Optionally, run the following command to verify the current version of LTFS:
rpm -qa | grep ltfs
1.2.5 Uninstallation procedure
Complete the following steps to uninstall LTFS software on a Linux system.
|
Important: Eject media from the LTFS drives before you uninstall LTFS to avoid losing data in the cache.
|
Use these steps:
1. Log on as root.
2. If the LTFS program is already installed and the tape media is mounted, unmount the tape media by running the following command:
# umount /mnt/ltfs
3. Run the following command to remove the installed package:
# rpm -e ltfs-1.3.0.0-[revision]
For example, to uninstall LTFS revision 1.3.0.0 by using the SUSE11 Linux distribution on Intel 80386 architecture, use the following command:
# rpm -e ltfs-1.3.0.0-2200
4. Remove the mount point.
# rmdir /mnt/ltfs
1.3 Installation on Mac OS X
This installation, implementation, and usage of IBM LTFS explanation is based on the documentation that is published at the LTFS Information Center:
1.3.1 Hardware and software requirements
The following system hardware and software requirements relate to the LTFS. The current information for LTFS supported hardware and software configurations and notices or limitations is in the readme file of the software package.
LTFS supports the following Mac operating systems and hardware platforms:
•Supported Mac operating systems:
– Mac OS X 10.5.6 Leopard (32 bit)
– Mac OS X 10.6.7 Snow Leopard (32 bit)
– OS X 10.7 Lion (32 bit and 64 bit)
•Supported hardware:
– Mac Pro (Intel)
– x86 processor
– 1-GB available RAM for each 1,000,000 files that are stored on a particular tape
– FC HBA that is supported by IBM LTO-5, LTO-6, and TS1140 tape drives
– SAS HBA that is supported by IBM LTO- 5 and LTO-6 tape drives
For more information about connectivity and configurations, see the SSIC website:
|
Readme file: The current information for LTFS supported hardware and software configurations and notices or limitations is in the LTFS program readme file.
|
1.3.2 Prerequisites
You need to install this software before you install LTFS. LTFS has the following requirements:
•OSXFUSE 2.3.9 or later (included in the LTFS package)
•International Components for Unicode (ICU) Framework 4.8.1.1 (included in the LTFS package)
•Xcode if you need to build an ICU Framework package or LTFS from its source code
1.3.3 Installing the HBA and HBA device driver
To install the HBA and its device driver to use FC tape drives with LTFS, see the documents that are provided by the HBA manufacturer. For more information that relates to the supported HBAs, see the following LTO tape link:
For more information about connectivity and configurations, see the SSIC website:
1.3.4 Installation procedure
We describe how to install the required software for LTFS on a Mac OS X system.
|
Administrator privileges: LTFS software and any prerequisites must be installed by an administrator.
|
Installing OSXFUSE
|
Tip: To help isolate problems, use the default log viewer of the operating system to sort and filter log entries.
|
Complete the following steps to install the required software on a Mac OS X system:
1. Log on as an administrator.
2. The OSXFUSE 2.3.9 Apple Disk Image file is included as part of the LTFS installation package. It can also be downloaded from http://osxfuse.github.com/ if required.
3. Mount the downloaded Apple Disk Image file (for example, OSXFUSE-2.5.2.dmg) by double-clicking the file.
4. Install the OSXFUSE package by double-clicking the OSXFUSE.pkg file in the mounted folder.
5. Follow the Installer utility instructions. To proceed with the installation, click Install OSXFUSE on the FUSE for OS X window as shown in Figure 1-9 on page 22.
Figure 1-9 OSXFUSE installation panel
Figure 1-10 OSXFUSE Welcome window
Figure 1-11 OSXFUSE installation software license agreement
8. A pop-up window opens that prompts you to agree or not to the terms of the Software License Agreement. To continue the OSXFUSE installation process, click Agree as shown in Figure 1-12 and then click Continue.
Figure 1-12 OSXFUSE installation software license agreement
9. The next window shows you the components of OSXFUSE 2.3.9 to be installed. Select the defaults and click Continue if you want to proceed with the installation. See Figure 1-13.
Figure 1-13 OSXFUSE installation package selection
10. The next window shows you the amount of disk space that is needed for the installation of OSXFUSE 2.3.9. Click Install if you want to proceed with the installation. See Figure 1-14.
Figure 1-14 OSXFUSE installation disk space requirements
Figure 1-15 OSXFUSE installation password prompt
12. After you click Install, the completion message of the OSXFUSE installation process appears. See Figure 1-16.
Figure 1-16 OSXFUSE installation completion
Installing the ICU Framework
Complete the following steps to install the required software on a Mac OS X system:
1. Log on as an administrator.
2. Mount the LTFS binary package Apple Disk Image file or source code by double-clicking it. For more information and procedures, see “Installation on Mac OS X” on page 20.
3. Install the ICU Framework package by double-clicking the ICU Framework-4.8.1.1.pkg file in the mounted folder. Figure 1-17 on page 26 shows the Welcome to the ICU Framework Installer window. Click Continue to proceed with the ICU Framework installation steps.
Figure 1-17 ICU Framework installer
4. In the Software License Agreement window, read the software terms and then click Continue. See Figure 1-18 for reference.
Figure 1-18 ICU Framework software license agreement
5. A pop-up window opens that prompts you to agree or disagree to the Software License; see Figure 1-19. If you want to proceed with the ICU Framework installation, click Agree.
Figure 1-19 ICU Framework software license agreement pop-up window
Figure 1-20 ICU Framework destination window
Figure 1-21 ICU Framework administrator password
8. After the installation completes, the installation completed message appears as shown in Figure 1-22. Click Close.
Figure 1-22 ICU Framework installation complete
Enabling the system log
Enable the LTFS system log and locate more information about the LTFS logs on a Mac OS X system.
Error information for LTFS operations is displayed on the terminal console. The level of error reporting is based on the log trace level. To set the log trace level, go to the LTFS Information Center at the following address and search for “setting log trace level”:
When the ltfs command is used, error and trace information is recorded by using the system log mechanism. This mechanism is disabled by default. To enable the system log, complete the following steps:
1. Log on to the operating system as a root user.
2. Edit the system log configuration file on any available editor to enable the system log, and add the following line to /etc/syslog.conf:
user.* /var/log/userlog
3. Enable the setting by rebooting syslog and issuing the following command:
launchctl stop com.apple.syslog
4. Open the /etc/newsyslog.conf file in any available editor, and add or edit the following line:
/var/log/userlog 640 5 100 * J
Installing LTFS SDE
Install the LTFS program on a Mac OS X system.
|
Administrator privileges: LTFS software and any prerequisites must be installed by an administrator.
|
Two types of rpm files can be downloaded from the following Fix Central website:
The following two types of rpm files can be downloaded:
•ltfs-1.3.0-[revision]-[platform].rpm
•ltfs-1.3.0-[revision].src.rpm
The ltfs-1.3.0-[revision]-[platform].rpm download is a binary rpm that is intended for general users who want to use LTFS on a supported operating system. To learn more about supported operating systems, see 1.3.1, “Hardware and software requirements” on page 20.
The ltfs-1.3.0-[revision].src.rpm download is intended for advanced users who want to build the binary rpm. The src.rpm file includes the source code files that do not depend on the platform. The binary rpm file can be built by following the procedure that is described in the Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition Information Center.
|
Important: The information that is contained in the readme and install files that are provided with the LTFS distribution package supersedes the information that is presented here, including the information in the Information Center on the following website:
|
Complete the following steps to install LTFS by using a binary package file:
1. Log on as an administrator.
2. If the LTFS program is already installed, and the tape medium is mounted, unmount it by issuing the following command:
umount /mnt/ltfs
3. Mount the LTFS binary package Disk Image file by double-clicking it. Follow the Installer utility instructions.
4. The Welcome page to the IBM LTFS SDE Installer is shown (Figure 1-23). To proceed with the installation, select Continue.
Figure 1-23 Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition for Mac OSX installer
Figure 1-24 LTFS SDE for Mac OSX installer software license agreement
6. Read the Software License Agreement and select Continue. You are asked to select Disagree or Agree (Figure 1-25).
Figure 1-25 LTFS SDE for Mac OSX license agreement question
7. By selecting Agree, you are asked to select a destination.
Figure 1-26 LTFS SDE for Mac OSX installation window
9. In Figure 1-27, you are asked to enter a password. Type the password that is needed to access the server and click Install Software.
Figure 1-27 LTFS SDE for Mac OSX password prompt
Figure 1-28 LTFS SDE for Mac OSX installation successful window
11. Click Close.
12. As part of the installation process, the following symbolic links to LTFS are created in /usr/local/bin:
# sudo ln -sf /Library/Frameworks/LTFS.Framework/Versions/Current/usr/bin/ltfs ltfs
# sudo ln -sf /Library/Frameworks/LTFS.Framework/Versions/Current/usr/bin/mkltfs mkltfs
# sudo ln -sf /Library/Frameworks/LTFS.Framework/Versions/Current/usr/bin/ltfsck ltfsck
1.3.5 Uninstallation procedure
|
Important: Eject media from the LTFS drives before you uninstall LTFS to avoid losing data in the cache.
|
Complete the following steps to uninstall the LTFS software on a Mac OS X system:
1. Log on as an administrator.
2. Open a terminal window. If a tape medium is mounted, unmount it by issuing the following command:
# umount /mnt/ltfs
3. Issue the following command to change the directory to the /Library/Frameworks directory:
# cd /Library/Frameworks
4. Issue the following command to remove LTFS:
# sudo rm -rf LTFS.framework
5. Issue the following command to change the directory to the /usr/bin directory:
# cd /usr/bin
6. Issue the following commands in the order that is shown to remove the symbolic links to LTFS:
# sudo rm ltfs
# sudo rm mkltfs
# sudo rm ltfsck
7. Remove the mount point:
# rmdir /mnt/ltfs
1.4 Installation on Windows
The installation, implementation, and use of IBM LTFS here is based on the documentation that is published in the LTFS Information Center:
1.4.1 Hardware and software requirements
At the time of writing this book, LTFS 1.3.0 supports the following Windows operating system and hardware platforms:
•Supported Windows operating systems:
– Windows 7 (x86 and x64)
– Windows 2008 R2 SP1 (x64 only)
•Supported hardware:
– x86 or x86_64 processor
– 1-GB available RAM for each 1,000,000 files that are stored on a particular tape
– FC HBA that is supported by IBM LTO-5, LTO-6, and TS1140 tape drives
– SAS HBA that is supported by IBM LTO- 5 and LTO-6 tape drives
For more information about connectivity and configurations, see the SSIC website:
|
Readme file: The current information for LTFS supported hardware and software configurations and notices or limitations is in the LTFS program readme file.
|
1.4.2 Prerequisites
The software that you need to install before you install LTFS is listed. LTFS has the following requirements:
•Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package (x86 or x64)
•Microsoft .NET Framework 4
|
Important: The current information for LTFS supported hardware and software configurations and notices or limitations is in the LTFS program readme file.
|
ITDT, although not a prerequisite, is invaluable in configuring LTFS and troubleshooting tape drive issues and needs to be installed, as well.
Unsupported Windows features
The Windows features, drivers, and commands that are not supported by LTFS are described:
•New Technology File System (NTFS)
NTFS features that are not supported by the LTFS:
– Compression of files within a folder (LTFS uses the compression of the tape drive.).
– Encrypted files and directories.
– Quota management.
– Reparse points.
– Defragmentation.
– Change journals to monitor file activity.
– Scanning of all files or directories that a security identifier owns.
– Access control lists. The Security tab is not displayed when the user views the file property by right-clicking and then selecting Properties.
– Alternate data streams. The Details tab is not available when the user views the file property by right-clicking and then selecting Properties.
– Shadow copies. The Previous Version tab is not displayed when the user views the file property by right-clicking and then selecting Properties.
– Opportunistic locks.
– Recycle bins.
– Short names.
– Audit and alarm events (as specified in access control lists).
– Windows sparse files application interfaces.
– Transactional NTFS (TxF).
– Guest user accounts.
•Network file and folder sharing
Support for this feature by LTFS varies depending on the operating system version.
LTFS on Windows 7 does not support network file and folder sharing even though Windows has a mechanism to support this feature. On Windows 7, the Sharing tab is not available when you view the file property by right-clicking and then selecting Properties.
|
Other versions:
•LTFS 1.3.0 supports network file and folder sharing for Windows Server 2008 R2.
•LTFS does not support Windows XP. However, users on Windows XP (and other Windows operating systems) can access LTFS as a client of Windows Server 2008 R2 through network file sharing.
|
•File system filter drivers
Although Windows has a mechanism to support file system filter drivers, LTFS Windows does not support their use. File system filter drivers cannot attach to LTFS by using the documented mechanisms or application interfaces.
•Native commands for a disk drive
LTFS does not support the following commands, which are shown with the associated error messages and the assumption that Q: is the LTFS drive in use:
– chkdsk
C:>chkdsk q:
Cannot open volume for direct access.
– format
C:>format q:
Insert new disk for drive Q:
and press ENTER when ready...
Error in IOCTL call.
– defrag
C:>defrag q:
Microsoft Disk Defragmenter
Copyright (c) 2007 Microsoft Corp.
The request is not supported. (0x80070032)
– recover
C:>recover q:
RECOVER on an entire volume is no longer supported.
To get equivalent functionality use CHKDSK.
– label
C:>label q:
Volume in drive Q: is LTFS
Volume label (11 characters, ENTER for none)? Newname
Cannot change label on this volume. The request is not supported.
