ViTL FAQ

ViTL is a Windows rackmount appliance or VM that connects to IBM Power System via Fibre Channel or SAS. ViTL emulates an LTO tape drive to your IBM i (AS/400, iSeries, System i, AIX or Linux) host. You can backup to local storage at speeds up to 800 MB/second without changing your current backup procedures.

The UBD product has been folded into our newest solution, LaserVault ViTL. ViTL includes all of the functionality of UBD, plus more features and flexibility. If you are currently using UBD, contact us to learn how to upgrade to ViTL.

LVBackup is a disk-to-disk (D2D) or disk-to-disk-to-tape (D2D2T) backup system for IBM midrange computers (AS/400, iSeries, IBM i) with features similar to a virtual tape library. It connects to the IBM i via TCP/IP and runs on a Windows server platform to provide backup and restore functions to the IBM i host. For more information on LaserVault Backup please contact us or for additional details see the LVBackup FAQs.

Yes. ViTL can be purchased as software only and will run in a Windows Virtual Machine (VM).

ViTL connects through Fibre Channel or SAS to the IBM i or other host system.

4GB or 8GB is preferred.

ViTL installation is easy and is most often completed with remote support only.

Because ViTL uses existing ihost system tape backup commands, most IT staff begin using ViTL with minimal training.

Many customers begin using ViTL within the first hour of installation.

Yes, backups can be automated with ViTL and depending on whether you continue to use tape for long term backups. Most or all of the physical handling of tapes is no longer needed.

Yes, ViTL can be used for onsite backups, shortening your backup windows, and giving you instant access to your data, while you continue to keep tapes for long-term and archival storage.

V5R4 forward.

Yes, ViTL works flawlessly with BRMS and Robot Save, though they are not required in order to use ViTL.

Yes. ViTL includes in-line compression and AES-256 encryption.

You should see at least 4 to 1 compression on an average set of saves – more on databases, less on program objects. Our sample results have been 3.6 on run-time objects, 8.0 on a library containing database records, and 10.7 on program source. Your results will vary. Users have reported compression ratios in the 4x to 12x range.

No. Since both compression and encryption occur entirely on the server-side, it does not cause any overhead on the IBM i.

Compression and encryption have shown to decrease download times in certain situations.

No. ViTL doesn’t use SAVF save files. ViTL uses IBM’s backup and restore processes. Your iSeries data can be saved directly to the ViTL internal disk array or an existing NAS, SAN, or deduplication device, such as ExaGrid, Cohesity, Rubrik, Quantum, and many more.

ViTL will never be slower than your current tape drive, no matter what tape drive you have. Most IBM i users will see significant reductions in backup time with ViTL.

Every company is different. However, increased time savings, labor savings, and immediate access to your data occur when using ViTL. If you are using tape, you can determine how much you may be spending on tape backups by getting our Cost of Tape Worksheet.

Anything that the server considers a drive, including internal hard drives, removable hard drives, USB thumb-drives, NAS, RAID arrays, etc.

ViTL can store the tape image files to any Windows folder, including your SAN, NAS, HDD, USB HDD, flash drives, and any deduplication device.

There are no limitations since the host computer sees ViTL as a tape device. Everything you can save to and restore from tape, you can save to and restore from ViTL.

Yes, you can use ViTL to backup to IBM Cloud.

ViTL is auto-configured to replicate to Amazon 3, MSAzure and Wasabi. Other cloud services, such as IBM Cloud, can also be setup for your Power Systems backups.

To see how much data you are storing on your AS400, you can run the following commands:

WRKSYSSTS − This command shows the system disk space in the upper right corner of the display (% of ASP).

WRKDSKSTS − This command shows you these same stats on a per drive basis.

ASP is the auxiliary storage pool or disk storage space you currently have installed. The % used is the amount of data stored on the ASP.

With compression turned on, you can store approximately four times the size of your Windows disk storage space. For most people, this will be many terabytes. Many ViTL users use deduplication, which can increase storage capacity significantly.

Disasters happen. And any disaster that impacts your business can be devastating. ViTL helps you safeguard your data when a disaster strikes and makes sure it is quickly available to ensure your business continuity. ViTL gives you easier, faster, more secure backups when it matters most.

No, VIOS is not necessary to use ViTL, however, ViTL will work with Power Systems utilizing VIOS.

Yes. You can copy the files to another server device.

Nothing but the cost of the drives. ViTL supports as much storage as you can attach to your server. If you use our compression, you should see between 4 and 8 times the raw capacity of the device. In a real-world situation, a 4TB drive should give you between 16TB and 32TB of iSeries backup storage.

We use IBM’s software to do the saves and restores. We expect IBM’s software to remain compatible with future releases of the operating system since they depend on its use also.

Yes. To see a demo, complete our on line demo request form and we’ll be in touch to setup a time that’s convenient for you.

The demo usually lasts between 15 and 30 minutes. We always allow time to answer any questions you may have.

Backup and recovery is unique to each customer. We configure each ViTL solution to fit the specific requirements for your business. Ask for a customized quote today.

Returns are accepted within the first 30-days from the date of installation. All returns must be pre-authorized and are subject to a 30% restocking fee.