Creating a Virtual Library Device

An alternative to using a physical device, you can specify a location on a hard drive or network share to serve as a backup target – a Virtual Library Device.

To create a Virtual Library Device:

1. Launch the Yosemite Server Backup Administrator. On the Tasks page, select Create Virtual Library.
2. In the New Virtual Library Device window, select the machine that will host the Virtual Library Device. You can click the arrow to select a different device.
3. Provide an intuitive, unique Name for this Virtual Library Device, then click OK.
   The Properties of <the Virtual Library Device Name you just created> window appears.

4. In the Properties window, notice the Storage Folder Options. A default folder is created, which includes d2d in the path. This type of directory is not generally used for Virtual Library Devices. Rather, Virtual Library Devices usually point to a network share or an alternate drive from the system drive on the hosting machine. In this example, we will configure a directory on the root C on the local machine.

   Compressed, deduplicated, or encrypted volumes are unsuitable for use as Virtual Library Device storage targets.

   
   

5. Create a new directory at the location of your choice, with a suitable name (e.g., Virtual Library Device). You will now add that directory to the Storage Folder Options list.
6. Back in the Properties window, click Add. 

7. In the Storage Folder dialog, click the search button to locate the Virtual Library Device folder you just created. Click OK to specify that folder. 

8. Click Test to ensure that the system was able to locate the folder.

   If your storage target is a network share, or another location requiring authentication, the Username and Password fields will be editable and you can add credentials there. Click Test to ensure the credentials work properly. Note that only SMB/FIFS shares are supported.

9. In the Capacity field, specify the maximum capacity for this storage target. Make sure to specify a Capacity that is smaller than the physical capacity of the device. Click OK.
10. On the Properties page, ensure that this new device name appears in the list. Then you can delete the default folder with the d2d in its path. Select that folder, then click Delete.
11. Consider this virtual device to be like a tape storage device, with multiple drives and storage slots. On the Properties page, below the folder paths, specify the number of Drives and Storage Slots for this Virtual Library Device. For example, you might choose to specify 2 drives and 24 slots. Click Apply, then click OK.

To locate your device, in the Yosemite Server Backup Administrator, select Devices. Drill down from Network to find the host machine you specified, its Devices directory, and the Virtual Library Device you created. Within that Virtual Library Device, you can see the Devices and Storage Slots you specified. Notice that before you use the slots, their Element Status starts as Invalid. Once you run a job using this target, the element status will no longer be Invalid.