1.4.3 Installing the HBA and HBA device driver
To install the HBA and its device driver for use by FC tape drives with LTFS, see the documents that are provided by the HBA manufacturer. For a list of supported adapters, see the following LTO link:
For more information about connectivity and configurations, see the SSIC website:
1.4.4 Installation procedure
The procedure to install the required software for LTFS on a Windows system is explained.
|
Administrator privileges: LTFS software and any prerequisites must be installed by an administrator.
|
Installing the Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package
The process to install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package on a Windows system for LTFS is described. If it is not installed, you are prompted to install it if you attempt the LTFS SDE installation (Figure 1-29).
Figure 1-29 Visual Studio C++ warning
Complete the following steps to install the required software on a Windows system:
1. Log on as an administrator.
2. Go to the Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package download site for the corresponding system type (x86 or x64). Download the following package from the Microsoft website:
http://search.microsoft.com/results.aspx?form=MSHOME&mkt=en-us&setlang=en-us&q=visual+c%2b%2b+redist
3. Double-click the package in Windows Explorer to display the User Account Control window.
4. Click Yes when the message “Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer?” displays.
5. Follow the installation instructions for the program.
Installing Microsoft .NET Framework 4
Installing Microsoft .NET Framework 4 on a Windows system for LTFS is described. If it is not installed, you are prompted to install it if you attempt the LTFS SDE installation (Figure 1-30).
Figure 1-30 Microsoft .NET Framework warning
Complete the following steps to install the required software on a Windows system:
1. Log on as an administrator.
2. Go to the Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (Standalone Installer) download website:
http://search.microsoft.com/Results.aspx?q=microsoft+.net+framework+4&mkt=en-US&FORM=QBME1&l=1&refradio=0&qsc0=0
3. Download the file to your local folder.
4. Double-click the file in Windows Explorer.
5. Click Yes when the message “Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer?” displays.
6. Follow the installation instructions for the program.
Uninstalling IBM Tape device driver
LTFS version 1.3.0.2200 and later do not require the installation of the IBM Tape Device Driver. You see the following warning (Figure 1-31) if you attempt the LTFS installation.
Figure 1-31 IBM Tape Driver warning
Before you uninstall the tape device driver, it is necessary to remove or disable the device within Windows. For more details, see the IBM Tape Device Drivers Installation and User’s Guide, GC27-2130-13. Run uninst.exe, which is included in the IBM Tape package, to uninstall it.
Installing LTFS SDE
The procedure to install or upgrade LTFS on a Windows system from an .exe file is explained. Three types of installers correspond to system types (32-bit and 64-bit operating systems), as explained here.
As an example, a program version is 1.3.0.2200 for a 64-bit operating system, and the installer file name is IBM_LTFS_SDE_1.3.0.2200_x64.exe. The installer for a 32-bit operating system can be installed only on a 32-bit operating system. Likewise, the installer for a 64-bit operating system can be installed only on a 64-bit operating system. If you attempt to install LTFS on the wrong operating system type, the installer displays a warning message and terminates.
Complete the following steps:
1. Log on as an administrator.
2. Open Windows Explorer and double-click the .exe file. A dialog box displays with a drop-down menu from which you can select a language for the installation. After you select a language, click OK (Figure 1-32).
Figure 1-32 LTFS SDE for Windows language prompt
3. Click Next on the Welcome to the InstallShield Wizard for IBM LTFS SDE 1.3.0 for Windows window to display the Software License Agreement window (Figure 1-33).
Figure 1-33 LTFS SDE for Windows Welcome window
4. Select I accept both the IBM and the non-IBM terms (Figure 1-34) and click Next. Select Read Non-IBM Terms (to open a non-IBM license agreement) and click Close.
Figure 1-34 LTFS SDE for Windows Software License Agreement
Figure 1-35 LTFS SDE for Windows install Destination Folder window
6. The Destination Folder wizard allows you to change the folder to install the program. The default destination folder is set to C:Program FilesIBMLTFS. If you want to change the default folder, click Change and select a new folder. Otherwise, click Next.
Figure 1-36 LTFS SDE for Windows Ready to Install procedure
Figure 1-37 LTFS SDE for Windows installing
Figure 1-38 LTFS SDE for Windows installation complete
9. The final window (Figure 1-39) is a reminder to restart your computer before you use LTFS. Click Yes.
Figure 1-39 LTFS SDE for Windows restart
1.4.5 Uninstallation procedure
|
Important: Eject media from the LTFS drives before you uninstall LTFS to avoid losing data in the cache.
|
Complete the following steps to uninstall LTFS software on a Windows system:
1. Log on as an administrator.
2. If a tape medium is mounted, unmount it by following these steps. Open Windows Explorer, right-click the LTFS drive icon to display a pop-up menu, and then select Eject.
3. From the desktop, click Start → All Programs → IBM → LTFS → Uninstall LTFS to open the Windows Installer program.
4. Click Yes when the message “Are you sure you want to uninstall this product?” displays.
5. Click Yes when the message “Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer?” displays.
6. If the message “All media in the LTFS drives must be ejected before uninstalling LTFS program” displays, eject all media from all tape drives, and then try again. If this message does not display, proceed to step 7.
7. Click OK if either of the following messages displays:
– “The following applications should be closed before continuing the uninstall.”
– “The setup was unable to automatically close all required applications.”
8. Restart the system to completely remove the LTFS program from your operating system.
1.5 Managing LTFS SDE
The management of LTFS on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows systems is described. Also, hints and tips to use LTFS are provided.
1.5.1 Managing LTFS SDE for Linux
The use and management of LTFS SDE on a Linux system are described.
Initial configuration
A typical initial configuration scenario for most users of LTFS SDE for Linux is described. Other topics provide information that relates to specific steps in a typical user scenario.
Before you start Linux, power on the tape drive so that the operating system can recognize the tape drive as a SCSI device.
Complete the following steps to configure LTFS:
1. Open a terminal session and log on as root.
2. Insert a tape cartridge into the tape drive.
3. Confirm the tape medium status by running the ltfsck command. This command checks whether an LTFS file system is on tape. For more detailed information about the ltfsck command, see 1.7, “Command reference” on page 81 and 1.7.3, “Checking or recovering a tape with the ltfsck command” on page 88.
Example 1-8 shows an example of the output that is produced by the ltfsck command that is used on an unformatted volume.
Example 1-8 LTFS SDE for Linux checking status
ltfsck /dev/IBMtape0
LTFS16000I Starting ltfsck, LTFS version 1.3.0.0 (2200), log level 2
LTFS16088I Launched by "ltfsck /dev/IBMtape0"
LTFS16089I This binary is built for Linux (x86_64)
LTFS16090I GCC version is 4.3.4 [gcc-4_3-branch revision 152973]
LTFS17087I Kernel version: Linux version 3.0.13-0.27-default (geeko@buildhost) (gcc version 4.3.4 [gcc-4_3-branch revision 152973] (SUSE Linux) ) #1 SMP Wed Feb 15 13:33:49 UTC 2012 (d73692b) x86_64
LTFS17089I Distribution: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 (x86_64)
LTFS17089I Distribution: LSB_VERSION="core-2.0-noarch:core-3.2-noarch:core-4.0-noarch:core-2.0-x86_64:core-3.2-x86_64:core-4.0-x86_64"
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "ibmtape" driver
LTFS12165I lin_tape version is 1.74.0
LTFS12158I Opening a device through ibmtape driver (/dev/IBMtape0)
LTFS12118I Drive identification is 'ULT3580-HH6 '
LTFS12162I Vendor ID is IBM
LTFS12159I Firmware revision is C9C1
LTFS12160I Drive serial is 1068000264
LTFS17160I Maximum device block size is 1048576
LTFS17157I Changing the drive setting to write-anywhere mode
LTFS16014I Checking LTFS file system on '/dev/IBMtape0'
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
LTFS17168E Cannot read volume: medium is not partitioned
LTFS16080E Cannot check volume (8)
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
4. If the medium is not yet formatted for LTFS, format it by using the mkltfs command as described in “Formatting media” on page 67. The LTFS format version is updated from 1.0 to 2.1.1. After a medium is formatted to the later version, it cannot be mounted on an older version of LTFS or converted to an older format without reformatting. If the media is already formatted for LTFS, skip to step 5.
|
This command overwrites the data: By running the mkltfs command to format the tape media, you overwrite the existing data on tape.
|
Example 1-9 LTFS SDE for Linux starting LTFS
# mkdir /mnt/ltfs
# ltfs -o devname=/dev/IBMtape0 /mnt/ltfs
LTFS14000I LTFS starting, LTFS version 1.3.0.0 (2200), log level 2
LTFS14058I LTFS Format Specification version 2.1.0
LTFS14104I Launched by "ltfs -o devname=/dev/IBMtape0 /mnt/ltfs"
LTFS14105I This binary is built for Linux (x86_64)
LTFS14106I GCC version is 4.3.4 [gcc-4_3-branch revision 152973]
LTFS17087I Kernel version: Linux version 3.0.13-0.27-default (geeko@buildhost) (gcc version 4.3.4 [gcc-4_3-branch revision 152973] (SUSE Linux) ) #1 SMP Wed Feb 15 13:33:49 UTC 2012 (d73692b) x86_64
LTFS17089I Distribution: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 (x86_64)
LTFS17089I Distribution: LSB_VERSION="core-2.0-noarch:core-3.2-noarch:core-4.0-noarch:core-2.0-x86_64:core-3.2-x86_64:core-4.0-x86_64"
LTFS14063I Sync type is "time", Sync time is 300 sec
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "ibmtape" driver
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "unified" iosched
LTFS14095I Set the tape device write-anywhere mode to avoid cartridge ejection
LTFS12165I lin_tape version is 1.74.0
LTFS12158I Opening a device through ibmtape driver (/dev/IBMtape0)
LTFS12118I Drive identification is 'ULT3580-HH6 '
LTFS12162I Vendor ID is IBM
LTFS12159I Firmware revision is C9C1
LTFS12160I Drive serial is 1068000264
LTFS17160I Maximum device block size is 1048576
LTFS17157I Changing the drive setting to write-anywhere mode
LTFS11005I Mounting the volume
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
LTFS14111I Initial setup completed successfully
LTFS14112I Invoke 'mount' command to check the result of final setup
LTFS14113I Specified mount point is listed if succeeded
The ltfs command advanced help function (ltfs -a) lists all the additional command-line options. For more details, see 1.7, “Command reference” on page 81.
|
Important: Do not power off or disconnect the tape drive while the ltfs command is mounting a tape media.
|
6. You can now start writing and reading data to tape. For more hints, see “Further tasks” on page 45 and the IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition Information Center:
|
Do not use these special characters: To retain compatibility between multiple platforms, do not use the following characters when you create the names of LTFS files, directories, or extended attributes: * ? < > : " | /
Extended attributes are not always portable between applications and operating systems.
|
Consider the following four examples of typical user tasks. Example 1-10 shows an example of writing data to the /mnt/ltfs tape directory by using the command-line interface (CLI).
Example 1-10 LTFS SDE for Linux copying files to tape
# mv *.jpg /mnt/ltfs
# ls -las /mnt/ltfs
total 2164
0 drwxrwxrwx 2 root root 0 Oct 4 09:37 .
4 drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Sep 28 16:10 ..
15 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 14344 Sep 24 14:32 file1.txt
715 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 731747 Oct 4 09:37 image1.jpg
715 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 731747 Oct 4 09:35 image2.jpg
715 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 731747 Oct 4 09:35 image3.jpg
Example 1-11 LTFS SDE for Linux renaming files on tape
# mv /mnt/ltfs/image3.jpg /mnt/ltfs/image3.old
# ls -las /mnt/ltfs
total 2164
0 drwxrwxrwx 2 root root 0 Oct 4 09:48 .
4 drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Sep 28 16:10 ..
15 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 14344 Sep 24 14:32 file1.txt
715 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 731747 Oct 4 09:37 image1.jpg
715 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 731747 Oct 4 09:35 image2.jpg
715 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 731747 Oct 4 09:48 image3.old
Example 1-12 shows an example of deleting a file from the /mnt/ltfs tape directory by using the CLI.
Example 1-12 LTFS SDE for Linux deleting a file from tape
# rm /mnt/ltfs/image3.jpg
# ls -las /mnt/ltfs
total 1449
0 drwxrwxrwx 2 root root 0 Oct 4 09:49 .
4 drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Sep 28 16:10 ..
15 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 14344 Sep 24 14:32 file1.txt
715 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 731747 Oct 4 09:37 image1.jpg
715 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 731747 Oct 4 09:35 image2.jpg
Example 1-13 LTFS SDE for Linux creating a tar file on tape
# tar -cvf /mnt/ltfs/images.tar /tmp/image4.jpg /tmp/image5.jpg
tmp/image4.jpg
tmp/image5.jpg
# ls -las /mnt/ltfs
total 2889
0 drwxrwxrwx 2 root root 0 Oct 4 09:50 .
4 drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Sep 28 16:10 ..
15 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 14344 Oct 4 09:47 file1.txt
715 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 731747 Oct 4 09:37 image1.jpg
715 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 731747 Oct 4 09:35 image2.jpg
1440 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 1474560 Oct 4 09:50 images.tar
7. Unmount the medium by entering the following command:
# umount /mnt/ltfs
In the Linux environment, the umount command requires administrator privileges. Linux users who do not have administrator privileges must use the fusermount -u command instead. When the command to unmount is issued, LTFS attempts to close the mounted medium by performing the following operations:
– Synchronizing cached data
– Writing the current index file (first to the data partition and finally to the index partition)
– Writing the consistency-related data to LTO cartridge memory
Shutting down the Linux operating system or tape drive without unmounting the medium can cause data loss or a consistency error. If the unmount operation fails, LTFS sends a fail message to the system log, exits immediately, and releases the device.
8. To eject a tape cartridge from a physical drive, LTFS first must be unmounted. After the tape medium is unmounted, press the Unload button on the front panel of the drive to eject the tape.
Further tasks
To check for media errors or to roll back, run ltfsck. To learn more about using the check and rollback functions, see “Checking and recovering media” on page 74 and “Rolling back media” on page 76.
To view a recent event log of error and warning messages, check the operating system logs. The log includes the level (error or warning), date and time, ID, and description. To learn more about error logs, see “Viewing details” on page 71. If no error or warning message displays for your problem, see the IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition Information Center:
Formatting media
You must format all media before it is used by LTFS.
|
Format version: The LTFS format version is updated from 1.0 to 2.1.1. After a medium is formatted to the later version, it cannot be mounted on an older version of LTFS or converted to an older format. For more information, see 1.1.2, “Tape format compatibility” on page 4.
|
Example 1-14 LTFS SDE for Linux formatting a tape
mkltfs --device=/dev/IBMtape0 --tape-serial=D00346 --volume-name=D00346L5
LTFS15000I Starting mkltfs, LTFS version 1.3.0.0 (2200), log level 2
LTFS15041I Launched by "mkltfs --device=/dev/IBMtape0 --tape-serial=D00346 --volume-name=D00346L5 --force"
LTFS15042I This binary is built for Linux (x86_64)
LTFS15043I GCC version is 4.3.4 [gcc-4_3-branch revision 152973]
LTFS17087I Kernel version: Linux version 3.0.13-0.27-default (geeko@buildhost) (gcc version 4.3.4 [gcc-4_3-branch revision 152973] (SUSE Linux) ) #1 SMP Wed Feb 15 13:33:49 UTC 2012 (d73692b) x86_64
LTFS17089I Distribution: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 (x86_64)
LTFS17089I Distribution: LSB_VERSION="core-2.0-noarch:core-3.2-noarch:core-4.0-noarch:core-2.0-x86_64:core-3.2-x86_64:core-4.0-x86_64"
LTFS15003I Formatting device '/dev/IBMtape0'
LTFS15004I LTFS volume blocksize: 524288
LTFS15005I Index partition placement policy: None
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "ibmtape" driver
LTFS12165I lin_tape version is 1.74.0
LTFS12158I Opening a device through ibmtape driver (/dev/IBMtape0)
LTFS12118I Drive identification is 'ULT3580-HH6 '
LTFS12162I Vendor ID is IBM
LTFS12159I Firmware revision is C9C1
LTFS12160I Drive serial is 1068000264
LTFS17160I Maximum device block size is 1048576
LTFS17157I Changing the drive setting to write-anywhere mode
LTFS15010I Creating data partition b on SCSI partition 1
LTFS15011I Creating index partition a on SCSI partition 0
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
LTFS17165I Resetting the medium's capacity proportion
LTFS11097I Partitioning the medium
LTFS11100I Writing label to partition b
LTFS11278I Writing index to partition b
LTFS11100I Writing label to partition a
LTFS11278I Writing index to partition a
LTFS15013I Volume UUID is: 73041760-27ba-4e0d-88e6-555c88c20e16
LTFS15019I Volume capacity is 1425 GB
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
LTFS15024I Medium formatted successfully
Simultaneous copy
It is possible to copy multiple files to tape simultaneously, although this method is not advised due to the sequential nature of tape.
Figure 1-40 shows how the extents from each file are interleaved on the tape as it is written to the data partition.
Figure 1-40 LTFS SDE for Linux simultaneously writing files to tape
Checking and recovering media
The ltfsck LTFS utility verifies tape media consistency and, if necessary, recovers media from an inconsistent state.
When a tape is mounted, it is checked for consistency. If a consistency problem is found and can be recovered without the loss of data, the recovery is performed automatically. If you cannot perform the recovery without the loss of data, use ltfsck -f to locate the latest index and recover the tape from an inconsistent state. After the medium is recovered to a consistent state, ltfsck -l can be used to display a list of available rollback points. The ltfsck utility then can be used to recover the medium to its last good state. If ltfsck detects extra data after the final index in a partition, ltfsck deletes it. When the full recover option is specified, ltfsck saves the data that would be lost and corrects block information in the _ltfs_lostandfound directory.
When the ltfsck utility is run, it automatically removes invalid data from the end of the tape and recovers the tape to the last good state. LTFS appends the most recent changes to the end of the tape without overwriting the existing data. Additional ltfsck utility options can be initiated to save the invalid data or to list or recover consistency at a specific rollback point or date. Example 1-15 shows the typical output from the ltfsck command.
Example 1-15 LTFS SDE for Linux checking a tape
# ltfsck /dev/IBMtape0
LTFS16000I Starting ltfsck, LTFS version 1.3.0.0 (2200), log level 2
LTFS16088I Launched by "ltfsck /dev/IBMtape0"
LTFS16089I This binary is built for Linux (x86_64)
LTFS16090I GCC version is 4.3.4 [gcc-4_3-branch revision 152973]
LTFS17087I Kernel version: Linux version 3.0.13-0.27-default (geeko@buildhost) (gcc version 4.3.4 [gcc-4_3-branch revision 152973] (SUSE Linux) ) #1 SMP Wed Feb 15 13:33:49 UTC 2012 (d73692b) x86_64
LTFS17089I Distribution: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 (x86_64)
LTFS17089I Distribution: LSB_VERSION="core-2.0-noarch:core-3.2-noarch:core-4.0-noarch:core-2.0-x86_64:core-3.2-x86_64:core-4.0-x86_64"
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "ibmtape" driver
LTFS12165I lin_tape version is 1.74.0
LTFS12158I Opening a device through ibmtape driver (/dev/IBMtape0)
LTFS12118I Drive identification is 'ULT3580-HH6 '
LTFS12162I Vendor ID is IBM
LTFS12159I Firmware revision is C9T5
LTFS12160I Drive serial is 1068000264
LTFS17160I Maximum device block size is 1048576
LTFS17157I Changing the drive setting to write-anywhere mode
LTFS16014I Checking LTFS file system on '/dev/IBMtape0'
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
LTFS16023I LTFS volume information:
LTFS16024I Volser (bar code) : D00201
LTFS16025I Volume UUID : da45d932-677c-48ef-8d27-aef1fac2d75e
LTFS16026I Format time : 2012-10-01 17:09:30.209659101 MST
LTFS16027I Block size : 524288
LTFS16028I Compression : Enabled
LTFS16029I Index partition : ID = a, SCSI Partition = 0
LTFS16030I Data partition : ID = b, SCSI Partition = 1
LTFS11005I Mounting the volume
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
LTFS11026I Performing a full medium consistency check
LTFS11233I Updating MAM coherency data
LTFS11034I Volume unmounted successfully
LTFS16022I Volume is consistent
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
Rolling back media
You can roll back LTFS media by using the ltfsck command. You can list generations for all indexes on the index partition of the medium. When one of the points is specified, the index is rolled back to that point.
To roll back an LTFS medium, follow these steps:
1. List the current generations of the index on the medium by using the ltfsck command as shown in Example 1-16.
Example 1-16 LTFS SDE for Linux listing generations
# ltfsck -l /dev/IBMtape0
LTFS16000I Starting ltfsck, LTFS version 1.3.0.0 (2200), log level 2
LTFS16088I Launched by "ltfsck -l /dev/IBMtape0"
LTFS16089I This binary is built for Linux (x86_64)
LTFS16090I GCC version is 4.3.4 [gcc-4_3-branch revision 152973]
LTFS17087I Kernel version: Linux version 3.0.13-0.27-default (geeko@buildhost) (gcc version 4.3.4 [gcc-4_3-branch revision 152973] (SUSE Linux) ) #1 SMP Wed Feb 15 13:33:49 UTC 2012 (d73692b) x86_64
LTFS17089I Distribution: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 (x86_64)
LTFS17089I Distribution: LSB_VERSION="core-2.0-noarch:core-3.2-noarch:core-4.0-noarch:core-2.0-x86_64:core-3.2-x86_64:core-4.0-x86_64"
LTFS16084I List indexes in backward direction strategy
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "ibmtape" driver
LTFS12165I lin_tape version is 1.74.0
LTFS12158I Opening a device through ibmtape driver (/dev/IBMtape0)
LTFS12118I Drive identification is 'ULT3580-HH6 '
LTFS12162I Vendor ID is IBM
LTFS12159I Firmware revision is C9T5
LTFS12160I Drive serial is 1068000264
LTFS17160I Maximum device block size is 1048576
LTFS17157I Changing the drive setting to write-anywhere mode
LTFS16018I Listing LTFS file system rollback points on '/dev/IBMtape0'
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
LTFS16023I LTFS volume information:
LTFS16024I Volser (bar code) : D00201
LTFS16025I Volume UUID : da45d932-677c-48ef-8d27-aef1fac2d75e
LTFS16026I Format time : 2012-10-01 17:09:30.209659101 MST
LTFS16027I Block size : 524288
LTFS16028I Compression : Enabled
LTFS16029I Index partition : ID = a, SCSI Partition = 0
LTFS16030I Data partition : ID = b, SCSI Partition = 1
LTFS11005I Mounting the volume
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
Generation: Date Time Zone SelfPtr->BackPtr (Part, Pos)
(UTC Date UTC Time UTC)
Commit Message
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6: 2012-10-04 09:51:18.333071738 MST (0, 5)->(1, 33)
(2012-10-04 16:51:18.333071738 UTC)
No commit message
6: 2012-10-04 09:51:18.333071738 MST (1, 33)->(1, 27)
(2012-10-04 16:51:18.333071738 UTC)
No commit message
5: 2012-10-04 09:48:37.000085031 MST (1, 27)->(1, 23)
(2012-10-04 16:48:37.000085031 UTC)
No commit message
4: 2012-10-04 09:43:30.000174779 MST (1, 23)->(1, 18)
(2012-10-04 16:43:30.000174779 UTC)
No commit message
3: 2012-10-04 09:38:22.000107468 MST (1, 18)->(1, 9)
(2012-10-04 16:38:22.000107468 UTC)
No commit message
2: 2012-10-03 17:14:24.735644837 MST (1, 9)->(1, 5)
(2012-10-04 00:14:24.735644837 UTC)
No commit message
1: 2012-10-01 17:11:05.874285414 MST (1, 5) <<Initial Index>>
(2012-10-02 00:11:05.874285414 UTC)
No commit message
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
2. Decide to which date and time you want to roll back. In this example, we chose the generation 1 index.
Example 1-17 LTFS SDE for Linux rolling back index
# ltfsck /dev/IBMtape0 -g 1 -r
LTFS16000I Starting ltfsck, LTFS version 1.3.0.0 (2200), log level 2
LTFS16088I Launched by "ltfsck -g 1 -r /dev/IBMtape0"
LTFS16089I This binary is built for Linux (x86_64)
LTFS16090I GCC version is 4.3.4 [gcc-4_3-branch revision 152973]
LTFS17087I Kernel version: Linux version 3.0.13-0.27-default (geeko@buildhost) (gcc version 4.3.4 [gcc-4_3-branch revision 152973] (SUSE Linux) ) #1 SMP Wed Feb 15 13:33:49 UTC 2012 (d73692b) x86_64
LTFS17089I Distribution: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 (x86_64)
LTFS17089I Distribution: LSB_VERSION="core-2.0-noarch:core-3.2-noarch:core-4.0-noarch:core-2.0-x86_64:core-3.2-x86_64:core-4.0-x86_64"
LTFS16006I Rolling back to generation 1
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "ibmtape" driver
LTFS12165I lin_tape version is 1.74.0
LTFS12158I Opening a device through ibmtape driver (/dev/IBMtape0)
LTFS12118I Drive identification is 'ULT3580-HH6 '
LTFS12162I Vendor ID is IBM
LTFS12159I Firmware revision is C9T5
LTFS12160I Drive serial is 1068000264
LTFS17160I Maximum device block size is 1048576
LTFS17157I Changing the drive setting to write-anywhere mode
LTFS16015I Rolling back LTFS file system on '/dev/IBMtape0'
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
LTFS16023I LTFS volume information:
LTFS16024I Volser (bar code) : D00201
LTFS16025I Volume UUID : da45d932-677c-48ef-8d27-aef1fac2d75e
LTFS16026I Format time : 2012-10-01 17:09:30.209659101 MST
LTFS16027I Block size : 524288
LTFS16028I Compression : Enabled
LTFS16029I Index partition : ID = a, SCSI Partition = 0
LTFS16030I Data partition : ID = b, SCSI Partition = 1
LTFS11005I Mounting the volume
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
LTFS11034I Volume unmounted successfully
LTFS16082I Saving latest index to data partition to save history
LTFS16067I Rolling back based on the following index chain.
Generation: Date Time Zone SelfPtr->BackPtr (Part, Pos)
(UTC Date UTC Time UTC)
Commit Message
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1: 2012-10-01 17:11:05.874285414 MST (1, 5) <<Initial Index>>
(2012-10-02 00:11:05.874285414 UTC)
No commit message
LTFS16062I Roll back from the data partition
LTFS11005I Mounting the volume
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
LTFS11026I Performing a full medium consistency check
LTFS11233I Updating MAM coherency data
LTFS16086I Volume is rolled back successfully
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
Displaying version information
To display the LTFS version, run this command:
# ltfs -V
LTFS version 1.3.0.0 (2200)
LTFS Format Specification version 2.1.0
Changing attributes
In LTFS, only the write bit can be set or changed. So, the following command makes a file on an LTFS tape read-only:
# chmod 555 filename
Enabling symbolic links
Beginning with version 1.3.0, LTFS supports symbolic links. A symbolic link (symlink) is used to create a reference to, or an alias for, another file. In addition, LTFS supports a feature called live link. Live link enables LTFS to follow the mount point and cartridge of the original target. Standard symbolic links are enabled by default but can also be set by using the -o symlink_type=posix option with the ltfs command. To enable live links, the -o symlink_type=live option can be specified.
