Working With Partitions
Partitions are virtual sections within a library that present the appearance of multiple, separate libraries for purposes of file management, access by multiple users, or dedication to one or more host applications.
There are two ways to create partitions: automatically and manually.
- Automatically — The library assigns resources proportionately among the partitions, grouping tape drives according to their interface type. The three supported tape drive interface types are Fibre Channel, SCSI, or Serial Attached SCSI (SAS). You can automatically create partitions using the web client or operator panel. For information on how to automatically create partitions, see Automatically Creating Partitions.
- Manually — An administrative user creates partitions one at a time. Creating partitions manually gives you more control over resource allocation and can only be done using the web client. For information on how to manually create partitions, see Manually Creating Partitions.
You can modify a partition if you need to change its settings. For example, the partition name, emulation type, barcode reporting format, and number of assigned tape drives and slots can be modified. For information on modifying partitions, see Modifying Partitions.
When a partition is no longer needed, it can be deleted. For information on deleting partitions, see Deleting Partitions.
Administrative users can create, delete, and control access to all library partitions. Users can be given access to only certain partitions and denied access to others. For information on changing partition access for users, see Changing Partition Access.
Details on partitions include:
- A partition consists of one tape drive and one slot at a minimum. The tape drive or slot cannot be shared with another partition.
- The default configuration for the library is one partition per drive interface type.
- The maximum number of partitions that can be created is equal to the number of tape drives installed in the library.
- Import/export (I/E) station slots are shared among all partitions. A partition takes temporary ownership of I/E station slots when performing certain operations, such as importing and exporting cartridges.
See also: