Ibmlinear File System PDF

Front cover
IBM Linear Tape File System

Installation and Configuration
Learn why IBM Linear Tape File System

is an award winner
Explore the new Linear Tape File

System Storage Manager
Drag and drop with Linear

Tape File System SDE and LE
Larry Coyne
Sandor Alavari
Simon Browne
Chris Hoffmann
Leticia Munoz
Markus Schaefer
ibm.com/redbooks
International Technical Support Organization
IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and

Configuration
February 2013
SG24-8090-00
Note: Before using this information and the product it supports, read the information in “Notices” on
page vii.
First Edition (February 2013)
This edition applies to Version 1.3.0 of Linear Tape File System (LTFS) Single Drive Edition; Version 2.1.2 of
Linear Tape File System Library Edition; and Version 1.1 of Linear Tape File System Storage Manager.
© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2013. All rights reserved.

Note to U.S. Government Users Restricted Rights -- Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule
Contract with IBM Corp.
Contents
Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
The team who wrote this book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Now you can become a published author, too! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Comments welcome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Stay connected to IBM Redbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
Chapter 1. IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.1 Introduction to LTFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.1.1 Downloading LTFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.1.2 Tape format compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.1.3 Tape partitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.1.4 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.1.5 Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.1.6 XML schema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.1.7 Recent enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.2 Installation on Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.2.1 Hardware and software requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.2.2 Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1.2.3 Installing the HBA and HBA device driver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1.2.4 Installation procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1.2.5 Uninstallation procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
1.3 Installation on Mac OS X. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
1.3.2 Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
1.4 Installation on Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
1.4.2 Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
1.5 Managing LTFS SDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
1.5.1 Managing LTFS SDE for Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
1.5.2 Managing LTFS SDE for Mac OS X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
1.5.3 Managing LTFS SDE for Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
1.6 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
1.6.1 Formatting errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
1.6.2 Errors starting LTFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
1.6.3 IBM Tape Device Driver errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
1.6.4 Tape drive errors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
1.6.5 Tape volume errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
1.6.6 Unmount errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
1.7 Command reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
1.7.1 Mounting a tape with the ltfs command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2013. All rights reserved. iii

1.7.2 Formatting a tape with the mkltfs command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
1.7.3 Checking or recovering a tape with the ltfsck command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
1.8 Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
1.8.1 IBM LTFS Format Verifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
1.8.2 IBM Tape Diagnostic Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
1.8.3 IBM LTFS Copy Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
1.8.4 IBM LTFS Extended Attribute Access Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Chapter 2. IBM Linear Tape File System Library Edition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

2.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
2.1.1 LTO media partitioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
2.1.2 Interoperability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
2.1.3 Applications that use partitioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
2.1.4 LTFS tape format specification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
2.1.5 Index and data partitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
2.1.6 Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
2.1.7 XML schema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
2.1.8 Recording the LTFS XML schemas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
2.1.9 Reserved extended attribute definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
2.2 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
2.2.1 Hardware and software requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
2.2.2 Unsupported Windows features, drivers, and commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
2.2.3 Installation on Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
2.2.4 Installation on Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
2.3 Managing LTFS LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
2.3.1 Typical user scenario on a Windows system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
2.3.2 Typical user scenario on a Linux system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
2.3.3 Adding and removing tape drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
2.3.4 Turning on and off a tape drive while mounting LTFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
2.3.5 Adding and removing cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
2.3.6 Managing a library by using the ltfsadmintool command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
2.4 Command reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
2.4.1 Mounting a medium by using the ltfs command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
2.4.2 Formatting a medium by using the ltfsadmintool command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
2.4.3 Checking or recovering a medium by using the ltfsadmintool command . . . . . . 192
2.5 Hints and tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
2.5.1 Sharing a mounted tape library among multiple users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
2.5.2 Performance considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
2.5.3 Accessing volumes from Windows by using CIFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
2.5.4 Data placement policy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
2.5.5 Extended attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
2.5.6 Samba Network File Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Chapter 3. IBM Linear Tape File System Storage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

3.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
3.1.1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
3.1.2 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
3.1.3 Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
3.1.4 Resource management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
3.1.5 Single-library, multiple-node access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
3.1.6 Hardware and software requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
3.2 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
3.2.1 Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
iv IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration

3.2.2 Initial configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
3.2.3 Further configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
3.2.4 Uninstalling LTFS SM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
3.3 Managing LTFS SM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
3.3.1 Cartridge import and export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
3.3.2 Archiving and restoring files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
3.3.3 Duplicating a file to another cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
3.3.4 Watchdog folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
3.3.5 Job template examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
3.3.6 Customizing job templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
3.4 Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
3.5 WebClients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
3.5.1 3.5.1 Java Web Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
3.5.2 Essence Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
3.5.3 System Administration Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
3.5.4 Job Monitor Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
3.5.5 Watchdog Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
3.6 Log collection for failure analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Related publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

IBM Redbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Online resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Help from IBM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Contents v
vi IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration
Notices
This information was developed for products and services offered in the U.S.A.
IBM may not offer the products, services, or features discussed in this document in other countries. Consult
your local IBM representative for information on the products and services currently available in your area. Any
reference to an IBM product, program, or service is not intended to state or imply that only that IBM product,
program, or service may be used. Any functionally equivalent product, program, or service that does not
infringe any IBM intellectual property right may be used instead. However, it is the user's responsibility to
evaluate and verify the operation of any non-IBM product, program, or service.
IBM may have patents or pending patent applications covering subject matter described in this document. The
furnishing of this document does not grant you any license to these patents. You can send license inquiries, in
writing, to:
IBM Director of Licensing, IBM Corporation, North Castle Drive, Armonk, NY 10504-1785 U.S.A.
The following paragraph does not apply to the United Kingdom or any other country where such
provisions are inconsistent with local law: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
PROVIDES THIS PUBLICATION "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF NON-INFRINGEMENT,
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Some states do not allow disclaimer of
express or implied warranties in certain transactions, therefore, this statement may not apply to you.
This information could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically made
to the information herein; these changes will be incorporated in new editions of the publication. IBM may make
improvements and/or changes in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this publication at any time
without notice.
Any references in this information to non-IBM websites are provided for convenience only and do not in any
manner serve as an endorsement of those websites. The materials at those websites are not part of the
materials for this IBM product and use of those websites is at your own risk.
IBM may use or distribute any of the information you supply in any way it believes appropriate without incurring
any obligation to you.
Any performance data contained herein was determined in a controlled environment. Therefore, the results
obtained in other operating environments may vary significantly. Some measurements may have been made
on development-level systems and there is no guarantee that these measurements will be the same on
generally available systems. Furthermore, some measurements may have been estimated through
extrapolation. Actual results may vary. Users of this document should verify the applicable data for their
specific environment.
Information concerning non-IBM products was obtained from the suppliers of those products, their published
announcements or other publicly available sources. IBM has not tested those products and cannot confirm the
accuracy of performance, compatibility or any other claims related to non-IBM products. Questions on the
capabilities of non-IBM products should be addressed to the suppliers of those products.
This information contains examples of data and reports used in daily business operations. To illustrate them
as completely as possible, the examples include the names of individuals, companies, brands, and products.
All of these names are fictitious and any similarity to the names and addresses used by an actual business
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COPYRIGHT LICENSE:
This information contains sample application programs in source language, which illustrate programming
techniques on various operating platforms. You may copy, modify, and distribute these sample programs in
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cannot guarantee or imply reliability, serviceability, or function of these programs.
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2013. All rights reserved. vii

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The following terms are trademarks of the International Business Machines Corporation in the United States,
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AIX® Linear Tape File System™ Redbooks (logo) ®
DB2® POWER® System Storage®
IBM® Redbooks® Tivoli®
The following terms are trademarks of other companies:
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Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States, other countries, or both.
Linear Tape-Open, LTO, Ultrium, the LTO Logo and the Ultrium logo are trademarks of HP, IBM Corp. and
Quantum in the U.S. and other countries.
Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States,
other countries, or both.
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affiliates.
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Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.
viii IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration

Preface
The IBM® Linear Tape File System™ (LTFS) is the first file system that works in conjunction
with Linear Tape-Open (LTO) tape technology to set a new standard for ease of use and
portability for open systems tape storage. In 2011, LTFS won an Engineering Emmy Award
for Innovation from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
This IBM Redbooks® publication helps you install, tailor, and configure the new IBM Linear
Tape File System Single Drive Edition (LTFS SDE), Library Edition (LTFS LE), and Storage
Manager (LTFS SM).
LTFS is a file system that is implemented on dual-partition linear tape (IBM LTO Ultrium 5
tape drives (LTO-5), IBM LTO Ultrium 6 tape drives (LTO-6), and IBM TS1140 tape drives).
LTFS makes tape look and work like any removable media, for example, a USB drive. Files
and directories appear on the desktop as a directory listing. It is now simple to drag files to
and from tape. Any application that is written to use disk files works with the same files on
tape. LTFS SDE supports stand-alone drives only. LTFS LE supports tape libraries. LTFS LE
presents each cartridge in the library as a subdirectory in the LTFS file system. With LTFS LE,
you can list the contents and search all of the volumes in the library without mounting the
volumes by using an in-memory index.
The LTFS SM software solution provides storage lifecycle management of archive files.
Although both the LTFS SDE and the LTFS LE can write data on tape, LTFS SM provides the
interface to manage files of all types in a file system structure. This file system structure
makes the control of the tape library transparent to the user.
This publication is intended for anyone who wants to understand more about IBM Linear Tape
System products and their implementation. This book is suitable for IBM clients, IBM
Business Partners, IBM specialist sales representatives, and technical specialists.
The team who wrote this book

This book was produced by a team of specialists from around the world working at the
International Technical Support Organization, Tucson, Arizona Center.
Larry Coyne is a Project Leader at the International Technical

Support Organization, Tucson Arizona center. He has 29 years of
IBM experience with 23 in IBM storage software management. He
holds degrees in Software Engineering from the University of Texas
at El Paso and Project Management from George Washington
University. His areas of expertise include client relationship
management, quality assurance, development management, and
support management for IBM Tivoli® Storage Software.
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2013. All rights reserved. ix

Sandor Alavari is an IBM Consultant from STG Lab Services in
Vác, Hungary. He has seven years of IBM experience with six years
of storage administration and consulting. His areas of expertise
include IBM System Storage disk and tape, storage area networks
(SAN) products and Tivoli Storage Manager. He has a degree in
Cybernetics, robotics from the University of Pécs, PMMFK, in
Hungary.
Simon Browne is a Technical Solutions Architect from IBM GTS in

Wellington, New Zealand. Simon has 22 years of experience in the
IT industry with a background in the Banking and Energy sectors,
and Government IT, including the last 12 years at IBM. He has a
background in Midrange and Mainframe Storage Administration and
has worked with many IBM Server and Storage products, including
IBM System Storage disk and tape, SANs, IBM POWER® servers,
Tivoli Storage Manager, and mainframe DFSMS.
Chris Hoffmann is an IBM Tivoli Storage Manager Storage

Specialist in Sydney, Australia. He is an IBM Certified Specialist in
Open Systems Storage Solutions, IBM AIX®, IBM DB2®, and IBM
Tivoli Storage Manager. Chris also holds an MCSE and CNE. Chris
has over 22 years of experience in the IT industry and his areas of
expertise include Tivoli Storage Manager, IBM System Storage®
disk, and tape products. Chris has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the
University of Bristol, England.
Leticia Munoz is an IBM System Storage Technical Sales

Specialist in Montevideo, Uruguay. She is an IBM Certified
Specialist in Midrange Storage Technical Support. Leticia has six
years of IBM experience working with the IBM System Storage
team. Leticia is involved in IBM Storage disk and backup projects
for clients from Uruguay and Paraguay. She holds a degree in
Electronic Engineering from ORT University Uruguay.
Markus Schaefer is an IBM Senior Accredited IT Specialist at the

ESCC Tape Solution Center in Mainz, Germany. Markus has 14
years of experience in tape storage systems and tape solutions. In
his current job role as OEM Product Application Engineer (PAE), he
is responsible for all EMEA OEM storage clients in terms of
technical solutions and sales opportunities.
x IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration

Thanks to the following people for their contributions to this project:
Shawn Brume
Shawn Bramblett
William Peck
Takeshi Ishimoto
Hiroshi Itagaki
Michael Long
Khanh Ngo
Hironobu Nagura
Yumiko Ohta
Setsuko Oka
Bernd Freitag
Harald Seipp
IBM Systems and Technology Group
Emma Jacobs
Graphics, International Technical Support Organization, San Jose Center
Special thanks to William (Bill) Peck for his support, lab equipment, installations, and reviews
for all of the LTFS systems written in this book.
Now you can become a published author, too!

Here’s an opportunity to spotlight your skills, grow your career, and become a published
author—all at the same time! Join an ITSO residency project and help write a book in your
area of expertise, while honing your experience using leading-edge technologies. Your efforts
will help to increase product acceptance and customer satisfaction, as you expand your
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length, and you can participate either in person or as a remote resident working from your
home base.
Find out more about the residency program, browse the residency index, and apply online at:
http://www.ibm.com/redbooks/residencies.html
Comments welcome
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xii IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration

1
Chapter 1. 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
© Copyright IBM Corp. 2013. All rights reserved. 1

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
2 IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration

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:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/storage/tape/ltfs/index.html
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:
http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral
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:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/ltfs/cust/index.jsp
– LTFS format specification is at this website:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=577&uid=ssg1S7003166
– 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.
Chapter 1. IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition 3

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:
򐂰 http://www.trustlto.com/LTFS_Format_To%20Print.pdf
򐂰 http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=577&uid=ssg1S7003166
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

LTFS SDE version LTFS 1.0 medium LTFS 2.1.1 medium
1.0.1 or older for Linux and OS X Read/Write Cannot be mounted1
1.1.0 for Windows Read/Write Cannot be mounted1
1.2.0 or later Read/Write2 Read/Write

2
1.3.x Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X Read/Write Read/Write
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.
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.
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:
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ssg1S7003166&aid=3
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:
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ssg1S4000662
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>
<startblock>12</startblock>
</location>

- <previousgenerationlocation>
<partition>b</partition>
</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>
- <extentinfo>
- <extent>
<fileoffset>0</fileoffset>
<byteoffset>0</byteoffset>
<bytecount>2</bytecount>
</extent>
</extentinfo>
</file>
- <file>
<name>F1</name>
<length>1</length>
- <extentinfo>
- <extent>

</extent>
</extentinfo>
</file>
- <file>
<name>F2</name>
<length>11</length>
+ <extentinfo>
- <extent>
</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.
Readme file: The current information for LTFS supported hardware and software
configurations and notices or limitations is in the LTFS program readme file.

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:
http://fuse.sourceforge.net/
򐂰 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:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/storage/tape/lto
For information about connectivity and supported configurations, see the SSIC website:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/storage/ssic/interoperability.wss
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:
http://fuse.sourceforge.net/
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:
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=577&uid=ssg1S7002972
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 log

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 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
true
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:

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)
– 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:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/storage/config/ssic
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

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:
http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/storage/tape/lto/
http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/support/storage/config/ssic/

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:
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
6. The Welcome to the OSXFUSE Installer window opens (Figure 1-10). Click Continue.
Figure 1-10 OSXFUSE Welcome window

7. The Software License Agreement window opens. Click Continue as shown in Figure 1-11.
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

11. Enter the administrator password and click Install Software. See Figure 1-15.
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:
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
6. To continue with the installation procedure, click Install as shown in Figure 1-20.
Figure 1-20 ICU Framework destination window
7. Enter the administrator password and click Install Software as shown in Figure 1-21.
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

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:
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.

Two types of rpm files can be downloaded from the following Fix Central website:
http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/
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:
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

5. The next window displays the LTFS Software License Agreement terms (Figure 1-24).
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.
8. Click Install for all users of this computer, then click Continue (Figure 1-26).
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

10.The next window shows that the installation is successful (Figure 1-28).
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
data in the cache.
Complete the following steps to uninstall the LTFS software on a Mac OS X system:
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:

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)
– 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
http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/storage/config/ssic
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
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
– Shadow copies. The Previous Version tab is not displayed when the user views the file
– 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.

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:
http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/storage/tape/lto/
http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/support/storage/config/ssic/

The procedure to install the required software for LTFS on a Windows system is explained.

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:
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:
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.
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:

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

5. The Destination Folder for the installation of LTFS SDE is shown (Figure 1-35).
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 Files\IBM\LTFS\. If you want to change the
default folder, click Change and select a new folder. Otherwise, click Next.
7. The Ready to Install the Program window opens (Figure 1-36). Click Install.
Figure 1-36 LTFS SDE for Windows Ready to Install procedure

The Installing IBM LTFS SDE 1.3.0 for Windows window opens (Figure 1-37).
Figure 1-37 LTFS SDE for Windows installing
8. Click Finish in the InstallShield Wizard Completed window (Figure 1-38).
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
data in the cache.
Complete the following steps to uninstall LTFS software on a Windows system:

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.
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:co
re-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)
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.
5. Mount the media by creating a mount point and then by entering the ltfs command
(Example 1-9).
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"
Feb 15 13:33:49 UTC 2012 (d73692b) x86_64
re-3.2-x86_64:core-4.0-x86_64"
LTFS14063I Sync type is "time", Sync time is 300 sec
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "unified" iosched
LTFS14095I Set the tape device write-anywhere mode to avoid cartridge ejection
LTFS11005I Mounting the volume
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
Example 1-11 shows an example of renaming a file in the /mnt/ltfs tape directory by
using the CLI.
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
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

Example 1-13 shows an example of an application that uses the /mnt/ltfs tape directory.
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
15 -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 14344 Oct 4 09:47 file1.txt
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.

You need to complete the steps in Example 1-14 to format a medium for LTFS.
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"
(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
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
LTFS15010I Creating data partition b on SCSI partition 1
LTFS15011I Creating index partition a on SCSI partition 0
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

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

15 13:33:49 UTC 2012 (d73692b) x86_64

3.2-x86_64:core-4.0-x86_64"
LTFS12159I Firmware revision is C9T5
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

LTFS11026I Performing a full medium consistency check
LTFS11233I Updating MAM coherency data
LTFS11034I Volume unmounted successfully
LTFS16022I Volume is consistent
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

LTFS16088I Launched by "ltfsck -l /dev/IBMtape0"
Feb 15 13:33:49 UTC 2012 (d73692b) x86_64
re-3.2-x86_64:core-4.0-x86_64"

LTFS16084I List indexes in backward direction strategy
LTFS16018I Listing LTFS file system rollback points on '/dev/IBMtape0'

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
2. Decide to which date and time you want to roll back. In this example, we chose the
generation 1 index.
3. Run the ltfsck command to roll back as shown in Example 1-17 on page 50.

Example 1-17 LTFS SDE for Linux rolling back index
# ltfsck /dev/IBMtape0 -g 1 -r

LTFS16088I Launched by "ltfsck -g 1 -r /dev/IBMtape0"
Feb 15 13:33:49 UTC 2012 (d73692b) x86_64
re-3.2-x86_64:core-4.0-x86_64"
LTFS16006I Rolling back to generation 1
LTFS16015I Rolling back LTFS file system on '/dev/IBMtape0'

LTFS16082I Saving latest index to data partition to save history
LTFS16067I Rolling back based on the following index chain.
Commit Message
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2012-10-02 00:11:05.874285414 UTC)
No commit message
LTFS16062I Roll back from the data partition
LTFS16086I Volume is rolled back successfully

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.
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.

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.
Overwritten data: Running the mkltfs command to format the tape media overwrites
the existing data on tape.
5. Mount the media by creating a mount point and then enter the ltfs command
(Example 1-19).
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.
Important: Do not power off or disconnect the tape drive while the ltfs command
mounts a tape media.
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,
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 shows an example of renaming a file in the /mnt/ltfs tape directory by
using the CLI.
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 shows an example of an application that uses the /mnt/ltfs tape directory.
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.
You need to complete the following steps to format a medium for LTFS as shown in
Example 1-24.
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 shows three separate processes that copy files to tape at the same time.
Figure 1-42 LTFS SDE for OSX simultaneously writing files to tape

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.
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.

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.
3. Run the ltfsck command to roll back as shown in Example 1-27 on page 60.

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:

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

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.

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.

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.
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.

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.
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.
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
4. The Configuration panel in Figure 1-44 on page 63 displays the following information:
– 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.
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 Properties is available. The

of the following operations is Check and Rollback buttons
running: load, format, check, are unavailable.
rollback, or eject.
The medium is inserted, but it is Eject and Properties are

not an LTO-5 or LTO-6 medium. available. The Check and
Rollback buttons are
unavailable.
The LTFS-formatted medium is All options are available.

mounted.
The write-protected Eject and Properties are

LTFS-formatted medium is available. The Check and
mounted. Rollback buttons are
unavailable.
A write error occurred during Eject and Properties are

the write operation. The available. The Check and
LTFS-formatted medium is Rollback buttons are
read-only and must be ejected unavailable.
and reinserted to write data.
The LTO-5 or LTO-6 medium is Eject and Properties are

inserted, but not formatted for available. The Check and
LTFS. Rollback buttons are
unavailable.
The LTFS-formatted medium is All options are available.

inserted, but the data has
inconsistencies. A check and
recover operation is required to
use the medium.
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,
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
b. Click OK when the Eject Medium panel displays (Figure 1-46 on page 66).

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.
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
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: * ? < > : “ | / \
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.
Important: The name filter can only be set when the size filter is set. Both values are
applied to filtered files.
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
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.

6. When formatted, the medium is ready for use by LTFS (Figure 1-53).
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

2. A Properties panel displays (Figure 1-55).
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.

4. Click Details to display the Details window (Figure 1-56).
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
Resource: If no error or warning message displays for your problem, see the Linear
Tape File System Single Drive Edition Information Center website:

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

You can check and recover LTFS media by using the Check panel.
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.
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.

2. Click Check to begin the consistency check and recover operation (Figure 1-58).
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.

5. After you view the results on the Check Medium Complete window (Figure 1-60), click
Close.
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.

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.
2. Click Rollback (Figure 1-61) to begin the rollback operation.
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.

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.

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
-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)
-o attr_timeout=T Cache timeout for attributes (1.0s)
-o ac_attr_timeout=T
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
-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
-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)
-o [no_]splice_write
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)
-o work_directory=<dir>
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)
-o iosched_backend=<name>
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)
-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)
-o max_pool_size=<num>
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
-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
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
-o six_char_label_support
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)
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
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 shows the output of the mkltfs command when it is run on Windows 2008.
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
LTFS15010I Creating data partition b on SCSI partition 1
LTFS15011I Creating index partition a on SCSI partition 0
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
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)
-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 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)
--kmi-backend=<name>
Use the specified key manager interface (kmi) back end (default:
none)
-b, --blocksize=<num>
Set the LTFS record size (default: 524288)
-c, --no-compression
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 devname=<dev> LTFS emulation directory (default=c:\tmp\ltfs\tape)
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 is a usage example.
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.
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
-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.)
-l, --list-rollback-points
List rollback points as shown in Example 1-31.
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'

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
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)
-v, --traverse=<strategy>
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
-i, --config=<file> Use the specified configuration file (default: ltfs/ltfs.conf)
Override the default tape device 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 devname=<dev> LTFS emulation directory (default=c:\tmp\ltfs\tape)
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 1-32 shows the output of the ltfsck /dev/IBMtape0 command on LTFS formatted
media.
Example 1-32 Output of the ltfsck command
# ltfsck /dev/IBMtape0

15 13:33:49 UTC 2012 (d73692b) x86_64
3.2-x86_64:core-4.0-x86_64"


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:
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
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:
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.
Resource: IBM maintains the latest levels of the ITDT and information about using the tool
and related documentation on the Fix Central website.
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

Opening destination file C:\Downloads\PreReq\ITDT\Windows\TapeLabel.txt...
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

Spacing to end of data...
Backward spacing 2 filemarks...
Forward spacing filemark...
Opening destination file LastIndexPartition0.xml...

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
Rewinding tape...
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 ***
*** Filemark ***8 ***
*** Filemark ***9 ***
*** Filemark ***10 ***
[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: itdt [-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).
-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 \\.\tape0 (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
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]| capacity
[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.
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.
For more information about this tool, see the Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition
Information Center:
2

Library Edition
IBM Linear Tape File System Library Edition (LTFS LE) extends the file manager capability of
the IBM LTFS Single Drive Edition (LTFS SDE). LTFS LE is introduced with Version 2.0 of
LTFS.
LTFS is the first file system that works with IBM System Storage tape technology to optimize
ease of use and portability for open-systems tape storage. It manages the automation and
provides operating system-level access to the contents of the library. LTFS LE is based on the
LTFS format specification, enabling tape library cartridges to be interchangeable with
cartridges that are written with the open source SDE version of LTFS. IBM LTFS LE supports
most IBM tape libraries:
򐂰 TS2900 Tape Autoloader, TS3100 Tape Library, and TS3200 Tape Library
򐂰 TS3310 Tape Library
LTFS LE enables the reading, writing, searching, and indexing of user data on tape and
access to user metadata. Metadata is the descriptive information about user data that is
stored on a cartridge. Metadata enables searching and accessing of files through the
graphical user interface (GUI) of the operating system. From LTFS V2R1.2, LTFS LE supports
both Linux and Windows.
Did you know? IBM Linear Tape File System (LTFS) won a Pick Hit award at the National
Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference.
Ordering: LTFS LE is a Software License Product. LTFS LE has a Program PID number of
5639-LT1.

2.1 Introduction
LTFS LE is a file system that enables direct access to IBM Linear Tape-Option (LTO)
generation 5, IBM LTO generation 6, and IBM TS1140 tape drives and tape libraries. LTFS LE
eliminates the need for additional tape management software to access data. LTFS LE is
based on the media partitioning feature that is introduced with the IBM Linear Tape-Option
Ultrium 5 (LTO-5) and TS1140 tape drives.
LTFS is the first file system that works with LTO generation 5 tape technology to set a new
standard for ease of use and portability for open systems tape storage. With LTFS, accessing
data that is stored on an IBM tape cartridge becomes easy and intuitive. With LTFS and the
operating system’s graphical file manager (Figure 2-1), reading data on a tape cartridge is as
simple as dragging and dropping. In addition, it provides for caching tape indexes. It also
provides for searching, querying, and displaying tape content within an IBM tape library
without the requirement to mount tape cartridges.
Figure 2-1 IBM LTFS LE
Under LTFS, tape cartridge usage changes from being application-dependent to application
independent. The tape cartridge is now a self-describing, independent storage object similar
to a USB drive. Each LTFS cartridge contains the metadata to enable access to the user data
on that cartridge. Tape cartridges are portable and robust, and far less prone to damage than
a USB hard disk drive. They are also much smaller, lighter, and less expensive. Because
nothing is ever overwritten on the tape cartridges, the tapes contain not only the current
version of files, but also every previous version of every file that is written to the tape. And the
metadata holds all of the necessary information to restore to previous “versions” of the tape.
LTFS LE provides the following product features:

򐂰 Direct access and management of data on tape libraries with LTO Ultrium 5 (LTO-5) tape
drives, LTO Ultrium 6 (LTO-6) tape drives, and TS1140 tape drives
򐂰 Tagging of files with any text, allowing more intuitive searches of cartridge and library
content
򐂰 Exploitation of the partitioning of the media in LTO-5 tape format standard
򐂰 One-to-one mapping of tape cartridges in tape libraries to file folders

򐂰 Capability to create a single file system mount point for a logical library that is managed by
a single instance of LTFS and runs on a single computer system
򐂰 Capability to cache tape indexes and to search, query, and display tape content within an
IBM tape library without having to mount tape cartridges
The following components are needed to operate the tape file system:
򐂰 Software in the form of LTFS LE
򐂰 Hardware, consisting of IBM LTO Ultrium 5 tape drive, IBM LTO Ultrium 6 tape drive, and
media or IBM TS1140 Tape Drive and media
򐂰 On-tape data structures (created by LTFS)
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. After an LTFS
tape is mounted and recognized by the LTFS software, its contents can be displayed quickly
(that is, at the start of the tape) without a special backup or archive application. Data
movement is application independent.
Because each LTFS formatted tape is self-describing, it holds all the needed information to
determine the data contents on tape, including the instructions for data arrays, file elements
and attributes, and the use of the metadata. An LTFS-formatted tape can be easily
transported to other physical locations for reading and writing data.
The LTFS format is an ideal option for storing, on a long-term basis, large files that need to be
shared with others, such as for the digital media and entertainment market. Most of these
users use Linux or Macintosh systems and can see all the files on tape. With LTFS, users can
recall any file from the tape without needing to read the entire tape.
The following sections provide a more detailed view of the design and implementation of the
new tape file system:
򐂰 For index and data partition information, see 2.1.5, “Index and data partitions” on
page 109.
򐂰 For Filesystem in User Space (FUSE), see 2.1.6, “Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE)” on
page 111.
򐂰 For on-tape data structures that use an XML schema to record the contents of the tape,
see 2.1.7, “XML schema” on page 112 and 2.1.8, “Recording the LTFS XML schemas” on
page 120.
On-tape data structures: These structures are defined by the W3C Extensible Markup
Language (XML) 1.0 standard.
2.1.1 LTO media partitioning

The new functionality of media partitioning is added to the LTO-5, LTO-6, and IBM TS1140
tape drives. Media partitioning is the logical and physical division of the tape into two
segments to allow for faster data access and to update partitions independently.
In the LTO-5 implementation, two partition modes are supported:

򐂰 One partition on the full tape
򐂰 Two partitions with a variable size for each partition
Chapter 2. IBM Linear Tape File System Library Edition 105

Partitions on media all have the same beginning-of-tape (BOT) and end-of-tape (EOT)
markers, as shown in Figure 2-2. The minimum partition size of the two partitions is
equivalent to two wraps.
Figure 2-2 A logical view of media partitioning
The LTO-5 media default that is set at manufacturing is a single partition of 80 wraps. The
host application or middleware can change the partition to one partition (partition 0, the
default partition) or two partitions, where the second partition is called partition 1. Partitioning
is done by using a reformat command that logically erases all data on a tape before it is
partitioned.
Each LTO-5 partition (if there are two) has a bidirectional serpentine and must have an even
number of wraps in size. This way, it begins and ends at Logical-Point 3 (LP3) (logical point to
indicate the start of the user data region; see Figure 2-2). If there are two partitions, a guard
band is between the two wraps, which is 2.5% of nominal LTO-5 cartridge capacity.
LTO-6 and TS1140 support the new partitioning scheme. By using the new scheme, LTFS can
provide more space for data partitioning. Currently, LTFS V2R1.2 does not support the new
scheme. The principle function of the media partitioning is to allow for faster data access by
splitting the cartridge into up to four media partitions. Tape media can have a minimum of one
and a maximum of four different partitions that are defined. Partitions on media all have the
same BOT and EOT as shown in Figure 2-3. The minimum partition size of the multiple
partitions is equivalent to two wraps.
Figure 2-3 Expanded Media Partitioning

Set capacity and partitioning are independent of each other. Partitioned media can be
capacity scaled and capacity-scaled media can be partitioned. Each format media command
causes a loss of data on media.
Important: The new partitioning scheme is applied when a cartridge is formatted. So, the
user can read from and write to cartridges that are formatted by an older version of LTFS.
LTFS V2R1.2 can read from and write to existing cartridges with the old partitioning
scheme.
LTFSV2R1.2 does not provide the functionality to format with the “old” partitioning scheme.
So, LTFS V2R1.2 can format with only the new partitioning scheme.
Encryption is supported by using one key for the entire cartridge in transparent encryption.
Write Once Read Many (WORM): Because WORM media is not partitionable, it is not
supported in LTFS.
2.1.2 Interoperability
LTO Ultrium cartridges from earlier LTO generations (that is LTO-1 through LTO-4) are not
partitionable. Those formats are not supported for partitioning. Figure 2-4 shows the
interoperability matrix of media partitioning and LTO-5 cartridges.
Figure 2-4 Interoperability matrix for media partitioning
If LTO Ultrium 4 (LTO-4) cartridges are used in an LTO-5 drive to write data on, the LTO-4
cartridge is treated like an unpartitioned LTO-5 cartridge. Even if an application can work with
partitions, it is not possible to partition the LTO-4 media that is mounted on an LTO Ultrium 5
drive.
2.1.3 Applications that use partitioning

To increase the usability of a tape drive system, a new tape file system interface acts similarly
to any other storage disk and removable flash media, such as a USB disk drive. This file
system, called the LTFS, is a self-describing tape format (SDTF) and open source file system
software. Combined with LTO-5 partitioning technology, it brings functionality for easy
handling of the tape cartridges.