Enabling logical block protection
Logical block protection (LBP) is a feature that validates data and identifies corrupted data. Beginning with version 1.3.0, it is possible to enable LBP between LTFS and supported tape drives. When LBP is enabled, all data that is read or written between the tape drives and LTFS is checked. An error displays if data corruption occurs. To enable LBP, the -o scsi_lbprotect=on option is specified with the ltfs command. The -o scsi_lbprotect=off option is used to disable LBP.
Enabling data-safe mode
Beginning with version 1.3.0, LTFS supports data-safe mode. Data-safe mode is a feature that protects user data by preventing data overwrite situations. When this feature is enabled, the tape drive issues an error after it receives a command to overwrite any data on the currently mounted volume. Data-safe mode is a drive-specific behavior and can be enabled each time that a tape is mounted. It can be disabled only when a tape is not mounted. To enable or disable data-safe mode, the scsi_append_only_mode option is specified with the ltfs command. The scsi_append_only_mode=off option, which is the default setting, disables the feature. The scsi_append_only_mode=on option enables the feature. LTFS never enables data-safe mode unless the command-line option -o eject is specified.
1.5.2 Managing LTFS SDE for Mac OS X
The use and management of LTFS SDE on a Mac OS X system are described.
Initial configuration
A typical initial configuration scenario for most users of LTFS SDE for Mac OS X is described. Other topics that are referenced provide additional information that relates to specific steps in a typical user scenario. Before you start OS X, power on the tape drive so that the operating system can recognize the tape drive as a SCSI device.
Complete the following steps to configure LTFS:
1. Open a terminal session and log on as an administrator.
2. Insert a tape cartridge into the tape drive.
3. Confirm the tape medium status by running the ltfsck command. This command checks whether an LTFS file system is on tape. For more detailed information about the ltfsck command, see 1.7, “Command reference” on page 81 and 1.7.3, “Checking or recovering a tape with the ltfsck command” on page 88.
Example 1-18 shows an example of the output that is produced by the ltfsck command when used on an unformatted volume.
Example 1-18 LTFS SDE for OSX checking status
# ltfsck 0
4. If the medium is not yet formatted for LTFS, format it by using the mkltfs command as described in “Formatting media” on page 67. The LTFS format version is updated from 1.0 to 2.1.1. After a medium is formatted to the later version, it cannot be mounted on an older version of LTFS or converted to an older format without reformatting. If the media is already formatted for LTFS, skip to step 5.
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Overwritten data: Running the mkltfs command to format the tape media overwrites the existing data on tape.
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Example 1-19 LTFS SDE for OSX starting LTFS
# mkdir /mnt/ltfs
# ltfs /mnt/ltfs -o devname=0
The ltfs command advanced help function (ltfs -a) lists all the additional command-line options. For more details, see 1.7, “Command reference” on page 81.
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Important: Do not power off or disconnect the tape drive while the ltfs command mounts a tape media.
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6. You can now start writing and reading data to tape. For additional hints, see “Further tasks” on page 55 and the Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition Information Center:
|
Do not use these special characters: To retain compatibility between multiple platforms, do not use the following characters when you create the names of LTFS files, directories, or extended attributes: * ? < > : " | /
Extended attributes are not always portable between applications and operating systems.
|
The process to access LTFS tape media is described. You can use a file manager, such as Finder for Mac OS X, as shown in Figure 1-41 on page 54 (displaying an icon for the LTFS tape D00999L5). Or, you can use a command-line utility to access the files on a tape medium. The use of the command line is described.
It can take time to browse the directory contents of LTFS by using the Finder. If “View as icon”, “View as list”, or “View as column” is selected, you can accelerate the Finder by setting the Icon preview to off.
Figure 1-41 Mac OSX Finder displaying LTFS tape
Consider the following examples of typical user tasks. Example 1-20 shows an example of writing data to the /mnt/ltfs tape directory by using the CLI.
Example 1-20 LTFS SDE for OSX copying files to tape
# mv *.jpg /mnt/ltfs
Example 1-21 LTFS SDE for OSX renaming files on tape
# mv /mnt/ltfs/image3.jpg /mnt/ltfs/image3.old
Example 1-22 on page 55 shows an example of deleting a file from the /mnt/ltfs tape directory by using the CLI.
Example 1-22 LTFS SDE for OSX deleting a file from tape
# rm /mnt/ltfs/image3.old
Example 1-23 LTFS SDE for OSX creating a tar file on tape
# tar -cvf /mnt/ltfs/images.tar /tmp/image4.jpg /tmp/image5.jpg
tmp/image4.jpg
tmp/image5.jpg
7. Unmount the medium by entering the following command:
# umount /mnt/ltfs
When the command to unmount is issued, LTFS attempts to close the mounted medium by performing the following operations:
– Synchronizing cached data
– Writing the current index file (first to the data partition and finally to the index partition)
– Writing the consistency-related data to the LTO cartridge memory
Shutting down the Mac OS X operating system or tape drive without unmounting the medium can cause data loss or a consistency error. If the unmount operation fails, LTFS sends a fail message to the system log, exits immediately, and releases the device.
8. To eject a tape cartridge from a physical drive, LTFS first must be unmounted. After the tape medium is unmounted, press the Unload button on the front panel of the drive to eject the tape.
Further tasks
To check for media errors or to roll back, run the ltfsck command. To learn more about using the check and rollback functions, see “Checking and recovering media” on page 57 and “Rolling back media” on page 58.
To view a recent event log of error and warning messages, check the operating system logs. The log includes the level (error or warning), date and time, ID, and description. If no error or warning message displays for your problem, see the Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition Information Center website:
Formatting media
You must format all media before use by LTFS.
|
Format version: The LTFS format version is updated from 1.0 to 2.1.1. After a medium is formatted to the later version, it cannot be mounted on an older version of LTFS or converted to an older format. For more information, see 1.1.2, “Tape format compatibility” on page 4.
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Example 1-24 LTFS SDE for OSX formatting a tape
# mkltfs --device=0 --tape-serial=D00999 -volume-name=D00999L5 -f
Simultaneous copy
It is possible to copy multiple files to tape simultaneously, although it is not advised due to the sequential nature of tape.
Figure 1-42 LTFS SDE for OSX simultaneously writing files to tape
Checking and recovering media
The ltfsck LTFS utility verifies tape media consistency and, if necessary, recovers media from an inconsistent state.
When a tape is mounted, it is checked for consistency. If a consistency problem is identified and can be recovered without the loss of data, the recovery is performed automatically. If you cannot perform the recovery without the loss of data, use the ltfsck -f command to locate the latest index and to recover the tape from an inconsistent state. After the medium is recovered to a consistent state, the ltfsck -l command can be used to display a list of available rollback points. The ltfsck utility then can be used to recover the medium to its last good state. If the ltfsck utility detects extra data after the final index in a partition, the ltfsck utility deletes it. When the full recover option is specified, the ltfsck utility saves the data that would be lost and corrects block information in the _ltfs_lostandfound directory.
When the ltfsck utility is run, it automatically removes invalid data from the end of the tape and recovers the tape to the last good state. LTFS appends the most recent changes to the end of the tape without overwriting the existing data. Additional ltfsck utility options can be initiated to save the invalid data, or to list or recover consistency at a specific rollback point or date. Example 1-25 on page 58 is an example of typical output from the ltfsck command.
Example 1-25 LTFS SDE for OSX checking a tape
ltfsck 0
Rolling back media
You can roll back LTFS media by using the ltfsck command. You can list the generations for all indexes on the index partition of the medium. When one of the points is specified, the index is rolled back to that point.
To roll back an LTFS medium, follow these steps:
1. List the current generations of the index on the medium by using the ltfsck command (Example 1-26 on page 59).
Example 1-26 LTFS SDE for OSX listing index generations
ltfsck -l 0
2. Decide to which date and time you want to roll back. In this example, we chose the generation 3 index.
Example 1-27 LTFS SDE for OSX rolling back
# ltfsck -g 3 -r 0
The tape now contains the files that were in existence at the time of the generation 3 index. Example 1-28 shows the files before and after rolling back.
Example 1-28 Files on tapes before and after rolling back
Before rollback:
After rollback:
Displaying version information
To display the LTFS version, run this command:
# ltfs -V
LTFS version 1.3.0.0 (2200)
LTFS Format Specification version 2.1.0
Changing attributes
LTFS-formatted tape media have the following limitations:
•Only the write permission of a file or directory can be changed.
•The owner of a file or directory cannot be changed.
The following command makes a file on an LTFS tape read-only:
# chmod 555 filename
Enabling symbolic links
Beginning with version 1.3.0, LTFS supports symbolic links. A symbolic link (symlink) is used to create a reference to, or an alias for, another file. In addition, LTFS supports a feature called live link. Live link enables LTFS to follow the mount point and cartridge of the original target. Standard symbolic links are enabled by default but can also be set by using the -o symlink_type=posix option with the ltfs command. To enable live links, the -o symlink_type=live option can be specified.
Enabling logical block protection
Logical block protection (LBP) is a feature that validates data and identifies corrupted data. Beginning with version 1.3.0, it is possible to enable LBP between LTFS and supported tape drives. When LBP is enabled, all data that is read or written between the tape drives and LTFS is checked. An error displays if data corruption occurs. To enable LBP, the -o scsi_lbprotect=on option must be specified with the ltfs command. The -o scsi_lbprotect=off option is used to disable LBP.
Enabling data-safe mode
Beginning with version 1.3.0, LTFS supports data-safe mode. Data-safe mode is a feature that protects user data by preventing data overwrite situations. When this feature is enabled, the tape drive issues an error after it receives a command to overwrite any data on the currently mounted volume. Data-safe mode is a drive-specific behavior and can be enabled each time that a tape is mounted. It can be disabled only when a tape is not mounted. To enable or disable data-safe mode, the scsi_append_only_mode option must be specified with the ltfs command. The scsi_append_only_mode=off option, which is the default, disables the feature. The scsi_append_only_mode=on option enables the feature. LTFS never enables data-safe mode unless the command-line option -o eject is specified.
1.5.3 Managing LTFS SDE for Windows
The process to use and manage LTFS SDE on a Windows system is described.
Initial configuration
A typical initial configuration scenario for most users of LTFS SDE for Windows is summarized. Other topics provide additional information that relates to specific steps in a typical user scenario. Before you start Windows, power on the tape drive so that Windows can recognize the tape drive as a SCSI device.
Complete the following steps to configure LTFS:
1. From the desktop, click Start and then right-click Computer.
2. Select System Properties from the menu and then click Device Manager.
Right-click the root tree (computer name) and select Scan for hardware changes. LTFS now recognizes the tape drive as a new device. You can then use the LTFS Configuration panel to assign a new drive letter to the drive.
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LTFS Configuration panel: With LTFS 1.2.1 and earlier on Windows 7, the LTFS Configuration panel opens automatically. With LTFS 1.2.5 and later, open the Configuration panel manually from the All Programs menu.
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3. After you install LTFS SDE for Windows, you need to assign a drive letter to an LTO tape drive to use the program. After a drive letter is assigned, no application other than LTFS can access the drive letter. You assign a drive letter to an LTFS tape drive by using the Configuration panel. In the Start menu, click All Programs → IBM → LTFS → Configuration as shown in Figure 1-43.
Figure 1-43 LTFS SDE for Windows Start menu items
– Drive Letter: Assigned or unassigned. The Drive Letter pop-up menu has three possible scenarios:
• Unassigned (blank)
• Assigned (with SCSI device address)
• Unchangeable (reserved by the system)
– Tape Drive: Details of port, bus number, target ID, logical unit number, and drive serial number (a 10-digit value)
– State: The current state of the LTFS drive
Figure 1-44 LTFS SDE for Windows configuration panel
Select any unused drive letter in the same row as the tape drive that you want to use and click OK. In this example, we assigned drive L: to the tape drive 1.0.7.0 (serial number 00013B0130).
The panel that is shown in Figure 1-44 is the same panel for both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. You can have multiple sessions with LTFS on Windows Server 2008 R2. For example, while you open the Configuration panel, another user can open another panel and configure another tape drive.
|
Important: For dual-path tape drives, be aware that LTFS does not support data path failover.
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In a Windows 7 system, you see the Configuration panel display (Figure 1-44) when any of the following situations occur:
– The system restarts after you install LTFS.
After you install LTFS, restart the system to launch it. During the system startup, LTFS checks whether one or more LTFS tape drives are connected. The Configuration panel displays when a connection is detected.
– The system detects a new LTFS-supported device.
LTFS periodically checks the SCSI devices that are connected to the system. The Configuration panel displays when one or more LTFS-supported tape drives are detected.
If a medium is already mounted in the drive, its state is “In use.” Eject a medium first before you change or remove a drive letter. For more information, see Figure 1-45 on page 65. If a medium is not mounted, select the drive letter that you want to change or remove, then select another drive letter or a blank field and click OK.
5. Insert a tape cartridge into the tape drive. After the cartridge is recognized by LTFS, it is automatically loaded and the drive icon changes to LTFS. Under normal operating conditions, when a cartridge is loaded, the icon changes to indicate the status of the medium and possible user action. See Table 1-2 on page 64.
Table 1-2 LTFS SDE for Windows drive icons
|
Medium
|
Icon
|
Right-click menu options
|
|
The medium is not inserted.
|
 |
Properties is available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable.
|
|
The medium is not ready. One of the following operations is running: load, format, check, rollback, or eject.
|
 |
Properties is available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable.
|
|
The medium is inserted, but it is not an LTO-5 or LTO-6 medium.
|
 |
Eject and Properties are available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable.
|
|
The LTFS-formatted medium is mounted.
|
 |
All options are available.
|
|
The write-protected LTFS-formatted medium is mounted.
|
 |
Eject and Properties are available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable.
|
|
A write error occurred during the write operation. The LTFS-formatted medium is read-only and must be ejected and reinserted to write data.
|
 |
Eject and Properties are available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable.
|
|
The LTO-5 or LTO-6 medium is inserted, but not formatted for LTFS.
|
 |
Eject and Properties are available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable.
|
|
The LTFS-formatted medium is inserted, but the data has inconsistencies. A check and recover operation is required to use the medium.
|
 |
All options are available.
|
6. Confirm the tape medium status. If the medium is not yet formatted for LTFS, format it by using the Format menu option as described in “Formatting media” on page 67. The LTFS format version is updated from 1.0 to 2.1.1. After a medium is formatted to the later version, it cannot be mounted on an older version of LTFS or converted to an older format without reformatting.
