vtl-appliance/dist/adastra-vtl-installer/docs/INSTALLATION.md

VTL Linux - Installation Guide

Prerequisites

• x86_64 compatible hardware
• Minimum 2GB RAM (4GB+ recommended)
• 50GB+ storage for tape media
• Network interface card
• USB drive or CD/DVD for installation media

Installation Methods

Method 1: Live Boot (Testing)

1. Write ISO to USB drive:

   dd if=VTL-Linux-1.0-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress
   sync
   

2. Boot from USB drive

3. System will boot into live environment with VTL services

Method 2: Full Installation

1. Boot from ISO

2. Select "Install VTL Linux to Disk" from boot menu

3. Follow installation prompts:

   • Select target disk
   • Configure network
   • Set hostname
   • Create user account

4. Reboot after installation

Post-Installation Configuration

1. Network Setup

Configure static IP (recommended for iSCSI):

sudo nmcli con mod "Wired connection 1" \
  ipv4.addresses 192.168.1.100/24 \
  ipv4.gateway 192.168.1.1 \
  ipv4.dns "8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4" \
  ipv4.method manual

sudo nmcli con up "Wired connection 1"

2. Change Default Passwords

sudo passwd root
sudo passwd vtladmin

3. Configure mhvtl

Edit device configuration:

sudo vim /etc/mhvtl/device.conf

Restart mhvtl service:

sudo systemctl restart mhvtl

4. Configure iSCSI Targets

Edit target configuration:

sudo vim /etc/tgt/conf.d/vtl-targets.conf

Update credentials:

incominguser <username> <password>

Restart tgt service:

sudo systemctl restart tgt

5. Verify Installation

Check system status:

vtl-status

List SCSI devices:

lsscsi -g

Check library status:

mtx -f /dev/sg0 status

View iSCSI targets:

tgt-admin --show

Client Configuration

Linux Client

1. Install iSCSI initiator:

   sudo apt-get install open-iscsi
   

2. Discover targets:

   sudo iscsiadm -m discovery -t st -p <VTL_IP>:3260
   

3. Login to target:

   sudo iscsiadm -m node --login
   

4. Configure CHAP authentication (if required):

   sudo iscsiadm -m node -T <target_iqn> -p <VTL_IP>:3260 \
     --op=update --name node.session.auth.authmethod --value=CHAP
   
   sudo iscsiadm -m node -T <target_iqn> -p <VTL_IP>:3260 \
     --op=update --name node.session.auth.username --value=vtl-user
   
   sudo iscsiadm -m node -T <target_iqn> -p <VTL_IP>:3260 \
     --op=update --name node.session.auth.password --value=vtl-password
   

5. Verify connection:

   lsscsi
   

Windows Client

1. Open iSCSI Initiator (Control Panel → Administrative Tools)

2. Go to Discovery tab, click "Discover Portal"

3. Enter VTL server IP address and port 3260

4. Go to Targets tab, select discovered target

5. Click "Connect"

6. For CHAP authentication:

   • Click "Advanced"
   • Enable CHAP login
   • Enter username: vtl-user
   • Enter password: vtl-password

7. Verify in Device Manager under "Tape drives"

Backup Software Configuration

Bacula

Device {
  Name = VTL-Drive-0
  Media Type = LTO-5
  Archive Device = /dev/nst0
  AutomaticMount = yes
  AlwaysOpen = yes
  RemovableMedia = yes
  RandomAccess = no
  AutoChanger = yes
}

Autochanger {
  Name = VTL-Library
  Device = VTL-Drive-0, VTL-Drive-1, VTL-Drive-2, VTL-Drive-3
  Changer Command = "/usr/lib/bacula/scripts/mtx-changer %c %o %S %a %d"
  Changer Device = /dev/sg0
}

Amanda

tapedev "chg-robot:/dev/sg0"
tpchanger "chg-robot"
changerfile "/var/lib/amanda/vtl/changer"

Veeam (Windows)

1. Add tape server in Veeam console
2. Rescan tape infrastructure
3. VTL devices should appear automatically
4. Configure media pools and backup jobs

Troubleshooting

mhvtl not starting

sudo modprobe mhvtl
sudo systemctl status mhvtl
sudo journalctl -u mhvtl -n 50

iSCSI connection issues

sudo systemctl status tgt
sudo tgt-admin --show
sudo netstat -tlnp | grep 3260

SCSI devices not visible

sudo modprobe sg
lsmod | grep mhvtl
dmesg | grep -i scsi

Performance issues

Check system resources:

htop
iostat -x 1
iotop

Adjust kernel parameters in /etc/sysctl.d/99-vtl.conf

Maintenance

Adding tape media

sudo /usr/bin/mktape -l 10 -s 100 -m /opt/mhvtl -t LTO5 -d 10
sudo systemctl restart mhvtl

Backup configuration

sudo tar -czf vtl-config-backup.tar.gz \
  /etc/mhvtl/ \
  /etc/tgt/conf.d/ \
  /etc/sysctl.d/99-vtl.conf

Update system

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo reboot

Support

For issues and questions:

• Check logs: journalctl -xe
• Review documentation in /vtl/docs/
• mhvtl documentation: https://github.com/markh794/mhvtl