To use the new tape file system, the file that is using the application can use middleware
(such as LTFS) to handle the files. Alternatively, if the application is SDTF-capable, only the
SCSI standard commands can be used (see Figure 2-5). Partitioning commands are already
SCSI standard commands, but most tape applications that are written today do not use them.
Figure 2-5 Application that uses partitioning, SDTF, and LTFS
2.1.4 LTFS tape format specification

LTFS tape format compatibility for versions 2.1.1 is described. The LTFS tape format version
is updated from 1.0 to 2.1.1. See the following LTFS format specification website for a PDF
file of the latest version:
http://www.ultrium.com/technology/LTFS_Format_To%20Print.pdf
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 Microsoft Windows) supports only LTFS format version 1.0. The latest version of
LTFS SDE (1.2.0.xx or later) and LTFS LE supports LTFS format version 2.1.1. Table 2-1
shows a compatibility matrix for media versions 1.0 and 2.1.1.
Table 2-1 Media version compatibility

LTFS LE version LTFS 1.0 medium LTFS 2.1.1 medium
2.0 Linux only N/A Read/write
2.1.1 Linux only N/A Read/write
2.1.2 Linux and Windows Read/writea Read/writea

a. The user can create, delete, and move the symbolic link file except on Windows.
Important: For LTFS LE, the mkltfs and ltfsck functions are provided by the
ltfsadmintool command. The ltfsck utility in LTFS SDE checks and recovers media. The
mkltfs utility in LTFS SDE formats media.
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. If you use the mkltfs command from a 1.0.x
LTFS version, you reformat the medium to a 1.0 format.
In summary, media that is written by LTFS SDE (LTFS 2.1.1 format) can be read by LTFS LE
and vice versa.

2.1.5 Index and data partitions
LTFS uses the capability of LTO Generation 5 technology to partition the LTO media into two
segments. The first partition is used to store the self-describing LTFS format based on an
XML schema that contains the client data in the second partition (see Figure 2-6 and
Figure 2-7).
Figure 2-6 Logical view of LTFS volume
One partition (partition 0), which is called the index partition, is small and allocates two LTO-5
wraps with about 37.5 GB on native storage capacity. The remaining cartridge capacity is
used by partition 1, which is called the data partition. The data partition consists of 76 LTO-5
wraps with about 1425 GB of native storage capacity. Both partitions are separated by the two
guard wraps as shown in Figure 2-2 on page 106.
File markers
Figure 2-7 Index and data partitions on tape
After LTFS formats a tape media, the index and data partitions contain a VOL1 label and an
LTFS label. The LTFS label is based on XML schema (see 2.1.7, “XML schema” on page 112)
and contains information about the LTFS partition on which the structure is stored.
VOL1 label: The VOL1 label is created according to ANSI Standard X 3.27. It contains
ASCII-encoded characters that are 80 bytes in length.
Figure 2-8 on page 110 shows the LTFS-formatted tape without any client data on it. The
label construct in the index and data partitions consists of the VOL1 and LTFS labels.

Figure 2-8 LTFS tape format after initialization (FM=file mark)
An LTFS volume is defined as a pair of LTFS partitions (one index partition and one data
partition) that contain a logical set of data files and directories. The pair of partitions in an
LTFS volume must have the same Universally Unique Identifier (UUID).
Figure 2-9 shows the content of a simple LTFS volume. This volume contains three files: File
A, File B, and File C.
File A consists of three extents. 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. Figure 2-9 also indicates
that the LTFS volume is still mounted. After you unmount an LTFS volume, double file marks
are written at the end of the index and data partitions.
Figure 2-9 A simple LTFS volume
TS1140 new partitioning scheme support

LTFS V2R1.1 already supports the TS1140 drive. Using LTFS V2R1.1 and TS1140 drives
consumes 600 GB for the index partition.
LTFS V2R1.2 supports an enhanced partitioning scheme, which allows the user to use less
space for indexes and more space for data partitions. By using the new scheme on TS1140
drives, LTFS V2R1.2 consumes only 300 GB for the index partition.
Update firmware: To use the new partitioning scheme, TS1140 firmware needs to be
updated to PGA3 or later. If older firmware is installed, a cartridge with the new partitioning
scheme cannot be mounted.

2.1.6 Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE)
LTFS is implemented on FUSE technology. 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 userspace library offer an application
programming interface (API) so that users can develop their own file systems, independently
of the knowledge of kernel programming.
The system was initially implemented on Linux and Macintosh OS X. It is portable to any
other UNIX technology-type systems that support FUSE. Figure 2-10 shows a simplified
diagram of the Linux FUSE-based LTFS implementation.
When an LTFS volume is mounted, the directory information is read from the index partition
by using XML (see 2.1.7, “XML schema” on page 112) and placed in the in-memory directory.
See Figure 2-10. During I/O tape operations, the in-memory directory is updated to reflect the
new data on tape. At various points, the contents of the in-memory directory are written back
to the tape partitions.
Figure 2-10 LTFS and FUSE implementation architecture
FUSE also provides ease of maintenance to the kernel API and supports the use of
userspace 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
(for example, /bin/my_fs_daemon/mnt/fuse). The FUSE kernel module (Figure 2-10) 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 might differ depending on the location of
the data to be accessed. Using the speed of LTO-5 with 140-MBps native does not cause a
delay time that is longer than 50 seconds on average.

LTFS for Linux: With LTFS V2R1.2 for Linux, the user can share LTFS by use of the
Network File System (NFS). LTFS for Linux is implemented with FUSE. FUSE provides
functions for a user space program to be able to implement a fully functional file system.
File sharing by the use of NFS is provided by a new version of FUSE (Version 2.8). LTFS
V2R1.2 for Linux relies on FUSE. The current version of FUSE has a limitation. See the
readme.NFS file in the FUSE package and use the -o noforget option to support NFS.
2.1.7 XML schema

LTFS uses an XML schema to record information about the data files on the tape media. XML
provides the following benefits, among others, to the LTFS format:
򐂰 Easy to document and to understand due to its human-readability
򐂰 Simple to port to different systems to produce interchangeable data
򐂰 Usable for standardization
򐂰 Easy data recovery in the event of a failure
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. See Figure 2-8 on page 110.
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 correctly 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 designed as a
recovery mechanism, this feature makes LTFS a convenient versioned file system. Data files
are never overwritten or erased from the tape until the tape is reformatted.
The following examples specify the XML schema. Attributes with square brackets are
optional, and attributes that end in an ellipsis (...) are optionally repeatable. Attribute values in
braces indicate that one of a series of values must be chosen, with the default value
underlined.
LTFS label
The LTFS label is an XML data structure that describes information about the LTFS volume
and the LTFS partition on which the LTFS label is recorded. See Example 2-1.
Example 2-1 LTFS label structure

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ltfslabel version="2.0.0">
<creator>IBM LTFS 1.2.0 - Linux - mkltfs</creator>
<formattime>2010-02-01T18:35:47.866846222Z</formattime>
<volumeuuid>30a91a08-daae-48d1-ae75-69804e61d2ea</volumeuuid>
<location>

</location>
<partitions>
<index>a</index>
<data>b</data>
</partitions>
<blocksize>524288</blocksize>
<compression>true</compression>
</ltfslabel
Index
An index is an XML data structure that describes all data files, directory information, and
associated metadata for files that are recorded on the LTFS volume. See Example 2-2 and
Example 2-3.
Example 2-2 LTFS index structure

<ltfsindex version="2.0.0">
<creator>IBM LTFS 1.2.0 - Linux - ltfs</creator>
<volumeuuid>30a91a08-daae-48d1-ae75-69804e61d2ea</volumeuuid>
<generationnumber>3</generationnumber>
<comment>A sample LTFS Index</comment>
<updatetime>2010-01-28T19:39:57.245954278Z</updatetime>
<location>
</location>
<previousgenerationlocation>
</previousgenerationlocation>
<dataplacementpolicy>
<indexpartitioncriteria>
<name>*.txt</name>
<higestfileuid>4</higestfileuid>
<directory>
...
</directory>
</ltfsindex>
Example 2-3 shows an index.
Example 2-3 LTFS index

...
<directory>
<name>LTFS Volume Name</name>

<contents>
<directory>
<name>directory1</name>
<contents>
<directory>
<name>subdir1</name>
</directory>
</contents>
</directory>
<file>
<name>testfile.txt</name>
<length>5</length>
<readonly>true</readonly>
<extendedattributes>
</extendedattributes>
<extentinfo>
<extent>
</extent>
</extentinfo>
</file>
</contents>
</directory>
</ltfsindex>

Extended attributes elements
All directory and file elements in an index can specify zero or more extended attributes
(extendedattributes). These extended attributes are recorded as xattr elements in the
extendedattributes element for the directory or file. See Example 2-4.
Example 2-4 Extendedattributes elements structure

...
<directory>
<name>directory1</name>
<extendedattributes>
<xattr>
<key>binary_xattr</key>
<value type="base64">/42n2QaEWDSX+g==</value>
</xattr>
<xattr>
<key>empty_xattr</key>
<value/>
</xattr>
<xattr>
<key>document_name</key>
<value type="text">LTFS Format Specification</value>
</xattr>
</extendedattributes>
<contents>
</contents>
</directory>
...
Data placement policy

An index can specify a data placement policy. This policy defines when the data extents for a
file can be placed on the index partition. A data placement policy specifies the conditions
under which it is allowed to place data extents on the index partition. See Example 2-5.
Example 2-5 Data placement policy structure

...
<dataplacementpolicy>
<indexpartitioncriteria>
<name>*.txt</name>
<name>*.bin</name>
<directory>
...

</directory>
</ltfsindex>
LTFS label XML schema

See Example 2-6 to get details about the definition. See also Example 2-7 on page 117.
Example 2-6 XML schema structure

<xs:schema xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<xs:element name="ltfslabel">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:all>
<xs:element name="creator" type="xs:string"/>
<xs:element name="formattime" type="datetime"/>
<xs:element name="volumeuuid" type="uuid"/>
<xs:element name="location">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name="partition" type="partitionid"/>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
<xs:element name="partitions">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:all>
<xs:element name="index" type="partitionid"/>
<xs:element name="data" type="partitionid"/>
</xs:all>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
<xs:element name="blocksize" type="blocksize"/>
<xs:element name="compression" type="xs:boolean"/>
</xs:all>
<xs:attribute name="version" use="required" type="version"/>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
<xs:simpleType name="blocksize">
<xs:restriction base="xs:integer">
<xs:minInclusive value="4096"/>
</xs:restriction>
</xs:simpleType>
<xs:simpleType name="version">
<xs:restriction base="xs:string">
<xs:pattern value="[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+"/>
<xs:enumeration value="2.0.0"/>
</xs:restriction>
</xs:simpleType>
<xs:simpleType name="datetime">
<xs:pattern
value="[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}T[0-9]{2}:[0-9]{2}:[0-9]

{2}\.[0-9]{9}Z"/>
</xs:restriction>
</xs:simpleType>
<xs:simpleType name="partitionid">
<xs:pattern value="[a-z]"/>
</xs:restriction>
</xs:simpleType>
<xs:simpleType name="uuid">
<xs:pattern
value="[a-fA-F0-9]{8}-[a-fA-F0-9]{4}-[a-fA-F0-9]{4}-
[a-fA-F0-9]{4}-[a-fA-F0-9]{12}"/>
</xs:restriction>
</xs:simpleType>
</xs:schema>
LTFS index XML schema

Example 2-7shows the LTFS index XML schema.
Example 2-7 LTFS index XML schema

<xs:schema xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<xs:element name="ltfsindex">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:all>
<xs:element name="creator" type="xs:string"/>
<xs:element name="comment" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0"/>
<xs:element name="volumeuuid" type="uuid"/>
<xs:element name="generationnumber" type="xs:nonNegativeInteger"/>
<xs:element name="updatetime" type="datetime"/>
<xs:element name="location" type="tapeposition"/>
<xs:element name="previousgenerationlocation" type="tapeposition"
minOccurs="0"/>
<xs:element name="allowpolicyupdate" type="xs:boolean"/>
<xs:element name="dataplacementpolicy" type="policy" minOccurs="0"/>
<xs:element name="highestfileuid" type="xs:nonNegativeInteger"/>
<xs:element ref="directory"/>
</xs:all>
<xs:attribute name="version" use="required" type="version"/>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
<xs:element name="directory">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:all>
<xs:element name="fileuid" type="xs:nonNegativeInteger"/>
<xs:element name="name" type="xs:string"/>
<xs:element name="creationtime" type="datetime"/>
<xs:element name="changetime" type="datetime"/>
<xs:element name="modifytime" type="datetime"/>
<xs:element name="accesstime" type="datetime"/>
<xs:element name="backuptime" type="datetime"/>

<xs:element name="readonly" type="xs:boolean"/>
<xs:element ref="extendedattributes" minOccurs="0"/>
<xs:element name="contents">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:choice minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded">
<xs:element ref="directory"/>
<xs:element ref="file"/>
</xs:choice>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:all>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
<xs:element name="file">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:all>
<xs:element name="fileuid" type="xs:nonNegativeInteger"/>
<xs:element name="name" type="xs:string"/>
<xs:element name="length" type="xs:nonNegativeInteger"/>
<xs:element name="creationtime" type="datetime"/>
<xs:element name="changetime" type="datetime"/>
<xs:element name="modifytime" type="datetime"/>
<xs:element name="accesstime" type="datetime"/>
<xs:element name="backuptime" type="datetime"/>
<xs:element name="readonly" type="xs:boolean"/>
<xs:element ref="extendedattributes" minOccurs="0"/>
<xs:element name="extentinfo" minOccurs="0">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded">
<xs:element name="extent">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:all>
<xs:element name="startblock"
type="xs:nonNegativeInteger"/>
<xs:element name="byteoffset"
<xs:element name="bytecount"
type="xs:positiveInteger"/>
<xs:element name="fileoffset"
</xs:all>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:all>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
<xs:element name="extendedattributes">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded">

<xs:element name="xattr">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:all>
<xs:element name="key" type="xs:string"/>
<xs:element name="value">
<xs:complexType mixed="true">
<xs:attribute name="type">
<xs:simpleType>
<xs:restriction base="xs:token">
<xs:enumeration value="base64"/>
<xs:enumeration value="text"/>
</xs:restriction>
</xs:simpleType>
</xs:attribute>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:all>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
<xs:complexType name="policy">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name="indexpartitioncriteria">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name="name" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0"
maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
<xs:element name="size" type="xs:nonNegativeInteger"/>
<xs:element name="name" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0"
maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
<xs:complexType name="tapeposition">
<xs:all>
<xs:element name="startblock" type="xs:nonNegativeInteger"/>
</xs:all>
</xs:complexType>
<xs:simpleType name="version">
<xs:pattern value="[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+"/>
<xs:enumeration value="2.0.0"/>
</xs:restriction>
</xs:simpleType>
<xs:simpleType name="datetime">

<xs:pattern
value="[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}T[0-9]{2}:[0-9]{2}:
[0-9]{2}\.[0-9]{9}Z"/>
</xs:restriction>
</xs:simpleType>
<xs:simpleType name="partitionid">
<xs:pattern value="[a-z]"/>
</xs:restriction>
</xs:simpleType>
<xs:simpleType name="uuid">
<xs:pattern
value="[a-fA-F0-9]{8}-[a-fA-F0-9]{4}-[a-fA-F0-9]{4}-
[a-fA-F0-9]{4}-[a-fA-F0-9]{12}"/>
</xs:restriction>
</xs:simpleType>
</xs:schema>
2.1.8 Recording the LTFS XML schemas

The following steps are taken by LTFS when files are written to the partitions. The following
illustrations show 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 as
shown in Figure 2-8 on page 110.
The recording of the LTFS XML schemas follows these steps:

1. An LTFS formatted tape is mounted in read/write mode. Then, the following changes to the
partitions are performed (see Figure 2-11):
– The last file mark in the index partition is erased.
This action indicates that a new session is started. Any file changes on the data
partition are not recorded.
– New files F1 and F2 are added to the data partition.
The second file mark from the data partition is overwritten by file F1 to erase the
end-of-data (EOD) indicator.
Figure 2-11 Files F1 and F2 added to the data partition

2. A small file that is called f3 is written to the index partition. Assume that LTFS is configured
to cache a maximum of 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 2-12). 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 2-12 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 2-13). 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 2-13 Small file f3 that is written to the index partition

4. The LTFS volume becomes unmounted. Figure 2-14 shows the partition changes:
– The new XML schema that is called Index #2 is aware of the f3 file. Index #2 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 2-14 LTFS volume gets unmounted
5. The data partition XML schema is updated (Figure 2-15).

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 2-15 Final partition view after tape unmount
6. The LTFS tape is unmounted and can be physically removed.
2.1.9 Reserved extended attribute definitions

In an LTFS index, all extended attribute names that start with the prefix “ltfs” with any
capitalization are reserved for use by the LTFS format. (That is, any names that start with a
not case-sensitive match for the letters “ltfs” are reserved.)
Any writer of an LTFS volume can use reserved extended attribute names to store extended
attribute values only in conformance with the following tables.

The defined, reserved extended attributes are described in Table 2-2, Table 2-3, Table 2-4 on
page 124, and Table 2-5 on page 127. Support for each of these defined, reserved extended
attributes is optional for implementations that are in compliance with the LTFS format
specification.
Software metadata
Table 2-2 lists the names of the defined, reserved extended attributes for the software
metadata.
Table 2-2 Software metadata

Name Accessibility Availability Description
ltfs.softwareVendor Read only Files and directories This name is the software
vendor name of this LTFS
program. The LTFS
program returns IBM.
ltfs.softwareProduct Read only Files and directories This name is the product
name of the LTFS program.
The LTFS program returns
LTFS SDE.
ltfs.softwareVersion Read only Files and directories This name is the version
number of this LTFS
program.
ltfs.softwareFormatSpec Read only Files and directories This name is the format
specification version that is
supported by this LTFS
program.
Object metadata
Table 2-3 lists the names for the defined, reserved extended attributes of the object metadata.
Table 2-3 Object metadata

Name Accessibility Availability Description LTFS format
version 1.0
ltfs.accessTime read/write Files and directories This value is the date N/A
and time of the last
access to the object.
ltfs.backupTime read/write Files and directories This value is the date N/A
archive or backup of
the object.
ltfs.changeTime read/write Files and directories This value is the date N/A
status change to the
object.
ltfs.createTime read/write Files and directories This value is the date ltfs.creationtime
and time that the
object was created.

Name Accessibility Availability Description LTFS format
version 1.0
ltfs.fileUIDa Read-only Files and directories This value is the N/A

integer identifier for
objects in the file
system. This value is
guaranteed to be
unique within the
LTFS volume.
ltfs.modifyTime read/write Files and directories This value is the date N/A
object modification.
ltfs.partition Read-only Non-empty file This value is the ltfs.partition

objects only partition on which the
first extent of the file
is stored.
ltfs.startblock Read-only Non-empty file This value is the ltfs.startblock

objects only block address where
the first extent of the
file is stored.
a. Unique identifiers (UIDs) for each file/directory are permanently stored on a version 2.0.0 formatted medium.
When a version 1.0 formatted medium is mounted, this attribute returns UIDs for each file/directory, but the values
are not permanently stored. The UIDs are stored only while the medium is mounted. When the medium is
remounted, different UIDs can be assigned.
Volume metadata
Table 2-4 lists the defined, reserved extended attributes for the volume metadata.
Table 2-4 Volume metadata

Name Accessibility Availability Description LTFS format version
1.0
ltfs.commitMessage read/write Root directory This message is meant to ltfs.commit_message

only be saved in the tape index
on the subsequent
synchronization of LTFS to
the medium. If the commit
message is not changed
afterward, all indexes that
are written to the medium
have that same message in
the XML <comment> field.
ltfs.indexCreator Read only Root directory This string is the creator N/A
only string for the index. This
string provides a
human-readable identifier
for the product that
generated the index.
ltfs.indexGeneration Read only Root directory This number is the last ltfs.index_generation
only index generation number
that is written to the tape.

1.0
ltfs.indexLocation Read only Root directory This value is the location of N/A
only the last index on the
medium in the form p:1,
where p is an alphabetic
character value that
indicates the internal LTFS
partition identifier, and 1 is
the logical block number
within the partition. For
example, the value a:1000
indicates that the last index
starts on partition “a” at
logical block 1000.
ltfs.indexPrevious Read only Root directory Location of the previous N/A

only index on the medium in the
form p:1, where p is an
alphabetic character value
that indicates the internal
LTFS partition identifier, and
1 is the logical block number
within the partition. For
example, the value b:55
indicates that the previous
index starts on partition “b”
at logical block 55.
ltfs.indexTime Read only Root directory This value is the date and ltfs.index_time
only time when the last LTFS
index is written to the
medium.
ltfs.labelCreator Read only Root directory This value is the creator N/A
only string for the LTFS label.
This string provides a
human-readable identifier
for the product that
generated the LTFS label.
ltfs.partitionMap Read only Root directory This value is the only N/A
only medium partition layout for
the LTFS volume. The form
of the value is W:x,Y:z
where W and Y have the
value I, indicating an index
partition, or D, indicating a
data partition. The
alphabetic character values
x and y indicate the internal
LTFS partition identifier. For
example, the value I:a,D:b
indicates that LTFS partition
“a” is used as the index
partition, and LTFS partition
“b” is used as the data
partition.

1.0
ltfs.policyAllowUpdate Read only Root directory This value indicates ltfs.policy_allowupdate

only whether the data placement
policy for the volume can
be updated.
ltfs.policyExists Read only Root directory This value indicates ltfs.policy_is_set

only whether the policy that
allows certain files to be
written to the index partition
is enabled. The policy is set
at the time of formatting.
ltfs.policyMaxFileSize Read only Root directory This value is the maximum ltfs.policy_maxfilesize
only file size for files that match
the data placement policy
for the volume.
ltfs.sync Write only Root directory Writing any value to this N/A
only extended attribute initiates
a file system sync on any
implementation that
supports this extended
attribute.
ltfs.volumeBlocksize Read only Root directory This block size is used on ltfs.volume_blocksize
only read/write operations as
specified at the time of
formatting.
ltfs.volumeCompression Read only Root directory This value is the N/A

only compression setting for the
volume.
ltfs.volumeFormatTime Read only Root directory This value is the date and ltfs.volume_format_time
only time when the volume was
formatted.
ltfs.volumeName Read Files and This name is the tape ltfs.volume_name

directories volume name as set at the
time of formatting.
Write Root directory
only
ltfs.volumeSerial Read only Root directory This value is the tape serial ltfs.tape_serial
only number as specified at the
time of formatting.
ltfs.volumeUUID Read only Files and This value is the Universally ltfs.volume_uuid
directories Unique Identifier that is
assigned to the tape
medium.

Media metadata
Table 2-5 lists the defined, reserved extended attributes for the media metadata.
Table 2-5 Media metadata

ltfs.mediaBeginningMediumPasses Read only Root directory only This value is the total number of
times the beginning of a medium
position is passed. If the storage
hardware cannot report this data,
the value is -1.
ltfs.mediaDatasetsRead Read only Root directory only This value is the total number of data
sets read from the medium over its
lifetime. If the storage hardware
cannot report this data, the value
is -1.
ltfs.mediaDataPartitionAvailableSpace Read only Root directory only This value is the total available
space in the data partition on the
medium. The value is an integer
count that is measured in units of
1048576 bytes.
ltfs.mediaDataPartitionTotalCapacity Read only Root directory only This value is the total capacity of the
data partition on the medium. The
value is an integer count that is
measured in units of 1048576 bytes.
ltfs.mediaDatasetsWritten Read only Root directory only This value is the total number of data
sets written to the medium over its
is -1.
ltfs.mediaEfficiency Read only Root directory only This value is the overall measure of
the condition of the loaded medium.
The value 0x00 indicates that the
condition is unknown. The range of
known values is from 0x01 (best
condition) to 0xFF (worst condition).
If the storage hardware cannot
report this data, the value is -1.
ltfs.mediaIndexPartitionAvailableSpace Read only Root directory only This value is the total available
space in the index partition on the
medium. The value is an integer
count that is measured in units of
1048576 bytes.
ltfs.mediaIndexPartitionTotalCapacity Read only Root directory only This value is the total capacity of the
index partition on the medium. The
value is an integer count that is
measured in units of 1048576 bytes.
ltfs.mediaLoads Read only Root directory only This value is the number of times
that the medium is loaded in a drive.
For example, with tape media, this
value is the tread count. If the
storage hardware cannot report this
data, the value is -1.

ltfs.mediaMBRead Read only Root directory only This value is the total number of
megabytes of logical object data that
is read from the medium after
compression over its lifetime. The
value is rounded up to the next
whole megabyte. The value that is
reported includes bytes read as part
of reading file marks from the
medium. If the storage hardware
is -1.
ltfs.mediaMBWritten Read only Root directory only This value is the total number of
megabytes of logical object data that
is written to the medium after
compression over its lifetime. The
value is rounded up to the next
whole megabyte. The value that is
reported includes bytes written as
part of writing file marks to the
is -1.
ltfs.mediaMiddleMediumPasses Read only Root directory only This value is the total number of
times that the physical middle
position of the user data region of a
medium is passed. If the storage
the value is -1.
ltfs.mediaPermanentReadErrors Read only Root directory only This value is the total number of
unrecovered data read errors over
the lifetime of the medium. This
value is the total number of times
that a read-type command
terminated with a sense key of
MEDIUM ERROR, HARDWARE
ERROR, or equivalent over its
is -1.
ltfs.mediaPermanentWriteErrors Read only Root directory only This value is the total number of
unrecovered data write errors over
the lifetime of the medium. This
value is the total number of times
that a write-type command
terminated with a sense key of
MEDIUM ERROR, HARDWARE
ERROR, or equivalent over the
lifetime of the medium. If the storage
the value is -1.

ltfs.mediaPreviousPermanentReadErr Read only Root directory only This value is the total number of
ors unrecovered read errors that
occurred during the previous load of
the medium. This value is the total
number of times that a read-type
command terminated with a sense
key of MEDIUM ERROR,
HARDWARE ERROR, or equivalent
during the previous load session. If
the storage hardware cannot report
this data, the value is -1.
ltfs.mediaPreviousPermanentWriteErro Read only Root directory only This value is the total number of
rs unrecovered write errors that
occurred during the previous load of
the medium. This value is the total
number of times that a write-type
command terminated with a sense
key of MEDIUM ERROR,
HARDWARE ERROR, or equivalent
during the previous load session. If
the storage hardware cannot report
this data, the value is -1.
ltfs.mediaRecoveredReadErrors Read only Root directory only This value is the total number of
recovered read errors over the
lifetime of the medium. If the storage
the value is -1.
ltfs.mediaRecoveredWriteErrors Read only Root directory only This value is the total number of
recovered data write correction
errors over the lifetime of the
cannot report this data, the value is
-1.
ltfs.mediaStorageAlert read/write Root directory only This value is a 64-bit value that
contains alert flags for the storage
system. For data tape media, this
value is equal to the standard tape
alert flags. If the storage hardware
cannot report this data, the value is
the string “UNKNOWN.” By writing a
value of 1, the corresponding bit is
cleared. By writing a value of 0, the
current value is retained.

2.2 Installation
The system hardware and storage requirements are listed. The required steps to install the
LTFS LE on a Linux system and also on a Windows system are described.

The system hardware and software requirements that relate to LTFS LE are listed. The
current information for LTFS LE supported hardware and software configurations and notices
or limitations is in the readme file of the software package.
Supported tape drives and media

The following tape drives and tape media are currently supported by the LTFS (Table 2-6).
Table 2-6 Supported tape drives and media

Tape drive Tape mediaa Native/compressed Firmware levelc
capacityb
IBM System Storage Advanced data (JC) 4000/12000 GB (E07 69E (D3I3_69E) or later
TS1140 Tape Drived Format)
Extended data (JB) 1600/4800 GB (E07

Format)
Economy data (JK) 500/1500 GB (E07 Format)
IBM System Storage LTO LTO-5 1500/3000 GB C7R2 or later (full-height

Ultrium 5 Tape Drive tape drive)
C7R3 or later (half-height
tape drive)
IBM System Storage LTO LTO-6 2500/6250 GB C7S4 or later (full-height

Ultrium 6 Tape Drive tape drive)
C7S5 or later (half-height
tape drive)
a. WORM media is not supported.
b. 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes
c. This tape drive firmware level is required to fully use LTFS functions.
d. The TS1140 tape drive supports enhanced partitioning for cartridges. Enhanced partitioning allows more space
for the data partition by using only 300 GB for the index partition on the IBM System Storage TS1140 Tape Drive.
This partitioning scheme is applied when a cartridge is formatted for LTFS. To use enhanced partitioning, any
TS1140 tape drives must be at firmware level D3I3_694 or later. If older firmware is installed on a tape drive, a
cartridge with the enhanced partitioning scheme cannot be mounted. Beginning with version 2.1.2, the LTFS LE
checks the firmware versions of all TS1140 tape drives in the library. If there is a TS1140 tape drive with older
firmware, LTFS is unable to start. In this case, LTFS shows an error message that indicates that the drive firmware
for all TS1140 tape drives in the library needs to be updated.
To learn more about fixes and updates for your system software, hardware, and operating
system, see the Fix Central website:

System requirements
The system requirements are described for the LTFS. LTFS LE supports both Linux and
Windows operating systems and hardware platforms. See Table 2-7 for Linux requirements.
See Table 2-8 on page 132 for Windows requirements.
Linux system requirements

Table 2-7 shows the Linux system requirements.
Table 2-7 Linux system requirements

Linux computers
Supported operating systems (x86 Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 6.1, and 6.2
and x86_64 only)
Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 Service Pack (SP) 1 and SP2
Supported hardware TS3500 Tape Library with TS1140 tape drives:

򐂰 Library firmware level: latest
򐂰 Drive firmware level: 69E (D3I3_69E) or later
WORM media is not supported.
TS2900 (1U), TS3100 (2U), TS3200 (4U), TS3310, and TS3500 tape libraries
with LTO-5 and later generation LTO drives:
򐂰 Drive firmware level:
- LTO-5: C7R2 or later for full height; C7R3 or later for half height
- LTO-6: C7S4 or later for full height; C7S5 or later for half height
Server PC x86 or x86_64 processor
1 GB (0.93 GiB) of available RAM for each 1,000,000 files that are stored on a
tape (The on-disk metadata storage (dcache) utilizes the loop device on the
file system. When using dcache, the maximum number of files and directories
depends on the file system that is used and the dcache image size, which, in
turn, affects the amount of additional RAM that is required. The following file
and directory limits exist for each file system:
򐂰 ext3 file system: 130,000 files (and directories) per gibibyte (GiB)
򐂰 ext4 file system: 65,000 files (and directories) per gibibyte (GiB)
By default, LTFS reserves 5.37 GB (5 GiB) of disk space for the dcache image
for each mount point. If the file system is ext4, LTFS can manage up to
325,000 files (65,000 x 5) under the mount point.
Note: The ext3 file system is used on RHEL 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, and 5.8, and SUSE
11.1, by default. The ext4 file system is used on RHEL 6.1 and 6.2, by default.)
5.91 GB (5.5 GiB) of available disk space (if on-disk metadata storage is
enabled)
Serial-attached Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) or Fibre Channel

(FC) host bus adapter (HBA) is supported by IBM LTO-5 and later generation
tape drives
FC HBA is supported by IBM TS1140 tape drives
TCP/IP based protocol network

Windows systems requirements
Table 2-8 shows the Windows system requirements.
Table 2-8 Windows system requirements

Windows computers
Supported operating systems Windows Server 2008 R2 (SP1)
Supported hardware TS3500 Tape Library with TS1140 tape drives:

򐂰 Drive firmware level: 69E (D3I3_69E) or later
TS2900 (1U), TS3100 (2U), TS3200 (4U), TS3310, and TS3500 tape libraries with
LTO-5 and later generation LTO drives:
򐂰 Drive firmware level:
- LTO-5: C7R2 or later for full height; C7R3 or later for half height
- LTO-6: C7S4 or later for full height; C7S5 or later for half height
Server PC i386 or x86_64 processor
1 GB (0.93 GiB) of available RAM for each 1,000,000 files that are stored on a tape
Serial-attached Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) (SAS) or FC HBA supported

by IBM LTO-5 and later generation tape drives
FC HBA supported by IBM TS1140 tape drives
Important:
򐂰 LTFS LE generates a volume for every cartridge in the library.
򐂰 LTO media can be loaded only to LTO-5 and LTO-6 drives that are installed in the
library.
򐂰 The TS2900 Tape Autoloader supports the Half-High tape drive.
򐂰 LTFS LE supports only the random mode for TS2900 Tape Autoloader, TS3100 Tape
Library, and TS3200 Tape Library.
򐂰 In a TS3500 Tape Library, you can have a mixture of LTO-5 and LTO-6 drives in one
logical library. The limiting factor in this case is that all tapes must be LTO-5 media. The
TS1140 and the LTO-5 and LTO-6 cannot be in the same logical library.
򐂰 LTFS LE supports Control Path Failover (CPF).