7. You can now start writing and reading data to the tape. Optimize the access performance to large files, especially multimedia files, by using the folder refresh option. For additional hints, see “Further tasks” on page 66 and the Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition Information Center website:
|
Special characters: To maintain portability between multiple platforms, do not use the following characters when you create the names of the LTFS-formatted files, directories, or extended attributes: * ? < > : " | /
|
8. Eject the medium from the LTFS drive by using the Eject menu option.
|
Important: After a drive letter is assigned to a tape drive and an LTFS medium is loaded into the drive, all attempts to eject the medium by using the Eject button on the tape drive fail. The Eject panel is the only way to remove the medium from the drive.
|
Follow these steps:
a. Open Windows Explorer, right-click the LTFS drive icon to display a pop-up menu, and then select Eject as shown in Figure 1-45.
Figure 1-45 Eject menu
Figure 1-46 LTFS SDE for Windows Eject Medium panel
c. A pop-up window (Figure 1-47) opens to indicate that ejecting the medium is still in progress. There is no message to indicate that the ejection of the medium is complete. However, the drive icon in Windows Explorer changes to indicate that there is no longer a tape in the drive.
Figure 1-47 LTFS SDE for Windows Ejecting Medium panel
LTFS has a cache to store data in the main memory and to write it to the medium in a certain condition. Without flushing data in the cache, data is lost if the system or drive power turns off.
To protect data, it is important to eject the LTFS medium from the drive before you shut down the system. If shutdown is initiated while an LTFS medium is still in the drive, a warning message is displayed and you are returned to the Windows desktop.
While you use LTFS, any of the following actions can result in an unrecoverable state when you attempt to return to LTFS:
• Hibernation mode
• Forced shutdown
• Windows update
Further tasks
To check for media errors or to roll back, click Properties, then click Check or Roll back. To learn more about using the Check and Rollback panels, see “Checking and recovering media” on page 74 and “Rolling back media” on page 76.
To view a recent event log of error and warning messages, click Details on the Properties panel. The log includes the level (error or warning), date and time, ID, and description. The ID links to a message in the LTFS Information Center that provides an explanation and action to help solve the problem. To learn more about using the Properties panel, see “Viewing details” on page 71. If no error or warning message displays for your problem, see the Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition Information Center website:
Formatting media
You must format all media for LTFS before you use it.
|
Format version 2.1.1: The LTFS format version is updated from 1.0 to 2.1.1. After a medium is formatted to the later version, it cannot be mounted on an older version of LTFS or converted to an older format. For more information, see 1.1.2, “Tape format compatibility” on page 4.
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You need to complete the following steps to format a medium for LTFS:
1. Open Windows Explorer, right-click the LTFS drive to display a pop-up menu, and then select Format as shown in Figure 1-48.
Figure 1-48 Format menu option
2. Click OK when the Format Medium panel displays.
3. In the Tape Serial Number and Tape Volume Name fields (Figure 1-49 on page 68), enter the tape serial number and tape volume name. Typically, the tape volume name matches the physical cartridge label. You also can eject the medium after you format it by selecting Eject the medium after formatting completes.
Figure 1-49 LTFS SDE for Windows Format Medium panel
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Important: The tape serial number is required to use six alphanumeric characters. Only uppercase alphabetical characters are acceptable. For example, “ABC123” is acceptable, but “abc123” is not.
To maintain portability between multiple platforms, the following characters cannot be used for volume names in LTFS: * ? < > : “ | /
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4. Click Advanced options to display an Advanced Options window (shown in Figure 1-50 on page 69). You can optionally specify which files can be stored in the index partition.
Figure 1-50 LTFS SDE for Windows Advanced Options panel
The following formatting rules display:
Size Filter (numeric value):
Only files that are smaller than the size that is set in this field are stored in the index partition. Numeric values and byte size units from KiB (kibibyte) to GiB (gibibyte) can be set from the drop-down list. In this example, the size is set to 10 MiB.
Name Filter (for example, *.jpg *.png):
Only files with names that match the names in this field are stored in the index partition. A space needs to be inserted between two or more names. In this example, the file type is set to *.TXT.
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Important: The name filter can only be set when the size filter is set. Both values are applied to filtered files.
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You have the option of selecting the “Prevent policy update” check box. If this check box is selected, LTFS does not allow a change in the selected formatting data placement policy when a medium is mounted. The policy also applies when a medium is mounted on Linux and Mac OS X operating systems. To learn more about the --no-override option, see 1.7.2, “Formatting a tape with the mkltfs command” on page 86. After these fields are complete, click OK and the Format Medium panel is displayed again (Figure 1-51 on page 70).
Figure 1-51 LTFS SDE for Windows Format Medium panel
5. Click OK to continue formatting. See the progress indicator (Figure 1-52) to track the operation.
Figure 1-52 LTFS SDE for Windows Formatting Medium panel
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Important: You cannot access the medium while the format process is in progress. If you attempt to access it through file system calls, an error message is returned on the Windows desktop.
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Figure 1-53 LTFS SDE for Windows Medium Formatting Complete panel
Viewing details
You need to complete the following steps to view the tape details:
1. Open Windows Explorer, right-click the LTFS drive to display a drop-down menu, and then select Properties (Figure 1-54).
Figure 1-54 Properties menu option
Figure 1-55 LTFS SDE for Windows media properties panel
The Properties panel displays the following information:
– Tape volume serial number
– Tape volume name
– Universally Unique Identifier (UUID)
– Used and free space (in binary units)
– Capacity (in binary units)
The Properties panel also displays the following options:
– Check
– Rollback
– Details
3. To check for media errors or to roll back, click Check or Rollback. For additional information, see “Checking and recovering media” on page 74.
Figure 1-56 LTFS SDE for Windows media properties details panel
The Details window displays the following information:
– Configuration:
• LTFS version
• Drive ID
• Drive serial
• Drive firmware
– Recent event logs:
• Level (error or warning)
• Date and Time
• ID (a number that is assigned to a specific system error or warning message with a hyperlink to the LTFS SDE Information Center)
• Description
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Resource: If no error or warning message displays for your problem, see the Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition Information Center website:
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Simultaneous copy
It is possible to copy multiple files to tape simultaneously, although it is not advised due to the sequential nature of tape. Figure 1-57 shows multiple files that are written to tape at the same time. For an explanation of how the file extents are interleaved on tape, see “Simultaneous copy” on page 46. Figure 1-57 shows files that are being copied simultaneously in two separate sessions.
Figure 1-57 LTFS SDE for Windows simultaneously writing files to tape
Checking and recovering media
You can check and recover LTFS media by using the Check panel.
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Important: Directory and file data are stored in index files that specify their exact position and size. If the index file is inconsistent or does not match the data on the medium, LTFS cannot access it. LTFS, however, can recover extra data blocks from which metadata is excluded from the index file. The recovered data is stored in the ltfslostandfound directory in the root directory. When the tape medium is mounted, the directory is viewable at the mount point.
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Complete the following steps to check media consistency and to recover a medium:
1. Open Windows Explorer, right-click the LTFS drive to display a drop-down menu, and then select Properties. For more information, see “Viewing details” on page 71.
Figure 1-58 LTFS SDE for Windows LTFS check and rollback panel
3. Click OK when the Check Medium panel displays or click Cancel to quit the operation. For more information about consistency checking, see “Checking or recovering a tape with the ltfsck command” on page 88. Figure 1-59 displays while the consistency check is run.
Figure 1-59 LTFS SDE for Windows LTFS Checking Medium in progress
4. If the medium has inconsistencies, as much data as possible is recovered before the medium is automatically mounted. If an inconsistency in a file cannot be recovered, a message displays that directs you to the Rollback panel. For more information, see “Rolling back media” on page 76 for more information.
Figure 1-60 LTFS SDE for Windows Check Medium Complete panel
Rolling back media
You can roll back LTFS media by using the Rollback panel. The Rollback panel lists generations for all indexes on the index partition of the medium. When one of the points is specified, the index is rolled back to that point.
To roll back an LTFS medium, follow these steps:
1. Open Windows Explorer, right-click the LTFS drive icon to display a drop-down menu, and then select Properties to display a Properties panel. To learn more about using the Properties panel, see the topic “Viewing details” on page 71.
Figure 1-61 LTFS SDE for Windows Rollback Medium panel
3. Click OK when the Rollback Medium dialog box displays to continue the operation or click Cancel to quit the operation. Even if you click Cancel, it can take time to mount the medium again. See the Canceling Rollback progress indicator to track the operation. If you continue, see the Retrieving Rollback Generations progress indicator to track the operation. When the operation is complete, the Rollback Cartridge window displays the following information:
– Generations: A list of all generations that are contained on the medium
Generation numbers are created incrementally starting at 1. The generation number 1 indicates that the index is created when the medium is formatted. A new index is automatically created whenever data in the main memory cache is flushed to the medium.
– Date and time: A list of the date and time that an index is created
4. Data for the most recent generation can be removed from the medium by selecting Erase rollback generations more recent than the selected rollback generation. By removing this data, you can help optimize storage capacity because the erased area is used again by LTFS. Data newer than this generation cannot be recovered. When this option is not selected, any existing generation can be recovered even following a rollback operation. This option is equivalent to the -j or --erase-history command on Linux and Mac OS X operating systems. To learn more about using this command, see 1.7.3, “Checking or recovering a tape with the ltfsck command” on page 88.
5. Select one generation to which to roll back, then click OK. See the Rollback Cartridge progress indicator to track the operation. A Rollback Medium window (Figure 1-62) then displays with the selected generation highlighted.
Figure 1-62 LTFS SDE for Windows Rollback Medium generation panel
6. You have the option of selecting the “Erase all rollback generations with a date and time later than the selected rollback generation” check box. Select the generation (point-in-time) to which you want to roll back and click OK to complete the procedure.
The medium is now rolled back to an earlier state. The index list is updated to include the most recent generation. LTFS SDE currently has no means of searching a rollback generation for a specific file. However, you can view the underlying XML of the index (see 1.8.1, “IBM LTFS Format Verifier” on page 92) and search for particular file names and their date and time stamps.
Displaying version information
You can check the current LTFS program version by using the Version panel. Complete the following steps:
1. From the desktop, click Start → All programs → IBM → LTFS → Version (Figure 1-63). Click the Version shortcut to display an “About the IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition” panel.
Figure 1-63 LTFS SDE for Windows version information
2. Click OK to close the window.
Changing attributes
In LTFS, only the write bit can be set or changed. So, the following command makes a file on an LTFS tape read-only:
>attrib +r filename
Other file attributes, such as system, hidden, and archive, cannot be changed.
Extended attributes
A file can have multiple extended attributes. The maximum size of an extended attribute is
4 KB. Within Windows, there is no method of viewing extended attributes directly so a utility must be used to view or set them. For more details, see 1.8.4, “IBM LTFS Extended Attribute Access Program” on page 101.
4 KB. Within Windows, there is no method of viewing extended attributes directly so a utility must be used to view or set them. For more details, see 1.8.4, “IBM LTFS Extended Attribute Access Program” on page 101.
1.6 Troubleshooting
The process to troubleshoot the LTFS on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows operating systems is described. When LTFS detects a problem while it accesses the file system, LTFS automatically reports an LTFS-specific error message that leads you to the solution. Furthermore, all operating systems also save error messages in their system logs. To optimize service performance, it is advised that you enable the system log. Detailed steps are provided on the LTFS SDE Information Center website.
If a problem occurs with LTFS, follow these steps:
1. Check to determine whether the tape drive reports an error. If the tape drive has a problem, it reports an error character on a single-character display (SCD). When this error character displays, the LTFS does not work properly. To solve the problem efficiently, check the SCD first. If it displays any character, see the tape drive maintenance manual to find the solution.
2. Check for the most recent error message and the corresponding ID on the console.
3. Check for the options that are available on the LTFS SDE Information Center to analyze problems.
4. If you cannot find any action to solve the problem, see the LTFS SDE Information Center website for additional suggestions about how to troubleshoot the problem.
Several typical issues that you might encounter and suggested solutions are listed.
1.6.1 Formatting errors
When you run the mkltfs command, the following error can occur:
LTFS15047E Medium is already formatted (0)
Solution
You need to specify the -f or --force option to format any tape medium that is already formatted for use by LTFS.
1.6.2 Errors starting LTFS
You might see this error:
fuse: bad mount point `/mnt/ltfss': No such file or directory
LTFS14094E Cannot get mount point (-1)
Solution
You mistyped the mount point for LTFS. If the directory does not exist, LTFS does not start.
1.6.3 IBM Tape Device Driver errors
You might encounter the following IBM Tape Device Driver errors.
mkltfs
When you run the mkltfs command, the following errors can occur:
LTFS12114E Cannot open device '/dev/IBMtape0' (16)
LTFS12012E Cannot open device: failed backend open call
LTFS15009E Cannot open device '/dev/IBMtape0' (-21711)
There are several possible reasons for these errors. Either a tape is in the process of mounting or dismounting. Or, these errors indicate a hardware problem or a problem with the lin_tape device driver in Linux.
