optimal block - buffer settings for 110T SDLT

Question

I have been looking for information on ideal settings for the configuration of the Block Size, Buffer Size, Buffer Count and High Water Count for my PowerVault 110T SDLT drive in Backup Exec 9.1.  I assume that the BE default settings are not optimal. The BE help file offers: Some devices (for example, DLT drives) provide better performance when larger block sizes are used. The preferred block size can range from 512 bytes to 64 kilobytes. Backup Exec does not ensure that the requested block size is in fact supported by that drive. You should check the drive specifications to make sure that the block size is supported. If the drive does not support a block size, it will default to its standard block size. If the drive does not support block size configuration, this option is unavailable. Where would I be able to find these specific drive specifications?  The specs I found on the Dell site did not provide this information. Any information would be appreciated. PV 110T SDLT (firmware 4949) installed in a PE 2400 using an Adaptec 3960D (driver 5.0.2195.6717) running Windows 2000 (fully patched) and Backup Exec 9.1 with latest service packRoss

dell-richard g · Answer

The PV110T SDLT is made by Quantum. Such information is always in the hardware specification of the drive. However, if a ta[e drives has been certified with a tape software, the settings should already be optimized. Although Backup Exec has messages indicating that the settings may not be optimized, I have never seen a case where it wasn't. I would trust the Backup Exec settings. (Make sure you have the latest Veritas Backup Exec device driver installer from the Veritas website).

The default block size for this drive is either 32K or 64K.

PowerVault

Was this post helpful?