Required software
The software requirements are described for the LTFS. The LTFS LE requires that the
following software is installed:
򐂰 Linux:
– openssl 0.9.8e or later
– FUSE 2.7.4 or later, but not higher than 2.8.3 (kernel and shared library modules are
required). To identify the FUSE version, use one of the following commands:
• ls -l /lib64 |grep -i fuse
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 16 Sep 24 17:12 libfuse.so.2  libfuse.so.2.7.4
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 136352 Mar 2 2011 libfuse.so.2.7.4
• ls -l /lib | grep -i fuse
• ls -l /usr/local/lib | grep -i fuse
• ls - /usr/local/lib64 | grep -i fuse
– The following packages are included in the service pack:
• libxml2-2.6.26 or later
• libuuid 1.39 or later, or equivalent Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) functions that
conform to OSF DCE 1.1 (including the e2fsprogs package)
• libicu 3.6 or later
򐂰 IBM tape device driver for Linux (lin_tape) 1.73 or later
򐂰 Python 2.4 or later, but earlier than 3.0
򐂰 Windows:
– Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package
– Microsoft .NET Framework 4
– IBM tape device driver for Windows version 6225 or later
– Python 2.7.2 or later, but earlier than 3.0
Python: The ltfsadmintool script does not run on Python version 3.0 or later.
To learn more about fixes and updates for your system software, hardware, and operating
system, see the Fix Central website:
2.2.2 Unsupported Windows features, drivers, and commands

The Windows features, drivers, and commands that are not supported by the LTFS are listed.
New Technology File System (NTFS)

LTFS does not support the following NTFS features:
򐂰 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
(FSCTL_FIND_FILES_BY_SID)
򐂰 Access control lists. The Security tab is not displayed when the user views the file property
by right-clicking, then selecting Properties.
򐂰 Alternate data streams. The Details tab is not available when the user views the file
property by right-clicking, then selecting Properties.
򐂰 Shadow copies. The Previous Version tab is not displayed when the user views the file
property by right-clicking, 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)
򐂰 Symbolic and hard links
Symbolic links: It is possible to access symbolic links that are created in another platform
(Linux or OS X); however, it is not possible create a symbolic link with Windows.
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 formally
documented mechanisms or application interfaces.
Native commands for a disk drive

LTFS does not support the following commands:
򐂰 chkdsk
򐂰 format
򐂰 defrag
򐂰 recover
򐂰 label
Symbolic links
The following limitations exist when you use symbolic links on a Windows system:
򐂰 The user cannot create a new symbolic link between another file system and LTFS.
򐂰 The user cannot create a new symbolic link in LTFS.
򐂰 The user cannot delete a symbolic link in LTFS.
򐂰 The user cannot rename a symbolic link in LTFS.
򐂰 Accessing the symbolic link is always forwarded to the target of the link.
򐂰 The target of the link is shown as a file, even if it is a directory.
򐂰 The target of the link is not shown.
2.2.3 Installation on Windows

The LTFS program installation on a Windows system is described.

Installing Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable package (required
software)
Follow this procedure:
1. Go to the Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable package download site for the
corresponding system type (x86 or x64). There are a couple of Visual C++ packages that
are available for download. Be careful to download the correct x64 package. The LTFS LE
supports only x64.
2. Download the package to your local folder.
3. Double-click the package in Windows Explorer to display the User Account Control
window. See Figure 2-16.
Figure 2-16 Windows Explorer
5. Follow the program instructions until the installation is completed. See Figure 2-17.
Figure 2-17 Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable package
Installing Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (required software)

1. Go to the Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (Stand-alone Installer) download site.

3. Double-click the file in Windows Explorer. See Figure 2-18.
Figure 2-18 Microsoft .NET Framework 4
5. Follow the installer instructions until the installation is completed. See Figure 2-19 and
Example 2-20 on page 161.
Figure 2-19 Microsoft .NET Framework 4 installer

Figure 2-20 Microsoft .NET Framework 4 installation complete
Installing the IBM tape driver for Windows (required software)

Follow these instructions before you begin the installation. Before you install the tape device
driver, ensure that the following steps are completed:
1. The HBA and its device driver are installed automatically.
Emulex adapter: If the HBA that is attached to the tape library is an Emulex adapter,
set the HBA configuration parameter "ExtTransferSize"=2 for Windows 2008 R2 by
using the Emulex OneCommand Manager.
2. The tape drive and HBA are connected.

3. The tape drive is powered on.
4. The tape drives in the library are powered on.
5. The server is powered on.
Installation procedure
Complete the following steps to install the tape device driver:
1. Download the current version of the device driver from the IBM Fix Central portal:
a. Open the following URL in your web browser:
b. For Product Group, select System Storage.
c. For System Storage, select Tape systems.
d. For Tape systems, select Tape drivers and software.
e. For Tape drivers and software, select Tape device drivers.
f. For Platform, to download the latest version of atape, select the correct platform.
g. Click Continue.
h. Select the version that you want to download.

Installers: The IBM tape device driver has two installers: exclusive and
non-exclusive. Use the exclusive installer with the LTFS LE.
i. Follow the instructions on the Fix Central download page to download the new version.
2. Download the PDF document, IBM Tape Device Drivers Installation and User’s Guide,
GC27-2130-10, from the IBM Support portal:
a. Open the following URL in your web browser:
http://www.ibm.com/support/us/en/
b. Enter the guide name in the Search support text box and then click the blue button.
c. Click IBM Tape Device Drivers Installation and User’s Guide.
d. Click Device_Driver_IUG. PDF to download the user’s guide.
e. Follow the procedures in the guide to install the tape device driver.
Installing Python for Windows (required software)

Complete the following steps in order to install Python:
1. Go to the Python Windows download website.
3. Double-click the file in Windows Explorer. See Figure 2-21.
Figure 2-21 Python
4. Follow the installer instructions until the installation is completed. See Figure 2-22 and
Figure 2-23 on page 139.
Figure 2-22 Python installer

Figure 2-23 Python installation complete
Installing or upgrading LTFS LE Windows from an .exe file

1. Complete the following steps to install or upgrade LTFS from an .exe file:
a. Open Windows Explorer and double-click the .exe file that you downloaded in advance
from the IBM website. A dialog box displays with a drop-down menu from which you
can select a language for the installation. See Figure 2-24, Figure 2-25, and
Figure 2-26 on page 140.
Figure 2-25 LTFS LE installation wizard

b. Click OK to display a Software License Agreement window.

c. Select one of the following options to display the Destination Folder window:
• I accept the terms in the license agreement and click Next (Figure 2-27).
• Read Non-IBM Terms (to open a non-IBM license agreement) and click Close.

Destination folder: With the Destination Folder wizard, you can change the folder
to install the program. The default destination folder is set to C:\Program
Files\IBM\LTFS\. If you want to change the default folder, click Change. Otherwise,
click Next to skip to step g.
d. If you click Change, the Change Current Destination Folder window displays the
following options. Either choose a folder from the Look in menu (Figure 2-28) or set the
folder name from the Folder name text box.
e. After you select an option, click OK to proceed to the next step.

f. Click Next in the Destination Folder window to display the Ready to Install the Program
window (Figure 2-29).
Changes: If you want to change an installation parameter, click Back, and then
follow the same steps that got you to step g.
g. Click Install to display the “Installing IBM Linear Tape File System Library Edition”
window.
Progress: You can track the progress of the installation by viewing the status bar.
h. Click Yes when the User Account Control window displays the message “Do you want
to allow the following program to make changes to this computer?” When the
installation completes, the InstallShield Wizard Completed window displays
(Figure 2-30).
Figure 2-30 User account control window

Administrator password: If you log on to the system as a user account, the User
Account Control window displays. To proceed to the next step, type an administrator
password and then click Yes.
i. Click Finish and then Yes when the “Installing IBM Linear Tape File System Library
Edition Installer Information” window displays to restart the system to launch LTFS.
See Figure 2-31 and Figure 2-32.

Figure 2-33 shows how the physical tapes are mapped to the Windows file system. Each
physical tape cartridge volume serial numbers (VOLSER) is displayed as a directory on
Windows Explorer.
Figure 2-33 Tape library tapes mapped to Windows
Uninstalling LTFS from a Windows system

Complete the following steps to uninstall LTFS:
1. From the desktop, click Start  All Programs  IBM  LTFS  Uninstall LTFS to open
the Windows Installer program.
2. Click Yes when the message “Are you sure you want to uninstall this product?”
displays.
Administrator: If you log on to the system as a user account, the User Account Control
window displays. You must type an administrator password to proceed to the next step
and then click Yes.
4. If the message “All LTFS tape libraries must be unmounted before uninstalling
LTFS program” displays, unmount all tape libraries from LTFS by using the ltfsunmount
command, and then try again. If this message does not display, proceed to step 5.
5. Click OK when 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.”
Progress: Use the status bar to track the progress of the uninstall.
6. Restart the system to completely remove the LTFS program from your operating system.

Alternative: You also can uninstall the LTFS program from the desktop by clicking Start 
Control Panel  Uninstall a program under Programs. Then, restart your operating
system.
2.2.4 Installation on Linux

Complete these required steps before you install LTFS LE.
Installing the prerequisite Linux software

LTFS LE requires the following prerequisite packages to be installed:
򐂰 openssl 0.9.8e or later
򐂰 FUSE 2.7.4 or later (including kernel and shared library modules)
򐂰 libxml2-2.6.26 or later
򐂰 libuuid 1.39 or later, or equivalent UUID functions that conform to OSF DCE 1.1 (included
in the e2fsprogs package)
򐂰 libicu 3.6 or later
򐂰 Python 2.4 or later, but earlier than 3.0
Tip: The ltfsadmintool script does not run on Python version 3.0 or later.
Installing the HBA and HBA device driver

To install the HBA and its device driver for use with LTFS LE, see the documents that are
provided by the HBA manufacturer. For a list of supported adapters, go to the following LTO
page:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/storage/tape/lto/
For information about connectivity and supported configurations, see the IBM System
Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC) website:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/storage/config/ssic/
Emulex adapter: If the HBA that is attached to the tape library is an Emulex adapter, add
one of the following lines to the /etc/modprobe.conf file (for RHEL 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, or 5.8) or
to the /etc/modprobe.d/lpfc.conf file (for RHEL 6.1, 6.2, and SLES 11). Then, restart the
system for the changes to take effect.
For RHEL 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, or 5.8, add this line:

modprobe lpfc lpfc_sg_seg_cnt=256
For RHEL 6.1, 6.2, and SLES 11, add this line:
options lpfc lpfc_sg_seg_cnt=256

Installing the IBM tape device driver
Before you install the tape device driver for use with LTFS LE, complete the following tasks:
1. Install the HBA and its device driver:
a. Download the current version of the tape device driver from the IBM Fix Central portal
(see 2.1.4, “LTFS tape format specification” on page 108):
b. Download the IBM Tape Device Drivers Installation and User’s Guide (a PDF
document) from the IBM Support and Download site:
http://www.ibm.com/support/us/en/
c. Follow the procedures in the user’s guide to install the tape device driver or see 1.2.4,
“Installation procedure” on page 16.
2. Connect the tape drive and HBA.
3. Power on the tape drive in the tape library.
4. Power on the server.

Error information for LTFS LE operations is displayed on the terminal console. The level of
error reporting is based on the 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 additional information about LTFS logs, follow these steps:
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 2-8.
Example 2-8 System log configuration file
For RHEL 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, or 5.8 add the following line to /etc/syslog.conf
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 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, or 5.8) or ryslog (for RHEL
6.1, 6.2, or SLES 11). Issue the following command:
/etc/init.d/syslog restart
4. Open the /etc/logrotate.d/syslog file on any available editor (see Example 2-9). Add or
edit the following lines.
Example 2-9 Add or edit syslog file

For RHEL 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, or 5.8:
/var/log/userlog {
size 1M
rotate 4
missingok
compress
sharedscripts

postrotate
true
true
endscript
}
For RHEL 6.1, 6.2, or SLES:
/var/log/ltfs.log {
size 1M
rotate 4
missingok
compress
sharedscripts
postrotate
true
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 additional information about the current
operation
Trace A message that provides information about debugging and
troubleshooting
Table 2-9 describes the logging command options, types of results, and reasons to use the
command options.
Table 2-9 Logging command options and results

Command option Command Results Use
No option designated Any Error, warning, and LTFS is designed to use this
information messages are default setting to isolate any
logged and reported. This problem that occurs and to
option is the default setting. identify the appropriate action.
-o quiet ltfs Error and warning messages The quiet option can be used
are logged and reported. to improve performance by
-q or --quiet ltfsadmintool -f -- reducing the level and number
of messages logged and
ltfsadmintool -c -- reported.

Command option Command Results Use
-o trace ltfs Error, warning, information, The trace option can be used
and trace messages are if intermittent errors occur, or
-t or --trace ltfsadmintool -f -- logged and reported. the default log information is
insufficient to reproduce the
-a or --trace ltfsadmintool -c --
problem in the IBM lab. The
trace option is set under these
special conditions to gather
additional information to help
re-create and solve the
problem.
Logging command options: The ltfsadmintool does not support logging command
options, but when the -f option or -c option is specified, the logging command options for
mkltfs and ltfsck functions can be specified after the -- tag. See “Optional mkltfs
parameters” on page 191 and “Optional ltfsck parameters” on page 194.
For more information about how to set the log trace level, see the LTFS LE information center
and search for “setting log trace level”:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/ltfsle/cust/index.jsp
Latest information: Information in the readme and install files that are provided with the
LTFS LE distribution package supersedes information that is presented and the information
in the information center.
Extracting binary rpm files from an installation package

Extracting binary rpm files from an installation package for LTFS on a Linux system is
described.
Installation package: The installation package name is ltfs-2.1.1-[revision].bin. It

includes rpm files for the revision and supported platforms and architectures.
Ensure that the following steps are completed before you begin to create a binary rpm
package:
2. Confirm the execution permission of ltfs-2.1.1-[revision].bin (Example 2-10) by
issuing the following command:
# ls -l ltfs-2.1.1-[revision].bin
Example 2-10 LTFS confirm execution permission

[root@double ~]# ls -l ltfs-2.1.1-201109201.i386.bin
-rwxr-x--- 1 root root 68924904 Sep 29 16:23 ltfs-2.1.1-201109201.i386.bin
3. Set the execution permission, if it is not already set, by issuing the following command:
# chmod +x ltfs-2.1.1-[revision].bin

Create the rpm packages: If the software shipped as an rpm source file named “src.rpm”,
issue the following command to create the rpm packages:
# rpmbuild --rebuild ltfs-2.1.1-[revision].src.rpm
After you verify the execution permission, complete the following steps to extract the binary
rpm files:
1. Run the binary file on the system by following the steps that are shown in step 2 of the
preceding list. You can launch it on a terminal by issuing the following command in the
directory in which the file resides:
# ./ltfs-2.1.1-[revision].bin
The extracted rpm files are in the directory: /root/LTFSLE/rpm[revision]/[platform]/
2. Select the rpm files that correspond to your platform.
The following files in the rpm folder are extracted:

򐂰 ltfs-2.1.1-[revision]-[platform].rpm
򐂰 ltfs-license-2.1.0-[revision]-[platform].rpm
򐂰 ltfs-library-2.1.1-[revision]-[platform].rpm
򐂰 ltfs-admin-utils-2.1.1-[revision].noarch.rpm
The ltfs-admin-utils-2.1.1-[revision].noarch.rpm file is common to all platforms.
Both ltfs and ltfs-library rpm file names include platform tags.
For example, if you want to install LTFS rpm files for revision 201109201, by using a Red Hat
Linux distribution on a 64-bit architecture, the following files in the rpm folder are required:
򐂰 ltfs-2.1.1-201109021-RHEL61.i386.rpm
򐂰 ltfs-license-2.1.0-201109021-RHEL61.i386.rpm
򐂰 ltfs-library-2.1.1-2011009201-RHEL561.i386.rpm
򐂰 ltfs-admin-utils-2.1.1-201109201.noarch.rpm
The procedure to use the files is described.
Installing or upgrading from a binary rpm file

Follow these steps to install or upgrade the IBM LTFS LE program on a Linux system from a
binary rpm file.
ltfsadmintool utility: LTFS LE does not support remote access by using the
ltfsadmintool utility. Port 2112 must be blocked by a firewall program. If this port is set as
a trusted port by using a firewall program, remove port 2112 as the trusted port before you
install LTFS.
If port 2112 cannot be blocked because it is used by another program, specify

another blocked port number with the -o admin_port option and the ltfs command.
Installing the binary rpm files: Install the binary rpm files by following the procedure in
“Select the rpm files that correspond to your platform.” on page 149.

Complete the following steps from a Linux command prompt:
2. If LTFS is already installed and you want to upgrade it, unmount the LTFS file system by
entering the following command:
umount /mnt/ltfs
To continue the upgrade, skip to step 5.
3. Run these commands in the following sequence to install the rpm packages:
# rpm -ihv ./ltfs-license-2.1.0-[platform].[architecture].rpm
# rpm -ihv ./ltfs-2.1.2-[revision]-[platform].[architecture].rpm
# rpm -ihv ./ltfs-library-2.1.2-[revision]-[platform].[architecture].rpm
# rpm -ihv./ltfs-admin-utils-2.1.2-[revision].noarch.rpm
Required: It is required to install the ltfs-license rpm file before you install the other
packages. It is required to install the ltfs rpm file before you install the ltfs-library file.
The commands are the same, whether you install for the first time or upgrade the
rpm file. For example, if you install the ltfs-library rpm, revision 201111110, by using
a Red Hat Linux distribution 6.1 on a 64-bit architecture, you issue the following
command:
# rpm -ihv ./ltfs-library-2.1.2-201111110-RHEL61.x86_64.rpm
4. Optional: Run the following commands to verify the current version of LTFS LE:
# rpm -q ltfs-license
# rpm -q ltfs
# rpm -q ltfs-library
# rpm -q ltfs-admin-utils
5. Run these commands in the following sequence to upgrade the binary rpm package:
# rpm -Uhv ./ltfs-2.1.2-[revision]-[platform].[architecture].rpm
# rpm -Uhv ./ltfs-library-2.1.2-[revision]-[platform].[architecture].rpm
# rpm -Uhv ./ltfs-admin-utils-2.1.2-[revision].noarch.rpm
6. Optional: Run the following commands to verify the current version of LTFS LE:
# rpm -q ltfs-license
# rpm -q ltfs
Uninstalling from a Linux system

Follow these steps to uninstall LTFS from a Linux system:
2. If LTFS is mounted, unmount it by entering the following command:
# umount /mnt/ltfs
3. Run these commands in the following sequence to remove the installed packages:
# rpm -e ltfs-admin-utils-2.1.2-[revision]
# rpm -e ltfs-library-2.1.2-[revision]
# rpm -e ltfs-2.1.2-[revision]

4. Issue the following commands to check that the packages are uninstalled:
# rpm -q ltfs
Trials: If you uninstall to upgrade to a higher version, keep the license module
installed. You cannot install an upgrade package without the license module. If you
have a license module for a trial version and the license expires, LTFS works in
read-only mode. To use all LTFS functions, uninstall the trial license module and install the
license module for the product version.
Optional: The extracted rpm files for those operating systems other than your system can
be deleted. Retain the rpm files that belong to LTFS LE for your operating system in case
you need to reinstall.
2.3 Managing LTFS LE

Information is provided about the interfaces that are supported for use with LTFS. The
operations to mount and unmount media in a tape library for LTFS LE are described.
2.3.1 Typical user scenario on a Windows system

Performing a series of typical administrative tasks in LTFS LE is described.
The following commands (Table 2-10) are used for common and basic tasks, such as
mounting and unmounting a library, displaying available libraries, and managing LTFS.
Table 2-10 Basic LTFS LE administrative tasks

Command Purpose
ltfs.exe This command starts LTFS to mount a tape library. A drive letter must be
specified.
ltfsunmount.exe This command unmounts LTFS.
ltfsadmintool This command is used to manage LTFS. It is used for operations, such as
formatting a medium, checking a medium, and importing or exporting a
medium. Python must be installed to use this tool.
Starting LTFS and mounting a library on a Windows system

Use these procedures to start LTFS and mount a library on a Windows system.

1. Issue the ltfslsdev.exe command to view the available tape libraries as shown in the
following example:
ltfslsdev.exe

2. Review the results that display the mapping between the address and serial number of the
tape library as shown in the following example. The address is used to mount the library.
C:\Program Files\IBM\LTFS>ltfslsdev.exe
Assigned Address Serial

---------- ------------ ------------------------
2.0.14.1 00L4U78C6339_LL1
Issue the ltfs.exe command with the address and a drive letter as shown in the following
example to start LTFS:
ltfs.exe [options] DriveLetter
Drive letter: The ltfs.exe command on a Windows system requires a drive letter.
There is no rule for the order of the options that are used with the ltfs.exe command.
However, the drive letter must be after any options. The last argument for the ltfs.exe
command must be the drive letter.
The %TEMP%\ltfs directory is set as the default work_directory on a Windows system.
The following LTFS options are available:

-o changer_devname=<dev>
Changer device (For example, 1.2.3.4)
LTFS work directory
-o sync_type=<type> Specify sync type (default: time@5). <type> must be specified with
one of the following values:
- time@min: LTFS attempts to write an index each 'min' minutes.
min must be a decimal number 1 - 35791394. It is equivalent to
"-o sync_type=unmount" when 0 is specified (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 release_device Clear device reservation (must be specified with -o
changer_devname)
-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
Set to exclude volume name from top-level folder name
Set to include volume name in top-level folder name (default)
-o six_char_folder Display first six characters of directory name
-o strict_drive Mount only the corresponding generation of the medium with the
tape drive. For example, an LTO-6 drive mounts an LTO-6 medium
only.

-o nostrict_drive Mount any supported generation of the medium for the drive
(default). For example, an LTO-6 drive mounts either an LTO-5
medium or an LTO-6 medium.
Enable logical block protection (default=off)
-o symlink_type=<type>
Specify symbolic link type (default: posix). <type> must be
specified with one of the following values:
- posix: LTFS behavior is the same as standard symbolic link
- live: LTFS replaces mount point path by current mount point
-o quiet Disable informational messages
-o trace Enable diagnostic output
-o fulltrace Enable full call tracing
-a Advanced help
-h Display this help and exit
The following LTFS Admin Interface option is available:
-o admin_port=<num> TCP/IP port on which to listen for connections (default: 2112)
Example 2-11 shows the command and the results.
Example 2-11 ltfs -o changer_devname command

C:\Program Files\IBM\LTFS>ltfs -o changer_devname=2.0.14.1 L
LTFS61509I Set trace level in library (LTFS_INFO)
LTFS61206I LTFS starting. Drive:L, (Sep 20 2012 08:47:36) log level 2
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "scsilib" changer
LTFS11593I LTFS starts with a product license version (20120712_1200)
LTFS62611I Opening a device through scsilib driver (af5fb0h)
LTFS62613I Changer serial is 00L4U78C6339_LL1
LTFS11545I Rebuilding the cartridge inventory
LTFS11571I State of tape '001106L3' in slot 0 is changed from 'Not Initialized'
to 'Non-supported'
LTFS11571I State of tape 'DG I69L3' in slot 0 is changed from 'Not Initialized'
to 'Non-supported'
LTFS11571I State of tape '3TX070L3' in slot 0 is changed from 'Not Initialized'
to 'Non-supported'
LTFS11571I State of tape '3DA491L3' in slot 0 is changed from 'Not Initialized'
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
LTFS11571I State of tape '059AHDL4' in slot 0 is changed from 'Not Initialized'
to 'Non-supported'
LTFS11571I State of tape '3SS081L4' in slot 0 is changed from 'Not Initialized'
to 'Non-supported'

to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
LTFS14506I LTFS admin server is listening on port 2112
LTFS61280I Symbolic link type is (posix)
LTFS61237I Read-only directory mode is Windows
Important: To enable any of these options, specify them with the mount command.
Example 2-12 shows how to set the option sync_type to “close”.
Example 2-12 Setting sync_type option to close

C:\Program Files\IBM\LTFS>ltfs -o changer_devname=2.0.14.1 -o sync_type=close L
LTFS61260I Sync type is "close"
LTFS61206I LTFS starting. Drive:L, (Sep 20 2012 08:47:36) log level 2
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "scsilib" changer
LTFS11593I LTFS starts with a product license version (20120712_1200)
LTFS62611I Opening a device through scsilib driver (a091f0h)
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
LTFS61280I Symbolic link type is (posix)
LTFS61237I Read-only directory mode is Windows

3. Open Windows Explorer (Figure 2-34) and locate the LTFS icon.
4. Double-click the LTFS icon to display the directories that correspond with the tape
cartridges (Figure 2-34).
5. Right-click the LTFS icon to display the properties panel and view configuration
information, such as the LTFS version, tape library ID, tape library serial number, and the
tape library firmware version. The Properties panel (Figure 2-35 on page 156) also
displays recent error or warning messages.

Figure 2-35 LTFS LE Properties panel
Unmounting LTFS
Before you proceed with this task, close all the files and directories on LTFS. If a user tries to
shut down Windows without unmounting LTFS, a warning message displays to notify the user
that LTFS is still running. The ltfsunmount.exe command requires a drive letter that is used
by the ltfs.exe command.
Issue the ltfsunmount.exe command with the drive letter to unmount LTFS as shown in the
following example:
ltfsunmount.exe DriveLetter
Example 2-13 shows the ltfsunmount.exe command output.
Example 2-13 ltfsunmount.exe command output

C:\Program Files\IBM\LTFS>ltfsunmount L
LTFS17189I Device is becoming ready (-20203)
LTFS17157I Changing the drive setting to append-only mode
LTFS11289I Ejecting cartridge
LTFS12022I Unloading medium
LTFS11291I Eject successful

LTFS11538W Failed to verify library cache state for cartridge 'D00346L5'
LTFS14540E Failed to remove tape volume from the library for checking cartridge
LTFSI9998E System error: Resource device (16)
LTFS11538W Failed to verify library cache state for cartridge 'D00346L5'
LTFS14540E Failed to remove tape volume from the library for checking cartridge
LTFSI9998E System error: Resource device (16)
LTFS61656I Terminating FSD
LTFS62173E Error on tur: Medium Not Present (-20209) 1068000256
2.3.2 Typical user scenario on a Linux system

A typical user scenario on a Linux system is described.

Mounting a library on a Linux system
The ltfs command is used to mount a library to the directed mount point. In the following
example, the library device name and the mount point are provided as parameters of the ltfs
command. The library device name is /dev/IBMchanger0 and the mount point name is
/mnt/ltfs:
$ ltfs -o changer_devname=/dev/IBMchanger0 /mnt/ltfs
Important: Before the library is mounted, a mount point, such as /mnt/ltfs, must be
created. The user must be given write access permission. If you want to mount more than
one library device, unique mount points must be created for each device. For example, you
can create mount point /mnt/ltfs0 for library device /dev/IBMchanger0 and then create
mount point /mnt/ltfs1 for library device /dev/IBMchanger1.
If multiple tape libraries are connected to the system, a library device name, such as
/dev/IBMchanger0, can be changed after you disconnect the cable. To avoid this situation,
see the information about persistent naming support in the IBM Tape Device Driver
Installation and User’s Guide, GC27-2130.
To mount a tape library as a normal (nonroot) user, the following steps are required to be
performed by a root user:
1. Open a terminal and become a superuser.
2. Create a mount point directory, such as /mnt/ltfs, and set the write permission to the
directory.
Important: Unique mount points must be created for each library device.
3. Create a work directory, such as /tmp/ltfs (the default work directory) and set the write
permission to the directory.
4. Set the write permission to a library device, such as /dev/IBMchanger0. This permission is
reset to default on boot, so it is necessary to change permission to this device on every
boot.
In Example 2-14, instead of setting permission to the library device on every boot as
mentioned in step 4, set the permission to the tape library devices and the tape drives
permanently to 666. Add the following lines in the /etc/udev/rules.d/98-lin_tape.rules
file.
Example 2-14 Persistent set of permission

KERNEL=="IBMchanger*", NAME="%k", MODE="0666"
KERNEL=="IBMtape*[!n]", NAME="%k", MODE="0666"
KERNEL=="IBMtape*n", NAME="%k", MODE="0666"
5. Add read/execute permission to the fusermount (Example 2-15).
Example 2-15 Read/Execute permission

su
Password:
mkdir /mnt/ltfs
chmod 666 /mnt/ltfs
mkdir /tmp/ltfs
chmod 666 /tmp/ltfs

chmod 666 /dev/IBMchanger0
chmod 666 /dev/IBMtape0
chmod +rx /bin/fusermount
6. Share the tape library. If you want to share the tape library with another user, add the
user_allow_other option in the /etc/fuse.conf file.
7. Mount the tape library (Example 2-16). If you want to mount the tape library as a user
other than a superuser and allow another user to access the file system, add the -o
allow_other option:
ltfs /mnt/ltfs -o changer_devname=/dev/IBMchanger0 -o allow_other
Otherwise, edit the command line in the following manner:
ltfs /mnt/ltfs -o changer_devname=/dev/IBMchanger0
Example 2-16 shows an LTFS LE mount.
Example 2-16 LTFS LE mount command with -o option to allow another user
ltfs -o changer_devname=/dev/IBMchanger0 /mnt/ltfs
LTFS14000I LTFS starting, LTFS version 2.1.2.0 (2200), log level 2
LTFS14058I LTFS Format Specification version 2.1.0
LTFS14104I Launched by "ltfs -o changer_devname=/dev/IBMchanger0 /mnt/ltfs"
Feb 15 13:33:49 UTC 2012 (d73692b) x86_64
re-3.2-x86_64:core-4.0-x86_64"
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "ibmtape" changer
LTFS17085I Plugin: Loading "ondemand" dcache
LTFS11593I LTFS starts with a product license version (2011110430)
LTFS12118I Changer identification is '3573-TL '
LTFS12159I Firmware revision is Bd50
LTFS12196E IOCTL: INQUIRY PAGE -1056947426 failed -20501 (err 22)
00L4U78C6339_LL1

LTFS12159I Firmware revision is C6UN
LTFS13500I On-demand dentry cache is initialized
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
to 'Non-supported'
LTFS14111I Initial setup completed successfully
LTFS14112I Invoke 'mount' command to check the result of final setup
LTFS14113I Specified mount point is listed if succeeded
8. When the tape library is mounted, cartridges in the library can be accessed as
subdirectories under the mount point /mnt/ltfs (Example 2-17).
In this example, three tape volumes are under the mount points D00200L5 and D00346L5.
Example 2-17 Cartridges that are loaded in the mount points

[root@double ~]# ls -l /mnt/ltfs
drwxrwxrwx 1 root root 0 Dec 31 1969 D00200L5
drwxrwxrwx 2 root root 0 Sep 24 17:44 D00346L5
[root@double ~]#
Each subdirectory can be accessed as a file system (Example 2-18):

ls -l /mnt/ltfs/D00346L5
Example 2-18 Cartridge subdirectory

[root@double ~]# ls -l /mnt/ltfs/D00346L5
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 20897329 Sep 24 16:48 IBM_LTFS_LE.exe
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 40 Sep 25 09:50 test.txt
[root@double ~]#

Using the command-line interface
Using LTFS LE by using the command-line interface (CLI) commands from a terminal window
is described.
The following examples show the mounted file systems, their contents, and how to use them
to move, copy, delete, and touch files by using CLI commands. We defined two mount points
for LTFS LE: /mnt/double and /mnt/lto5. Mount point /mnt/double relates to
/dev/IBMchanger0. Mount point /mnt/lto5 relates to /dev/IBMchanger1.
We use the following command to mount /mnt/lto5:

ltfs /mnt/lto5 -o changer_devname=/dev/IBMchanger1
Follow these steps:

1. Example 2-19 shows the LTFS mount points before the /dev/IBMchanger1 library is
mounted. The /mnt/double and /mnt/lto5 folders are empty.
Example 2-19 LTFS LE mount points before the library is mounted

[root@double ~]# ls -l /mnt/double
total 0
[root@double ~]# ls -l /mnt/lto5
total 0
2. Example 2-20 shows the contents of the LTFS mount points after the /dev/IBMchanger1
library is mounted. The content of the /mnt/double is zero (0). The /mnt/lto5 mount point
contains three cartridges: 1FA554L5, 1FA563L5, and 1FA851L5.
Example 2-20 LTFS LE mount points after the library is mounted

[root@double ~]# ls -l /mnt/double
total 0
[root@double ~]# ls -l /mnt/lto5
total 3
drwxrwxrwx 3 root root 0 Sep 28 13:52 1FA554L5
3. Use the following command to check and load cartridge 1FA554L5. The cartridge is
loaded to any available drive by the library accessor. Example 2-21 shows the cartridge
1FA554L5 is loaded to /dev/IBMtape2.
Example 2-21 Checking and loading cartridges

[root@double ~]# ltfsadmintool -s localhost:2112 -t 1FA554L5 -c
LTFS16000I Starting ltfsck, LTFS version 2.1.1 (201109201), log level 2
LTFS16088I Launched by "/opt/IBM/ltfs/bin/ltfsck /dev/IBMtape2"
LTFS16089I This binary is built for Linux (i386)
LTFS16090I GCC version is 4.4.5 20110214 (Red Hat 4.4.5-6)
LTFS17087I Kernel version: Linux version 2.6.32-71.el6.i686
(mockbuild@x86-004.build.bos.redhat.com) (gcc version 4.4.4 20100726 (Red Hat
4.4.4-13) (GCC) ) #1 SMP Wed Sep 1 01:26:34 EDT 2010 i386
LTFS17089I Distribution: Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server release 6.0 (Santiago)
LTFS12118I Drive identification is 'ULTRIUM-TD5 '

LTFS12159I Firmware revision is B6W0
LTFS16024I Volser (bar code) : 1FA554
LTFS16025I Volume UUID : 0f4feac6-e2cb-4c39-9ef2-2cb0cb0223c6

Consistency of tape 1FA554L5 successfully checked.

