Veritas NetBackup™ Commands Reference Guide
- Introduction
- Appendix A. NetBackup Commands
Name
tl8cd — Tape library 8MM (TL8) control daemon (process)
SYNOPSIS
[-v] [-t] [-n]
On UNIX systems, the directory path to this command is /usr/openv/volmgr/bin/
On Windows systems, the directory path to this command is <install_path>\Volmgr\bin\
DESCRIPTION
tl8d and tl8cd interface with Media Manager to mount and unmount volumes in a tape library 8MM robot.
ltid is the Media Manager device daemon on UNIX systems and the NetBackup Device Manager service on Windows systems. t18d runs on each host with a drive connection and sends mount and unmount requests to the control daemon (tl8cd). tl8cd communicates with the robotics through a SCSI interface.
On UNIX systems, tl8d and tl8cd automatically start and stop when ltid is started and stopped. To stop or start tl8d independently of ltid, use /usr/openv/volmgr/bin/vmps
or your server's ps command to identify the tl8d process ID. Then enter the following commands:
kill tl8d_pid /usr/openv/volmgr/bin/tl8d [-v] &
The control daemon, tl8cd, is on the host that has the robotic control. tl8d on that host starts it (see EXAMPLES).
On Windows systems, tl8d and tl8cd are started when the NetBackup Device Manager service is started. They are stopped when this service is stopped. The control process, tl8cd, is on the host that has the robotic control. tl8d starts it automatically on that host (see EXAMPLES). tl8cd stops when you stop the NetBackup Device Manager service.
Before you access any volumes through the NetBackup Device Manager service (Windows systems), ltid, tl8d, and tl8cd, define the following information: the media ID and slot number for volumes in a robot in the EMM database.
If a cleaning volume is used, it must be defined in the volume configuration. See tpclean for information on setting the frequency to clean the drive automatically.
If the vm.conf configuration option PREVENT_MEDIA_REMOVAL is enabled when tl8cd is active, tl8cd disables access to the volumes and the media access port. It disables access by issuing a command to the TL8 robot. If it is necessary to open the door of the cabinet, you must terminate tl8cd first. By default, access to the library is allowed.
The drives are logically numbered 1 through n, where n is the number of drives in the robotic library. Use one or more of the following to determine the correct robot drive numbers:
The Device Configuration Wizard (if the robotic library and drives support serialization).
The robotic library vendor's documentation on how to index the drive.
The robotic test utility, or experiment by mounting media and then watch the operator display.
On UNIX systems, the Internet service port number for tl8cd must be in /etc/services
. If you use NIS (Network Information Service), place the entry in this host's /etc/services
file in the master NIS server database for services.
On Windows systems, the Internet service port number for tl8cd must be in %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc\services
.
The default service port number is 13705.
The following items apply only to NetBackup Enterprise Server:
Tape library 8MM robotic control software permits drives in the same robot to be configured on different hosts. tl8cd may be running on a different host than tl8d, depending on where the SCSI connection resides (see EXAMPLES). When the connection is established (the path for robotics can be opened), tl8d puts the TL8 robot in the UP state. It then can mount and unmount volumes. If the robotics are inaccessible, tl8d changes the robot to the DOWN state. In this state, tl8d is still running and returns the robot to the UP state if tl8cd is able to make a connection.
If drives are on different NetBackup hosts, enter the robotic information in the Media Manager configuration on all computers. The robot number must be the same on all computers.
You must have administrator privileges to run this command.
OPTIONS
The following options operate only on UNIX systems.
- -v
Logs debug information by using syslogd. If you start ltid with -v, tl8d and tl8cd are also started with -v.
- -t
Terminates tl8cd.
- -n
Causes tl8cd to run with the barcode check function disabled. This option is useful if all or most of the volumes in the library do not contain barcodes. With no barcodes, it takes the robot less time to scan volumes.
Note that if the volumes contain barcodes and the -n option is selected, the barcodes are ignored.
ERRORS
UNIX systems:
tl8d and tl8cd both log error messages if a copy of the daemon is running.
Media Manager logs any tape library 8MM and robotic errors to syslogd. Log entries are also made when the state changes between UP and DOWN.
Windows systems:
Media Manager logs any tape library 8MM and robotic errors to the Windows application event log. Log entries are also made when the state changes between UP and DOWN.
EXAMPLES
Example 1 - In the following diagram, the drives and the robotics are connected to a single host. ltid initiates tl8d, which in turn initiates tl8cd.
Example 2 - The following example applies only to NetBackup Enterprise Server:
In the following diagram, each host is connected to one drive in the robot and the robotics are connected to host A. ltid on each host initiates tl8d. The tl8d on host A also initiates tl8cd, since that is where the robotic control is defined. Requests to mount tapes from host B go to tl8d on host B, which sends the robotic command to tl8cd on host A.