Technical Note: XTN805
Overview
With the default settings, a XenData Archive Series system will throttle the writing of files to the archive when there are 10 files on the disk cache that are waiting to be saved to a Volume Set. This technical note describes how to change the number of queued files before throttling from the default value of 10.
Changing the Queued File Parameter
- Ensure that the archive system is idle and stop the XenData Archive Series service.
- Edit the XenDataState.xml file which is located in the C:\WINDOWS\system32 folder as described below.
- Restart the XenData Archive Series service
Edit Instructions
A typical XenDataState.xml file without any adjustment for the queued file parameter is shown below:
– <XenDataState>
– <VolumeSetSet>
– <VolumeSet
Identity="486ABCAC-00000000" Name="486ABCAC-00000000" MediumType="Tape" Attribute="Unknown" Replicas="1" Compressed="0" Deferred="0" GroupedReplicas="0" UnusedCapacity="0.02" NewVolumeCapacity="0.95">
<Backup Immediate="0" Periodic="0" Volume="0" Timed="0" />
</VolumeSet>
– <VolumeSet
Identity="486ABCAC-00000004" Name="486ABCAC-00000004" MediumType="Tape" Attribute="Rewritable" Replicas="1" Compressed="0" Deferred="0" GroupedReplicas="0" UnusedCapacity="0.02" NewVolumeCapacity="0.95">
<Backup Immediate="0" Periodic="0" Volume="0" Timed="0" />
– <Volume
Identity="486ABCAC-00000004-48EAA706" Primary="0">
<State Name="finalised" />
<FileSystem FileSystemType="Tape" />
– <MediaSet>
<Medium
Identity="Barcode:X0003BL4" MediumType="Tape" Attribute="838026133504 byte Rewritable" WriteProtected="0" Replicas="0" BlockSize="512" Compressed="0" NumBlocks="1636769792" LastWrittenBlock="1598032502" Overhead="7490954" Compression="0" Manufacturer="MAXELL" SerialNumber="1110775888" Date="20070915" MountCycles="207" />
</MediaSet>
</Volume>
</VolumeSet>
</VolumeSetSet>
– <FileGroupSetSet>
<FileGroupSet Identity="0">
<FileGroup
Name="Default" Path="*" Flags="3" FragmentSize="0" ReadRetentionTime="0" WriteRetentionTime="0" VolumeSet="486ABCAC-00000000" />
</FileGroupSet>
</FileGroupSetSet>
– <InterfaceSet>
<Interface Identity="0" MountPoint="X:" FileGroupSet="0" />
</InterfaceSet>
<BlankMediaSet />
– <CleaningCartridges Label="CLN*">
<CleaningCartridges />
</CleaningCartridges>
– <QuarantinedMedia>
– <QuarantinedMedia>
<Medium
Identity="Barcode:LTO0036B" MediumType="Tape" Attribute="419105341440 byte Rewritable" WriteProtected="0" Replica="0" BlockSize="512" Compressed="0" NumBlocks="818565120" LastWrittenBlock="0" Overhead="0" Compression="0" Manufacturer="MAXELL" SerialNumber="2110318568" Date="20061125" MountCycles="878" Status="Time:0x48EBE0AB InternalError:0xC00007FF 0:"TapeDrive.cpp" 1:"2304" 2:"Barcode:LTO0036B"" />
<Medium
Identity="Barcode:A0000173" MediumType="Tape" Attribute="419105341440 byte Rewritable" WriteProtected="0" Replica="0" BlockSize="512" Compressed="0" NumBlocks="818565120" LastWrittenBlock="0" Overhead="0" Compression="0" Manufacturer="MAXELL" SerialNumber="1170694392" Date="20070315" MountCycles="863" Status="Time:0x48EBE106 InternalError:0xC00007FF 0:"TapeDrive.cpp" 1:"2304" 2:"Barcode:A0000173"" />
<Medium
Identity="Barcode:LTO0043B" MediumType="Tape" Attribute="419105341440 byte Rewritable" WriteProtected="0" Replica="0" BlockSize="512" Compressed="0" NumBlocks="818565120" LastWrittenBlock="0" Overhead="0" Compression="0" Manufacturer="MAXELL" SerialNumber="2200271331" Date="20061125" MountCycles="513" Status="Time:0x48EBE166 InternalError:0xC00007FF 0:"TapeDrive.cpp" 1:"2304" 2:"Barcode:LTO0043B"" />
</QuarantinedMedia>
</QuarantinedMedia>
<Options
TransferSize="256" EnablePadding="0" BackupFlushInterval="30" BackupFileSize="1048576" HSMCachedObjects="1024" DriveHoldTime="500" ExportBusyHoldTime="5000" IdleDismountTime="600000" />
</XenDataState>
The last portion of the XML file should be edited as shown below to change the queued file parameter. In this example it has been set to a value of 20:
– <Options
TransferSize="256" EnablePadding="0" BackupFlushInterval="30" BackupFileSize="1048576" HSMCachedObjects="1024" DriveHoldTime="500" ExportBusyHoldTime="5000" IdleDismountTime="600000">
<WriteThrottle QueuedWrites="20" FixedDelay="0" DelayPerRequest="0" DelayPerMegabyte="0.002" />
</Options>
</XenDataState>
The WriteThrottle QueuedWrites = parameter determines the number of files on the disk cache that are waiting to be saved to a Volume Set before write throttling occurs. Note that the edit involves removing the '/' after the IdleDismountTime="600000" parameter and adding two additional lines.
Applicable Operating Systems
- Windows Server 2008 R2
- Windows Server 2012 R2
- Windows Server 2016
- Windows Server 2019
Applicable XenData Software
This technical note is applicable to:
- Version 5 – Server Editions of Archive Series software
- Version 6 – Server Editions of Archive Series software
- Version 7 – Server Editions of Archive Series software including the Cloud File Gateway
PBS
XenData’s fully supported clustered server meets all the requirements for our disaster recovery site. We have been very pleased with the SX-525 product and XenData’s technical team who have provided system design and integration services above and beyond expectations.
James Cutright, Director, Project Management
PBS
Crew Cuts
I did my research, and the best archive solution was from XenData which manages a robotic LTO library behind the scenes. This helps to minimize our total costs and allows us to focus on producing great content for our customers.
Chris Keenan, CTO
Crew Cuts
Ideal Systems Singapore
We partnered with XenData for the GlobeCast Broadcast facility rollout, because it offers one of the most cost effective, robust digital video archives on the market and a great migration alternative to some of the more expensive digital video archive vendor offerings.
Fintan Mc Kiernan, CEO
Ideal Systems Singapore
North Shore Automation
Having completed over 25 joint installations of XenData archive systems, we have found everyone on the XenData team to be both highly professional and super responsive and their technology to be rock solid. They are truly a pleasure to work with.
Bryson Jones, Founder
North Shore Automation
This is Just a Test
With over 558 TB of content and growing, conventional backup solutions just don’t work for us. Our XenData system allows us to maintain an ongoing mirrored copy of our shared storage while creating replica LTO copies for offsite storage.
Nathan Flom
This is Just a Test
Excelencia
We have now installed over 170 XenData archive systems across Mexico and they have proven to be very reliable. In addition, the technical support from XenData has been outstanding.
Jorge Castaneda, President
Excelencia en Comunicaciones y Tecnología