[root@double ~]#
4. After the 1FA554L5 cartridge is loaded, you can view the contents of the cartridge in the
/mnt/lto5/1FA554L5 folder by using the following command:
ls -l /mnt/lto5/1FA554L5
Example 2-22 shows the result.
Example 2-22 Cartridge contents after loading

[root@double ~]# ls -l /mnt/lto5/1FA554L5
total 0
[root@double ~]#
5. Copy the file that you want from a directory to the /mnt/lto5/1FA554L5 folder by using the
following command:
cp Mauro_Tests /mnt/lto5/1FA554L5
Example 2-23 Copying a file to /mnt/lto5/1FA554L5

[root@double ~]# cp Mauro_Tests /mnt/lto5/1FA554L5
[root@double ~]#
6. After you copy the file from the root directory Mauro_LTFS_LE_Tests to the
/mnt/lto5/1FA554L5 folder, you can view its contents by using the following command:
ls -l /mnt/lto5/1FA554L5
Example 2-24 Cartridge contents after the file is copied

[root@double Mauro_LTFS_LE_Tests]# ls -l /mnt/lto5/1FA554L5
total 1
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 74 Oct 7 08:44 Mauro_Tests

7. You can view the file and see its contents by using the following command:
vi Mauro_Tests
Example 2-25 View cartridge with vi command to view contents

[root@double ~]# cd /mnt/lto5/1FA554L5
[root@double 1FA554L5]# vi Mauro_Tests
----- The following is the VI result ------------------------------------------
This file has been created to perform LTFS LE tests for Redbooks publications
purposes.
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
"Mauro_Tests" 1L, 74C
8. To touch the cartridge and create more files, use the following command:
touch Mauro_Test1 Mauro_Test2 Mauro_Test3
The touch command: The touch command is the easiest way to create new, empty
files. You can also use it to change the time stamps (that is, the dates and times of the
most recent access and modification) on existing files and directories.
Example 2-26 Touch 1FA554L5 cartridge to create three new files

[root@double 1FA554L5]# touch Mauro_Test1 Mauro_Test2 Mauro_Test3
--------- To see the cartridge contents after touch ---------------------------
[root@double 1FA554L5]# ls -l
total 4
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 0 Oct 7 09:35 Mauro_Test1
[root@double 1FA554L5]#
9. Several touch command options are designed to allow users to change the time stamps
for files. For example, the -a option changes only the access time. The -m option changes
only the modification time. By using both of these options together, you can change both
the access time and the modification time to the current time. Use the following command
to change the access and modification time for the Mauro_Tests file.
touch -am Mauro_Tests
Example 2-27 Change access and modification times for file Mauro_Tests
[root@double 1FA554L5]# touch -am Mauro_Tests
----------- See access and modification time for file Mauro_Tests -------------

total 1
10.To delete a file from the cartridge, use the following command:
rm Mauro_Test3
Example 2-28 Remove file from the cartridge

[root@double 1FA554L5]# rm Mauro_Test3
rm: remove regular empty file `Mauro_Test3'? y
----- To see cartridge content after removing a file --------------------------
total 1
Remote access to LTFS LE

You can share the LTFS file system with other servers on your network. In our case, we
successfully tested sharing a file system between Linux and Windows machines by using
Samba (http://www.samba.org). The NFS protocol can be used when a file system needs to
be shared between UNIX servers.
Configuring NFS and testing remote access to LTFS LE are explained. Basic knowledge of
UNIX is assumed. Additional NFS security measures that are needed to be set up in a
production environment are not described. Follow these steps:
1. On the server that runs LTFS LE, edit the /etc/exports file. Add an entry to give everyone
read and write access to the LTFS file system (use a random fsid). See Example 2-29.
Example 2-29 Export the LTFS file system

[root@double Mauro_LTFS_LE_Tests]# vi /etc/exports
/mnt/lto5 *(rw,fsid=12345)
2. Start the NFS daemon:

start NFS
3. From a remote UNIX server, create a local mount point and then connect to the remote
(NFS-mounted) LTFS file system and create a file. Remote file creation is shown in
Example 2-30.
Example 2-30 Remote file creation on LTFS

[root@vegemite /]# mkdir /remote_LTFS
[root@vegemite /]# mount double.tucson.ibm.com:/mnt/lto5 /remote_LTFS
[root@vegemite /]# touch /remote_LTFS/1FA554L5/file_created_via_nfs

4. On the server that runs LTFS, you can now view the newly created file in the LTFS file
system (Example 2-31).
Example 2-31 Confirmation that the new file exists

total 1
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 0 Oct 17 11:11 file_created_via_nfs
Similarly, by installing and configuring Samba on the LTFS LE server, you can enable remote
access to the LTFS file system from Windows servers. We tested enabling remote access to
the LTFS file system by using Windows 7 Professional, but it also works with Windows 2008.
Figure 2-36 shows a view of the LTFS LE file system running on a Linux Red Hat server using
Windows Explorer on Windows 7 Professional.
Figure 2-36 Remote access to LTFS file system from Windows 7
Using LTFS LE with the Linux GUI

You can use the Linux GUI with LTFS. To use the Linux GUI, first mount the library by using
the CLI commands from a terminal window. See “Mounting a library on a Linux system” on
page 158. Next, the mounted file systems and their contents are shown. How to use them to
move or copy files is shown. In the example, we defined two mount points for LTFS LE,
/mnt/double and /mnt/lto5. Mount point /mnt/double relates to /dev/IBMchanger0. Mount
point /mnt/lto5 relates to /dev/IBMchanger1.
We use the following command to mount /mnt/lto5:

ltfs /mnt/lto5 -o changer_devname=/dev/IBMchanger1

As shown in Figure 2-37, before /dev/IBMchanger1, the mount point /mnt/lto5 is empty.
Figure 2-37 The lto5 mount point is empty before mount

After /dev/IBMchanger1 is mounted, three cartridges are visible in the /mnt/lto5 mount
point: FA851L5, 1FA554L5, and 1FA563L5 (Figure 2-38).
Figure 2-38 The lto5 mount point after mount

If you click one of the three cartridges, you see that the cartridge loads into the drive by the
library accessor. As an example, we clicked 1FA554L5 to load the cartridge into the drive
(Figure 2-39).
Figure 2-39 The lto5 mount point loading a cartridge
After the cartridge is loaded, you can view its contents. You can drag and drop any type of file
(backup files, text files, video files, and audio files) into the tape cartridge.

Figure 2-40 shows our example. In this example, we drag the text file Mauro_Tests from the
Linux Desktop GUI and drop the file into the cartridge folder. After that, the text file is visible in
the cartridge folder 1FA554L5.
Figure 2-40 The lto5 mount point cartridge mounted folder

Right-click the file to display more options (Figure 2-41).
Figure 2-41 The lto5 mount point cartridge mounted options
To unmount the library, use the CLI commands from a terminal window. There is no option
that is available from the Linux GUI that permits you to unmount the library.
Unmounting a library
Unmounting a library on LTFS LE is described.
All files that are in use on cartridges in the tape library must be closed before a library can be
unmounted. The library can be forcibly unmounted by using the force option (-f).
Caution: Using the force option (-f) can result in data loss.
Use one of the following commands to unmount a library from a mount point:
򐂰 umount /mnt/ltfs
򐂰 fusermount -u /mnt/ltfs
Administrator privileges: The unmount command (umount) requires administrator

privileges. Users who do not have administrator privileges must issue the fusermount
command with the -u option.
The unmount command (umount) flushes all buffered data to the cartridges in the tape library
before it unloads the cartridge. After the flushing operation is complete, LTFS updates
inventory information and unmounts the library from the mount point.

When the unmounting is completed, the subdirectories under the mount point are removed,
along with information in the media library.
As shown in the following example, the success of the removal operation can be confirmed by
issuing the ltfsadmintool command with the -i or --tape-inventory option:
ltfsadmintool -i
Failed to connect to the server.
Or, you can issue the ps command to check whether the process is terminated:
ps aux | grep ltfs
If a user other than the administrator attempts to access LTFS, the unmount command
(umount) and the fusermount -u command cannot be issued to unmount the tape library from
the file system. See Example 2-32.
Example 2-32 Unmount LTFS

[root@double ~]# umount /mnt/ltfs
# umount: /mnt/ltfs: device is busy
# umount: /mnt/ltfs: device is busy
[root@double ~]#
You can identify the current user of LTFS by issuing the /sbin/fuser command; see
Example 2-33.
Example 2-33 Identify current user

/sbin/fuser -uv /mnt/ltfs
USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
/mnt/ltfs: user1 17399 ..c.. (erato)bash
To forcibly terminate LTFS, use the shutdown script as shown:

/etc/init.d/ltfs stop
Important: The (address:port) part of the command points to the library server. If this
command is initiated on the library server by using the default setting, localhost:2112 must
be specified.
2.3.3 Adding and removing tape drives

How to remove and add tape drives in a library that is mounted with LTFS LE is described.
Use this procedure when a tape drive needs to be replaced or repaired. The following libraries
are supported:
򐂰 TS2900 Tape Autoloader

TS2900 Tape Autoloader and TS3100, TS3200, and TS3310 tape libraries
How to remove and add tape drives for the TS2900 Tape Autoloader and the TS3100,
TS3200, and TS3310 tape libraries is described.
When LTFS LE mounts the library, all tape drives are inventoried. After the library is mounted,
the user must issue the ltfsadmintool command. This command allows the user to manage
the library and correct a problem if one occurs. For more information, see 2.3.6, “Managing a
library by using the ltfsadmintool command” on page 175.
Complete the following steps to remove a tape drive from the library and to add a tape drive:
1. Unmount the tape library on LTFS. For more information, see “Managing a library by using
the ltfsadmintool command” on page 175.
2. Physically remove the tape drive from the tape library. For information about how to
remove the drive, see the Setup, Operator, and Service Guide for your tape library at this
website:
3. Observe the preferred practices by issuing the following commands to initialize the
software stack of the device drivers. LTFS LE uses lpfc as an HBA driver:
– On Linux systems, issue the following commands to initialize the software stack of the
device drivers:
i. lin_taped stop (Stop the tape device driver daemon)
ii. rmmod lin_tape (Remove the tape device driver)
iii. rmmod lpfc (Remove the HBA driver)
iv. modprobe lpfc (Reload the HBA driver)
v. modprobe lin_tape (Load the tape device driver)
vi. lin_taped start (Load the tape device driver daemon)
– On Windows systems, perform the following steps:
i. Uninstall the Windows device driver.
ii. Reboot the Windows server.
iii. Reinstall the Windows device driver.
4. Mount the tape library on LTFS. For more information, see “Mounting a library on a Linux
system” on page 158.
TS3500 Tape Library

How to remove and add a tape drive for the TS3500 Tape Library is described.
When LTFS LE mounts the library, all tape drives are inventoried to it. After the library is
mounted, the user must issue the ltfsadmintool command. With this command, the user can
manage the library and correct a problem if one occurs. For more information, see 2.3.6,
“Managing a library by using the ltfsadmintool command” on page 175.
Complete the following steps to remove a tape drive from the library and to add a tape drive to
the library:
1. On Linux systems, remove the tape drive from the LTFS inventory by specifying the -r or
--remove option. A medium in the tape drive is automatically moved to the home slot (if a
home slot exists) as shown in the following example:
$ ltfsadmintool -d (DRIVE SERIAL NUMBER) -r

2. Physically remove the tape drive from the tape library. For information about how to
remove the drive, see the Setup, Operator, and Service Guide for your tape library.
Resource: You can download the Setup and Operator guides from the following
website:
After you repair a tape drive, or when you replace or install a new tape drive, add the tape
drive to the library.
On Linux systems, add the tape drive to the LTFS inventory by specifying the -a or --add
option as shown in the following example:
$ ltfsadmintool -d (DRIVE SERIAL NUMBER) -a
On Windows systems, physically add the tape drive to the tape library and then perform the
following steps:
1. Uninstall the Windows device driver.
2. Reboot the Windows server.
3. Reinstall the Windows device driver.
2.3.4 Turning on and off a tape drive while mounting LTFS

How to turn on a tape drive and off when you use LTFS is described.
Before you turn on or off tape drive power, you must first prepare the library. Determine which
of the following scenarios applies to your environment. Check the interfaces between the
server personal computer, tape library, and the target tape drive. Use Table 2-11 to determine
which procedure you need to perform:
򐂰 Scenario one: The server personal computer connects to the target tape drive, and the
target tape drive connects to the tape library. In this case, the target tape drive is used as
a control path. No other tape drive is used as a control path. If another control path is
established, the control path failover feature is disabled.
򐂰 Scenario two: The server personal computer connects to the target tape drive, and the
target tape drive connects to the tape library. In addition, the server personal computer
connects to another tape drive that also connects to the tape library. The target tape drive
and the other tape drive establish multiple control paths and the control path failover
feature is enabled.
򐂰 Scenario three: The target tape drive connects only to the tape library and does not
establish a control path.
HBA: In addition to these interface and control path scenarios, the type of HBA affects
how you perform the tape drive power-on or power-off procedure. For details, see
Table 2-11 on page 173.
Table 2-11 Drive firmware upgrade procedure options

Target tape drive settings
HBA type Scenario1 Scenario 2 Scenario 3

(CPF disabled) (CPF enabled) (no control path)
SAS Option A Option A Option B

Target tape drive settings
Fibre Channel Option A Option B-2 Option B
Procedure
Complete the appropriate steps based on the options that are presented in Table 2-11 on
page 173 to successfully remove or restore power from or to a tape drive:
1. For option A, complete the following prerequisite and post-requisite steps:
a. Before you turn off the tape drive, you must first unmount the tape library from the
mount point.
b. After you turn on the tape drive, you must mount the tape library to the mount point.
2. For option B, complete the following prerequisite and post-requisite steps:

a. Before you turn off the tape drive, you must remove the target tape drive from the
library inventory by issuing the ltfsadmintool -r command with the -d or --drive
option.
b. After you turn on the tape drive, you must add the tape drive to the library inventory by
using the ltfsadmintool -a command with the -d or --drive option.
3. For option B-2, complete the following prerequisite and post-requisite steps. For this
option, the control path automatically switches to another control path when the target
drive control path is cut off.
a. Before you turn off the tape drive, you must remove the target tape drive from the
library inventory by issuing the ltfsadmintool -r command with the -d or --drive
option.
b. After you turn on the tape drive, you must add the tape drive to the library inventory by
using the ltfsadmintool -a command with the -d or --drive option.
Important: Do not turn off both tape drives that establish the primary and alternate
control paths simultaneously or the control path to the tape library is lost.
2.3.5 Adding and removing cartridges

Adding and removing cartridges on the LTFS LE file system are described.
An unformatted medium cannot be added to the LTFS file system. You need to format the
medium before you add it by specifying the -f option with the ltfsadmintool command. See
2.4.2, “Formatting a medium by using the ltfsadmintool command” on page 191.
A new cartridge must be added to the LTFS file system to become usable. After it is added,
the cartridge volume serial number (VOLSER) is recognized by the operating system as a
subdirectory. The ltfsadmintool command with the -a or --add option adds a medium to the
LTFS file system. In the following example, we show you the ltfsadmintool command that is
used to add a medium (VOLSER 1FA563L5) to the local library server:
ltfsadmintool -t 1FA563L5 -a

When a medium is in use, the cartridge cannot be removed from the inventory. The
ltfsadmintool command with the -r or --remove option removes a medium from the LTFS file
system. The following example shows a command that is used to remove a medium
(VOLSER 1FA563L5) from the library mount point /mnt/ltfs:
ltfsadmintool -s (address:port) -t 1FA563L5 -r
Using the I/O station

When a new medium is imported or a used medium is exported, the user moves the medium
to or from the I/O station with the -m or --move-to option.
To import a new cartridge, the user inserts the cartridge into the I/O station and close it. The
cartridge is added to the LTFS file system. The cartridge is then moved into the library by
specifying the -a or --add option, as shown in the following example:
ltfsadmintool -t 1FA563L5 -a
Option: As this example shows, the use of the additional -m option is not required. If the
target cartridge is in the I/O station, LTFS implicitly assigns the home slot in the storage
slot and moves the medium to it.
To export a cartridge from the library, the user first move the cartridge from the storage slot to
the I/O station. The user then opens the I/O station and removes the cartridge from the
station. The cartridge can be removed from the LTFS file system and then exported from the
library by specifying the -r or --remove option along with the -m or –move-to option. The
following example shows a command that uses the -m option to export a cartridge:
ltfsadmintool -t 1FA563L5 -r -m ieslot
2.3.6 Managing a library by using the ltfsadmintool command

Managing the tape library and media by using the ltfsadmintool command and the options
that can be specified with it is described.
The ltfsadmintool command is used on Linux and Windows systems to perform the
following operations:
򐂰 Listing the cartridge location and status
򐂰 Listing tape drives and drive status
򐂰 Adding a cartridge to the library
򐂰 Removing a cartridge from the library
򐂰 Formatting a cartridge in the library
򐂰 Checking and recovering or rolling back a cartridge in the library
The command can be used with a number of options.
Important: Beginning with version 2.1.1, it is no longer necessary to specify the -s or

--server option to connect to the local library server. Instead, this option is now set by
default and needs to be modified only if there is a need to access a remote library.
LTFS LE supports access only from localhost by using the ltfsadmintool command. Port
2112 by default, or a port number that is specified by using the ltfs command with the -o
admin_port option, must be blocked by a firewall program. If this port is set as a trusted
port by using a firewall program, remove it as a trusted port before you use LTFS. To
access the ltfsadmintool command on the server from a remote client personal
computer, log on to the server personal computer by using Secure Shell (SSH).

The ltfsadmintool command for Windows users has these characteristics:
򐂰 On a Windows system, the ltfsadmintool command must be preceded by python, as
shown in our examples.
򐂰 On a Windows system, you can use PowerShell to run the ltfsadmintool command.
When Windows PowerShell is used for the ltfsadmintool command, any option that
starts with a dash (-) needs to be in double quotation marks as shown in the following
example:
# python .\ltfsadmintool "-t" 1FA563L5 "-f" "--" "--force"
Listing the cartridge location and status

The -i option is used to list the cartridge and its status in the LTFS inventory. In the following
example, five cartridges are inventoried to the library. The first column shows the bar code
label for each cartridge.
The first cartridge with bar code label YAM060L5 is in slot 17, which is in the import/export
slot (I/O station). The next two cartridges, YAM061L5 and 068AGWL5, are in slots 256 and
257, which are in the data transfer element (tape drive). The remaining two cartridges,
E2T101L2 and YL0001L5, are in slots 4096 and 4097, which are in the medium storage
element (storage slot).
The status of the first cartridge is Unavailable. The status of the next two cartridges is Valid
LTFS, and the data in the folder is accessible. The status of the next cartridge is
Non-supported, and the cartridge is an older generation or a WORM cartridge. The status of
the last cartridge is Unknown.
Linux
For Linux, use this command:
$ ltfsadmintool -i
Example 2-34 shows the output from the -i command.
Example 2-34 Output from the -i command

YAM060L5 -> Location: Import/Export slot, Address: 17, Capacity: 0GB, Remaining: 0GB, Status: Unavailable
YAM061L5 -> Location: Data transfer element, Address: 256, Capacity: 1327GB, Remaining: 1326GB, Status: Valid LTFS
068AGWL5 -> Location: Data transfer element, Address: 257, Capacity: 1327GB, Remaining:1326GB,Status: Valid LTFS
E2T101L2 -> Location: Medium storage element, Address: 4096, Capacity: 0GB, Remaining: 0GB,Status: Non-supported
YL0001L5 -> Location: Medium storage element, Address: 4097, Capacity: 0GB, Remaining: 0GB,Status: Unknown
Windows
For Windows, use this command:
# python ltfsadmintool -i
Example 2-35 shows the output.
Example 2-35 Output from the -i command

YAM060L5 -> Location: Import/Export slot, Address: 17, Capacity: 0GB, Remaining: 0GB, Status: Unavailable
YAM061L5 -> Location: Data transfer element, Address: 256, Capacity:1327GB, Remaining: 1326GB, Status: Valid LTFS
068AGWL5 -> Location: Data transfer element, Address: 257, Capacity:1327GB, Remaining: 1326GB, Status: Valid LTFS
E2T101L2 -> Location: Medium storage element, Address: 4096, Capacity: 0GB, Remaining: 0GB, Status: Non-supported
YL0001L5 -> Location: Medium storage element, Address: 4097, Capacity: 0GB, Remaining: 0GB, Status: Unknown

The supported cartridge locations and medium status are shown in these tables. Table 2-12
lists the supported locations.
Table 2-12 Supported cartridge locations

Location Description
Medium transport element The cartridge is in a cartridge mover.
Medium storage element The cartridge is in a storage slot.
Import/Export slot The cartridge is in an I/O station.
Data transfer element The cartridge is in a tape drive.
Table 2-13 lists the supported cartridge status.
Table 2-13 Supported cartridge status

Cartridge status File Description Limited operation How to recover the
system cartridge
access
Valid LTFS YES The cartridge is valid. The 򐂰 Adding the cartridge by
index file is extracted to using the ltfsadmintool
memory so that some file command with the -a
system requests, such as option is not allowed for
listing directory contents, this cartridge because it
can be processed without is already added to the
mounting a tape medium to file system.
a drive. 򐂰 Moving the cartridge to
the I/O station by using
the ltfsadmintool
command with the -m
ieslot option is not
allowed. The cartridge
must be removed from
the file system by using
the ltfsadmintool
command with the -r
option before you move it
to the I/O station.
Unknown Yes The cartridge contents are 򐂰 Adding the cartridge by

unknown. The index file using the ltfsadmintool
must be read on the tape command with the -a
medium before most file option is not allowed for
system requests can be this cartridge because it
processed. is already added to the
file system.
򐂰 Moving the cartridge to
I/O station by using the
ltfsadmintool command
with the -m ieslot option
is not allowed. The
cartridge must be
removed from the file
system by using the
ltfsadmintool command
with the -r option before
you move it to the I/O
station.

system cartridge
access
Write- protected Read- The cartridge is physically 򐂰 Adding the cartridge by

only (or logically) in a using the ltfsadmintool
write-protected or read-only command using the -a
state because of an option is not allowed for
absence of capacity. This this cartridge because it
status is reported only when is already added to the
the cartridge is Valid. file system.
If the cartridge is in any 򐂰 Moving the cartridge to
state other than Valid, the the I/O station by using
status is reported even the ltfsadmintool
though the cartridge is command with the -m
write- protected. ieslot option is not
allowed. The cartridge
must be removed from
the ltfsadmintool
command using the -r
option before you can
move it to the I/O station.
򐂰 Formatting the cartridge
is not allowed because
the cartridge is read-only.
Warning Yes A medium error is detected 򐂰 Adding the cartridge by A medium error
while the medium is being using the ltfsadmintool might have occurred.
read. The operations that command using the -a Check the system
can be performed by using option is not allowed for logs or terminal
this cartridge, however, are this cartridge because it console outputs. The
the same as for a Valid is already added to the cartridge status
cartridge. This status is file system. returns to Valid by
reported only when the 򐂰 Moving the cartridge to physically removing
cartridge is Valid. If the the I/O station by using the medium from the
cartridge is any state other the ltfsadmintool library, then adding it
than Valid, the status is command with the -m to the library again.
reported even though the ieslot option is not
cartridge reported a allowed. The cartridge
medium error. must be removed from
the ltfsadmintool
command using the -r
option before you can
move it to the I/O station.

system cartridge
access
Critical Read- The index on memory is No operation that uses the Back up the data on
only dirty. Data might not be able ltfsadmintool command is the cartridge to
to be written to the tape allowed, except removing the another tape
medium due to the medium cartridge from the file system medium or hard disk
status. The volume is by using the ltfsadmintool drive.
dropped to read-only and command with the -r option. After the backup is
the drive is locked so that complete, remove
the cartridge cannot be the cartridge from
removed. The drive the file system with
scheduler excludes the the -r option.
drive from its scheduling to If the cartridge is not
avoid an unexpected removed, file system
cartridge removal with an performance is
index write failure. The user degraded because
can perform any backup the tape drive with
operation in this state. After the cartridge is
the backup is completed, locked.
the user can remove the
cartridge from the drive by
unlocking the drive by using
the -r option. The cartridge
status then changes to an
“Error” state.
Unavailable No The cartridge has no Removing the cartridge by

problem, but is removed using the ltfsadmintool
from LTFS. The -a option command with the -r option
might change the cartridge is not allowed because the
status to “Valid”, cartridge is not added to the
“Unknown”, “Write file system.
Protected”, or “Warning”.
Invalid LTFS No The cartridge is inconsistent Removing the cartridge by Check the cartridge.
with the LTFS format and using the ltfsadmintool For more
must be checked by using command with the -r option information, see
the -c option. is not allowed because the 2.4.3, “Checking or
cartridge is not added to the recovering a medium
file system. by using the
ltfsadmintool
command” on
page 192. If an error
message returns,
see the website:
http://pic.dhe.ibm
.com/infocenter/lt
fsle/cust/topic/co
m.ibm.storage.holl
ywood.doc/ltfs_man
aging_troubleshoot
ing_library_editio
n.html.

system cartridge
access
Unformatted No The cartridge is not Removing the cartridge by Format the cartridge
formatted and must be using the ltfsadmintool before you use it.
formatted by using the -f command with the -r option See 2.4.2,
option. is not allowed because the “Formatting a
cartridge is not added to the medium by using the
file system. ltfsadmintool
command” on
page 191.
Inaccessible No The cartridge is not allowed No operation that uses the The cartridge might
to move in the library, or ltfsadmintool command is be stuck in the library
might be stuck in the drive. allowed. or in one of the tape
If the cartridge is stuck in drives. The tape
the drive, the drive library or a tape drive
scheduler excludes this must be repaired.
drive from its scheduling.
Error No The cartridge status is No operation that uses the Check the system
“Critical” and the cartridge ltfsadmintool command is logs or terminal
is removed from the library. allowed, except to move the console outputs to
LTFS does not allow the cartridge to another slot by locate the error
cartridge to be added to the using the -m option. message. The
file system again. cartridge status
returns to Valid by
physically removing
the medium from the
library, then adding it
to the library again.
Non-supported No The cartridge is an older No operation that uses the LTFS supports the
generation or a WORM ltfsadmintool command is following tape
cartridge. allowed, except to move the cartridges:
cartridge to another slot by 򐂰 LTO-6
using the -m option. 򐂰 LTO-5
򐂰 3592 Advanced
data (JC)
򐂰 3592 Extended
data (JB)
򐂰 3592 Economy
data (JK)
Cleaning and
WORM cartridges
are not supported.
Check to determine
if the bar code label
of the cartridge is
properly set.
Duplicated No Two cartridges exist with No operation that uses the Export one of the
the same bar code. ltfsadmintool command is cartridges with the
allowed. same bar code label
from the library.

system cartridge
access
Cleaning No The tape is being cleaned. No operation that uses the

ltfsadmintool command is
allowed, except to move the
cartridge to another slot by
using the -m option.
Listing the tape drives and status in the LTFS inventory

The -I option is used to list the tape drives and their status in the LTFS inventory. The
following example shows a valid tape drive /dev/IBMtape0 that is attached to the tape library
1168001144.
Linux
$ ltfsadmintool -I
1168001144 -> Device: /dev/IBMtape0 [ULT3580-TD5], Status: Available

$ ltfsadmintool -I <<<Code level 2.1.2>>>
1068000264 -> Device: /dev/IBMtape0 [ULT3580-HH6] , Library address: 256, Status:

Available
1068000256 -> Device: /dev/IBMtape1 [ULT3580-HH6] , Library address: 257, Status:

Available
Windows
# python ltfsadmintool -I
1168001144 -> Device: 6.0.0.1 [ULT3580-TD5], Status: Available

# python ltfsadmintool -I <<<Code level 2.1.2>>>
1068000264 -> Device: \\.\Tape0 [ULT3580-HH6] , Library address: 256, Status:

Available
1068000256 -> Device: \\.\Tape1 [ULT3580-HH6] , Library address: 257, Status:

Available
Examples:
򐂰 The drive serial numbers in these examples are 1168001144, 1068000264, and
1068000256.
򐂰 Beginning with code level 2.1.2, the drive type is also displayed.
Table 2-14 on page 182 shows the supported drive types.

Table 2-14 Supported tape drive types
Drive type Description
[ULT3580-TD6] LTO Ultrium 6 Tape Drive
[ULTRIUM-TD6]
[ULTRIUM-HH6] LTO Ultrium 6 Tape Drive Half High
[ULT3580-HH6]
[HH LTO Gen 6]
[ULT3580-TD5] LTO Ultrium 5 Tape Drive
[ULTRIUM-TD5]
[ULTRIUM-HH5] LTO Ultrium 5 Tape Drive Half High
[ULT3580-HH5]
[HH LTO Gen 5]
[03592E07] IBM System Storage TS1140 Tape Drive
Table 2-15 shows the supported drive status.
Table 2-15 Supported drive status

Drive status Description How to recover the tape drive
Available The drive is available. No recovery is necessary.
Unavailable The drive is removed from the library inventory by The status changes to Available by adding
using the ltfsadmintool -r command. the drive to the library inventory by using
the ltfsadmintool -a command.
Error The tape drive reports a hardware error. Check the drive error messages on the
library operator panel or tape library
Specialist web interface. For instructions
about how to use the operator panel or web
interface, download the applicable guide. To
do so, follow the procedure in the
“Downloading operator guides for tape
libraries and drives” at this website:
http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/ltfs
le/cust/topic/com.ibm.storage.hollywoo
d.doc/ltfs_downloading_operator_guides
.html. Also, for troubleshooting information,
see the same guide and the tape drive
operator guide.
Locked The cartridge is in a critical condition. The tape drive Back up the data on another medium. Then,
for the cartridge is preserved for maintenance. remove the cartridge from the library
inventory by using the ltfsadmintool -r
command with the -t or --tape-id option to
change the status to Available.

Drive status Description How to recover the tape drive
Not installed If a tape drive is physically removed from the library, Check the tape library error messages on
the tape drive disappears from the library inventory. the library operator panel or tape library
But if the library reports an error condition when a Specialist web interface. For instructions
drive is removed, the drive status changes to a about how to use the operator panel or web
“Not installed” status. interface, download the applicable guide. To
do so, follow the procedure in the
“Downloading operator guides for tape
libraries and drives” topic at
http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/ltfs
le/cust/topic/com.ibm.storage.hollywoo
d.doc/ltfs_downloading_operator_guides
.html. Also, for troubleshooting, see the
same guide.
Important: The Tape Library Specialist web interface is not available for the TS2900 Tape
Autoloader or the TS3100, TS3200, and TS3310 tape libraries.
Adding a cartridge to the library

How to add a cartridge to the library by using the LTFS commands is explained. The
combination of the -a option and -t option is used to add a cartridge to the library.
The following command shows a cartridge that is added by using this combination of options:
򐂰 For Linux, use this command:
$ ltfsadmintool -t D00661L5 -a
򐂰 For Windows, use this command:
# python ltfsadmintool -t D00661L5 -a
The following command shows all cartridges that are added from the I/O station:
$ ltfsadmintool -t @ieslot -a
# python ltfsadmintool -t @ieslot -a
After a cartridge is added, the volume serial number (VOLSER) is recognized by the tape
library as a subdirectory of the file system.
An unformatted medium: An unformatted medium cannot be added to the library. Format

the medium before you add it by specifying the -f option.
Removing a cartridge
A combination of the -r option and -t option is used to remove a cartridge from the library.
The following example shows a cartridge that is removed by using this combination of
options:
$ ltfsadmintool -t D00661L5 -r

# python ltfsadmintool -t D00661L5 -r
The following example shows a cartridge that is removed to the I/O station:
$ ltfsadmintool -t D00661L5 -r -m ieslot
# python ltfsadmintool -t D00661L5 -r -m ieslot
If the cartridge is successfully removed, the subdirectory that corresponds to the medium
VOLSER disappears.
Formatting a cartridge in the library

The -f option can be specified when one or more cartridges in the LTFS inventory must be
formatted. This operation is performed when the ltfsadmintool calls -f (mkltfs function).
The mkltfs parameters are passed by adding the -- tag to the command line.
In the following example, the mkltfs parameter --rules=size=10M is added after the -- tag to
specify the file placement policy that copies the matching files to the index partition. The
ltfsadmintool passes the -rules=size=10M parameter to the -f option.
Use this command for Linux:

$ ltfsadmintool -t D00661L5,D00662L5 -f -- --rules=size=10M
The tape volume serial number (VOLSER) is set as a parameter of the -t option as shown:
$ ltfsadmintool -t AA0031 -f
In the second example, the -- tag after the -f option initiates setting a parameter for mkltfs.
The -n ABC option then can be passed to mkltfs:
$ ltfsadmintool -t AA0031 -f -- -n ABC
When the mkltfs command is issued to format the medium, the medium folder for the
cartridge is removed from the LTFS file system. When the format operation is complete, the
cartridge is attached to the file system and a subdirectory displays with the VOLSER as the
directory name. The name that is read from the bar code that is attached to the back of the
tape cartridge is used to set the VOLSER name in the VOL1 label.
Multiple cartridges can be formatted by specifying VOLSERs after the -t option. The
following example shows three cartridges that are formatted sequentially or simultaneously:
$ ltfsadmintool -t AA0031,AA0032,AA0033 -f

# python ltfsadmintool -t D00661L5,D00662L5 -f -- --rules=size=10M
If a number of drives are available, LTFS randomly uses one of the drives to format a
medium. LTFS can use a single drive to sequentially format multiple cartridges or
multiple drives to simultaneously format multiple cartridges. LTFS LE formats only one tape at
a time by using one drive at a time per the ltfsadmintool command. However, you can use
multiple drives to format multiple cartridges at one time by issuing more than one
ltfsadmintool command.