Solution
A tape can be in the process of mounting or dismounting. Wait 1 minute and then rerun the mkltfs command. If that does not solve the problem, run the command:
/etc/init.d/lin_tape restart
If that does not fix the problem, a service representative needs to examine the tape drive.
ltfsck
When you run the ltfsck command, one of the following errors occurs:
•LTFS12158I Opening a device through ibmtape driver (/dev/IBMtape0)
•LTFS12113E /dev/IBMtape0: medium is already mounted or in use
•LTFS12012E Cannot open device: failed backend open call
•LTFS16011E Cannot open device '/dev/IBMtape0'
Solution
You cannot run the ltfsck command if a tape is mounted. Unmount the tape (for example, the umount /mnt/ltfs command) and try the ltfsck command again.
1.6.4 Tape drive errors
LTFS requires that the tape drive is turned on and physically connected to the computer before LTFS is started. The current state of the hardware within the operating system can be checked by using the following commands and utilities:
•Linux: The cat /proc/scsi/sg/device_strs command
•Mac OS X: Use the System Profiler tool
•Windows: Use the Device Manager tool
If the tape drive is not visible, check the cabling, power, and so on, rectify the issue, and then unmount and restart LTFS.
1.6.5 Tape volume errors
LTFS performs a check of the index of an LTFS tape volume each time that the LTFS tape volume is mounted. In the unlikely event that problems are encountered when the index is read, the mount operation fails and you are notified of the fault. The ltfsck utility (1.7.3, “Checking or recovering a tape with the ltfsck command” on page 88) is useful to help you solve these types of tape volume errors.
1.6.6 Unmount errors
If a process uses the current directory under the LTFS mount point, the unmount operation fails, and an error message displays that is similar to the following error message:
# umount /mnt/ltfs
umount: /mnt/ltfs: device busy
For example, if the current directory is changed to the LTFS mount point and the terminal window remains open, the unmount command fails. In this case, close the terminal window or use the cd command to change the directory.
If several people use LTFS, you can determine which user is using the LTFS mount point by using the fuser command option:
•Linux
# fuser -muv /mnt/ltfs
•Mac OS X
# fuser -cu /mnt/ltfs
1.7 Command reference
The LTFS application for Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows is managed by three main LTFS commands: ltfs, mkltfs, and ltfsck. In Windows, the three LTFS commands are invoked from within the graphical user interface (GUI) rather than directly through the command line.
1.7.1 Mounting a tape with the ltfs command
The ltfs command is the LTFS program, which is the main program of the three LTFS programs. It mounts tape media to the file system through the FUSE interface. By using this command, users can access tape media through POSIX system calls.
Enter the ltfs command from the command line to mount the media for use with LTFS. Table 1-3 lists the command to enter, depending on your operating system.
Table 1-3 Command-line entries for the ltfs command
|
Operating system
|
Command-line entry
|
|
Linux
|
mkdir /mnt/ltfs
ltfs -o devname=/dev/IBMtape0 /mnt/ltfs
|
|
Mac OS X
|
mkdir /mnt/ltfs
ltfs /mnt/ltfs -f -o devname=0
|
|
Windows
|
N/A
|
The ltfs command has the following command-line options:
usage: ltfs mountpoint [options]
The ltfs command has the following command-line general options:
-o opt,[opt...] Mount options
-h --help Print help
-V --version Print version
The ltfs command has the following command-line FUSE options:
-d -o debug Enable debug output (implies -f)
-f Foreground operation
-s Disable multithreaded operation
-o allow_other Allow access to other users
-o allow_root Allow access to root
-o auto_unmount Auto unmount on process termination
-o nonempty Allow mounts over non-empty file/dir
-o default_permissions
Enable permission checking by kernel
Enable permission checking by kernel
-o fsname=NAME Set file system name
-o subtype=NAME Set file system type
-o large_read Issue large read requests (2.4 only)
-o max_read=N Set maximum size of read requests
-o hard_remove Immediate removal (do not hide files)
-o use_ino Let file system set inode numbers
-o readdir_ino Try to fill in d_ino in readdir
-o direct_io Use direct I/O
-o kernel_cache Cache files in kernel
-o [no]auto_cache Enable caching based on modification times (off)
-o umask=M Set file permissions (octal)
-o uid=N Set file owner
-o gid=N Set file group
-o entry_timeout=T Cache timeout for names (1.0 second (1.0s))
-o negative_timeout=T
Cache timeout for deleted names (0.0s)
Cache timeout for deleted names (0.0s)
-o attr_timeout=T Cache timeout for attributes (1.0s)
-o ac_attr_timeout=T
Auto cache timeout for attributes (attr_timeout)
Auto cache timeout for attributes (attr_timeout)
-o noforget Never forget cached inodes
-o remember=T Remember cached inodes for T seconds (0s)
-o intr Allow requests to be interrupted
-o intr_signal=NUM Signal to send on interrupt (10)
-o modules=M1[:M2...]
Names of modules to push onto file system stack
Names of modules to push onto file system stack
-o max_write=N Set maximum size of write requests
-o max_readahead=N Set maximum read ahead
-o max_background=N Set number of maximum background requests
-o congestion_threshold=N
Set the congestion threshold of the kernel
Set the congestion threshold of the kernel
-o async_read Perform reads asynchronously (default)
-o sync_read Perform reads synchronously
-o atomic_o_trunc Enable atomic open+truncate support
-o big_writes Enable larger than 4kB writes
-o no_remote_lock Disable remote file locking
-o no_remote_flock Disable remote file locking (BSD)
-o no_remote_posix_lock
Disable remove file locking (POSIX)
Disable remove file locking (POSIX)
-o [no_]splice_write
Use splice to write to the fuse device
Use splice to write to the fuse device
-o [no_]splice_move Move data while splicing to the fuse device
-o [no_]splice_read Use splice to read from the fuse device
The ltfs command has the following command-line module options:
•[subdir]:
-o subdir=DIR Prepend this directory to all paths (mandatory)
-o [no]rellinks Transform absolute symlinks to relative
•[iconv]:
-o from_code=CHARSET
Original encoding of file names (default: UTF-8)
-o to_code=CHARSET New encoding of the file names (default: UTF-8)
The ltfs command has the following command-line LTFS options:
-o config_file=<file>
Configuration file (default: /etc/ltfs.conf)
Configuration file (default: /etc/ltfs.conf)
-o work_directory=<dir>
LTFS work directory (default: /tmp/ltfs)
LTFS work directory (default: /tmp/ltfs)
-o atime Update index if only access times changed
-o noatime Do not update index if only access times changed (default)
-o tape_backend=<name>
Tape back end to use (default: ibmtape)
Tape back end to use (default: ibmtape)
-o iosched_backend=<name>
I/O scheduler implementation to use (default: unified, use “none” to disable)
I/O scheduler implementation to use (default: unified, use “none” to disable)
-o dcache_backend=<name>
Dentry cache implementation to use (default: ondemand, use “none” to disable)
Dentry cache implementation to use (default: ondemand, use “none” to disable)
-o umask=<mode> Override default permission mask (three octal digits, default: 000)
-o fmask=<mode> Override file permission mask (three octal digits, default: 000)
-o dmask=<mode> Override directory permission mask (three octal digits, default: 000)
-o min_pool_size=<num>
Minimum write cache pool size. Cache objects are 1 MB each (default: 25)
Minimum write cache pool size. Cache objects are 1 MB each (default: 25)
-o max_pool_size=<num>
Maximum write cache pool size. Cache objects are 1 MB each (default: 50)
Maximum write cache pool size. Cache objects are 1 MB each (default: 50)
-o rules=<rules> Rules for choosing files to write to the index partition.
The rule argument uses this syntax:
size=1M
size=1M/name=pattern
size=1M/name=pattern1:pattern2:pattern3
A file is written to the index partition if it is no larger than the specified size and it matches at least one of the name patterns (if specified). The size argument accepts K, M, and G suffixes. Name patterns might contain the special characters: question mark (?) (match any single character) and asterisk (*) (match zero or more characters).
-o quiet Disable informational messages (same as verbose=1)
-o trace Enable diagnostic output (same as verbose=3)
-o fulltrace Enable full call tracing (same as verbose=4)
-o verbose=<num> Override output verbosity directly (default: 2)
-o sync_type=<type> Specify sync type (default: time@5)
<type> is specified in the following manner:
time@min: LTFS attempts to write an index each 'min' minutes. min must be a decimal number 1 - 140239377069472 (default: min=5)
close: LTFS attempts to write an index when a file is closed.
unmount: LTFS attempts to write an index when the medium is unmounted.
-o device_list Show available tape devices
-o strict_label Require a match between the bar code and the ANSI label when you mount a tape
-o nostrict_label Do not require the bar code and the ANSI label to match (default)
-o release_device Clear device reservation (specify with -o devname or -o changer_devname)
-a Advanced help, including standard FUSE options
The ltfs command has the following command-line LTFS library options:
-o run_inventory Run a full inventory to create the LTFS namespace
-o library_cache Set to use and create caches from the medium auxiliary memory (MAM), index, and labels (default)
-o nolibrary_cache Set to disable the use and creation of MAM, index, and label caches
-o volser_only_folder
Set to exclude volume name from top-level folder name
Set to exclude volume name from top-level folder name
-o novolser_only_folder
Set to include volume name in top-level folder name (default)
-o barcode_rules=<rules>
Colon-separated list of bar code patterns. The syntax of each
Colon-separated list of bar code patterns. The syntax of each
pattern is shown:
+barcode (show matching bar codes)
-barcode (blacklist matching bar codes)
Patterns can contain the special characters: question mark (?) (match any character) and asterisk (*) (match zero or more characters).
Bar codes are shown based on the first matching pattern in the list. If a bar code does not match any pattern, it is shown by default.
-o deactivate_all_drives
Deactivate all tape drives at mount time
Deactivate all tape drives at mount time
-o six_char_label_support
Allow user to load a medium with a six-character bar code label
Allow user to load a medium with a six-character bar code label
-o scsi_append_only_mode=<on|off>
Set the tape device append-only mode (default=on)
The following option is the LTFS admin interface option:
-o admin_port=<num> TCP/IP port in which to listen for connections (default: 2112)
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "ibmtape" driver:
The following options are the IBMTAPE back-end options:
-o devname=<dev> Tape device (default=/dev/IBMtape0)
-o autodump Enable autodump (default)
-o noautodump Disable autodump
-o scsi_lbprotect=<on|off>
Enable drive logical block protection (default=off)
Enable drive logical block protection (default=off)
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "file" driver:
The following options are the FILE back-end options:
-o devname=<dev> LTFS emulation directory (default=/tmp/ltfs/tape)
-o file_readonly Emulate operation in read-only mode
-o file_p0_warning=<num>
Set early warning position partition 0
Set early warning position partition 0
-o file_p1_warning=<num>
Set early warning position partition 1
Set early warning position partition 1
To mount LTFS by a normal (nonroot) user, verify the following conditions:
•For Mac OS X: The user is logged on as an administrator.
•The user has write permission for the work directory (default of /tmp/ltfs).
•The user has write permission for the mount point.
•For Linux: Verify that the file mode of /usr/bin/fusermount is set to chmod 4755.
•For Linux: Verify that user_allow_other is added to the /etc/fuse.conf file.
1.7.2 Formatting a tape with the mkltfs command
The LTFS mkltfs utility is used to format tape media for use with LTFS. When the mkltfs utility is run on a scratch medium, it performs the following actions:
•Destroys all data on the media
•Creates two partitions on the media
•Creates a UUID for the media
•Writes empty index data in the LTFS format
Enter the mkltfs command on the operating system command line to format the media:
•For Linux, enter this command:
mkltfs --device /dev/IBMtape0 --force --tape-serial=DV1270 --volume-name=DV1270L6
•For Mac OS X, enter this command:
mkltfs --device 0 --force --tape-serial=DV1270 --volume-name=DV1270L6
•For Windows, enter this command:
mkltfs --device=1.0.7.0 --force --tape-serial=DV1270 --volume-name=DV1270L6
Example 1-29 Example of mkltfs output
LTFS9015W Setting the locale to 'en_US.UTF-8'. If this is wrong, please set the LANG environment variable before starting mkltfs.
LTFS15000I Starting mkltfs, LTFS version 1.3.0.0 (2200), log level 2
LTFS15041I Launched by "mkltfs --device=1.0.7.0 --force --tape-serial=DV1270 --volume-name=DV1270L6"
LTFS15042I This binary is built for Windows
LTFS15043I GCC version is 4.7.0 20111220 (experimental)
LTFS17087I Kernel version: Windows
LTFS15003I Formatting device '1.0.7.0'
LTFS15004I LTFS volume blocksize: 524288
LTFS15005I Index partition placement policy: None
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "scsilib" driver
LTFS62158I Opening a device through scsilib driver (33e680h)
LTFS62160I Drive serial is 00013B0130
LTFS17160I Maximum device block size is 1040384
LTFS17157I Changing the drive setting to write-anywhere mode
LTFS15010I Creating data partition b on SCSI partition 1
LTFS15011I Creating index partition a on SCSI partition 0
LTFS62207I Logical block protection is disabled
LTFS17165I Resetting the medium's capacity proportion
LTFS11097I Partitioning the medium
LTFS11100I Writing label to partition b
LTFS11278I Writing index to partition b
LTFS11100I Writing label to partition a
LTFS11278I Writing index to partition a
LTFS15013I Volume UUID is: ae23a7ff-1d27-4112-84d4-9aa8ebaa46db
LTFS15019I Volume capacity is 2408 GB
LTFS62207I Logical block protection is disabled
LTFS15024I Medium formatted successfully
The -d <name> or --device=<name> option is explained:
•For Linux, this name is the tape device name. The default for this field is /dev/IBMtape0.
•For Mac OS X, this name is the tape device enumerator. The default for this field is 0. The enumerator is generated sequentially starting with 0 and is automatically assigned to each tape device.
The following options are also available for the mkltfs command:
-d, --device=<name> Tape device (required)
-f, --force Force to format medium
-s, --tape-serial=<id>
Tape serial number (six alphanumeric ASCII characters)
Tape serial number (six alphanumeric ASCII characters)
-n, --volume-name=<name>
Tape volume name (empty by default)
-r, --rules=<rules> Rules for choosing files to write to the index partition
The syntax of the rule argument is:
size=1M
size=1M/name=pattern
size=1M/name=pattern1:pattern2:pattern3
A file is written to the index partition if it is no larger than the specified size and matches at least one of the name patterns (if specified). The size argument accepts K, M, and G suffixes. Name patterns might contain the special characters: question mark (?) (match any single character) and asterisk (*) (match zero or more characters).
--no-override Disallow mount-time data placement policy changes
-w, --wipe Restore the LTFS medium to an unpartitioned medium (format to an existing scratch medium)
-q, --quiet Suppress progress information and general messages
-t, --trace Enable function call tracing
-h, --help Help
-p, --advanced-help Full help, including advanced options
-i, --config=<file> Use the specified configuration file (default: ltfs/ltfs.conf)
-e, --backend=<name>
Use the specified tape device back end (default: scsilib)
Use the specified tape device back end (default: scsilib)
--kmi-backend=<name>
Use the specified key manager interface (kmi) back end (default: none)
Use the specified key manager interface (kmi) back end (default: none)
-b, --blocksize=<num>
Set the LTFS record size (default: 524288)
Set the LTFS record size (default: 524288)
-c, --no-compression
Disable compression on the volume
Disable compression on the volume
-k, --keep-capacity Keep the tape medium total capacity proportion
-x, --fulltrace Enable full function call tracing (slow)
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "scsilib" driver:
The following options are the SCSIlib back-end options:
-o devname=<dev> Device name (default=2.0.0.0)
-o autodump Enable autodump (default)
-o noautodump Disable autodump
-o scsi_lbprotect=<on|off>
Enable drive logical block protection (default=off)
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "file" driver:
The following options are the FILE back-end options:
-o devname=<dev> LTFS emulation directory (default=c: mpltfs ape)
-o file_readonly Emulate operation in read-only mode
-o file_p0_warning=<num>
Set early warning position partition 0
-o file_p1_warning=<num>
Set early warning position partition 1
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "simple" kmi:
The following options are the key manager interface simple plug-in options:
-o kmi_dk=<DK> Data key
-o kmi_dki=<DKi> Data key identifier
-o kmi_dk_for_format=<DK>
Data key to format a cartridge
-o kmi_dki_for_format=<DKi>
Data key identifier to format a cartridge
-o kmi_dk_list=<DK>:<DKi>/<DK>:<DKi>/.../<DK>:<DKi>
Data key and data key identifier pairs list
Example 1-30 Usage
mkltfs --device=2.0.0.0 --rules="size=100K"
mkltfs --device=2.0.0.0 --rules="size=1M/name=*.jpg"
mkltfs --device=2.0.0.0 --rules="size=1M/name=*.jpg:*.png"
1.7.3 Checking or recovering a tape with the ltfsck command
The LTFS ltfsck utility is used to verify tape media consistency and, if necessary, recover the media from an inconsistent state. When a tape is mounted, the tape is checked for consistency problems.
If a consistency problem is identified and can be recovered without the loss of data, the recovery is performed automatically. If the recovery cannot be made without the loss of data, an automatic recovery is not performed. In this case, the ltfsck command or ltfsck -f command locates the latest index and recovers a medium in an inconsistent state. After the medium is recovered to a consistent state, you can use the ltfsck -l command to view a list of available rollback points. The ltfsck utility can then be initiated to recover the media to its last good state.
If the ltfsck utility detects extra data after the final index in a partition, it deletes the extra data automatically. When the full recover option is specified, the ltfsck utility saves the data that might be lost and corrects block information in the _ltfs_lostandfound directory.
When the ltfsck utility is run, it automatically removes invalid data from the end of the tape and recovers the tape to the last good state. You can initiate additional ltfsck utility options to save the invalid data or to list or recover consistency at a specific rollback point or date.
Enter the ltfsck command from the command line to verify the consistency of the LTFS formatted media. Table 4-6 lists the specific command to enter by operating system.
Table 1-4 Command-line examples for the ltfsck command
|
Operating system
|
Command-line entry
|
|
Linux
|
ltfsck /dev/IBMtape0
|
|
Mac OS X
|
ltfsck 0
|
|
Windows
|
ltfsck 1.0.7.0
|
The ltfsck command also has the following options:
Usage: ltfsck [options] filesys
filesys Device file for the tape drive
The following options are available:
-g, --generation=<generation>
Specify the generation to roll back
Specify the generation to roll back
-r, --rollback Roll back to the point that is specified by -g
-n, --no-rollback Do not roll back. Verify the point that is specified by -g (default)
-f, --full-recovery Recover extra data blocks into the _ltfs_lostandfound directory
-z, --deep-recovery Recover EOD missing cartridge
Some blocks might be erased, but recover to final unmount point with an index version of at least 2.0.0 or earlier.
(Must be used for a cartridge that cannot be recovered by a normal option.)
Example 1-31 Output of the ltfsck -I command
# ltfsck -l /dev/IBMtape0
LTFS16000I ltfsck starting, log level 2
LTFS16018I Listing rollback points of LTFS file system on '/dev/IBMtape0'
LTFS16023I LTFS volume information:
LTFS16024I Volser(Barcode) :
LTFS16025I Volume UUID : fdaeedda-5344-4155-a03a-9ca82b2f2e15
LTFS16026I Format Time : 2010-03-31 14:49:07.172792075 JST
LTFS16027I Block Size : 1048576
LTFS16028I Compression : Enabled
LTFS16029I Index Partition : ID = a, SCSI Partition = 1
LTFS16030I Data Partition : ID = b, SCSI Partition = 0
LTFS16077I Valid indexes:
Gen: Date ......... Time ...... Zone .. SelfPtr->BackPtr (Part, Pos)->(Part, Pos)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1: 2010-03-31 14:50:08.800718541 JST (0, 5) <<Initial Index>>
2: 2010-03-31 14:55:53.988915408 JST (0, 9)->(0, 5)
3: 2010-03-31 14:57:38.755561251 JST (0, 13)->(0, 9)
4: 2010-03-31 14:59:24.992244674 JST (1, 5)->(0, 17)
4: 2010-03-31 14:59:24.992244674 JST (0, 17)->(0, 13)
The following options are available for the ltfsck -l command:
-m, --full-index-info
Display full index information (Effective only for -l option)
Display full index information (Effective only for -l option)
-v, --traverse=<strategy>
Set traverse mode for listing rollback points. Strategy must be forward or backward (default: backward)
Set traverse mode for listing rollback points. Strategy must be forward or backward (default: backward)
-j, --erase-history Erase history at rollback
-k, --keep-history Keep history at rollback (default)
-q, --quiet Suppress informational messages
-a, --trace Enable diagnostic output
-h, --help Help
-p, --advanced-help Full help, including advanced options
-i, --config=<file> Use the specified configuration file (default: ltfs/ltfs.conf)
-e, --backend=<name>
Override the default tape device back end
Override the default tape device back end
--kmi-backend=<name>
Override the default key manager interface back end
Override the default key manager interface back end
-x, --fulltrace Enable full-function call tracing (slow)
--capture-index Capture index information to the current directory (-g is effective for this option)
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "scsilib" driver:
The following options are the SCSIlib back-end options:
-o devname=<dev> Device name (default=2.0.0.0)
-o autodump Enable autodump (default)
-o noautodump Disable autodump
-o scsi_lbprotect=<on|off>
Enable drive logical block protection (default=off)
Enable drive logical block protection (default=off)
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "file" driver:
The following options are the FILE back-end options:
-o devname=<dev> LTFS emulation directory (default=c: mpltfs ape)
-o file_readonly Emulate operation in read-only mode
-o file_p0_warning=<num>
Set early warning position partition 0
Set early warning position partition 0
-o file_p1_warning=<num>
Set early warning position partition 1
Set early warning position partition 1
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "simple" kmi:
The following options are the key manager interface simple plug-in options:
-o kmi_dk=<DK> Data key
-o kmi_dki=<DKi> Data key identifier
-o kmi_dk_for_format=<DK>
Data key to format a cartridge
Data key to format a cartridge
-o kmi_dki_for_format=<DKi>
Data key identifier to format a cartridge
Data key identifier to format a cartridge
-o kmi_dk_list=<DK>:<DKi>/<DK>:<DKi>/.../<DK>:<DKi>
Data key and data key identifier pairs list
Data key and data key identifier pairs list
Example 1-32 Output of the ltfsck command
# ltfsck /dev/IBMtape0
LTFS16000I Starting ltfsck, LTFS version 1.3.0.0 (2200), log level 2
LTFS16088I Launched by "ltfsck /dev/IBMtape0"
LTFS16089I This binary is built for Linux (x86_64)
LTFS16090I GCC version is 4.3.4 [gcc-4_3-branch revision 152973]
LTFS17087I Kernel version: Linux version 3.0.13-0.27-default (geeko@buildhost) (gcc version 4.3.4 [gcc-4_3-branch revision 152973] (SUSE Linux) ) #1 SMP Wed Feb 15 13:33:49 UTC 2012 (d73692b) x86_64
LTFS17089I Distribution: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 (x86_64)
LTFS17089I Distribution: LSB_VERSION="core-2.0-noarch:core-3.2-noarch:core-4.0-noarch:core-2.0-x86_64:core-3.2-x86_64:core-4.0-x86_64"
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "ibmtape" driver
LTFS12165I lin_tape version is 1.74.0
LTFS12158I Opening a device through ibmtape driver (/dev/IBMtape0)
LTFS12118I Drive identification is 'ULT3580-HH6 '
LTFS12162I Vendor ID is IBM
LTFS12159I Firmware revision is C9T5
LTFS12160I Drive serial is 1068000264
LTFS17160I Maximum device block size is 1048576
LTFS17157I Changing the drive setting to write-anywhere mode
LTFS16014I Checking LTFS file system on '/dev/IBMtape0'
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
LTFS16023I LTFS volume information:
LTFS16024I Volser (bar code) : D00201
LTFS16025I Volume UUID : da45d932-677c-48ef-8d27-aef1fac2d75e
LTFS16026I Format time : 2012-10-01 17:09:30.209659101 MST
LTFS16027I Block size : 524288
LTFS16028I Compression : Enabled
LTFS16029I Index partition : ID = a, SCSI Partition = 0
LTFS16030I Data partition : ID = b, SCSI Partition = 1
LTFS11005I Mounting the volume
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
LTFS11026I Performing a full medium consistency check
LTFS11233I Updating MAM coherency data
LTFS11034I Volume unmounted successfully
LTFS16022I Volume is consistent
LTFS12207I Logical block protection is disabled
1.8 Tools
The following tools might be useful when you manage LTFS.
1.8.1 IBM LTFS Format Verifier
The procedure to download and install the LTFS Format Verifier Utility is explained. You can download the most recent version of the IBM LTFS Format Verifier from the Fix Central website.
IBM maintains the latest levels of tape-related System Storage software, the IBM Tape Device Driver, the LTFS software package, and documentation on the Internet. Use the Fix Central download portal:
To download the latest version of LTFS Format Verifier, follow these steps:
1. From the main Fix Central page, select the following options:
a. For Product Group, select System Storage.
b. For System Storage, select Tape Systems.
c. For Tape Systems, select Tape drivers and software.
d. For Tape drivers and software, select Long Term File System (LTFS) Format Verifier.
e. For Installed Version, to download the latest version of LTFS Format Verifier, select All.
f. For Platform, to download all platforms of LTFS Format Verifier, select All.
g. Click Continue.
2. Narrow the search of available downloads according to your criteria.
3. Click Continue to view the list of available downloads.
4. Select the version that you want to download.
5. Follow the instructions on the Fix Central download page to download the new version.
|
Resource: IBM maintains the latest levels of the Format Verifier and information about using the tool and related documentation on the Fix Central website.
|
Complete the following steps to install the Format Verifier:
1. Download lfvinst_<version><OS><arch>, where <arch> can be one of the following options:
– x86_64 (64-bit Intel EM64T or AMD servers)
– X86 (32-bit Intel compatible servers)
<OS> can be one of the following operating systems:
– Linux RHEL 5.4 or 5.5
– Mac OS X v10.5.6, v10.6, or v10.7
– Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit
– Windows 2008 R2
2. On Linux and Mac OS X systems, issue the following command to make lfvinst_<version><OS><arch> executable:
chmod 700 lfvinst_<version><OS><arch>
3. Issue the following command to complete the installation. Do not use this command for Windows systems:
lfvinst_<version><OS><arch>
Verifying media compatibility
Verifying media hardware and data compatibility by using the LTFS Format Verifier utility command (lfv) is described. The options that can be used with this command are also described.
To verify media hardware and data compatibility with LTFS, use the IBM LTFS Format Verifier utility ./lfv command.
|
Accessing the LTFS Format Verifier utility: The LTFS Format Verifier utility is not shipped with LTFS. It is available as a separate download.
|
Enter ./lfv from the command line to verify that the media is compatible with LTFS.
