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ONTAP Multi-path support for NDMP tape backups

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Applies to

  • ONTAP 9
  • NDMP

Answer

As described in "Considerations when configuring ONTAP multipath tape access" in the ONTAP 9 Tape Backup documentation:

You can configure two paths from the storage system node to access the tape drives in a tape library. If one path fails, the storage system can use the other paths to access the tape drives without having to immediately repair the failed path. This ensures that tape operations can be restarted.

You must consider the following when configuring multipath tape access from your storage system:

  • In tape libraries that support LUN mapping, for multipath access to a LUN group, LUN mapping must be symmetrical on each path.

    Tape drives and media changers are assigned to LUN groups (set of LUNs that share the same initiator path set) in a tape library. All tape drives of a LUN group must be available for backup and restore operations on all multiple paths.

  • A maximum of two paths can be configured from the storage system to access the tape drives in a tape library.

  • Multipath tape access supports load balancing. Load balancing is disabled by default.

In addition:

  • Data path failover during a backup application is not supported for tapes during an ongoing operation. 
  • The use of (SCSI/Persistent) reservations should be limited to management through the filer instead of pass-thru reservation control through 3rd Party tools.

Additional Information

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