Important: The formatting operation can fail if the medium is already formatted for LTFS.
After the formatting is requested, LTFS attempts to mount the target medium to obtain the
medium condition. The medium is formatted if the mount command finds any of the
following conditions:
򐂰 The medium is not partitioned for LTFS.
򐂰 The medium has an invalid label.
򐂰 Labels in both partitions do not have the same value.
򐂰 The medium is not formatted for LTFS.
If none of these conditions are found, LTFS assumes that the medium is already formatted so
it is not formatted by default. You can specify either the -f or --force option as an optional
mkltfs parameter. The -f or --force option commands LTFS to format a medium forcibly
regardless of the medium status.
For more information, see 2.4.2, “Formatting a medium by using the ltfsadmintool command”
on page 191.
Logical block protection: To format a cartridge by using logical block protection (LBP),
the -o scsi_lbprotect=on option must be specified with the ltfsadmintool command.
Checking and recovering or rolling back a cartridge in the library

The -c option can be specified to check the medium when one or more cartridges in the
library are inconsistent and it is necessary to perform a check and recover operation. In this
case, the ltfsadmintool command calls the ltfsck command. The user also has access to a
list of other ltfsck options.
In the following example, both ltfsck options, --list-rollback-points and

--full-index-info, are added after the -- tag to get a list of rollback points. The
ltfsadmintool then passes those --list-rollback-points and --full-index-info options
to the ltfsck command.

$ ltfsadmintool -t D00661L5,D00662L5 -c -- --list-rollback-points
--full-index-info
In the following set of examples, the -- tag option after the -c option initiates setting a
parameter for the ltfsck command. This option is passed to the ltfsck command, for
example:
$ ltfsadmintool -t AA0031,AA0032,AA0033 -c
Or, use this command to pass parameters to the ltfsck command:

$ ltfsadmintool -t AA0031 -c -- (option for ltfsck)
No option is required to use the ltfsck command for normal check and recovery operations.
In the second example, the -- tag that is followed by the -f option initiates a full system
recovery:
$ ltfsadmintool -t AA0031 -c
or
$ ltfsadmintool -t AA0031 -c -- -f

Rollback points can be listed by specifying the -l option as shown in Example 2-36.
Example 2-36 Specifying the -l option

$ ltfsadmintool -t AA0031 -c -- -l
Generation: Date Time Zone SelfPtr->BackPtr

(Part, Pos)->(Part, Pos)
1: 2011-03-31 14:50:08.800718541 JST (0, 5) <<Initial
Index>>
2: 2011-03-31 14:55:53.988915408 JST (0, 9)->(0, 5)
3: 2011-03-31 14:57:38.755561251 JST (0, 13)->(0, 9)
4: 2011-03-31 14:59:24.992244674 JST (1, 5)->(0, 17)
4: 2011-03-31 14:59:24.992244674 JST (0, 17)->(0, 13)
In Example 2-36, to roll back a medium to generation 3 (timestamp 2011-03-31

14:57:38.755561251), the following command must be issued:
$ ltfsadmintool -t AA0031 -c -- -g 3 -r
Multiple cartridges can be checked or recovered by specifying VOLSERs that follow the -t
option. The following example shows three cartridges that are checked or recovered
sequentially or simultaneously:
$ ltfsadmintool -t AA0031,AA0032,AA0033 -c

# python ltfsadmintool -t D00661L5,D00662L5 -c -- --list-rollback-points
--full-index-info
LBP: To check a cartridge by using LBP, the -o scsi_lbprotect=on option must be

specified with the ltfsadmintool command.
If a number of drives are available, LTFS randomly uses one drive to check or recover a
medium. LTFS can use a single drive to sequentially check or recover multiple cartridges,
or multiple drives to simultaneously check or recover multiple cartridges.
Available command options for the ltfsadmintool command

The following options are available for the ltfsadmintool command:
-a, --add Add the tapes or drives that are identified by --tape-id or --drive-id
to the library. The --drive-id option works only on the TS3500 Tape
Library. To add a tape drive to other libraries, follow the instructions in
“TS2900 Tape Autoloader and TS3100, TS3200, and TS3310 tape
libraries” on page 172.
-c, --volume-check [options...]
Check the volumes that are specified by the --tape-id option in the
library. Optional ltfsck parameters can be passed along in
[options]. When no option is specified, the hyphen (-) is not required.
-d, --drive=<id>[,id...]
A comma-separated list of drive serial numbers.

-f, --volume-format [options...]
Format the volumes that are specified by the --tape-id option in the
library. Optional mkltfs parameters can be passed along in [options].
When no option is specified, the hyphen (-) is not required.
-F, --force-inventory
With the -i or -I option, force the library to get the latest inventory.
-h, --help List all available options.
-i, --tape-inventory
Get an inventory of the tapes in the library.
-I, --drive-inventory
Get an inventory of the drives in the library.
-m, --move-to=<target>
Move the tapes that are specified by the --tape-id option to the
specified target. The following targets are available:
homeslot: Cartridge’s home slot in the library
ieslot: Any available import or export slot
Target: If this option is specified without the -a or -r option, only the homeslot target is
available.
If ieslot is specified as the target without the -a or the -r option, this option is ignored.
-o scsi_lbprotect=on
Enable LBP for all tape drives in the tape library.
-o scsi_lbprotect=off
Disable LBP for all tape drives in the tape library (default).
-p, --password=<password>
Authentication password.
-P -get-data-placement
Get the data placement policy of the tape or tapes that are identified by
--tape-id.
-q, --quiet Operate in quiet mode.
-r, --remove Remove the tapes or drives that are identified by --tape-id or
–drive-id from the LTFS inventory. The –drive-id option works only
on the TS3500 Tape Library.
To remove a tape drive from other libraries, unmount the library from
LTFS. See “TS2900 Tape Autoloader and TS3100, TS3200, and
TS3310 tape libraries” on page 172.
-s, --server <hostname:port>
Server to connect to (mandatory option).

-t, --tape-id= <id>[,id...]
A comma-separated list of bar codes. A special identifier @ieslot also
can be used to indicate that all tapes in the import or export slot have
been added by the operator.
-v, --version Show version.
Warning: The ltfsadmintool might not work properly while the tape library or tape
drive firmware is updating.

Logical block protection (LBP) and how to enable the feature for use with the LTFS are
described. LBP is a feature that validates data and identifies corrupted data. Beginning with
version 2.1.2, you can enable LBP between LTFS and the supported tape drives. When LBP
is enabled (at the library level), all data that is read or written between all 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 or ltfs.exe
command. The -o scsi_lbprotect=off option is used to disable LBP. Optional mkltfs
parameters and optional ltfsck parameters can be specified.
You can also enable LBP when you format a medium and when you check operations with the
ltfsadmintool command.
LBP: If LTFS started with LBP enabled by using the -o scsi_lbprotect=on option with the
ltfs or ltfs.exe command, you must add the -o scsi_lbprotect=on option to format or
check a medium. Unless the -o scsi_lbprotect=on option is specified for format or check
operations, the operations are performed with LBP disabled.
The default setting for LBP is disabled. Because LBP can affect read and write
performance, use the default setting. When LBP is needed, enable the feature for each
specific action, such as to start LTFS, check a medium, or format a medium. Then, disable
the feature again.

Symbolic links and how to enable the feature for use with LTFS are explained. Beginning with
version 2.1.2, 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.
By default, standard symbolic links are enabled when LTFS starts. The command-line option
is the -o symlink_type=posix option and is specified with the ltfs or ltfs.exe command. To
enable live links, the -o symlink_type=live option is specified.
Certain limitations exist when you use symbolic links on a Windows system. LTFS fails to
mount if it detects both <symlink> and <extents> elements in the <file> element as
“inconsistent medium.” LTFS also fails to mount if a cartridge with symbolic link information is
written on an older LTFS version that does not support symbolic links. If this situation occurs,
it is necessary to recover the cartridge with the ltfsck command.

Data-safe mode and how to enable the feature for use with LTFS are described.
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 or ltfs.exe command. The scsi_append_only_mode=on option enables the
feature. The scsi_append_only_mode=on option is the default setting. The
scsi_append_only_mode=off option disables the feature.
2.4 Command reference

The LTFS LE program is operated by LTFS commands. Detailed information about the ltfs
and ltfsadmintool commands is provided.
ltfsadmintool utility. The ltfsck utility in LTFS SDE checks and recovers media. The
mkltfs utility in LTFS SDE formats media. The ltfsck parameters are passed to the -c
option of the ltfsadmintool command. The mkltfs parameters are passed to the -f option
of the ltfsadmintool command.
2.4.1 Mounting a medium by using the ltfs command

How to mount tape media by using the ltfs command is explained. The options that you can
specify with the ltfs command are also described. Enter the ltfs command from the
command line to mount the library for use with LTFS LE.
Unique mount points: Unique mount points must be created for each library device. For
more information, see “Mounting a library on a Linux system” on page 158.
The following example shows a command-line entry for ltfs:
ltfs /mnt/ltfs -o changer_devname=/dev/IBMchangerx, where x is the changer identifier

(for example, changer0 or changer1)
The ltfs command includes the following options:

-a Advanced help, which includes the standard FUSE options.
-o eject Eject the cartridge after unmount (default).
-h, --help Displays help information and exit.
-o changer_devname=<dev>
Changer device.
-o device_list Show available tape devices.

-o sync_type=<type> Specify sync type (default: time@5); specify <type>:
time@min LTFS attempts to write down each min minutes; min is a decimal
number 1 - 153722867280912930 (default: min=5).
close LTFS attempts to write an index when a file is closed.
unmount LTFS attempts to write an index when a file is unmounted.
-o trace Enable diagnostic output (same as verbose=3).
LTFS work directory (default: /tmp/ltfs). The work directory requires
the user to have write access permission. For more information, see
“Mounting a library on a Linux system” on page 158.
-V, --version Output version information and exit.
FUSE options
You can use the following FUSE options:
-o gid=N Set file group.
-o release_device Clear device reservation (specify with -o devname or -o
changer_devname).
-o uid=N Set file owner.
--o umask=M Set file permissions (octal).
LTFS library options

You can use the following LTFS library options:
-o library_cache Set to use and create caches from the MAM, index, and labels
(default).
-o run_inventory Run a full inventory to create the LTFS namespace. A length of time is
required to complete this command.
Set to exclude volume name from the top-level folder name.
Set to include volume name in the top-level folder name (default).
-o nolibrary_cache Set to disable the use and creation of the MAM, index, and labels’
caches.
-o six_char_folder Display the first six characters of the directory name.
-o strict_drive Mount only the corresponding generation of medium with the tape
drive. For example, an LTO-6 drive mounts an LTO-6 medium only.
-o nostrict_drive Mount any supported generation of medium for the drive (default). For
example, an LTO-6 drive mounts either an LTO-5 or LTO-6 medium.
LTFS administration interface option

You can use the following LTFS administration interface option:
-o admin_port=<num> TCP/IP port in which to listen for connections (default: 2112)

Mounting LTFS by a user other than root
To mount LTFS by a normal user, check for the following requirements:
򐂰 The user has write permission for the work directory (default: /tmp/ltfs).
򐂰 The user has write permission for the mount point.
򐂰 The file mode /usr/bin/fusermount is set to chmod 4755.
Mounting LTFS to have another user access the file system

Use the ltfs command to mount the tape library to the file system to allow a user other than
the normal user access to it. For more information, see “Mounting a library on a Linux system”
on page 158.
2.4.2 Formatting a medium by using the ltfsadmintool command

How to format a medium in the LTFS LE library is described.
Specifying the -f option with the ltfsadmintool command formats a cartridge for your use.
The tape volume serial number (VOLSER) is set as a parameter of the -t option as shown in
the following set of examples. Optional mkltfs parameters can be passed along by using the
-f option. In the second example, the -- tag after the -f option initiates setting an mkltfs
parameter:
ltfsadmintool -t 1FA563L5 -f
The -n ABC mkltfs parameter can be passed to the -f option:

ltfsadmintool -t 1FA563L5 -f -- -n ABC
When the ltfsadmintool command is issued to format the medium, the medium folder for the
cartridge is removed from the LTFS. When the format operation is complete, the cartridge is
attached to the file system and a subdirectory displays with the VOLSER as the directory
name. The name that is read from the bar code that is attached to the back of the tape
cartridge is used to set the VOLSER name in the VOL1 label.
Multiple cartridges can be formatted by specifying VOLSERs after the -t option. The following
example shows three cartridges that are formatted sequentially or simultaneously:
ltfsadmintool -t 1FA554L5,1FA563L5,1FA851L5 -f
Multiple cartridges: If a number of drives are available, LTFS randomly uses one drive to
format a medium. LTFS can use a single drive to sequentially format multiple cartridges or
multiple drives to simultaneously format multiple cartridges.
Optional mkltfs parameters

Optional mkltfs parameters can be passed to the drive in the library by using the
ltfsadmintool command with the -f option. The optional mkltfs parameters can be
specified in the following manner:
ltfsadmintool -t (VOLSER) -f -- [optional mkltfs parameters]

The LTFS ltfsadmintool command formats tape media for use with LTFS. When the
ltfsadmintool command with the -f option 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
The following mkltfs parameters are also available for the ltfsadmintool command with the
-f option:
-d, --device=<name> Tape device (required)
-f, --force Force to format medium
-s, --tape-serial=<id>
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 follows:
size=1M
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 '?' (match any single character) and '*'
(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
The following examples show the usage:

mkltfs --device=/dev/IBMtape0 --rules="size=100K"
mkltfs --device=/dev/IBMtape0 --rules="size=1M/name=*.jpg"
mkltfs --device=/dev/IBMtape0 --rules="size=1M/name=*.jpg:*.png"
2.4.3 Checking or recovering a medium by using the ltfsadmintool command

You can check and recover or roll back a medium in the LTFS LE library. Specifying the -c
option with the ltfsadmintool command checks a volume and recovers it from an
inconsistent state. Additional ltfsck parameters can be passed to the -c option. In the
following set of examples, the -- tag after the -c option initiates setting a ltfsck parameter.
This example shows the -c option without ltfsck parameters:

ltfsadmintool -t 1FA554L5,1FA563L5,1FA851L5 -c

The following example includes ltfsck parameters:
ltfsadmintool -t 1FA563L5 -c -- (ltfsck parameters)
Only the -c option is required for normal check and recovery operations, as shown in this
example:
ltfsadmintool -t 1FA563L5 -c
In the following example, the -- tag followed by the -f option initiates a full system recovery:
ltfsadmintool -t 1FA563L5 -c -- -f
Rollback points can be listed by specifying the -l parameter (Example 2-37).
Example 2-37 List of rollback points

[root@double ~]# ltfsadmintool -t 1FA563L5 -c -- -l
Commit Message
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9: 2011-09-28 15:22:06.000096946 MST (0, 5)->(1, 43)
(2011-09-28 22:22:06.000096946 UTC)
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9: 2011-09-28 15:22:06.000096946 MST (1, 43)->(1, 39)
(2011-09-28 22:22:06.000096946 UTC)
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8: 2011-09-28 13:53:45.232972947 MST (1, 39)->(1, 36)
(2011-09-28 20:53:45.232972947 UTC)
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7: 2011-09-06 13:29:05.000140454 MST (1, 36)->(1, 32)
(2011-09-06 20:29:05.000140454 UTC)
No commit message
6: 2011-09-06 13:23:57.000132221 MST (1, 32)->(1, 25)
(2011-09-06 20:23:57.000132221 UTC)
No commit message
5: 2011-09-06 13:18:51.000133129 MST (1, 25)->(1, 18)
(2011-09-06 20:18:51.000133129 UTC)
No commit message
4: 2011-09-06 13:13:39.000158577 MST (1, 18)->(1, 15)
(2011-09-06 20:13:39.000158577 UTC)
No commit message
3: 2011-08-30 19:30:00.000138128 MST (1, 15)->(1, 8)
(2011-08-31 02:30:00.000138128 UTC)
No commit message
2: 2011-08-29 10:01:13.534597445 MST (1, 8)->(1, 5)
(2011-08-29 17:01:13.534597445 UTC)
No commit message
(2011-04-05 18:15:43.409951727 UTC)
No commit message
[root@double ~]#
To roll back a medium to generation 3 (time stamp 2011-08-30 19:30:00.000138128) in

Example 2-37, you must issue the following command:
ltfsadmintool -t 1FA563L5 -c -- -g 3 -r

Multiple cartridges can be checked or recovered by specifying VOLSERs after the -t option.
The following example shows three cartridges that are checked or recovered sequentially or
simultaneously:
ltfsadmintool -t 1FA554L5,1FA563L5,1FA851L5 -c
Multiple cartridges: If a number of drives are available, LTFS randomly uses one drive to
check or recover a medium. LTFS can use a single drive to sequentially check or recover
multiple cartridges, or multiple drives to simultaneously check or recover multiple
cartridges.
Optional ltfsck parameters

The LTFS ltfsadmintool command with the -c option verifies tape media consistency and, if
necessary, recovers the media from an inconsistent state. When a tape is mounted, the tape
is checked for consistency problems.
LTFS LE: For LTFS LE, the mkltfs and ltfsck functions are provided by the
If a consistency problem is discovered 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 these cases, the ltfsadmintool command with
the -c option or the ltfsadmintool command with the -c option and the -f (ltfsck
parameter) option 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 -l ltfsck parameter to
view a list of available rollback points. The ltfsadmintool command can then be initiated to
recover the media to its last valid state. If the ltfsadmintool command with the -c option
detects extra data after the final index in a partition, it deletes the data automatically. When
the full recover option is specified, the ltfsadmintool command saves the data that might be
lost and corrects block information in the _LTFS _lostandfound directory.
When the ltfsadmintool command with the -c option is run, it automatically removes invalid
data from the end of the tape and recovers the tape to the last valid state. You can initiate
more ltfsadmintool command options to save the invalid data or to list or recover
consistency at a specific rollback point or date. Enter the ltfsadmintool command with the
-c option from the command line to verify the consistency of the LTFS formatted media.
Optional ltfsck parameters can be passed to the drive in the library by using the
ltfsadmintool command with the -c option. Optional ltfsck parameters can be specified in
the following manner:
ltfsadmintool -t (VOLSER) -c -- [optional ltfsck parameters]
The ltfsadmintool command: The (address:port) part of the command points to the
library server. If this command is initiated on the library server with the default setting,
localhost:2112 must be specified. The (VOLSER) part of the command specifies the
medium to format.
The following ltfsck parameters are available:

-a or --trace Enables function call tracing.

-f or --full-recovery
Recovers extra data blocks for which metadata is excluded from the
index file. The recovered data is stored in the _ltfs _lostandfound
directory. This directory is in the root directory on the tape media.
When the tape media is mounted, it can be seen at the mount point.
-h or --help Displays program help information.
-g<generation> or --generation=<generation>
Specifies the index of the generation to roll back. Obtains the list of
acceptable indexes by entering the -l parameter.
-j or --erase-history
Erases history at rollback. When this parameter is specified, the
ltfsadmintool command with the -c option erases all index files and
appended data up to the designated “rollback to” generation. Data
newer than this generation cannot be recovered.
When this parameter is not specified, any existing generations can be
recovered, even after a rollback operation.
-k or --keep-history
Keeps history at rollback (default).
-l or --list-rollback-points
Lists the rollback-points (generations). When this parameter is
selected, you see a result similar to the output that is shown in
Example 2-38.
Example 2-38 Output of the -I or --list-rollback-points

[root@double ~]# ltfsadmintool -t 1FA563L5 -c -- -l
LTFS16000I Starting ltfsck, LTFS version 2.1.1 (201109201), log level 2
LTFS16088I Launched by "/opt/IBM/ltfs/bin/ltfsck -l /dev/IBMtape2"
LTFS16089I This binary is built for Linux (i386)
LTFS16090I GCC version is 4.4.5 20110214 (Red Hat 4.4.5-6)
LTFS17087I Kernel version: Linux version 2.6.32-71.el6.i686
(mockbuild@x86-004.build.bos.redhat.com) (gcc version 4.4.4 20100726 (Red Hat
4.4.4-13) (GCC) ) #1 SMP Wed Sep 1 01:26:34 EDT 2010 i386
LTFS16084I List indexes in backward direction strategy
LTFS12118I Drive identification is 'ULTRIUM-TD5 '
LTFS12159I Firmware revision is B6W0
LTFS16018I Listing LTFS file system rollback points on '/dev/IBMtape2'
LTFS16024I Volser (bar code) : 1FA563
LTFS16025I Volume UUID : e9510204-9c4a-4f2c-907f-fb3ba7655b65

Commit Message
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9: 2011-09-28 15:22:06.000096946 MST (0, 5)->(1, 43)
(2011-09-28 22:22:06.000096946 UTC)
No commit message
9: 2011-09-28 15:22:06.000096946 MST (1, 43)->(1, 39)
(2011-09-28 22:22:06.000096946 UTC)
No commit message
8: 2011-09-28 13:53:45.232972947 MST (1, 39)->(1, 36)
(2011-09-28 20:53:45.232972947 UTC)
No commit message
7: 2011-09-06 13:29:05.000140454 MST (1, 36)->(1, 32)
(2011-09-06 20:29:05.000140454 UTC)
No commit message
6: 2011-09-06 13:23:57.000132221 MST (1, 32)->(1, 25)
(2011-09-06 20:23:57.000132221 UTC)
No commit message
5: 2011-09-06 13:18:51.000133129 MST (1, 25)->(1, 18)
(2011-09-06 20:18:51.000133129 UTC)
No commit message
4: 2011-09-06 13:13:39.000158577 MST (1, 18)->(1, 15)
(2011-09-06 20:13:39.000158577 UTC)
No commit message
3: 2011-08-30 19:30:00.000138128 MST (1, 15)->(1, 8)
(2011-08-31 02:30:00.000138128 UTC)
No commit message
2: 2011-08-29 10:01:13.534597445 MST (1, 8)->(1, 5)
(2011-08-29 17:01:13.534597445 UTC)
No commit message
(2011-04-05 18:15:43.409951727 UTC)
No commit message
Consistency of tape 1FA563L5 successfully checked.
[root@double ~]#
To roll back generation 3 (time stamp 2011-08-30 19:30:00.000138128) in Example 2-38

on page 195, issue the following command:
ltfsadmintool -t 1FA563L5 -c -- -g 3 -r
Time to roll back option: The -t option, which specifies the time to roll back, is
supported only for the LTFS SDE.
-m, --full-index-info
Displays full index information (effective only for the -l option).
-n or --no-rollback Does not roll back. Only verifies the point that is specified by the -g
option. This setting is the default setting.
-q or --quiet Suppresses progress information and general messages.
-r or --rollback Rolls back to the point that is specified by the -g option.

-v, --traverse= <strategy>
Sets traverse mode for listing rollback points. Strategy must be forward
or backward (default: backward).
-z or --deep-recovery
Recovers the cartridge missing the end-of-data mark. Specify this
option when the medium cannot be recovered in any other way. Data
on the medium that is written before the final unmount point still can be
recovered. Blocks that are written to the medium when the drive power
is lost, however, might not be recoverable.
The -z option retrieves index information from cartridge memory to
recover as much data as possible. If data in the cartridge memory is
broken due to media wear, however, the medium cannot be recovered.
In this case, mount the medium with the ltfs command -o
force_mount_no_eod. This command opens the volume as
write-protected. Then, copy all data to another medium as soon as
possible.
-p, --advanced-help
Full help, including advanced options.
-i, --config=<file>
Use the specified configuration file (default: /etc/ltfs.conf).
Override the default tape device 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).
2.5 Hints and tips

Follow these useful hints and tips.
2.5.1 Sharing a mounted tape library among multiple users

The requirements are described for sharing a mounted tape library among multiple users of
LTFS on a Linux system.
Linux only: This information does not apply to Windows users.
For a Linux user other than the user who mounted the tape library to access the mounted file
system, add the following line to the /etc/fuse.conf file before you issue the ltfs command:
user_allow_other
To mount the library as a user other than a superuser, in addition to the previous setting, add
the -o allow_other option to the ltfs command as shown:
$ ltfs -o changer_devname=/dev/IBMchanger0 -o allow_other /mnt/ltfs

To mount the library as a superuser, the -o allow_other option is not required, as shown in
the following example:
# ltfs /mnt/ltfs -o changer_devname=/dev/IBMchanger0
On-disk metadata storage feature: The on-disk metadata storage feature is disabled by
default. When this feature is enabled, the ability to mount tape libraries is restricted to the
root user. To understand the on-disk metadata storage mechanism and to learn how to
share a library that is mounted by the root user among multiple users, see Metadata
storage at this website:
http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/ltfsle/cust/topic/com.ibm.storage.hollywood.d
oc/ltfs_disk_cache.html
2.5.2 Performance considerations

Performance considerations when you use the LTFS are described. The LTFS tape drive is a
sequential access device, and not a random access device. The LTFS tape drive can take
some time to physically locate the position of data on a tape. Optimal performance is
achieved after LTFS locates the position of the data to read or write.
Also, because the LTFS tape drive is a sequential access device, when a file on the medium
is modified, the modified blocks of a file are appended to the bottom of the tape. To read the
modified file, LTFS must read from different parts of the tape, which can slow down the
access to the data.
To optimize performance, the following practices are suggested when you use LTFS:
򐂰 Certain application programs, such as editors, repeatedly overwrite a file. This process
divides a file into a number of small blocks. When a file on the medium is opened by using
an application program that modifies a file, copy the file to the hard disk. Modify the file on
the hard disk before you copy it back to the LTFS volume.
򐂰 Set a data placement policy when you use files with a specific suffix.
򐂰 It can take some time to copy files to a different folder on the same medium because LTFS
locates the source file and destination position for every block. To improve performance,
copy the file to the hard disk and then back to the medium.
򐂰 If a file under the mount point subdirectory is moved to another subdirectory of the mount
point, LTFS is using two tape drives. Until the move operation is complete, both drives are
locked, and LTFS cannot perform another operation. This locked state causes library
performance to drop. If the tape library has only two drives, LTFS does not work until the
operation is completed. To avoid this situation, move the file to the hard disk, and then to
the destination directory on another volume. If a tape library has only one drive, LTFS
rejects the request to move the file to another subdirectory. Although a copy operation is
still possible in this scenario, it is slow.
򐂰 If two files are simultaneously written to the mount point subdirectory, a block of each file is
sequentially written to the medium. For example, if file A and file B are written, block 1 of
file A (A1) is written, block 1 of file B (B1) is written, then A2, B2, A3, B3, and so on are
written. When file A is read, LTFS goes to the A1 position and reads a block, then to the
A2 position and reads a block, and so on. This sequential reading protocol can take some
time to complete. Read performance can be improved by writing data separately. If, for
example, higher performance is required for the read operation, (if possible) write file A
first, then file B.

򐂰 If you attempt to simultaneously write or read data to or from more cartridges (or
subdirectories under the root mount point) than the number of tape drives currently in the
library, performance drops. This situation might occur, for example, if a user with two
drives attempts to write a file on another subdirectory that is not on these two media to a
third drive. LTFS uses a sequential protocol to write a block on a medium, then to unload
the medium, to load another medium, then to copy a block to that medium, and so on. To
improve performance in this example, the user must initiate the write operation after the
copy operation is completed.
򐂰 If some components of the file system monitoring tool program are enabled, the program
might periodically issue commands. This condition creates a short pause during the
performance of the operation. To avoid this interruption, the user can disable these types
of programs.
򐂰 The index cache mechanism can be disabled to ensure the index validity by specifying an
option for modifying outside the file system. To optimize performance, however, the index
cache must be enabled.
2.5.3 Accessing volumes from Windows by using CIFS

You can change the session timeout value to access volumes from Windows when you use
the common Internet file system (CIFS).
A session timeout can occur when an LTFS volume is accessed from a client though network
sharing. If this session timeout occurs, users might see a network error. If this kind of network
error occurs frequently, change the session timeout value. The default timeout value is 45
seconds.
Attention: These instructions relate to editing the registry. If you make any error while you
edit the registry, you can potentially cause Windows to fail or be unable to boot. Then, you
are required to reinstall Windows. Edit the registry at your own risk. Always back up the
registry according to the Microsoft website instructions before you change anything.
Procedure
1. From the Start menu, select Run.
2. Type regedit in the Open field and click OK.
3. Expand and locate the registry subtree:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \
LanmanWorkstation \ Parameters
4. Add a REG_DWORD key with the name of SessTimeout.
5. Set the timeout value. Initially set the timeout value at 600 and then change the value
according to the situation of your machine.
6. Reboot the client.

2.5.4 Data placement policy
How the LTFS uses the data placement policy is described. LTFS uses two partitions on the
medium: the index partition and data partition. While the medium is unmounting, an index file
is written to both partitions. The index file on the index partition is overwritten by the new
index file. The index file on the data partition, however, is appended to the end of the data.
Files on the index partition, including the index file, are readable the next time that the
medium is mounted. If the file size and name match the data placement policy that is
specified by the rules option for formatting the medium, some data files also can be written on
the index partition for faster access.
The rules option for the formatting operation sets the following policies:
򐂰 File size: smaller than xxx bytes
򐂰 File name: *.jpg, *.txt, and so on
Sequence of data placement policy

The data placement policy writes in the following sequence:
1. When a file to write matches the rules as shown in the following example:
If the policy is set to a file size less than or equal to 1 MB and a file name of *.txt and
*.jpg, the following files match the rules:
– File abc.txt with size 512 kB
– File xyz.jpg with size 1 MB
These files do not match the rules:
– File abc.csv with size 512 kB
– File xyz.jpg with size 1.2 MB
– File stu.png with size 2 MB
2. LTFS writes the file to the data partition and stores it in the memory buffer.
3. When the memory buffer is full or the medium is requested to unmount, LTFS performs the
following actions:
a. Writes an index file at the end of the data partition
b. Writes the files in the memory buffer to the index partition
c. Builds an index file and writes it at the end of the index partition
At the next mount, the position of the tape head is near the files in the index partition so that
they are quickly readable if those files are accessed immediately. After the files in the data
partition are accessed, the access performance is equal to the performance of the other files
in the data partition. If specific file suffixes are frequently accessed after the cartridge is
mounted, set the data placement policy to include them to improve file access performance.
Index partition size: The size of index partition is much smaller than the data partition. If a
large file size is specified for the data placement policy, the index partition might overflow.

2.5.5 Extended attributes
How the LTFS uses extended attributes is described.
LTFS supports valid characters in W3C Extensible Markup Language (XML) 1.0 standard,
except for the forward slash (/) and colon (:), for extended attribute names. A file can have
multiple extended attributes. The maximum size of an extended attribute is 4 KB. When the
value of an extended attribute includes binary data, LTFS encodes the data in base64.
On Linux and Windows, all extended attribute names that start with the prefix "ltfs" with any
capitalization are reserved for virtual extended attributes. See “Virtual extended attributes” on
page 201.
Linux
Linux supports restrictive naming for extended attributes. Each extended attribute begins with
one of the following names and ends with a period (.):
򐂰 system.
򐂰 security.
򐂰 trusted.
򐂰 user.
User.* extended attributes: For security purposes, only user.* extended attributes can
be modified.
Windows
Windows supports restrictive naming for extended attributes. Windows allows only 8-bit ASCII
characters that do not contain any of the following characters:
򐂰 ASCII values 0x0000 – 0x001F
򐂰 \/:*?"<>|,+=[];
Special characters: If any of these characters are used on Linux, and the medium is
moved from that system to Windows, the attributes do not display.
Virtual extended attributes

LTFS defines a number of extended attributes that provide functionality other than a file
system application programming interface (API). Virtual extended attributes provide more
information about the internal operating status, file system, and directory of a tape medium.
An application or operating system also can use the enhanced functionality by writing virtual
extended attributes.
LTFS does not include virtual extended attributes in the list of responses for listxattr system
calls. Therefore, virtual extended attributes are hidden from a query request. A user must first
specify an attribute name to be able to access it. Some standard commands do not work for
virtual extended attributes. On Linux, for example, the getfattr command works only for
extended attributes. The following example shows how a user can access virtual extended
attributes:
# attr -g ltfs.indexCreator /mnt/ltfsmz4/248AABL5-MOVIES_LTFS
Attribute "ltfs.indexCreator" had a 54 byte value for
/mnt/ltfsmz4/248AABL5-MOVIES_LTFS:
IBM LTFS 2.1.0 (201105090) - Linux - ltfs.tape.library

Virtual extended attributes can be divided into four metadata categories. For details, see
2.1.9, “Reserved extended attribute definitions” on page 122.
2.5.6 Samba Network File Sharing

Follow the procedure to add a user to a Samba server:
1. Add the Linux/UNIX user by using the useradd or adduser command:
Use one of these examples:
# useradd <username>
# passwd <username>
or
# adduser <username>
The adduser command: The adduser command adds a user to the system according
to the command-line options and the configuration information in the
/etc/adduser.conf file. They are friendlier front ends to the low-level tools, such as
useradd.
2. Add a user to Samba.