Choose one of the following command-line examples for the ./lfv command for the Linux operating system, depending on whether the IBM Tape Device Driver is installed:
•For Linux systems where the IBM Tape Device Driver is installed, enter <target device> as /dev/IBMtapeX where X is the index of the tape device to use:
./lfv -f /dev/IBMtape0
•For Linux systems where no IBM Tape Device Driver is installed, enter <target device> as /dev/sgX where X is the index for the tape device to use:
./lfv -f /dev/sg0
•On Mac OS X systems, enter <target device> as an <M>::X construct. <M> is the model name for the tape device (example: ULT3580-TD5) and X is the index for the tape device to use:
./lfv -f ULT3580-TD5:0
•On Microsoft Windows systems, enter <target device> as an (H) (B) (T) (L) construct. (H) is the (HBA number. (B) is the HBA bus number. (T) is the SCSI Target ID. (L) is the logical unit number (LUN) of the tape device to use:
./lfv -f H2-B0-T1-L0
|
Index: The index for the target tape device in these examples is shown as 0. If you are unsure as to which index value to use, run ./lfv -s to scan for all attached tape devices.
|
The following additional lfv command options are available:
-f <target device> The target tape device on which verification is to be performed
-h Display help information
-l Specify the log file name. The default name is lfv.log.
-ll [Errors|Warnings|Information|Debug]
Specify the log level that is created. The Errors level is the default value.
-lp Specify the log output directory. The default directory is ./output.
-s Scan tape devices. This option scans the system for tape devices and displays results on the window. This option provides a list of the available devices and can help you identify which drive to use. The following information is provided by this option:
- Sequential number
- Driver handle/device file name
- Drive product name
- Drive firmware revision
- Drive serial number (S/N)
- Host (H), bus (B), Target ID (T), and logical unit number (LUN) (L) physical address of the drive
- Sequential number
- Driver handle/device file name
- Drive product name
- Drive firmware revision
- Drive serial number (S/N)
- Host (H), bus (B), Target ID (T), and logical unit number (LUN) (L) physical address of the drive
For example, information that is provided by this list can appear in the following way:
#0 /dev/IBMtape0 -[ULT3580-TD4]-[85V1] S/N:1300000388 H2-B0-T0-L0
#1 /dev/IBMtape1 -[ULT3580-HH5]-[A2SG] S/N:1068000051 H2-B0-T1-L0
-v Enable verbose verification information.
-V --version Display the program version.
-x Specify that extended verification is performed. Extended verification analyzes the entire cartridge and can take up to three hours to complete. Quick verification is the default.
1.8.2 IBM Tape Diagnostic Tool
Downloading and installing ITDT is described. Although ITDT is normally used for tape library and tape drive diagnostics, it can also be used to read LTFS XML information from the partitions on tape. A complete discussion of all command-line options of ITDT is outside the scope of this Redbooks publication. However, a few examples of how to perform LTFS-related tasks by using ITDT are provided.
IBM maintains the latest levels of tape-related System Storage software, the tape device driver, the LTFS software package, and documentation on the Internet. Use the Fix Central download portal:
To download the latest version of ITDT, follow these steps:
1. From the main Fix Central page, select the following options:
a. For Product Group, select System Storage.
b. For System Storage, select Tape systems.
c. For Tape systems, select Tape drivers and software.
d. For Tape drivers and software, select IBM Tape Diagnostic Tool (ITDT).
e. For Platform, to download all platforms of ITDT, select All.
f. Click Continue.
2. Narrow the search of available downloads according to your criteria.
3. Click Continue to view the list of available downloads.
4. Select the version that you want to download.
5. Follow the instructions on the Fix Central download page to download the new version.
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Resource: IBM maintains the latest levels of the ITDT and information about using the tool and related documentation on the Fix Central website.
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Viewing the tape label
The following itdt command (Example 1-33) lists the tape label of the currently mounted tape on tape drive 1.0.7.0 in Windows. The output is written to the file TapeLabel.txt.
Example 1-33 Viewing the tape label
# itdt -f 1 0 7 0 chgpart 0 read -d TapeLabel.txt
Changing to partition 0...
Initializing device...
Reading file from tape...
Opening destination file C:DownloadsPreReqITDTWindowsTapeLabel.txt...
Setting block size to variable...
Read complete, 1 records 80 total bytes read...
Transferrate 0.00 Mbytes/s...
Exit with code: 0
Viewing the latest generation of index
The following itdt command (Example 1-34) lists the XML schema for the last LTFS index of the currently mounted tape on tape drive 1.0.7.0 in Windows. The output is written to the file LastIndexPartition.xml.
Example 1-34 Viewing the latest generation of index
# itdt -f 1 0 7 0 chgpart 0 seod bsf 2 fsf 1 read -d LastIndexPartition0.xml
Changing to partition 0...
Spacing to end of data...
Backward spacing 2 filemarks...
Forward spacing filemark...
Initializing device...
Reading file from tape...
Opening destination file LastIndexPartition0.xml...
Setting block size to variable...
Read complete, 1 records 2781 total bytes read...
Transferrate 0.19 Mbytes/s...
Exit with code: 0
Listing records
The following itdt command (Example 1-35) lists the records and file marks in the data partition of the currently mounted tape on tape drive 1.0.7.0 in Windows.
Example 1-35 Listing records
# itdt -f 1 0 7 0 chgpart 1 list
Changing to partition 1...
Rewinding tape...
Setting block size to variable...
Scanning tape...
Record 1 Length 80
*** Filemark ***1 ***
Record 1 Length 489
*** Filemark ***2 ***
*** Filemark ***3 ***
Record 1 Length 981
*** Filemark ***4 ***
*** Filemark ***5 ***
Record 1 Length 1483
*** Filemark ***6 ***
Record 1 Length 7
*** Filemark ***7 ***
Record 1 Length 2044
*** Filemark ***8 ***
*** Filemark ***9 ***
Record 1 Length 2427
*** Filemark ***10 ***
Record 1 Length 524288
Record 2 Length 524288
Record 3 Length 350507
Record 4 Length 524288
Record 5 Length 524288
Record 6 Length 524288
Record 7 Length 524288
Record 8 Length 524288
Record 9 Length 524288
Record 10 Length 524288
Record 11 Length 524288
[etc]
Listing the partitions
The following itdt command (Example 1-36) lists the records and file marks in the data partition of the currently mounted tape (LTO-6) on tape drive 1.0.7.0 in Windows.
Example 1-36 Listing partitions
#itdt -f 1 0 7 0 qrypar
Querying tape partitioning...
Active Partition ............ 1
Max. Additional Partitions... 3
Additional Partitions defined 1
Partition 0 Size (Meg) ...... 36700
Partition 1 Size (Meg) ...... 2426400
Exit with code:
Copying an LTFS tape
The following itdt command () makes a copy of an LTFS tape from tape drive 1.0.7.0 to tape drive 1.0.8.0 (Example 1-37).
Example 1-37 Copying a tape
#itdt ltfsphcp 1.0.7.0 1.0.8.0
Command reference
The following command-line options are available.
Interactive mode: i tdt [-force-generic-dd] [-D file] [-C file] [-N config] [-LP path] [-L file] [-LL level] [-R path] [-h|--help]
The following options are available. They are not needed for normal program usage:
-force-generic-dd Use Generic device driver.
-D descriptor_file.blz
Use alternate descriptor file (default: ubv.blz).
Use alternate descriptor file (default: ubv.blz).
-C config_file.blz Use alternate config file (default: metrocfg.blz).
-N cli_config_name Use alternate CLI configuration (default: CLI_DEFAULT).
-LP logpath Use 'logpath' as logging path (default: output).
-L logfile Use 'logfile' for log messages (default: metro.log).
-LL Errors|Warnings|Information|Debug
Set log level (default: Error).
-R resultdir Use 'resultdir' as result file path (default: output).
-h|--help Display this help text.
-version Print the version number of ITDT.
Use this scripting mode: itdt [-f filename [-w mode] Subcommand [Subcommand ...]]
The options are described:
-f filename Device special file for the drive/changer, for example: /dev/rmt0 (AIX), /dev/rmt/0st (Sun), tape0 (Mac), /dev/rmt/0m (HP), /dev/IBMtape0 (Linux), and \. ape0 (Windows)
-w mode Open mode, by default, read/write. The valid modes are 1=Read/write, 2=Read only, 3=Write only, or 4=Append
These general subcommands are available:
allow Allow medium removal for tape or changer devices
devinfo Get device information
inquiry [Page] Perform an inquiry command
logpage Page Retrieve a log sense page
loop [Count] Loop subsequent commands
modepage Page Retrieve a mode sense page
prevent Prevent medium removal for tape or changer devices
print Text Print a text message to the console
qrypath Display device and path information
qryversion Display IBM device driver version
release Release the device
reqsense Request and display sense data
reserve Reserve the device
resetdrive Reset the device
scan [-o Formatstring]
Display the list of connected devices
sleep Seconds Sleep for the specified number of seconds
tur Perform a Test Unit Ready (TUR)
vpd Display the Vital Product Data (VPD)
The following medium changer subcommands are available:
audit [Address [Count]]
Initialize element status (optionally with range)
cartridgelocation [Slot [Count]]
Retrieve element status for cartridges
elementinfo Display element information for each element type
exchange Source Dest1 Dest2
Exchange cartridges between two locations
inventory [-i | -v Volid]
Read element status
move Source Dest Move cartridge
position Dest Position to an element
The following tape drive subcommands are available:
append Open the driver in append mode
bsf [Count] Backward space file marks
bsr [Count] Backward space records
chgpart Number [Blockid]
Change to partition with specified number and block ID
density Report density support
display "Message" Display message on the OSD of the drive
erase Erase tape
fdp Create fixed data partition
fdpl Create fixed data longitudinal partition
fsf [Count] Forward space file marks
fsr [Count] Forward space records
getparms Get drive/medium/driver parameters
idp pSize0 pSize1 [pSize2 pSize3]
Create initiator-defined wrap-wise partition
idpl pSize0 pSize1 [pSize2 pSize3]
Create initiator defined longitudinal partition
Create initiator defined longitudinal partition
list List the contents of a tape
load Load medium into drive
logsense Get all log sense pages
qrypos Query tape position
qrypar Query tape partitioning
qrytemp Query drive temperature
qrytemp Query drive temperature
read -d Destination [-c Count]
Read a file
rewind Rewind the tape
rmp Remove partitioning
rtest [-b Blocksize] [-c Count] [-r Repetition]
Perform a read test
rwtest [-b Blocksize] [-c Count] [-r Repetition]
Perform a Read/Write test
seod Space to end of data
setparm autoload [0|1]|autodump [0|1]|blocksize [0-65535]|buffering[0|1]| c apacity [0-100]|compression [0|1]|immediate [0|1]| readpastfilemark [0|1]|recordspacemode [1=SCSI|2=AIX]|sili [0|1]| simmim [0|1]|trace [0|1]|trailer [0|1]|volid [volume id]| volumelogging [0|1]|writeprotect [NONE|ASSO|PERS|WORM]| datasafemode [0|1]| skipsync [0|1]
Set drive/medium/tape parameter
setpos [Blockid] Set tape position
sdp [0|1|2|3] Create select data wrap-wise partition
sdpl [0|1] Create select data longitudinal partition
sync Synchronize/flush tape buffers
unload Unload medium from drive
weof [Count] Write file marks
write [-raw] -s Source
Write a file to tape
wtest [-b Blocksize] [-c Count] [-r Repetition]
Perform a write test
The following service aid subcommands are available:
dump Retrieve dumps, including force dump
ekmtest Test encryption key path/setup
encryption Report drive encryption state
ucode "Filename" Perform a firmware update
qrytcpip Query TCP/IP port parameter
settcpip "address"[/Subnet Mask Length]
Set TCP/IP port parameter
ltfsphcp source destination
Performs a physical copy of an LTFS-formatted cartridge
tapephcp source destination
Performs a physical cartridge copy
1.8.3 IBM LTFS Copy Tool
The IBM LTFS Copy Tool is a utility that can be used to efficiently transfer data to and from LTFS tapes.
The LTFS Copy Tool provides the following benefits:
•Ability to copy tape contents with optimum order
•Improved performance for reclamation and defragmentation of a tape medium
•Improved performance for retrieving files from an LTFS-formatted tape medium (when LTFS is built into the tape archive solution)
The IBM LTFS Copy Tool optimizes the performance of data transfers through multithreaded operations, memory or disk buffering, and multifile reads from tape that are ordered by location on the tape. These features are described in more detail.
Multithreaded operation
The IBM LTFS Copy Tool uses memory or disk buffering to transfer data, which enables the data to be transferred during a multithreaded operation. While the program that is running on a thread reads a file on the tape medium or disk to the memory or disk buffer, the program that is running on another thread writes data from the memory or disk buffer to the medium simultaneously. This mechanism improves the copy performance.
Reordering by location
The files on a tape medium allow sequential access only. If multiple files are copied without reordering, LTFS sequentially seeks files on the medium. For example, if the first file exists next to the second file, LTFS searches for the bottom of the second file and reads it, and then seeks back to the beginning of the first file. This seek operation drastically degrades the multifile copy performance of LTFS. By reordering by location, the LTFS Copy Tool reads the second file, and then reads the first file. This approach eliminates any unnecessary seek operations and improves the overall copy performance.
For more detailed information about this tool, see the Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition Information Center:
1.8.4 IBM LTFS Extended Attribute Access Program
The IBM LTFS Extended Attribute (EA) Access Program is a tool that provides an interface to access extended attributes for Windows users. Users on Linux and Mac OS X can use the attr command to set or retrieve extended attributes. Therefore, users on Linux and Mac OS X do not require a separate tool.
The LTFS EA Access Program can be used to access files and directories on LTFS and to change or display the extended attributes. This program enables Windows users to read and write extended attribute values that are stored in LTFS files and directories. Because the program accesses files and directories on the mounted volume, the LTFS tape medium must be mounted before you use the program to access attributes.
The primary modes of operation for the LTFS EA Access Program, LTFSGetEA, LTFSSetEA, and LTFSRemoveEA, are described in detail in the “LTFS EA Access Program Command Reference” topic in the LTFS SDE Information Center.
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Important: The LTFS EA Access Program does not support file or directory paths that use wildcard expressions. It also does not support recursive directory search under the specified directory.
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For more information about this tool, see the Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition Information Center:
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