User <username> has an account on the Linux/UNIX system now. Use the smbpasswd
command to specify that the username that follows the command needs to be added to the
local smbpasswd file:
# smbpasswd -a <username>
3. Add a user to a Samba share.
By default, a user gets access to /home/<username> from the Windows system. To grant
access for the user <username> to the /mnt/ltfs (ensure that the directory /mnt/ltfs
exists) directory, open the /etc/samba/smb.conf file and add/modify the share that is
called [accounts] (or add any other user-defined share):
[accounts]
comment = Accounts data directory
path = /mnt/ltfs
valid users = <username>
public = no
writable = yes
Or, add a user-defined share (username=mschaefr and directory to share

/mnt/ltfs/redbooks)
[LTFS]
comment = Public Stuff
path = /mnt/ltfs/redbooks
public = yes
writable = yes
printable = no
write list = +staff
valid users = mschaefr
Save the file.

4. Restart Samba.

# service smb restart
or
# /etc/init.d/smb reload
Follow these steps to connect to the Samba share through Windows:

1. Open your Windows Explorer and map the network drive (Figure 2-42).
Figure 2-42 Map network drive
2. Enter the destination folder \\9.11.215.39\LTFS (Figure 2-43).
Figure 2-43 Map network drive
3. Log on with the specified user name and password (Figure 2-44).
Figure 2-44 Login window
Figure 2-45 on page 204 shows the LTFS tapes as folders.

Figure 2-45 Samba Windows Explorer

3

Storage Manager
IBM Linear Tape File System (LTFS) Storage Manager (SM) is a software solution that
manages and monitors archiving and restoring files in an LTFS-based automated tape library.
LTFS SM efficiently achieves these functions by maintaining an index of all files in the library.
This multiple format essence management application is focused on processing and archiving
media files in the broadcasting domain. However, it is not limited to this field. LTFS SM can
manage any type of file. It is useful in many applications, in addition to broadcasting.
LTFS SM provides the following benefits to the enterprise when managing an LTFS archive:
Flexibility SM increases infrastructure flexibility with the enterprise-wide
management of archived files with special support for media
essences.
Cost SM optimizes storage and costs by using a shared, highly
scalable, open-standards-based storage pool.
Control SM improves transparency and control over processes and
transactions by using workflow and business rules at the essence
level.
Integration SM eliminates “islands” of content and provides flexible and open
interfaces to enterprise applications.
Scalability The system can grow from one server to many servers as demands
increase.
LTFS SM provides a web service application programming interface (API) that uses SOAP to
launch archive, restore, and other management operations and to monitor their progress. The
API also offers the ability to search for files based on their metadata. Use the LTFS SM web
client to manually launch operations and query the content of the archive in addition to
general system administration. LTFS SM can also be configured to monitor folders on a file
system, detect new files, and archive them automatically.

3.1 Introduction
LTFS SM is a software solution that manages and monitors the archive and restore of files in
an LTFS-based automated tape library. LTFS SM efficiently achieves these functions by
maintaining an index of all files in the library.
3.1.1 Background
LTFS SM is based on the archive manager edition of the Archive and Essence Manager
(AREMA) application, which has been available for more than 15 years. IBM AREMA is a
multiple format file management application that is focused on processing and archiving
media files in the broadcasting area. For example, 90% of all public German TV companies
are currently using AREMA for the management of their digital video files.
LTFS SM can control multiple IBM Linear Tape File System Library Edition (LE) instances that
work cooperatively. LTFS SM can provide scale-out capability by using the LTFS SM
distributed design features. Not only can it manage tapes within a tape library but it can also
manage offsite tapes that are removed from the tape library.
A media file is referred to as an “essence” and essence is used as a synonym here for any
type of file in LTFS SM.
Unlike IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition (SDE) and LE, LTFS SM is not open
source software. There is a charge for the software. The charge depends on the model of the
tape library and the number of tape drives that are contained in it.
3.1.2 Overview
The processing of the archive and restore operations is managed by the LTFS SM job engine.
The engine asynchronously initiates the activities in the specified order and reports the result
to the initiating system. The job status can be retrieved at any time by using the job
identification (ID) that is generated by LTFS SM.
In addition to the job management and the archive index, LTFS SM maintains a disk cache for
files that are recently archived or restored. A threshold-controlled process checks the
directory size inside the LTFS SM online cache and, if necessary, starts a delete process. The
quota daemon runs in the background and checks (every 10 minutes by default) on the
current state of the cache occupancy for defined quota areas. The quota daemon also can
email users when thresholds are reached (Figure 3-1 on page 207).
LTFS SM: LTFS SM does not work with stub files that remain on a disk system and where
the “touching” of the files triggers a restoration from tape. LTFS SM differs in this way from
some hierarchical storage management (HSM) systems.

Figure 3-1 LTFS SM basic components
Disk cache
The disk cache is the online storage for the system. LTFS SM manages the space in the
cache. Files can be moved from the tape archive back to the disk cache. The cache can be
divided into several physical and logical areas. In a standard configuration, the disk cache is
managed with a first in, first out (FIFO) rule. However, the cache management rules can be
extended.
The LTFS SM cache management has the following characteristics:

򐂰 Supports multiple file systems in parallel.
򐂰 Based on metadata policies and not filename/-path/-extension.
򐂰 Supports caching of partial restore segments. This way, new requests for a segment can
use a previous segment that is still on the disk location as the source rather that the full file
on tape.
򐂰 Works with any disk storage that is supported on Linux.
Sample templates: Sample templates for this feature, as well as other features and
functions, are available on the Fix Central website.
Tape archive
All essences can be archived for long-term storage on tape. Tapes can be held in a tape
library or they can be stored outside of a library. LTFS SM uses LTFS for control of the tape
drive and the automated tape library.
Services Interface (SOAP)

The services interface is called the external client services interface (ECSI). This interface
uses SOAP to send the reference to a job template and the parameters for the job to LTFS
SM in XML format. The job templates can be easily adapted in XML or extensible style sheet
language (XSL). The function of the interface can be extended by using a plug-in API.
Chapter 3. IBM Linear Tape File System Storage Manager 207

Watchfolder
The watchfolder daemon can be configured to observe one or more folders and their
subfolders for files. It automatically creates jobs from an XML template as soon as there is a
new file in an observed folder. For example, the watchfolder daemon can be used to
automatically record the metadata for a video file and then move it from disk to tape.
Agents
The standards of distributed, scalable, and reliable systems require separate processes that
work on defined objectives. An agent performs a specific step of an LTFS SM job. For
example, an agent transcodes a file to another file format or stores media files on the tape
library. Each agent performs its specific task autonomously.
The LTFS SM agents consist of two parts: a general part that manages communication with
the LTFS SM server and a specific part for the actual function. The specific part of an agent is
either implemented by products that are available on the market or by code that is developed
by IBM.
Job engine
The LTFS SM job engine makes it possible to annotate jobs with priority levels to provide
preferential treatment to certain jobs. These priorities can be changed while the job is running
by using the LTFS SM graphical user interface (GUI) or API.
In addition, the job engine makes it possible to define a deferred start time for a job. Or, the
job engine can define a time window during which the job must be performed. If the job
cannot be completed in the time window that is set for a specific day (for example, if the
queue is too long), the job is initiated during the same time window the next day. The current
default night window for delayed operations is from 0200 to 0600 daily.
Every job consists of several job steps. The task that is defined in one job step is performed
by the agent that is referenced in that step. Job steps can be defined to run sequentially or in
parallel. Single job steps can be dependent on the successful completion of one, or multiple,
predecessor job steps.
Every agent can be tagged with one or more keywords. The job description can refer to these
keywords so that only the correctly tagged agents can perform the specific job step. This
approach allows for granular resource assignment and priority management.
The user administration and inventory management of the media objects that are assigned to
the archive server are implemented in the database. For media objects, additional information
can be managed to restrict permissions to groups and to group objects. In this context, LTFS
SM is a multiple tenant application. The structure and the data model of the database are
internals of the SM. Access to the internal database is only permitted for the LTFS SM agents.
LTFS SM offers interfaces, such as the ESCI, which make the information available to the
external world.
The LTFS SM job engine also includes functions such as job parser, access rights
management, central error handling, job monitoring, and cache management.
3.1.3 Functions
LTFS SM is a software application that maintains an index of all files in an LTFS archive and
provides an easy-to-use interface to manage archive files. The application provides the
following sets of functions.

General functions
LTFS SM offers these general functions:
Index Maintains an index of all archived files, tracking which files are on
which tapes
Search Enables searching for files based on file name, metadata, or both
Cache Maintains a configurable disk cache for recently archived or restored
files
Management Provides an API to manage jobs and search for files
Agents Uses independent agents, which can run concurrently on multiple
servers, to perform specific tasks
LTFS-specific functions
LTFS SM offers these LTFS-specific functions:
򐂰 Support for LTFS LE version 2.1.1 and later.
򐂰 Support for multiple LTFS nodes that are attached to a single library.
򐂰 Ability to group files into storage pools (Predefined rules can copy one file into multiple
pools, LTFS instances, or both.)
򐂰 Selection of a suitable tape for archiving based on the following rules:
– The tape with the lowest fill level
– The first tape in the database
– The tape with the highest fill level and enough space for the file.
򐂰 Ability to search the database to locate which tape contains a specific file to restore. If
multiple copies of the same file are located, LTFS SM selects the appropriate tape based
on the availability of drives in the managed tape libraries and LTFS instances.
򐂰 Optimization of the restore queue by actively managing tape and drive usage. For
example, LTFS SM does not queue up an agent to wait for a tape that is already in use by
another process.
򐂰 Support for partial file restore from tape and partial file copy from disk in media
environments.
򐂰 Support for a timecode-aware cache. This support enables caching of partial restore
segments. So, new requests for a segment can use a previous segment that is still in the
cache as the source, rather than the full file on tape.
3.1.4 Resource management

LTFS SM provides resource management. The resource management component holds an
inventory of all files on all tapes and uses rules to decide on which tape to write a new file. If
multiple copies of the same file exist, the resource management component decides which
copy to use for restore based on the availability of the tapes and drives. For example, if one
tape is in use for another restore, a different tape with a copy is used. Similarly, if all drives in
one library are in use, but a copy of the file is available in a second library, the file is accessed
from that library.

The resource management component uses the following rules, which are defined in the job
description:
򐂰 The copies of a file can be distributed over multiple storage pools.
򐂰 The second instance of a file is written by a different node, and thus by a different drive,
than the one that wrote the first instance.
򐂰 The file is placed in the specific pool on the tape that has the highest fill level yet still has
enough free space.
򐂰 The file is placed in the specific pool on the tape with the lowest fill level that has enough
free space. It is possible to specify a maximum number of “filling” tapes.
These rules are properties of the storage pool. The rules are applied at the time that the file is
written. If the rule is later modified, the change is not applied to assets that are already in the
pool.
Upon restore, LTFS SM selects one copy of the file where the tape and drive resources are
available. If the file is to be restored from a particular pool or tape, the pool or tape names can
be specified in the job step parameters.
Features of the LTFS resource management component

The resource management component uses the SM database to store the size of the file on
tape, its position on tape, and its state, such as active or deleted. It uses this information to
detect the filling level of the tape and the degree of fragmentation.
In addition, the resource management component supports offsite tapes, that is, tapes that
are outside of the tape library. The preferred method for exporting tapes is by using the Admin
Export LTFS Media job from the Essence Viewer client. However, tapes can also be exported
by using a command-line command. Multiple tapes, as well as entire pools, can be exported.
Exported tapes are not used for restore if there are copies of the file on a tape on-site, that is,
inside the library. If there is not a tape on-site, the specific tape is requested and the job step
is moved into a “wait for resource” state. After the operator inserts the tape, the job resumes
automatically.
Tapes that are created outside of LTFS SM can be imported into the library. LTFS SM then
reads the LTFS index and adds the tape, and all files on it, to its database. In addition, the
technical metadata of media files is written to the LTFS SM database as long as the files from
the tape are read by LTFS SM. The LTFS format check function can be used to check the
format and integrity of an LTFS tape upon import of the tape.
Configuring the LTFS resource management component

The resource management component can be configured by using the command line to
define, alter, and delete the following entities:
򐂰 LTFS instances
򐂰 Drive groups
򐂰 Libraries
򐂰 Storage pools
򐂰 Tapes
Tapes can be formatted by using a command-line command and by launching a job template
from the LTFS SM Essence Viewer client. The formatting of a tape is a regular job in LTFS SM
and is an explicit command.

Tapes can be assigned to storage pools by using a command-line command or an LTFS SM
job. The assignment of tapes to pools is an explicit command.
The LTFS SM Essence Viewer client displays the list of files that are stored on tape, their SM
instance, library, pool, and tape for every file in the archive. The content of the tape archive
can be browsed by using the Essence Viewer Client.
3.1.5 Single-library, multiple-node access

Single-library, multiple-node access enables access to the same set of LTFS tapes from more
than one LTFS LE instance. Enable this capability to increase the performance of the host for
data storage and retrieval by assigning fewer tape drives to each host. This capability can be
enabled by the LTFS SM file management structure only (Figure 3-2).
Figure 3-2 Typical setup for LTFS SM single-library, multiple-node access
LTFS SM manages all aspects of the single-library, multiple-node access.
Multiple tenancy
The contents of the tape are managed at the LTFS SM level. This way, each LTFS LE
installation is unaware of any changes that are made on other LTFS LE installations. The
index is updated when the media is mounted and the index is read from tape.
Single node management of library inventory

LTFS SM ensures that the library inventory is up-to-date to manage available drives and
cartridges.
Space reclaim management

When data is moved from one cartridge to another to reclaim the space on the first cartridge,
LTFS SM ensures that the LTFS nodes and internal database reflect the change in the index
of the LTFS cartridge.

No multiple library attachment to a single node: The LTFS LE supports multiple
libraries that are attached to a single node with each library as an individual mount point.
LTFS SM however, does not support this configuration currently. When the LTFS SM is
used in an LTFS LE environment with multiple libraries that are attached to a single node,
only one LTFS LE instance is accessed based on the port that is accessed.
Configuration examples
The following figures show possible LTFS SM configurations that you can set up:
򐂰 Figure 3-3 on page 213
LTFS SM uses the following terminology:

Main node Host that runs control and interface daemons.
Agent node Host with agents only.
Subordinate note Another name for the agent node because subordinate nodes listen to
commands from the master node.
Database server node
Host that runs as the DB2 server.
Master node For LTFS SM, the database server node and main node typically run
on the same machine.
Client Name that is used for GUI clients (Web Start and browser).
Single library single node
Master node that performs all archives and restores to and from LTFS.
Single library multiple nodes
Master node and one or more subordinate nodes
Essence A media file is referred to as an “essence”. This term is a synonym for a
file.

Figure 3-3 Single node, no customer application, small library
Figure 3-4 Single node, with customer application, large library

Figure 3-5 Scaled-out system with multiple LTFS LE nodes

Table 3-1 lists the operating systems and hardware that are supported by the LTFS SM for
Linux computers.
Java 7: All hardware must support IBM Java 7 or higher. LTFS SM does not support any
Java version earlier than IBM Java 7. Write Once Read Many (WORM) media is not
supported.
Table 3-1 System requirements

Linux computers
Supported operating systems Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 5.6, 5.7, and 6.1
(x86 and x86_64 only)
Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 Service Pack 1
Server personal computer x86 or x86_64 processor with a minimum of two dual-core processors
Minimum of 4 GB (3.73 GiB) of RAM. In addition, if installed on the LTFS

LE server, 1 GB (0.93 GiB) of available RAM is also required for each
1,000,000 files that are stored on tape.
Minimum 5 GB (4.66 GiB) disk cache or attached storage (or an amount

equal to the maximum file size to be transferred for LTFS SM and 5.91
GB (5.5 GiB) of available disk space (if on-disk metadata storage is
enabled) for LTFS LE.
Fibre Channel (FC) host bus adapter (HBA) that is supported by IBM
TS1140 tape drives, IBM Linear Tape-Option Ultrium 5 (LTO-5) tape
drives, and IBM LTO-6 tape drives.
TCP/IP-based protocol network

LTFS SM requires the following software:
򐂰 LTFS LE version 2.1.1 or later
򐂰 IBM DB2 database (included with installation package)
򐂰 IBM Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 7 (included with installation package)
LTFS SM requires a Linux operating system. Both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems are
supported. For more information about supported operating systems and hardware, see the
system requirements in the information center.
When LTFS SM is installed on a 64-bit operating system, the following 32-bit packages are
required, in addition to the software listed previously:
򐂰 glibc (for ld-linux.so.2, libdl.so2, libpthread.so.0, libc.so.6, and libm.so.6)
򐂰 libgcc (for libgcc_s.so.1)
򐂰 compat-libstdc++-33 (for libstc++.so.5)
The LTFS SM application is written in Java and therefore requires that JRE is installed on the
system. IBM JRE 7 is included in the installation package.
LTFS SM maintains a database by using the IBM DB2 Express-C database software. This
software is included in the LTFS SM installation package. When the DB2 user licensing is
used, LTFS SM requires one user (all components log in to the database as the same user).
Every additional human user or system (interface) user that is defined in LTFS SM requires
the user to be manually set up in the DB2 database. The installation supports enough users
for a standard LTFS SM system and administrative users.
Upgrade: You can purchase a license from the IBM software division to upgrade to other
DB2 editions that provide more features.
The OpenCube license is not shipped with the LTFS SM build. It is required if you plan to use
Material Exchange Format (MXF) files. It must be downloaded separately after installation,
but before you run any jobs.
3.2 Installation
The following distribution packages are available for the LTFS SM. The components for a
successful installation are described.
Important: The LTFS SM installation process is more complex than the installation of
LTFS LE and might require detailed planning if multiple servers are involved.
A 32-bit Java RPM package needs to be installed when you run the LTFS SM on a 64-bit
system.
The LTFS SM software package includes the following files and applications:
򐂰 LTFS SM program files
򐂰 IBM JRE 7
򐂰 IBM DB2 Express-C
LTFS SM is available in an installation package for the following distributions:

򐂰 Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 5.6, 5.7, and 6.1 (i386 and x86_64)
򐂰 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 Service Pack 1 (i586 and x86_64)

The installation packages are self-contained and are used to install all the required
components for the LTFS SM. The LTFS SM application is written in Java and JRE 1.7 is
included in the installation package. LTFS SM also requires IBM DB2 for the database, which
is also provided. In addition, the LTFS LE tape driver is required to control the library and write
and read operations to and from tape. No application server or other middleware is required.
LTFS SM is delivered as an installable script. The script must be started as root. For the
system user of the application, the user name dmae is used. The directory tree at
/home/dmae/manager/ is POSIX-compliant.
The following subdirectories are created:

bin This subdirectory includes the command scripts.
lib This subdirectory includes the Java jar libraries.
etc This subdirectory contains the configuration files.
var/log This subdirectory contains the log files.
After the installation script starts, a series of questions is presented to install and configure
JRE, the DB2 database, and LTFS SM. The following input is required during the installation
process:
򐂰 Number of libraries that are attached to LTFS SM
򐂰 Number of drives that are attached to LTFS LE
򐂰 Number of cartridges that are in the library
򐂰 Type of drives and media (options are LTO-5 and TS1140)
LTO-6: In case the library has LTO-6 drives installed, use option LTO-5.
򐂰 Initial cartridge volume serial numbers (VOLSERs) in the installation
VOLSERs: These VOLSERs are added to the database at initialization. More

VOLSERs can be added later.
򐂰 Number of storage pools and names and the usage type for each pool
򐂰 Cartridge to storage pool assignment plan for the initial cartridges in the installation
3.2.1 Procedure
Perform the following steps to install and configure LTFS SM. In a master node configuration,
perform these steps on all nodes.
The default response for Yes/No questions during the installation is displayed in capital letters.
For example, [Y,n] indicates you can either respond with a Y or an N. If no response is
entered, a Y is assumed.
In this installation, we create two pools. We use two tape drives and three tape cartridges in a
TS3500 tape library. The TS3500 tape library is zoned to the server and available for use by
LTFS LE and LTFS SM. However, these initial configuration settings can be modified after
installation.
The IBM LTFS SM system user is dmae. During the installation, you set this user password.
Follow these steps:

1. Log on as root.
2. Mount the LTFS SM installer CD to the Linux host.

3. From the installation CD, uncompress the installation package to the /tmp directory (or any
other directory of your choice). The <version> is the package version.
# tar -xf IBM_LTFS_StorageManager_<version>.install.tar.gz
Root: You must use the root user to extract the tarball file.
4. From the command prompt, enter the following command:

# cd /tmp/IBM_LTFS_StorageManager_<version>
The following example shows the installation package:
# cd /LTFS_SM/IBM_LTFS_StorageManager_v1.1.0_install
# ls
# bin core db2 doc etc java lib mxftk setup
5. If necessary, change permissions on the setup script:

# chmod +x setup
6. From the command prompt, enter the following command:
# ./setup
7. The LTFS Storage Manager Welcome message displays as shown in Example 3-1.
Example 3-1 Welcome window
Welcome to the installation program for IBM LTFS Storage Manager.
This program will guide you through the process of installing software IBM LTFS
Storage Manager on this and attached systems. Please answer the questions below
to proceed with the installation.
Before installing, please read the following notes on required prerequisites for
IBM LTFS Storage Manager and make sure they are met on the target systems.
IBM LTFS Storage Manager is supported for following platforms (i386 and x86_64
only):
RedHat Enterprise Linux Server 5.6, 5.7, 6.0, 6.1
SuSE Enterprise Linux Server 11.1
On 64-bit systems, basic system 32-bit libraries (such as libc and libm) must be
already installed.
IBM LTFS Storage Manager requires following IBM software:
IBM(R) SDK, Java(TM) Technology Edition, Version 7 for Linux 32-bit
IBM(R) DB2 Express-C 9.7.0.5
This IBM software is included in IBM LTFS Storage Manager installation package.
If you already have the DB2 software on your system, you will have a possibility
to skip the installation of this software. Please consider that the Java SDK
mentioned above is the only supported Java version for this product.
Make sure the host name of the machine can locally be resolved by the DNS means
and/or is included in the local hosts file (typically /etc/hosts).

List of required software:
Kernel 2.6 or later
FUSE 2.6 or later
libxml2 2.6.19 or later
libuuid 1.36 or later I(including E2FSP package)
libicu 3.6 or later
Python runtime environment
lin_tape 1.66.0 or later
LTFS LE V2.1.1 (GA level)
Compatibility packages for libraries related to GCC 3.3 (in particular, 32-bit
libstdc++.so.5) must be installed on the system.
Do you want to proceed with the installation [y|N]?
8. Type Y and press Enter to continue to the next window as shown in Example 3-2.
Example 3-2 Temporary directory

Please specify a temporary directory to be used during the installation process
Default: /root/dmae_install_tmp
Press <Enter> to keep or specify another location.
9. Press Enter to continue to the next window as shown in Example 3-3.
Example 3-3 International Program License Agreement

International Program License Agreement
Press Enter to continue viewing the license agreement, or, Enter "1" to accept
the agreement, "2" to decline it or "99" to go back to the previous screen, "3"
Print, "4" Read non-IBM terms.
10.Type 1 and press Enter to continue to the next window as shown in Example 3-4.
Example 3-4 IBM LTFS Storage Manager system user group name
Checking run-time prerequisites...
Starting gathering parameters for the installation.
No changes will be made on your system until all parameters are collected.
You will be prompted before actual changes will start.
IBM LTFS Storage Manager system user group name

Specify the name of the group that the IBM LTFS Storage Manager user shall
belong to. The group should be a new one that does not already exist on the
system.
Default: admira
Press <Return> to keep or enter new value:
11.Press Enter to continue to the next window as shown in Example 3-5.
Example 3-5 IBM LTFS Storage Manager system user group ID

IBM LTFS Storage Manager system user group ID
Specify the GID of the group that the IBM LTFS Storage Manager user shall
belong to.
Note that this numerical value should be in range of system GIDs (typically
they are placed under 500). Further, if the system is intended to be installed

on several machines, this group ID must be equal across all machines for data
sharing and security reasons.
Default: 400
Example 3-6 IBM LTFS Storage Manager system user ID (dmae)

IBM LTFS Storage Manager system user ID (dmae)
Specify the GID of the system user that IBM LTFS Storage Manager shall run as.
Note that this numerical value should be in range of system UIDs (typically
they are placed under 500). Further, if the system is intended to be installed
on several machines, this user ID must be equal across all machines for data
sharing and security reasons.
Default: 400
Important: On multiple node environments, this UID must be the same across all
installations.
Example 3-7 Password for IBM LTFS Storage Manager system user (dmae)
Password for IBM LTFS Storage Manager system user (dmae)
Select a password for the IBM LTFS Storage Manager system user.
Please enter your password again for verification!
Password verification for IBM LTFS Storage Manager system user
Re-enter the password for the system user for verification reasons.
14.Enter a password for the dmae user and then press Enter to continue to the next window as
Example 3-8 Existing database

Use an existing database instead of creating a new one?
IBM LTFS Storage Manager needs to connect to a database. Do you want to connect
to an existing database rather than create a new one yourself?
Default: no
15.Press Enter to continue to the next window as shown in Example 3-9 on page 220.
Multiple nodes: In a configuration with multiple nodes, select the default of No for node
A and press Enter to continue to the next step. For node B and any other nodes, select
Yes to connect to the existing database in node A. When you are prompted for the
network name or IP address of the database server machine, enter the name of node A
or the node A IP address.

Example 3-9 Install IBM DB2 database
Install IBM DB2 database software on this host?
IBM LTFS Storage Manager needs to connect to a DB2 database in order to run.
You may decide to install the database software now.
Default: yes
Example 3-10 DB2 installation directory

DB2 installation directory
Specify a directory that the DB2 software shall be installed in. If the
required DB2 version is already installed, specify its home directory.
Default: /opt/ibm/db2/dmae
Example 3-11 Create the DB2 server instance

Do you want to create the DB2 server instance for IBM LTFS Storage Manager on
this host?
This must be done to enable the creation of the database for IBM LTFS Storage
Manager.
The instance owner will be the IBM LTFS Storage Manager system user.
You may answer "no" if you have already created the database server instance
for this user.
Default: yes
Example 3-12 DB2 network service name

DB2 network service name
Default: db2c_dmae
Example 3-13 DB2 network service TCP/IP port

DB2 network service TCP/IP port number on the DB2 server machine
(note that this port number must not be in use by any other program)
Default: 50000
Port: This port number must not be in use by any other program.

Example 3-14 Create DB2 system users
Do you want to create DB2 system users on this host?
This shall create system users on this host, which are required for DB2 server.
You may answer "no" if you have already created the DB2 fenced user and the DB2
Administration Server user on this host.
Default: yes
21.The step that is shown in Example 3-14 creates system users (required for the DB2
server) on this host. Type No if you created the DB2 fenced user and the DB2
administration server user on this host. Press Enter to continue to the next window as
Example 3-15 DB2 fenced user group

DB2 fenced user group
Default: db2fadm
Example 3-16 DB2 Database Administration Server group

DB2 Database Administration Server group
Default: dasadm
Example 3-17 DB2 fenced user

DB2 fenced user
Default: db2fenc
Example 3-18 DB2 Database Administration Server user

DB2 Database Administration Server user
Default: dasusr
Example 3-19 Create the IBM LTFS Storage Manager database

Create the IBM LTFS Storage Manager database?
This must be done once for the entire IBM LTFS Storage Manager system (i.e. on
one host only).
Note that a DB2 server instance must be accessible for this host (i.e.
installed either on this host or on another host of the system), otherwise the
creation of the database will fail.
Default: yes
Multiple node configuration: In a multiple node configuration, select Yes for node A
and No for node B and any other nodes.

Example 3-20 Cache quota name

Cache quota name
IBM LTFS Storage Manager needs at least one cache quota to operate on.
Specify the name of this quota.
Default: cache
Example 3-21 Cache quota size

Cache quota size (in KB)
Default: 100000000
Example 3-22 Upper limit of cache

Upper limit of the cache quota (percentage)
Default: 90
Example 3-23 Lower limit of cache

Lower limit of the cache quota (percentage)
Default: 70
Example 3-24 Warning limit

Warning limit of the cache quota (percentage)
Default: 80
Example 3-25 Email address

E-Mail address for sending notifications about OFFSITE tapes.
If a tape is found in state OFFSITE at the time of job creation for archiving
or restoration of a file, an E-Mail notification may be sent to a configured
administrator address, to allow the tape being imported by administrator.
This value may be left blank, in this case no notifications will be sent.
Default:
32.Type the email address for the LTFS administrator and press Enter to continue to the next
window as shown in Example 3-26 on page 223.

Example 3-26 Cache directory
Cache directory
Specify the directory for the IBM LTFS Storage Manager cache.
Note that this directory is only considered a mount point. An appropriate file
system that meets the requirements of the application cache should be mounted
here.
Default: /home/dmae/manager/cache
Mount point: This directory is considered a mount point only. Mount an appropriate file
system that meets the requirements of the application cache.
Example 3-27 Import directory

Import directory mount point
Default: /home/dmae/import
Example 3-28 Export directory

Export directory mount point
Default: /home/dmae/export
Example 3-29 IP addresses

List of all IP addresses on this local machine:
1 9.11.215.39
2 127.0.0.1
Server IP address for Web Clients.
IP address (not hostname) for IBM LTFS Storage Manager Web Clients XML-RPC
server.
This IP address must be reachable from all machines using Web Clients and
should therefore not be the local loopback address.
Default: 9.11.215.39
Example 3-30 Firewall
Configure the system firewall for the IBM LTFS Storage Manager server?
In order to communicate with the server you need to open some ports in its
firewall. The installer can perform the actions necessary for this step but be
aware that it relies on the system firewall to be provided by iptables.
Do you want the installer to configure the firewall?
Default: yes

Firewalls: Firewall settings must all be enabled unless you have a reason not to enable
them. If any modules are not enabled, all the functions of that module are disabled.
Example 3-31 Modules

Starting configuring modules, which should run on this host.
Typically, the master node has all modules activated.
Configuration on subordinate nodes (with log files hold locally) typically
includes:
- clear_db: deactivated
- backup_logs: activated
- dmae_command_exec: activated
- dmae_agents: deactivated
Do you want to enable the clear_db module on this host? [Y,n]:

Do you want to enable the backup_logs module on this host? [Y,n]:
Do you want to enable the dmae_quota_d module on this host? [Y,n]:
Do you want to enable the dmae_command_exec module on this host? [Y,n]:
Do you want to enable the dmae_status_d module on this host? [Y,n]:
Do you want to enable the dmae_batch_d module on this host? [Y,n]:
Do you want to enable the dmae_ltfs_housekeeping_d module on this host? [Y,n]:
Do you want to enable the dmae_rpc_server module on this host? [Y,n]:
Do you want to enable the dmae_ecsi module on this host? [Y,n]:
Do you want to enable the dmae_watchdog module on this host? [Y,n]:
Do you want to enable the dmae_web_server module on this host? [Y,n]:
Do you want to enable the dmae_agents module on this host? [Y,n]:
38.Press Enter to accept the default in response to each of the twelve questions to continue
to the next window as shown in Example 3-32.
Example 3-32 Clean-up

Clean up temporary directories?
In order to save file space the installer may delete its temporary file after
completion. This step may save about 600 MB of file space on your system. On
the other hand, keeping the temporary files may help in troubleshooting
problems during the installation process.
Do you want the installer to clean up temporary files after completion?
Default: yes
Example 3-33 Start LTFS SM

Directly start IBM LTFS Storage Manager after the installation?
Default: no
Example 3-34 Installation parameters
All installation parameters are collected. We can start the installation

process.

If the installation fails or is interrupted by user, a system cleanup should be
performed by manual starting the script bin/uninstall.sh in the installer
package before the next installation attempt.
Do you want to proceed with the installation [y|N]?
41.Type Y and press Enter to continue to the next window as shown in Example 3-35.
Example 3-35 Installation starting

Starting the installation process...
...
...
...
Basic installation of IBM LTFS Storage Manager finished.
Would you like to configure the tape infrastructure in the database now [y|N]?
Example 3-36 Configuration

[INFO] Starting configuration of tape library infrastructure in the database...
Please provide information about the tape library
Library name: ltfs
43.Type ltfs and press Enter to continue to the next window as shown in Example 3-37.
LTFS LE mount point: If the LTFS LE mount point is /mnt/ltfs (the mount point that
you specified during the LTFS LE installation), the library name is ltfs and the tape
library mount point is /mnt.
Example 3-37 Library type

Library type:
Default: lto5
LTO-5: You can choose to enter either LTO5 or TS1140. Even if you have LTO-6 drives
that are installed in the library, you must enter the value lto5.
44.This example uses LTO-5 tape drives, so type LTO5. Press Enter to continue to the next
window as shown in Example 3-38.
Example 3-38 Tapes

Number of tapes in the library (if already known):
Default: 0
Press <Return> to keep or enter new value: 3
45.This example uses three tapes, so type 3. Press Enter to continue to the next window as
Example 3-39 Tape library mount point

Database Connection Information
Database server = DB2/LINUXX8664 9.7.5
SQL authorization ID = DMAE
Local database alias = ADMIRA

Please provide information about the tape library manager node hanachan1c0
Root for tape library mount points on node hanachan1c0 (like '/mnt'):
46.Type /mnt and press Enter to continue to the next window as shown in Example 3-40. If
the LTFS LE mount point is /mnt/ltfs (the mount point that we specified during the LTFS
LE installation), the library name is ltfs and the tape library mount point is /mnt.
Example 3-40 Configure tape drives

Do you want to configure tape drives for host hanachan1c0 [Y|n]?
Example 3-41 Tape drive 1

Please provide information about tape drives in library ltfs, which are
attached to node hanachan1c0
Tape type of drive 1 on node hanachan1c0 (possible values: LTO5 or TS1140):
Default: LTO5
48.In this example, we have LTO-5 tape drives, so type LTO5. Press Enter to continue to the
next window as shown in Example 3-42.
Example 3-42 Add tape drives

Would you like to add another drive [y|N]?
49.In this example, we have two tape drives, so type Y. Press Enter to continue to the next
window as shown in Example 3-43.
Example 3-43 Tape drive 2

Tape type of drive 2 on node hanachan1c0 (possible values: LTO5 or TS1140):
Default: LTO5
Example 3-44 Add more tape drives

Would you like to add another drive [y|N]?
51.In this example, we have only two tape drives, so type N. Press Enter to continue to the
next window as shown in Example 3-45 on page 227.

Example 3-45 Tape library manager node
If you want to add another tape library manager node,
enter its host name (leave blank to stop configuring nodes):
52.In this example, we have only one node, so press Enter to continue to the next window as
Multiple node configuration: For a multiple node configuration, enter the IP address
for node B.
Example 3-46 Number of tape pools

Please provide information about tape pool(s)
How many pools would you like to create?
Default: 1
53.In this example, we have two pools, so type 2. Press Enter to continue to the next window
as shown in Example 3-47.
Example 3-47 Pool 1

++++++++++ Pool No. 1 ++++++++++
Name of pool No. 1 (required. No blank spaces or special characters):
54.In this example, we use a non-default name for the pool. Type poola. Press Enter to
continue to the next window as shown in Example 3-48.
Default pool name: The default pool name is POOL_A. This pool name is specified in the
global_settings.xsl file that is in the /home/dmae/manager/etc/templates-ev
directory. Use the default pool name during configuration. Or, if a different name is
preferred, the default pool name must be changed in the global_settings.xsl file.
Ensure that the default pool is a valid and existing pool.
Example 3-48 Pool 1 tapes

Number of tapes in pool No. 1 (if already known):
Default: 0
Example 3-49 Pool 1 placement

Rule placement for pool No. 1 (spread, ranged or none):
Default: none
Example 3-50 Pool 1 tape frame

Spread tape frame for pool No. 1:
Default: 0

Example 3-51 Pool 1 maximum free space

Maximum free space for pool No. 1:
Default: 0
Example 3-52 Pool 1 minimum free space

Minimum free space for pool No. 1:
Default: 0
Example 3-53 Pool 1 tape type

Tape type for pool No. 1 (possible values: LTO5 or TS1140):
Default: LTO5
Example 3-54 Pool 2
++++++++++ Pool No. 2 ++++++++++

Name of pool No. 2 (required. No blank spaces or special characters):
61.In this example, we use a non-default name for the pool. Type poolb. Press Enter to
continue to the next window as shown in Example 3-55.
Example 3-55 Pool 2 tapes

Number of tapes in pool No. 2 (if already known):
Default: 0
Example 3-56 Pool 2 placement

Rule placement for pool No. 2 (spread, ranged or none):
Default: none
Example 3-57 Pool 2 tape frame

Spread tape frame for pool No. 2:
Default: 0

Example 3-58 Pool 2 maximum free space
Maximum free space for pool No. 2:

Default: 0
Example 3-59 Pool 2 minimum free space

Minimum free space for pool No. 2:
Default: 0
Example 3-60 Pool 2 tape type

Tape type for pool No. 2 (possible values: LTO5 or TS1140):
Default: LTO5
Example 3-61 Installation finished

[INFO] Finished configuration of tape library infrastructure in the database.
68.The final message confirms the successful completion of the installation of LTFS SM.
3.2.2 Initial configuration

The following steps are required to perform an initial configuration of LTFS SM:
1. Log on as root.
2. Confirm that LTFS LE is running:
# ps -ef|grep ltfs|grep -v grep
root 10485 1 0 Oct08 ? 00:00:56 ltfs -o changer_devname=/dev/IBMchanger0
/mnt/ltfs
3. Confirm that the mount point (/mnt/ltfs) is accessible:
# ls -las /mnt/ltfs
total 4
0 drwxrwxrwx 5 root root 0 Dec 31 1969 .
4 drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Oct 4 17:50 ..
0 drwxrwxrwx 2 root root 0 Oct 5 10:23 D00200L5

4. Make a note of the volume names of the LTFS tape cartridges that are mounted. In this
example, we have three LTO5 tapes in use. Each directory represents one LTFS tape
cartridge.
5. Log out and then log on as dmae.
6. Start LTFS SM by using the dmae start command (Example 3-68 on page 235).
Example 3-62 Starting LTFS SM

# dmae start
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager:
Clearing application database... [ Done ]
Backing up log files...tar: Removing leading `/' from member names
[ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager quota daemon... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager CommandExec daemon on port 9999... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager status daemon... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager batch daemon... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager LtfsHousekeeping daemon... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager XML-RPC server... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager ECSI on port 9090 ... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager watchdog... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager web applications server... [ Done ]
Starting all IBM LTFS Storage Manager agents...
End of starting all agents... [ Done ]
7. Log on to the web GUI (for more details, see 3.5, “WebClients” on page 268) as dmae.
8. Click Essence Viewer.
9. Click the Tapes tab. Confirm that you can see the library manager, library, and pools that
were set up during the installation.
10.Click the Templates tab and click OK to the right of Admin Bulk Import LTFS Media.

11.Complete the template as shown in Figure 3-6. In the Name of Tapes to import field, type
a comma-separated list of tapes (from step 3 on page 229) to be imported into
LTFS SM. You can enter a maximum of 20 tapes per job. In the Name of Pool to add tape
to field, type the name of a pool (poola or poolb) that you defined during the installation.
Figure 3-6 LTFS SM bulk import template
12.Click Send to run the job. The length of time that is required to run the job depends on the
number of tapes to be imported and the number of files on each tape.
13.You are presented with a new dialog box (Figure 3-7) that shows the progress of the job
and the job steps.
Figure 3-7 LTFS SM bulk import status

14.At the successful completion of the job, click the Tapes tab in the Essence Viewer and
confirm that all LTFS tapes are imported. If errors occur during any step of the job, click
Error Details to view them.
15.The installation and initial configuration of LTFS SM are complete.
3.2.3 Further configuration

Use the LTFS SM admin tool to configure the LTFS SM environment to perform jobs. The
LTFS SM admin tool can be used to perform the following actions:
򐂰 Add, delete, update, or list drives, tapes, and pools
򐂰 Add, delete, or list drive groups
򐂰 List both libraries and library managers
Running the LTFS SM admin tool

The following command shows how to run the LTFS SM admin tool:
java com.ibm.tools.LtfsSmAdmin --password <password> <command> <possible options
and parameters>
For more information, see these examples:

򐂰 Example 3-63
򐂰 Example 3-64
򐂰 Example 3-65 on page 233
Tip: You must be logged in as dmae to run these commands. The password, which is
indicated by asterisks (*****) in Example 3-63, is the dmae password that you set during the
installation.
Example 3-63 List all pools

dmae@hanachan1c0:~/manager/bin> java com.ibm.tools.LtfsSmAdmin --listPool
--password *****
POOL_ID, LIBRARIES_LIBRARY_ID, POOL_NAME, TAPE_COUNT, POOL_TYPE, RULE_PLACEMENT,
RULE_ACCESS, SPREAD_TAPE_FRAME, MAX_FREE_SPACE, MIN_FREE_SPACE, TAPE_TYPE,
LAST_MODIFIED, CREATION_TIMESTAMP
1, 1, poola, 1, ltfs, none,
none, 0, 0, 0, 8, 2012-10-04
18:01:30.071798, 2012-10-04 18:01:30.071798
2, 1, poolb, 0, ltfs, none,
none, 0, 0, 0, 8, 2012-10-04
18:01:43.596081, 2012-10-04 18:01:43.596081
Example 3-64 List tapes

dmae@hanachan1c0:~/manager/bin> java com.ibm.tools.LtfsSmAdmin --listTape
--password *****
TAPE_ID, POOLS_POOL_ID, TAPE_FORMAT, TAPE_TYPE, CAPACITY_TOTAL,
CAPACITY_USED_PHYSICAL, CAPACITY_USED_LOGICAL, BLOCK_SIZE, OFFSITE_LOCATION,
LIBRARY_LOCATION, LIBRARY_SLOT, DRIVE_SN, DRIVE_HOST, LIBRARY_STATUS,
LAST_LIBRARY_INVENTORY, STATE, STATE_TIMESTAMP, LAST_AUDIT,

D00200L5, 1, ltfs, 8, 1424999055360,
0, 0, 1048576, , 3,
256, 1068000264, hanachan1c0, 0, 2012-10-05 11:14:40.983566, 0,
2012-10-04 18:07:19.908745, , 2012-10-04 18:07:19.908745, 2012-10-04
18:07:19.908745
Example 3-65 List library

dmae@hanachan1c0:~/manager/bin> java com.ibm.tools.LtfsSmAdmin --listLibrary
--password *****
LIBRARY_ID, LIBRARY_NAME, LIBRARY_TYPE, TAPE_COUNT, DRIVE_COUNT,
1, ltfs, lto5, 4, 2, 2012-10-04
18:00:37.021972, 2012-10-04 17:59:45.874994
Example 3-66 List drives

dmae@hanachan1c0:~/manager/bin> java com.ibm.tools.LtfsSmAdmin --listDrive
--password *****
DRIVE_ID, LIBRARIES_LIBRARY_ID, DRIVE_GROUP_ID, TAPES_TAPE_ID, IN_USE_BY_ORG_UNIT,
IN_USE_BY_LIBRARY_MANAGER, STATE, STATE_TIMESTAMP, SIZE_OF_OPERATION,
ENABLED, TAPE_TYPE
1, 1, 1, , ,
, 0, 2012-10-04 18:07:19.926327, , 1, 8
2, 1, 1, , ,
, 0, 2012-10-04 18:00:36.94228, , 1, 8
Example 3-67 Add a tape to the pool

dmae@hanachan1c0:~/manager/bin> java com.ibm.tools.LtfsSmAdmin --addTape --tape
D00346L5 --pool poolb --password *****
Adding tape 'D00346L5' to pool 'poolb'
o Insert successful
o Update successful
o Update successful
LTFS SM admin tool commands

You can use the following commands with the LTFS SM admin tool:
--addDrive Adds a drive. (LibraryName and tapeType must also be defined.)
--addDriveGroup Adds a drive group. (Drive, driveGroup, libraryName, and
libraryManagerName must also be defined.)
--addPool Adds a pool. (Pool, libraryName, rulePlacement, and tapeType must
also be defined.)
--addTape Adds a tape. (Tape and pool must also be defined.)
--database <database name>
Optional command. Admira is used as the default database name.
--deleteDrive Deletes a drive. (Drive must also be defined.)
--deleteDriveGroup Deletes a drive group. (DriveGroup must also be defined.)
--deletePool Deletes a pool. (Pool must also be defined.)
--deleteTape Deletes a tape. (Tape must also be defined.)
--drive <Drive ID> Required with deleteDrive or addDriveGroup.

--driveGroup <Drive Group ID>
Required with addDriveGroup or deleteDriveGroup.
--enabled <Integer: Enabled Value>
Required with updateDrive.
--host <hostname> This command is optional. The default is Localhost.
--libraryManagerName <Library Manager Name>
Required with addDriveGroup.
--libraryName <Library Name>
Required with addDrive, addPool, or addDriveGroup.
--listDrive Displays drive information. (Drive can be defined.)
--listDriveGroup Displays drive group information. (DriveGroup can be defined.)
--listLibrary Displays library information. (LibraryName can be defined.)
--listLibraryManager
Displays library manager information. (LibraryManagerName can be
defined.)
--listPool Displays pool information. (Pool can be defined.)
--listTape Displays tape information. (Tape can be defined.)
--password <password>
This command is required.
--pool <Pool Name> This command is required with addPool, deletePool, updatePool,
addTape, or updateTape.
--port <Integer: database port>
This command is optional. The default is 50000.
--rulePlacement <Rule Placement>
This command is required with addPool. This command is optional
with updatePool. (Only spread, range, or none is valid.)
--spreadTapeFrame <Integer: Spread Tape Frame>
This command is required with addPool when rulePlacement is
spread. This command is optional with updatePool.
--tape <Tape Volume>
This command is required with addTape, deleteTape, or updateTape.
--tapeType <Integer: Tape Type>
This command is required with addPool or addDrive. (Only 8 for LTO or
9 for TS1140 is valid.)
--updateDrive Updates a drive’s information. (Drive and enable must be defined.)
--updatePool Updates a pool’s information. (Pool and either rule placement or
spread tape frame must also be defined.)
--updateTape Updates a tape’s information. (Tape and pool must also be defined.)
--username <username>
This command is optional. The default is dmae.
--version Shows the current version.

LTFS SM control
Follow these steps to start LTFS SM:
1. Log on as dmae.
2. Run dmae start (Example 3-68).
Example 3-68 Start LTFS SM

dmae@hanachan1c0:~/manager/bin> dmae start
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager:
Backing up log files...tar: Removing leading `/' from member names
[ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager quota daemon... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager CommandExec daemon on port 9999... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager status daemon... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager batch daemon... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager LtfsHousekeeping daemon... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager XML-RPC server... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager ECSI on port 9090 ... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager watchdog... [ Done ]
Starting IBM LTFS Storage Manager web applications server... [ Done ]
Starting all IBM LTFS Storage Manager agents...
End of starting all agents... [ Done ]
Follow these steps to stop LTFS SM:

1. Log on as dmae.
2. Run dmae stop (Example 3-69).
Example 3-69 Stop LTFS SM

dmae@hanachan1c0:~/manager/bin> dmae stop
Stopping IBM LTFS Storage Manager:
Stopping IBM LTFS Storage Manager agents...
Stopping all running agents...
Stopping agent controllers...
Controller ID Base_Bundle found on host hanachan1c0, executing action exit...
Successfully executed action.
Controller ID LTFS_Bundle found on host hanachan1c0, executing action exit...
Controller ID Management_Bundle found on host hanachan1c0, executing action
exit...
Controller ID Transfer_Bundle found on host hanachan1c0, executing action exit...
Stopping remaining agents...
[ Done ]
Stopping IBM LTFS Storage Manager web applications server... [ Done ]
Stopping IBM LTFS Storage Manager watchdog... [ Done ]
Stopping IBM LTFS Storage Manager ECSI on port 9090... [ Done ]
Stopping IBM LTFS Storage Manager XML-RPC server... [ Done ]
Stopping IBM LTFS Storage Manager LtfsHousekeeping daemon... [ Done ]
Stopping IBM LTFS Storage Manager batch daemon... [ Done ]
Stopping IBM LTFS Storage Manager status daemon... [ Done ]
Stopping IBM LTFS Storage Manager CommandExec daemon... [ Done ]

Stopping IBM LTFS Storage Manager quota daemon... [ Done ]
Follow these steps to check the status of LTFS SM:

1. Log on as dmae.
2. Run dmae status (Example 3-70).
Example 3-70 Verify status of LTFS SM

dmae@hanachan1c0:~/manager/bin> dmae status
Status of the IBM LTFS Storage Manager...
Querying status of IBM LTFS Storage Manager agents...
CONTROLLER ID: Base_Bundle LOCATION: hanachan1c0 ON PORT: 7100 IS
DISPATCHER: false
Agents: ID Type State Working
Job ID Step name
28 access IDLE 0 0
31 release IDLE 0 0
35 metadata IDLE 0 0
38 metadata_verify IDLE 0 0
41 notify IDLE 0 0
44 mediainfo IDLE 0 0
47 add_to_cache IDLE 0 0
50 modify_description IDLE 0 0
53 nop IDLE 0 0
54 callback IDLE 0 0
CONTROLLER ID: LTFS_Bundle LOCATION: hanachan1c0 ON PORT: 7101 IS

DISPATCHER: false
Job ID Step name
29 put_to_ltfs IDLE 0 0
33 get_from_ltfs IDLE 0 0
37 ltfs_tape_admin IDLE 0 0
40 delete IDLE 0 0
43 mxf_partial_retrieve IDLE 0 0
46 mxf_unwrap IDLE 0 0
49 mxf_extract_metadata IDLE 0 0
52 external_command IDLE 0 0
CONTROLLER ID: Management_Bundle LOCATION: hanachan1c0 ON PORT: 7102 IS

DISPATCHER: false
Job ID Step name
30 end_of_job IDLE 0 0
34 admira_system IDLE 0 0
CONTROLLER ID: Transfer_Bundle LOCATION: hanachan1c0 ON PORT: 7103 IS

DISPATCHER: false
Job ID Step name
32 copy_to_cache IDLE 0 0
36 copy_from_cache IDLE 0 0
39 ftp IDLE 0 0
42 mxf_wrap IDLE 0 0

45 mxf_create_index IDLE 0 0
48 link_to_cache IDLE 0 0
51 link_from_cache IDLE 0 0
3.2.4 Uninstalling LTFS SM

Follow these steps to uninstall LTFS SM:
1. Log on as dmae. You cannot log on as root and then use su to switch to the dmae user to
perform this step.
2. Stop LTFS SM by running the # dmae stop command.
3. Log out as dmae.
Important: You must ensure that all dmae users are logged out of both the web GUI and
any terminal sessions before you continue. Otherwise, the uninstallation fails. The Linux
command w might be useful to confirm that dmae is not logged in.
4. Log on as root.
5. If necessary, change permissions on the uninstall script:
# chmod +x uninstall.sh
6. Run uninstall.sh, which is in the /bin directory of the expanded installation package.
For example, if you installed LTFS SM from
/tmp/IBM_LTFS_StorageManager_v1.1.0_install, run the following command as shown in
Example 3-71.
Example 3-71 Uninstallation of LTFS SM

# /tmp/IBM_LTFS_StorageManager_v1.1.0_install/bin/uninstall.sh
Assuming application home being [/home/dmae/manager] ...

===============================================================================
=
This program will uninstall IBM LTFS Storage Manager on this machine,
potentially including its dependencies, which were installed with the product.
It will erase the application directory /home/dmae/manager with all its

contents.
It will drop the application database, assuming database name admira.
It will uninstall Java SDK (assuming location /opt/java-sdk)
It will remove the system user dmae and group admira.
It will remove the system user db2fenc and group db2fadm.
It will remove the system user dasusr and group dasadm.
It will erase the directory /home/dmae with all its contents.
It will uninstall IBM DB2 (assuming location /opt/ibm/db2/dmae)
Please confirm that you want to proceed with uninstallation [y|N]: y

Performing uninstallation...
Loading user profile from /home/dmae
Stopping application IBM LTFS Storage Manager...
Restoring firewall configuration...
service: no such service iptables
Stopping database instance...

SQL1025N The database manager was not stopped because databases are still
active.
SQL4407W The DB2 Administration Server was stopped successfully.
Dropping database instance...
SQL4410W The DB2 Administration Server is not active.
DBI1070I Program dasdrop completed successfully.
SQL1064N DB2STOP processing was successful.
DB20000I The TERMINATE command completed successfully.
DBI1070I Program db2idrop completed successfully.
Removing users db2fenc, dasusr...

no crontab for db2fenc
no crontab for dasusr
Removing groups db2fadm, dasadm...
Uninstalling DB2...
DBI1016I Program db2_deinstall is performing uninstallation. Please wait.
The execution completed successfully.
For more information see the DB2 uninstallation log at

"/tmp/db2_deinstall.log.7679".
Uninstalling DB2 database manager instance service...
Uninstalling the application from /home/dmae/manager...
Removing watchfolder ...
Uninstalling service dmaed...
Uninstalling Java SDK by removing /opt/java-sdk
Removing user dmae...
no crontab for dmae
Removing group admira...
Removing temporary installer directory
Removing /home/dmae
Removing /opt/ibm/db2/dmae
7. If the uninstallation fails, rectify any reported issue, for example, the dmae user still exists,
and rerun the uninstall.sh script.
3.3 Managing LTFS SM

Several typical user scenarios that you might encounter while you use LTFS SM are
described.
3.3.1 Cartridge import and export

The following jobs (started via templates) are used to import or export media to or from LTFS
SM:
򐂰 Admin Import LTFS Media
This job is used to import LTFS cartridges to the file system. The job imports the cartridge
to the library, verifies the cartridge format, and imports the files to the database. This job is
used when tapes are known to LTFS LE but not to LTFS SM.

򐂰 Admin Fast LTFS Import
This job is the same as the Admin Import LTFS Media job except that it is used to perform
a fast import of LTFS cartridges to the file system without verifying them.
򐂰 Admin Bulk Import LTFS Media
This job is the same as the Admin Import LTFS Media job except that it can be used to
bulk import up to 20 LTFS cartridges to the file system.
򐂰 Admin Bulk Fast LTFS Import
This job is the same as the Admin Import LTFS Media job except that it can be used to fast
bulk import up to 20 LTFS cartridges to the file system without verifying them.
򐂰 Admin Export LTFS Media
This job is used to export a cartridge by using the I/O station in the library, including
changing the state of the cartridge in the database from "IN USE" to "OFFSITE". However,
the tape and its files continue to be tracked in the LTFS SM database. This option is useful
for moving tapes to a new location.
򐂰 Admin Bulk Export LTFS Media to Offline
This job is the same as the Admin Export LTFS Media job except that it can be used to
bulk export cartridges and can handle up to 10 cartridges per job run.
򐂰 Admin Remove LTFS Media from File System
This job is used to export a cartridge from the file system. This job includes a field to
indicate where the cartridge and any file that is associated with the medium are relocated.
This job changes the state of the cartridge in the database from "IN USE" to "REMOVED".
This job is used when a cartridge is moved offsite and cannot be accessed again without
physically retrieving the cartridge.
򐂰 Admin Bulk Remove LTFS Media from File System
This job is used to bulk export a group of cartridges from the file system. Up to 10
cartridges can be exported per job run. This job includes a field to indicate where the
group of cartridges and any files that are associated with the media are relocated. This job
changes the state of the cartridges in the database from "IN USE" to "REMOVED". This job is
used when a cartridge is moved offsite and cannot be accessed again without physically
retrieving the cartridge.
In addition to these templates, a related template assists with maintaining consistency

between the tapes and the database:
򐂰 LTFS Media Synchronize
This template synchronizes files on tapes with the database. This template is used when
tapes are known to both LTFS LE and LTFS SM but essences are out of sync between the
tapes and the database.
3.3.2 Archiving and restoring files

Before you can archive files to tape, you need to create scratch media in LTFS SM. The
Admin Import Scratch Media job is used to import a scratch cartridge to LTFS. The job
imports the media from the I/O station of the library into the library, formats the media, and
then adds the cartridge to the defined pool.
Archiving is the process of copying files from disk to LTFS tape. As with other job templates,
both a basic archive and an advanced archive are available. An advanced archive includes
setting pools for archive, setting the tape name, and setting deferred start times for the jobs.

Restoring files from tape can be accomplished by using either the basic or advanced
template. LTFS SM also supports the partial restore of media files, in particular, MXF files. If
you are only interested in the first 30 seconds of a video file, you can selectively restore this
part from tape by using LTFS SM.
3.3.3 Duplicating a file to another cartridge

With the “Sample Copy between pools/tapes” template, you can copy files between tapes or
between pools. You need to complete these fields:
򐂰 SOURCE_POOL
The name of the pool from which the file is restored. (Pools are on the Tapes tab). Specify
pool or tape, not both.
򐂰 SOURCE_TAPE
The name of the tape from which the file is restored. Specify pool or tape, not both.
򐂰 CACHE_FILENAME_IN
Optional: The name of the file in cache. The default is to use the source file name.
򐂰 TARGET_FILENAME_IN
Optional: The name of the target file. The default is to use the source file name.
򐂰 TARGET_POOL
The name of the pool in which the source file is archived. (Pools are on the Tapes tab).
Specify pool or tape, not both.
򐂰 TARGET_TAPE
The name of the tape on which the source file is written. Specify pool or tape, not both.
򐂰 ORGUNIT_IN
Optional: The Organization Unit for this file.
3.3.4 Watchdog folder

The watchdog (watchfolder daemon) observes one or more folders and their subfolders for
media files. It creates job descriptions for the LTFS SM from an XML template so that
complete job sessions for several files can be tested. The watchdog_config.xml configuration
file is required to configure the watchdog.
The watchdog offers the following features:

򐂰 Creation of new jobs as soon as there is a new file in a monitored folder
򐂰 Recognition of new files by using the following criteria:
– File size does not grow
– File is not in use by another process
򐂰 Definition of the jobs by job template in XML format
򐂰 Configuration by using the XML file
򐂰 Automatic substitution of changes in the configuration file during run time
򐂰 Monitoring of any number of folders
򐂰 Definition of several filters for file names and subdirectories for each folder. The exact
syntax depends on the job template that is used.

򐂰 Ability to split file names (by regular expression) and use them as variables by the job
templates
򐂰 Protocol of performed files in the watchdog_protocol database table
򐂰 Supported interfaces to LTFS SM for sending jobs are XML-ECI and ECSI
The default watchdog_config.xml file is preconfigured in the following way:

򐂰 rule1 (almost any file name can be recognized):
<regex>[a-zA-Z0-9_-]*.[a-zA-Z0-9_-]*</regex>
<regexdir></regexdir> Only files in local directory (that is,

/home/dmae/watchfolder)
<template>/home/dmae/manager/etc/templates-watchdog/
Basic_WD_Import.xsl</template>
A predefined job template Basic_WD_Import.xsl is started by the daemon:

򐂰 It is executed with a low priority.
򐂰 It performs these steps:
a. Copies the essence to cache
b. Analyzes the metadata of the essence
c. Puts the essence on the LTFS tape
d. Callback
The following commands can be used to start or stop the watchdog and to check the
watchdog status:
򐂰 To start the watchdog, enter the following command:
# dmae_watchdog start
򐂰 To stop the watchdog, enter the following command:
# dmae_watchdog stop
򐂰 To check the watchdog status, enter the following command:
# dmae_watchdog status
3.3.5 Job template examples

The following watchfolder test example shows how a file is processed if it is stored in the
watchfolder. We copied the test.txt file to the watchdog folder named
/home/dmae/watchfolder. Based on the job template watchdog_config.xml configuration, the
file is stored on tape and in the cache.
The example includes these steps:

1. The file is put in the watchdog folder:
# cp test.txt /home/dmae/watchfolder
# ls -l /home/dmae/watchfolder
# -rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 45 Oct 10 17:12 test.txt

2. The Watchdog Client detects the file in the folder and starts the job (Figure 3-8 and
Figure 3-9 on page 242).
Figure 3-8 Watchdog Client
Figure 3-9 Watchdog Client progress
3. You can monitor the job process via the Job Monitor Client (Figure 3-10).
Figure 3-10 Job Monitor Client step 1
4. If you click the job, you can see detailed information about the state of the job. See
Figure 3-11, Figure 3-12, Figure 3-13 on page 244, and Figure 3-14 on page 244.



5. Return to the Watchdog Client to view the job result (Figure 3-15).
Figure 3-15 Watchdog Client result
3.3.6 Customizing job templates

You can define your own job templates. This information is not a detailed reference about the
XSL/XSLT language and its syntax. A few easy-to-follow examples of how to modify some of
the templates that are supplied with LTFS SM are provided.
The LTFS SM job templates are in the /home/dmae/manager/etc/templates-ev folder. For the
list of predefined templates in LTFS SM, see Example 3-72.
Introduction
The job templates are written by using Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation
(XSLT). XSL is a language for creating style sheets. An XSL style sheet is a text file that
describes how to display an XML document of a certain type. In contrast, XSLT is a
transformation language for XSL. It was originally designed to perform complex style changes
to XML documents, such as the creation of a table of contents or an index. However, it is now
more commonly used as a general-purpose XML processing language. XSLT can be used for
other purposes, such generating HTML web pages from XML data or, in this case, running
jobs in LTFS SM. For more information, see http://www.w3.org.
Example 3-72 Predefined templates

# ls -l /home/dmae/manager/etc/templates-ev
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 7468 May 10 10:26 Admin_Bulk_Export_LTFS_Media.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 5562 May 10 10:26 Admin_Bulk_Fast_LTFS_Import.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 5602 May 10 10:26 Admin_Bulk_Import_LTFS_Media.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 5702 May 10 10:26 Admin_Bulk_Import_Scratch_Media.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 4690 May 10 10:26 Admin_Bulk_LTFS_Media_Synchronize.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 6738 May 10 10:26 Admin_Bulk_Remove_LTFS_Media.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 6795 May 10 10:26 Admin_Export_LTFS_Media.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 5069 May 10 10:26 Admin_Fast_LTFS_Import.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 5087 May 10 10:26 Admin_Import_LTFS_Media.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 5187 May 10 10:26 Admin_Import_Scratch_Media.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 4183 May 10 10:26 Admin_LTFS_Media_Synchronize.xsl

-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 6070 May 10 10:26 Admin_Remove_LTFS_Media.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 12642 May 10 10:26 Advanced_Archive.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 11632 May 10 10:26 Advanced_Restore.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 2550 May 10 10:26 Basic_Access.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 9709 May 10 10:26 Basic_Archive.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 3505 May 10 10:26 Basic_Delete.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 12355 May 10 10:26 Basic_PartialRestore.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 2915 May 10 10:26 Basic_Release.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 10498 May 10 10:26 Basic_Restore.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 2407 May 10 10:26 Sample_Access.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 3472 May 10 10:26 Sample_AddToCache.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 5546 May 10 10:26 Sample_CopyBetweenPools.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 2858 May 10 10:26 Sample_CopyFromCache.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 4023 May 10 10:26 Sample_CopyToCache.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 2383 May 10 10:26 Sample_Delete.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 3848 May 10 10:26 Sample_ExternalCommand.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 4133 May 10 10:26 Sample_FtpGet.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 3839 May 10 10:26 Sample_FtpPut.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 3557 May 10 10:26 Sample_GetFromLtfs.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 2861 May 10 10:26 Sample_LinkFromCache.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 4000 May 10 10:26 Sample_LinkToCache.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 4031 May 10 10:26 Sample_MediaInfo.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 2479 May 10 10:26 Sample_Metadata.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 2988 May 10 10:26 Sample_MetadataVerify.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 3198 May 10 10:26 Sample_ModifyDescription.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 3357 May 10 10:26 Sample_MxfExtractMetadata.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 3127 May 10 10:26 Sample_MxfUnwrap.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 3045 May 10 10:26 Sample_MxfWrap.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 1547 May 10 10:26 Sample_NoOperation.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 2287 May 10 10:26 Sample_Notify.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 3508 May 10 10:26 Sample_PutToLtfs.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 2772 May 10 10:26 Sample_Release.xsl
-rwxr-xr-x 1 dmae admira 1769 May 10 10:26 global_settings.xsl
The following default values are defined in the global_settings.xsl file that is shown in
Example 3-73:
򐂰 Organization Unit
򐂰 Cartridge Pool
򐂰 Start of Batch Job Time
򐂰 End of Batch Job Time
򐂰 Priorities of LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH, and CRITICAL
򐂰 TRANSLATE_SRC and TRANSLATE_DST are used in templates to change special
characters, such as the asterisk (*), question mark (?), semicolon (;), and quotation mark
('), in the job title to the underscore (_). Two functions are used in templates to get default
values.
Example 3-73 global_settings.xsl

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<xsl:stylesheet xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform" version="2.0"
xmlns:gs="global_settings.xsl">
<xsl:variable name="DEFAULT_ORGUNIT">ltfs</xsl:variable>
<xsl:variable name="DEFAULT_POOL">POOL_A</xsl:variable>
<xsl:variable name="BATCH_START">01:00:00</xsl:variable>
<xsl:variable name="BATCH_END">06:00:00</xsl:variable>

<xsl:variable name="PRIORITY_LOW">50</xsl:variable>
<xsl:variable name="PRIORITY_MEDIUM">100</xsl:variable>
<xsl:variable name="PRIORITY_HIGH">300</xsl:variable>
<xsl:variable name="PRIORITY_CRITICAL">900</xsl:variable>
<xsl:variable name="TRANSLATE_SRC">*?;"'</xsl:variable>
<xsl:variable name="TRANSLATE_DST">_____</xsl:variable>
<xsl:function name="gs:getPriorityValue">
<xsl:param name="PRIORITY_NAME"/>
<xsl:choose>
<xsl:when test="$PRIORITY_NAME='LOW'">
<xsl:value-of select="$PRIORITY_LOW"/>
</xsl:when>
<xsl:when test="$PRIORITY_NAME='MEDIUM'">
<xsl:value-of select="$PRIORITY_MEDIUM"/>
</xsl:when>
<xsl:when test="$PRIORITY_NAME='HIGH'">
<xsl:value-of select="$PRIORITY_HIGH"/>
</xsl:when>
<xsl:when test="$PRIORITY_NAME='CRITICAL'">
<xsl:value-of select="$PRIORITY_CRITICAL"/>
</xsl:when>
<xsl:otherwise>
1
</xsl:otherwise>
</xsl:choose>
</xsl:function>
<xsl:function name="gs:getValue">
<xsl:param name="VALUE"/>
<xsl:param name="DEFAULT"/>
<xsl:choose>
<xsl:when test="$VALUE!=''">
<xsl:value-of select="$VALUE"/>
</xsl:when>
The basic job template structure is shown in Figure 3-16 on page 248 and consists of a
comment section and the xsl:stylesheet section:
<mapping> (in comment)
- Web Interface Configuration
- <template>
- Information of this template
- <param>
- Set GUI for parameter inputs
- <group>, <input>
- labels and fields on GUI
<xsl:stylesheet>
- <xsl:import>, <xsl:output>
- leave them as is
- <xsl:template>
- Job Definition part
- Set parameters from Input to variables used in this template
- <job>
- Configure steps
- <step>

- Set step id and agent.
- Set parameters for the agent
Figure 3-16 Basic structure of a job template
How to archive a file to two tape cartridges

In this first example of creating a template, you modify the supplied Advanced_Archive.xsl
template to archive one file onto two cartridges. The required steps are described. You need
to perform all steps as the dmae user.
Because there is no syntax checker or debugger for XSL that is included with LTFS SM, make
only one modification to the template at a time. Confirm that the template is still valid by
viewing it in the Essence Viewer after each modification.
This example includes these changes:

򐂰 In the GUI, add a switch to prompt if a second copy is required.
򐂰 In the GUI, add two fields for the second target pool or tape.
򐂰 In the job, check whether the second copy switch is set to yes. If it is set to yes, add one
step to write the same file onto different cartridges.

Follow these steps:
1. Make a copy of Advanced_Archive.xsl by using the # cp Advanced_Archive.xsl
Advanced_Dual_Archive.xsl command.
2. By using a standard text editor, modify the <template></template> section (Figure 3-17) to
rename the template Advanced_Dual_Archive.xsl and include a modified Template Info
section.
Figure 3-17 Rename template
3. Open the Essence Viewer to confirm that you can read the new template (Figure 3-18).
Figure 3-18 Confirm that new template exists
4. Modify the <param></param> section to add a second group (Figure 3-19).
Figure 3-19 Add a Second Archive section to the template

5. Open the Essence Viewer to confirm that you can read the modified template
(Figure 3-20).
Figure 3-20 Confirm Second Archive section
6. Create an <input></input> section for TARGET_POOL and TARGET_TAPE in the newly

created group so that a user can enter a value for TARGET_POOL and TARGET_TAPE.
7. Duplicate the <select name=“hold” … section from the “Job parameters” group to this
group (Figure 3-21).
Figure 3-21 Add a target pool and tape to the template
8. Open the Essence Viewer to confirm that you can read the modified template
(Figure 3-22).
Figure 3-22 Confirm target pool and tape sections

9. Edit the description of each element to be more meaningful (Figure 3-23).
Figure 3-23 Edit the descriptions in the template
10.Open the Essence Viewer to confirm that you can read the modified template. Compare
the new descriptions in Figure 3-24 to the earlier descriptions in Figure 3-22 on page 250.
Figure 3-24 Confirm the new descriptions
11.Enter the following <xsl:param...> section to get parameters from the GUI user inputs
(Figure 3-25). Use the same name that you entered in the GUI configuration earlier.
Figure 3-25 Add new parameters to the template
12.Open the Essence Viewer to confirm that you can read the modified template.

13.The next modification to the template is to add a process to define the default value for the
second pool. When the second tape is not set, you need to assign the value of the second
pool or set a default value. The function gs:getValue, which is defined in
global_settings.xsl, can be used for this purpose. It returns a default value when its first
parameter is empty. For the XSL, see Figure 3-26.
Figure 3-26 GetValue function
14.The put_to_archive step needs to be copied so that a second archive is performed.

Duplicate the “put_to_archive” step and put it immediately after the “put_to_archive” step.
15.Add an if statement <xsl:if … > </xsl:if> to enable this step only when
$SECOND_ARCHIVE=‘yes’.
16.Change the id of step – in this example, the id is “put_to_second_archive”. Change the
parameters for Pool and Tape (Figure 3-27).
Figure 3-27 Put_to_second_archive step

18.Edit the “notify_job_status” step “predlist” parameter. This step waits for the completion of
the steps that are listed in the “predlist” parameter. When the second archive is executed,
this last step must wait for the completion of both steps: “put_to_archive” and
“put_to_second_archive” (Figure 3-28).
Figure 3-28 Changes to predlist
20.Now, we can try to run the new job templates. In this case, there is a global error in relation
to an undeclared variable (Figure 3-29).
Figure 3-29 Job template error message
21.Based on the error message, it seems that $TARGET_POOLS is not defined correctly. To
fix the error, remove one <xsl:if> and swap the order of <xsl:variable> and another <xsl:if>
as shown in Figure 3-30.
Figure 3-30 Fix error in template

22.If we try to run it again, it does not display an error. As shown in Figure 3-31, enter the
URL of the source file and the name of the file in the cache. Set the “Archive to Second
Tape” to yes. Click Send to start the job.
Figure 3-31 Complete the template

23.To check the status of the running job, open the Job Monitor Client, select the last job in
the list, right-click the job, and select Show Details (Figure 3-32).
Figure 3-32 Job Monitor Client details

24.In Figure 3-33 and Figure 3-34 on page 257, you can see the job details and confirm that
the file is archived to two tape cartridges.
Figure 3-33 Job Monitor Client - tape 1

Figure 3-34 Job Monitor Client - tape 2
How to set the name in the cache automatically

In this second example of creating a template, you modify the Advanced_Dual_Archive.xsl
template to automatically use the source file name as the name of the file in cache instead of
manually entering it. The ‘name in cache’ is stored in the parameter “TARGET_FILENAME”.
The required steps are described. Perform all steps as the dmae user.
This example adds a section to Advanced_Dual_Archive.xsl to create the

TARGET_FILENAME parameter automatically.

Follow these steps:
1. Use a standard text editor to open Advanced_Dual_Archive.xsl and remove the
TARGET_FILENAME input field from the GUI configuration section of the template
(Figure 3-35).
Figure 3-35 Remove TARGET_FILENAME input field
2. Move the definition of the TARGET_FILENAME parameter to before the <job> section as
shown in Figure 3-36.
Figure 3-36 Move TARGET_FILENAME parameter
3. Remove the entire section that checks for a blank $TARGET_NAME variable
(Figure 3-37).
Figure 3-37 Remove blank TARGET_FILENAME checking

4. Define the TARGET_FILENAME variable by creating it from $SOURCE_RESOURCE as
Figure 3-38 Define TARGET_FILENAME variable
5. Open the Essence Viewer to confirm that you can read the modified template.
6. Start the new job with this template (Figure 3-39). You are no longer prompted to enter the
name for the file in the cache. Click Send to run the job.
Figure 3-39 Modified job template

7. Check the result. Refer to Figure 3-40 and Figure 3-41 to confirm that the target_filename
in both the cache and on tape is set automatically.
Figure 3-40 Target_filename in cache
Figure 3-41 Target_filename on tape
How to add user-defined metadata to a file

In this third example of creating a template, you modify the Advanced_Dual_Archive.xsl
template to add user metadata to a file when it is archived to tape. LTFS SM can define
metadata for a file. However, you need to change both templates and the Essence Viewer to
enter and display this metadata. The required steps are described. Perform all steps as the
dmae user.
This third example adds a section to Advanced_Dual_Archive.xsl to display user-defined

metadata for a file.

Follow these steps:
1. Add a step for the metadata agent as shown in Figure 3-42. Use a standard text editor to
open Sample_Metadata.xsl and copy the step for metadata to before the put_to_archive
step in Advanced_Dual_Archive.xsl. Change the name of params/variables to the name
that is used in this template and add a “predlist” entry as shown in Figure 3-42.
Figure 3-42 Add metadata section
3. Modify the “predlist” parameter for the put_to_archive step so that it starts after the
metadata step (Figure 3-43).
Figure 3-43 Modify the predlist parameter
4. Put the user-defined metadata entry in the metadata step (Figure 3-42):
<properties id=“prop”>
param name=“subnote”><xsl:value-of select=“$subnote” /></param>
</properties>

6. Add a section for metadata input in the GUI by using the <group></group> tag
(Figure 3-44).
Figure 3-44 Metadata in GUI
7. Add a definition of the variable subnote to get it from the input parameter subnote_in
(Figure 3-45).
Figure 3-45 Add subnote parameter

9. Start the job to check the GUI (Figure 3-46).
Figure 3-46 Metadata job template
10.Confirm that the metadata information is visible in the Detail View from the Job Monitor
Client (Figure 3-47).
Figure 3-47 Confirm metadata in the job

11.Modify the Essence Viewer Configuration to display the new metadata. Use a standard
text editor to edit the file:
/home/dmae/manager/bin/web-app-server/webapps/EssenceViewer/WEB-INF/classes/str
uts/resources/ApplicationResources.properties
12.In the file, find the section for “variable metadata” and add the following line (Figure 3-48):
metadata.variable.subnote = Sub Note
Figure 3-48 ApplicationResources.properties file
13.Use a standard text editor to edit the file:

/home/dmae/manager/bin/web-app-server/webapps/EssenceViewer/WEB-INF/metadata.xml
14.In the file, add the following line as shown in Figure 3-49.
Figure 3-49 metadata.xml file
15.Stop and start the Web Service of LTFS SM by typing the following commands:
– dmae_web_server stop
– dmae_seb_server start

16.Use the Essence Viewer to check that the new metadata is available in the Search tab and
the Metainfos tab as shown in Figure 3-50.
Figure 3-50 Essence Viewer displaying metadata
3.4 Agents
The standards of distributed, scalable, and reliable systems require separate processes that
work on defined objectives. An agent performs a specific step of an LTFS SM job. For
example, an agent transcodes a file to another file format or stores media files on the tape
library. Each agent performs its specific task autonomously.
The LTFS SM agents consist of two parts: a general part that manages communication with
the LTFS SM server and a specific part for the actual function. The specific part of an agent is
either implemented by products that are available on the market or by code that is developed
by IBM.
Agents can be installed on different servers. They can be added and removed during the
ongoing operation of the entire system. Or, they can be monitored by using the LTFS Storage
Manager System Administration Client.

Figure 3-51 is a graphical overview of the agent process.
Figure 3-51 Data flow in the notify agent
Basic agents
To view a list and description of supported parameters, enter the following command for each
agent:
dmae_agent man <agent name>
The following agent names are available:

򐂰 access
This agent implements a write protection for one file (access) in the online cache, marking
files that are accessed by one or more users.
򐂰 add_to_cache
This agent adds a file that is already physically in the LTFS SM cache directory structure
to the LTFS SM database.
򐂰 callback
This agent returns the current job description in XML format, including the status of all
completed steps. This agent is required for the watchdog component.
򐂰 copy_from_cache
This agent transfers a media file from the LTFS SM cache to a file system.
򐂰 copy_to_cache
This agent transfers a media file from a file system to the LTFS SM cache.
򐂰 delete
This agent deletes all file instances from the tapes and from the LTFS SM disk cache.

򐂰 end_of_job
This agent returns the current job description in XML format, including the status of all
completed steps. This agent is required for the watchdog component.
򐂰 ftp
This agent defines the transfer of a file by using FTP from the LTFS SM server to the
destination host or vice versa.
򐂰 get_from_ltfs
This agent restores a file from the LTFS-managed tape library onto the LTFS SM disk
cache or to a mounted file system outside the cache.
򐂰 link_from_cache
This agent is analogous to copy_from_cache except that a hard link instead of a copy is
produced. This agent works only within one file system and is typically used to export a file
into a shared folder on the same file system.
򐂰 link_to_cache
This agent is analogous to copy_to_cache except that a hard link instead of a copy is
produced. This agent works only within one file system and is typically used in association
with watchfolders.
򐂰 ltfs_tape_admin
This agent is used to work directly with the ltfsadmintool for command-line systems
interface.
򐂰 mediainfo
This agent uses the MediaInfo open source software to provide easy access to technical
and tag information about video and audio files. The mediainfo agent adds additional
metadata information on top of the metadata that is provided by the metadata agent.
Mediainfo tool: The Mediainfo tool is not included in the LTFS SM distribution and
must be installed separately.
򐂰 metadata
This agent determines the technical metadata of a media file.
򐂰 metadata_verify
This agent verifies essence metadata.
򐂰 modify_description
This agent modifies essence properties in the LTFS SM database.
򐂰 nop
This agent performs no operation. It is used for testing purposes.
򐂰 notify
At job run time, this agent produces a message that can be sent to different types of
recipients. The message is created from the following sources:
– Job description with the current state of the job at the run time of the Notify Agent.
– Parameters for the Notify Agent are provided in the job step.
– Metadata of the essence as stored in the LTFS SM.

– An external ASCII file (for example, an XML, TXT, or CSV file)
This information is translated into any ASCII destination document (such as XML, TXT,
HTML, or PDF) with the help of a configurable XSLT style sheet.
The document can be exported by the following adapters:
• Write into the file system as a file
• Send as email
If the send is unsuccessful, an alternate target or an alternate send method can be
defined as a fallback.
򐂰 put_to_ltfs
This agent stores a file from an LTFS SM cache disk in the LTFS-managed tape library.
򐂰 release
This agent removes the access mark for a file in the cache.
Extended function agents

The following list includes the extended function agents:
򐂰 external_command
This agent employs a user-provided external command-line tool or script file as one of
the steps of an LTFS SM job. By using this agent, a user can process any modification
against the source file, including moving it from the LTFS SM cache to another location.
The user-provided tool that is used by the external_command agent is created and
prepared by any LTFS SM user. LTFS SM is responsible for providing the parameters and
the source file. LTFS SM is also responsible for handling the target file after the successful
completion of the tool. The behavior of the user-provided tool is out of the scope of LTFS
SM support.
򐂰 mxf_extract_metadata
This agent extracts the technical metadata that is contained in the binary material
exchange format (MXF) file to an XML file.
򐂰 mxf_partial_retrieve
This agent uses the MXF capability to partially restore a file based on the parameters that
are entered.
򐂰 mxf_wrap
This agent is used to wrap files that are associated with the different streams of coded
essences into an MXF container.
򐂰 mxf_unwrap
This agent is used to unwrap files that are associated with the different streams of coded
essences from an MXF container.
3.5 WebClients
The LTFS SM WebClients are started as Java Web Start applications from an Internet
browser. A web-based essence management interface can be used to search for essences in
LTFS SM and to perform jobs (actions) for these essences.
Specific user access rights are required in order to perform some web client functions.

To use the web clients, open a web browser and enter the following line:
http://<master node IP>:8080
The link is redirected to http://<master node IP>:8080/WebClients.
Figure 3-52 shows the IBM LTFS Storage Manager WebClients page.
Figure 3-52 LTFS Storage Manager WebClients page
3.5.1 3.5.1 Java Web Start

With Java Web Start software (JavaWS), you can launch applications via a web browser.
JavaWS applications, such as a fully featured word processor, can be run without going
through lengthy, complicated installation procedures. These applications differ from standard
Java applets on web pages. JavaWS applications do not run inside the browser but in a
separate environment. This design offers better performance, better security, and simpler
upgrade paths for the applications.
You can launch any of the LTFS SM WebClients by clicking the specific Client link on the web
page that is shown in Figure 3-52. The browser submits the URL to the LTFS SM web server.
The web server replies with a Java Network Launch Protocol (JNLP) file that is defined with
an XML schema. The JNLP file specifies the resources that are needed for the application.
The JNLP client, that is, the javaws program, then parses this XML file and requests the
specified resources, for example, .jar files. Then, the JNLP client waits for the retrieval of all
resources that are cached locally and launches the application. A requirement of using LTFS
SM is that your browser is configured to launch .jnlp files by using javaws. Similar to the way
that a web browser presents a web page to the user, a JNLP client presents a Java application
to the user.
Java Web Start software is installed as part of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) software.
Java Web Start software does not have a licensing cost. When you install Java, Java Web
Start is installed automatically.

Web browsers must be configured to use the Java Web Start program. For example, to
update the Firefox web browser to use the Java Web Start program, complete the following
steps:
1. In the web browser, click Tools  Options.
2. In the Options window, from the toolbar, click Applications.
3. Select the JNLP content type.
4. In the Action column for the JNLP content type, select Use Java WebStart Executable. If
Java WebStart Executable is not available, select Use other and click Browse.
5. Navigate to the Java Web Start program, javaws.exe, which is in the JRE directory.
6. In the bin directory, select the javaws.exe program and click Open.
7. In the Options window, click OK. The Java Web Start program and the JRE are now
configured for use with launched tasks.
8. For more information about JavaWS, see these websites:
– http://java.com/en/download/faq/java_webstart.xml
– http://www.oracle.com
3.5.2 Essence Viewer

The Essence Viewer has a menu bar with six tabs:
򐂰 Browse
򐂰 Search
򐂰 Results
򐂰 Metainfos
򐂰 Templates
򐂰 Tapes
When the Browser tab is selected, a navigation tree displays on the left. On the right, all
essences in the selected navigation folder are displayed. From this browser, you can obtain
additional information about each essence. In addition to browsing the archive, the Search
tab of the Essence Viewer can be used to search for files based on selected metadata fields.

Figure 3-53 shows the Login to the Essence Viewer.
Figure 3-53 LTFS Storage Manager Essence Viewer Login window
In Figure 3-53, for the user name, type dmae. Type the password that you defined during the
installation.
Browser tab
Use the navigation tree to browse through the directory structure. Information is available
about the library and the tapes and their content (Figure 3-54).
Figure 3-54 Browser tab

Search tab
You can search the database for an essence (Figure 3-55).
Figure 3-55 Search tab

Results tab
You can show results from the last search (Figure 3-56).
Figure 3-56 Results tab

Metainfos tab
Use the Metainfos tab to browse detailed information about an essence.
Figure 3-57 shows variable metadata.
Figure 3-57 Metainfos tab - variable

Figure 3-58 shows technical metadata.
Figure 3-58 Metainfos tab - technical

Figure 3-59 shows instances.
Figure 3-59 Metainfos tab - instances
Media files: LTFS SM supports media files, particularly MXF files with metadata extraction
and partial file restore.
Figure 3-60 and Figure 3-61 on page 277 show instances on tape.
Figure 3-60 Metainfos tab

Figure 3-61 Metainfos tab

Templates tab
The Templates tab of the Essence Viewer provides a list of predefined templates that can be
used to run a specified job (Figure 3-62). You can also create your own job template.
Figure 3-62 Templates tab
Templates tab: A user can open the .xml file of a template by selecting the template name.
To run a template, the user selects OK next to the corresponding template.
A template can be used only if the logged-in user is named in the .xml source file for the
template.

Running a template
To run a template, you select the job and tape parameters. Figure 3-63 shows how to run a
template job.
Figure 3-63 Example job template

Start the job by clicking Send. The job overview window opens and displays the job state as
Figure 3-64 Job status
The Job overview window shows the result (Figure 3-65).
Figure 3-65 Job result

Tapes tab
The Tapes tab shows detailed information about each pool and the tapes that are in each pool
(Figure 3-66 and Figure 3-67).
Figure 3-66 Tapes tab
Tape content: Users cannot display the tape content from the Tapes tab window. The tape
content is only available on the Browser tab.
Figure 3-67 Tapes tab - details

3.5.3 System Administration Client
Use the System Administration Client to view the agent status, the batch processing, user
state, and system errors. Figure 3-68 shows how to log on to the System Administration
Client.
Figure 3-68 System Administration Client login

Figure 3-69 shows an overview of the System Administration Client.
Figure 3-69 System Administration Client
On the window that is shown in Figure 3-69, to view the system errors, select Actions 
Show Error Log. Figure 3-70 shows the Error Log window that opens.
Figure 3-70 Error Log view
3.5.4 Job Monitor Client

Use the Job Monitor Client to monitor the status of jobs, cancel jobs, restart jobs, and change
job priority. If there is a failed job, this client also enables the analysis of the error messages.

Figure 3-71 shows you how to log on to the Job Monitor Client.
Figure 3-71 Job Monitor Client login

Figure 3-72 and Figure 3-73 on page 286 show a view of the Job Monitor Client window. The
menu bar on this client has three options:
򐂰 Logon/Logoff, Actions, and Info. The Logon/Logoff menu enables the user to log on to or
log off from an LTFS SM database. You can use the Logon/Logoff menu to close the
database connection and the Job Monitor Client.
򐂰 The Actions menu enables the user to select any of the following general actions: Show
error log, Select jobs, and Search. The Show error log option displays the LTFS SM error
log. Selected items can be copied (Ctrl+C) and pasted (Ctrl+V) into external programs.
The Select jobs option opens the Job selection window with the following three options:
Select job offset, Select job range, and Select all jobs. The Search option opens a search
window where a search term can be entered.
򐂰 The Info menu enables the user to access product information, such as the application
version.
Figure 3-72 Job Monitor Client
To view details about a job, select them and double-click to open the detailed view.

Figure 3-73 Job Monitor Client

Figure 3-74 shows you the details of a selected job.
Figure 3-74 Job Monitor Client details
In addition to the menu bar options, you can right-click specific jobs to display a menu of
actions. Each job displays its status. The following list presents possible job status:
򐂰 Startable
򐂰 Runnable
򐂰 Running
򐂰 Finished OK
򐂰 Cancelled
򐂰 Finished with errors
Depending on the status of the selected job, some of the following actions are available:
򐂰 Start
򐂰 Cancel
򐂰 Delete
򐂰 Restart
򐂰 Restart & Delete
򐂰 Edit job priority

򐂰 Show details
򐂰 Show error log
򐂰 Select All
򐂰 Deselect
򐂰 Autosize Columns
򐂰 Refresh
All jobs stay in the database until they are explicitly removed by the user action Delete.
3.5.5 Watchdog Client

The watchdog folder automatically imports files. The Watchdog Client monitors these imports.
With the Watchdog Client, the user can control the types of files that are recognized when the
files are imported.
The Watchdog Client monitors the watchdog folder and shows the current state of the files in
the system. Figure 3-75 shows you how to log on to the WatchDog Client.
Figure 3-75 Watchdog client login

Use the Actions menu (Figure 3-76) to select files, perform file actions, and display errors.
The following options can be selected from the Actions menu:
򐂰 Show errors
򐂰 File selection
򐂰 Set all recognizable
򐂰 Set selected recognizable
򐂰 Remove
򐂰 Search
Figure 3-76 Watchdog Client Actions menu
3.6 Log collection for failure analysis

The /home/dmae/manager/bin/storage_manager_getlogs.sh shell script command can be
used with the -p parameter and a password to collect complete log data about LTFS SM. See
Example 3-74 and Example 3-75 on page 290.
User: The user must be logged in as dmae.
The following list shows the default collection:

򐂰 All errors in the rolling log files
򐂰 Last 24 hours of logged information
򐂰 LTFS LE logs from the local system
򐂰 The most recent tape drive dump from the local system that is attached to LTFS LE
With the tool, you can set the length of time for data collection. This information is put in the
storage_manager_logset_<date>_<time>.tar.bz tar file and stored in the /tmp/directory.
The information can be used by local administrators or sent to IBM support.
Example 3-74 Script parameters

dmae@hanachan1c0:~/manager/bin> /home/dmae/manager/bin/storage_manager_getlogs.sh
-h
Usage: /home/dmae/manager/bin/storage_manager_getlogs.sh [-v] [-d timeLimitInDays]

[-h timeLimitInHours] [-u user] [-p password] [-b database] [-n hostname] [-o
port]
-v: Enable verbose for extra information during log gathering. Verbose
can be disabled, set to level 1 for minimal log gathering progress,
or set to level 2 for full file by file log gathering progress. To set

verbose level 1, specify the -v option once. To set verbose level 2,
specify the -v option twice. By default, verbose is disabled.
-d -h: timeLimitInDays and timeLimitInHours are combined to specify how
many days and hours to search back when gathering logs. If both -d
and -h are unspecified, timeLimitInDays will default to 1 and
timeLimitInHours will default to 0. If only one of the two options is
specified, the other will default to 0.
The following options are used with the to get the Storage Manager Table Log in
this format:
java com.ibm.tools.LtfsSmAdmin [--user <user>] --password <password>
[--database <database>] [--host <hostname>] [--port <port>]
Each option, except password, has a default value and is optional.
-u: user specifies the username to use when running the LTFS Storage
Manager Admin tool, ltfs_sm_admin.jar, to help gather logs. If
unspecified, the default username for the Admin tool will be used.
-p: password specifies the password to use when running the LTFS Storage
Manager Admin tool, ltfs_sm_admin.jar, to help gather logs. There is
no default password.
-b: database specifies the name of the database to use when running the
LTFS Storage Manager Admin tool, ltfs_sm_admin.jar, to help gather
logs. If unspecified, the default database name for the Admin tool
will be used.
-n: hostname specifies the hostname to use when running the LTFS Storage
unspecified, the default hostname for the Admin tool will be used.
-o: port specifies the database port to use when running the LTFS Storage
unspecified, the default port for the Admin tool will be used.
Example 3-75 Script usage

dmae@hanachan1c0:~/manager/bin> /home/dmae/manager/bin/storage_manager_getlogs.sh
-v -p admin
Verbose level increased to 1
Retrieving LTFS Storage Manager logs within the past 1 days and 0 hours...
Time Limit Timestamp: 2012-10-04_14:14:23
Gathering logs...
Building Error Log and gathering all Storage Manager logs within time limit...
Finished gathering Storage Manager logs
Sorting error log...
Finished building Error Log
Gathering all drive dumps within time limit...
Finished gathering drive dumps
Building Storage Manager Tables Log...
Finished building Storage Manager Tables Log
Building Storage Manager Status Log...
Finished building Storage Manager Status Log
Gathering all LTFS LE logs within time limit...
Cannot find LTFS LE log
Compressing 74 files into /tmp/storage_manager_logset_20121005_141423.tar.bz:

/tmp/storage_manager_logset_20121005_141423.tar.bz file size: 2769 KB

Related publications
The publications listed in this section are considered particularly suitable for a more detailed
discussion of the topics covered in this book.
IBM Redbooks
The following IBM Redbooks publications provide additional information about the topic in this
document. Note that some publications referenced in this list might be available in softcopy
only.
򐂰 IBM System Storage Tape Library Guide for Open Systems, SG24-5946
򐂰 IBM System Storage TS3100 and TS3200 Tape Libraries, TIPS-8032
򐂰 IBM System Storage TS2900 Tape Autoloader, TIPS-8033
You can search for, view, download or order these documents and other Redbooks,
Redpapers, Web Docs, draft and additional materials, at the following website:
http://www.ibm.com/redbooks
Online resources
These websites are also relevant as further information sources:
򐂰 IBM Linear Tape File System Support
http://www.ibm.com/systems/storage/tape/ltfs/index.html
򐂰 IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition Information Center
򐂰 IBM Linear Tape File System Library Edition Information Center
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/ltfsle/cust/index.jsp
򐂰 IBM Linear Tape File System Storage Manager Information Center
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/ltfssm/cust/index.jsp
򐂰 IBM Linear Tape File System Format Specification
http://www.trustlto.com/LTFS_Format_To%20Print.pdf
򐂰 Linear Tape-Option Program
http://www.lto.org/technology/ltfs.html
򐂰 Awards
http://www.emmys.tv/news/2011/watch-2011-engineering-emmys
򐂰 Troubleshooting problems with the IBM Linear Tape File System Library Edition:
http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/ltfsle/cust/topic/com.ibm.storage.hollywood.d
oc/ltfs_managing_troubleshooting_library_edition.html

Help from IBM
IBM Support and downloads
http://www.ibm.com/support
IBM Global Services

http://www.ibm.com/services

IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration
(0.5” spine)
0.475”<->0.873”
250 <-> 459 pages
IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration
Back cover ®

Learn why IBM Linear The IBM Linear Tape File System (LTFS) is the first file system that works in
conjunction with Linear Tape-Open (LTO) tape technology to set a new INTERNATIONAL
Tape File System is an
standard for ease of use and portability for open systems tape storage. In TECHNICAL
award winner 2011, LTFS won an Engineering Emmy Award for Innovation from the Academy SUPPORT
of Television Arts & Sciences.
ORGANIZATION
Explore the new
This IBM Redbooks publication helps you install, tailor, and configure the new
Linear Tape File IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition (LTFS SDE), Library Edition
System Storage (LTFS LE), and Storage Manager (LTFS SM).
Manager
LTFS is a file system that is implemented on dual-partition linear tape (IBM LTO
Ultrium 5 tape drives (LTO-5), IBM LTO Ultrium 6 tape drives (LTO-6), and IBM
BUILDING TECHNICAL
Drag and drop with TS1140 tape drives). LTFS makes tape look and work like any removable
INFORMATION BASED ON
media, for example, a USB drive. Files and directories appear on the desktop PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
Linear Tape File
as a directory listing. It is now simple to drag files to and from tape. Any
System SDE and LE application that is written to use disk files works with the same files on tape. IBM Redbooks are developed
LTFS SDE supports stand-alone drives only. LTFS LE supports tape libraries. by the IBM International
LTFS LE presents each cartridge in the library as a subdirectory in the LTFS file Technical Support
system. With LTFS LE, you can list the contents and search all of the volumes in Organization. Experts from
the library without mounting the volumes by using an in-memory index. IBM, Customers and Partners
from around the world create
The LTFS SM software solution provides storage lifecycle management of timely technical information
archive files. Although both the LTFS SDE and the LTFS LE can write data on based on realistic scenarios.
tape, LTFS SM provides the interface to manage files of all types in a file Specific recommendations
system structure. This file system structure makes the control of the tape are provided to help you
library transparent to the user. implement IT solutions more
effectively in your
This publication is intended for anyone who wants to understand more about environment.
IBM Linear Tape System products and their implementation. This book is
suitable for IBM clients, IBM Business Partners, IBM specialist sales
representatives, and technical specialists.
For more information:
ibm.com/redbooks
SG24-8090-00 ISBN 0738437751

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Front cover

IBM Linear Tape File System

Learn why IBM Linear Tape File System

Explore the new Linear Tape File

Drag and drop with Linear

IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and

First Edition (February 2013)

© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2013. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1. IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2013. All rights reserved. iii

Chapter 2. IBM Linear Tape File System Library Edition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Chapter 3. IBM Linear Tape File System Storage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

iv IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration

Related publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2013. All rights reserved. vii

The following terms are trademarks of other companies:

viii IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration

The team who wrote this book

Larry Coyne is a Project Leader at the International Technical

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2013. All rights reserved. ix

Simon Browne is a Technical Solutions Architect from IBM GTS in

Chris Hoffmann is an IBM Tivoli Storage Manager Storage

Leticia Munoz is an IBM System Storage Technical Sales

Markus Schaefer is an IBM Senior Accredited IT Specialist at the

x IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration

Now you can become a published author, too!

Stay connected to IBM Redbooks

xii IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration

Chapter 1. IBM Linear Tape File System

The following topics are included:

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2013. All rights reserved. 1

2 IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration

1.1.1 Downloading LTFS

To download the latest version of LTFS, follow these steps:

Chapter 1. IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition 3

Table 1-1 Media version compatibility

1.0.1 or older for Linux and OS X Read/Write Cannot be mounted1

1.1.0 for Windows Read/Write Cannot be mounted1

1.2.0 or later Read/Write2 Read/Write

1.1.3 Tape partitions

4 IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration

Chapter 1. IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition 5

Figure 1-2 A simple LTFS volume

6 IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration

Data placement policy

1.1.5 Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE)

Chapter 1. IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition 7

1.1.6 XML schema

8 IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration

Example 1-2 Format of an LTFS tape label

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>

Example of recording the LTFS XML schemas

The recording of the LTFS XML schemas follows these steps:

Chapter 1. IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition 9

10 IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration

Figure 1-7 LTFS volume gets unmounted

Chapter 1. IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition 11

6. The LTFS tape is unmounted and can be physically removed.

Example 1-3 Viewing the index by using ITDT

Changing to partition 0...

Example 1-4 Index partition XML schema

12 IBM Linear Tape File System Installation and Configuration

Chapter 1. IBM Linear Tape File System Single Drive Edition 13