Silent Brick System Manual

The latest version can be found here:

https://doc.fast-lta.de/

Version: 2.61

Status: December 2024

Subject to change at any time.

This user manual is intended for anyone who performs the following activities on and with the Silent Brick Library:

• Transport
• Store
• Mount
• put into operation
• Install
• Use
• Replace components
• Fix error
• Dispose.

In particular, this manual is intended for qualified and authorized personnel.

• Each of these persons must have read and understood the contents of this manual. Following the instructions in this manual will help avoid hazards and ensure the reliability and longevity of the Silent Brick Library. In addition to the instructions in this manual, always observe the legal and other regulations applicable at the place of use, e.g:
• Regulations for accident prevention,
• Regulations for safety and professional work.

This user manual contains information that is subject to copyright. It may only be used to use the Silent Brick Library. This user manual may not be copied, printed or reproduced, edited, reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of FAST LTA GmbH.

© FAST LTA GmbH

Rüdesheimer Str. 11

D-80686 Munich, Germany

Germany

Various elements of this user manual are provided with defined design features. You can distinguish the elements as follows:

Normal text

• Enumerations

• ➤ Action steps

Design features in illustrations:

• Components are identified by position numbers with reference lines.
• Components that need to be handled are marked with a white filling.
• Action steps are provided with letters, which are framed rectangularly.
• Movements are symbolized by arrows.

The following language conventions are defined for this user manual:

• The Silent Brick Library controller is abbreviated with the name "Controller".
• The Silent Brick Storage shelf is abbreviated with the name "Shelf".
• The Silent Brick Storage Container is abbreviated as "Brick".

Basically our general terms and conditions apply. These are available to the operator at the latest since conclusion of the contract. Warranty and liability claims for personal injury and damage to property are always excluded if they are attributable to one or more of the following causes:

• Unapproved use of the Silent Brick Library
• Improper installation and commissioning of the Silent Brick Library
• Non-observance of the user manual regarding transport, storage, installation and maintenance of the Silent Brick Library
• Unauthorized structural changes to the Silent Brick Library
• Improperly carried out repairs
• Disasters caused by external events and force majeure.

Rüdesheimer Street 11

D-80686 Munich, Germany

Germany

Phone: +49 (0) 89-89047-0

fax: +49 (0) 89-89047-890

E-mail: info@fast-lta.de

Internet: www.fast-lta.de

WEEE-Reg.-Nr. DE 78334839

The Silent Brick System is used for the secure storage of large amounts of data. Therefore, the following points in particular belong to the intended use:

• Data backup and recovery
  The linear data structure with random access is suitable for backup scenarios.
• "Active" archiving
  Due to short access times to the data, large amounts of archive data can be "actively" stored, i.e. permanently accessed.
• File server
  Large amounts of files can be stored redundantly, so that a backup is not necessary.
• Data transport
  The removable hard disk containers make it easy to transport large amounts of data.
• Replication and synchronization of data
  Data can be replicated and stored as an offline copy, for example. Data can be synchronized from the source system to the replication automatically when the replication is logged on to the source system again.

The Silent Brick System is not designed to be used as a database server. This would require a too high access rate.

Only qualified and authorized personnel may perform the following activities on and with the Silent Brick Library:

• Assemble components
• Put hardware into operation
• Connect software from other manufacturers
• Fix error
• Dispose of components.

In order to be allowed to carry out these activities at and with the Silent Brick Library, the specialist personnel must have been trained in the following areas:

• Assembly of IT equipment in 19 inch racks
• Cabling of IT equipment
• Installation and operation of software for server control.

Unauthorized modifications or alterations to the Silent Brick Library are not permitted.

• ➤ Use only spare parts and accessories approved by FAST LTA GmbH for use with the Silent Brick Library.

The Silent Brick System is built according to the state of the art and the generally accepted rules of technology. As far as possible, sources of danger have been eliminated by design or secured by suitable equipment. Nevertheless, residual dangers may occur when using the Silent Brick Library.

Hazards to persons or impairments of the Silent Brick Library and other material assets may arise in particular if the device:

• is improperly transported, stored, assembled, commissioned and maintained by unqualified and unauthorised personnel.
• is not used as intended.

• ➤ Always use an antistatic wrist strap with an earth connection or an antistatic mat with an earth cable when working on the Silent Brick Library. ==

• ➤ Always handle the device or its components with two persons.

=== Risk of damage to property due to improper handling ==

• ➤ Only trained personnel may handle the components of the Silent Brick Library. ==

The device or its components are delivered in a cardboard box.

• ➤ Only reach for the device or its components on the right and left sides.
• ➤ Pull the device or its components including the polystyrene padding out of the carton.
• ➤ Remove the polystyrene padding from the device or its components.

• ➤ Check the scope of delivery for completeness using the delivery note.
• ➤ Please inform the manufacturer of any deviations.
• ➤ Check the scope of delivery for possible damage.
• ➤ If you notice any damage, photograph it and report it immediately to the manufacturer.

• ➤ Separate the recyclable materials of the packaging material as follows:
  • ➤ Carton (cardboard),
  • ➤ Styropor and other plastics.
• ➤ Dispose of the packaging material in an environmentally friendly manner via a specialist disposal company.
• ➤ Observe the country-specific regulations at the place of use and contact your city or municipal administration in case of doubt.

The Silent Brick System uses Erasure Resilient Coding (ERC) as a storage method for the following functions

• Virtual Tape Library
• Compliant archives
• SNAS ERC

Data is divided into fragments, expanded with redundant data pieces and re-encoded. The data is then distributed over several hard disks. This method ensures a high level of data security. The computing effort required for this is outsourced to a powerful graphics processor (GPU), which is more energy-efficient and more effective than a main processor (CPU).

The Silent Brick System has a function for digital audit of the data. Every single bit of the stored data is checked regularly and automatically for errors. Due to the high redundancy reserves of the Silent Brick Library, an affected hard disk can be repaired or switched off during operation without data loss.

The Silent Brick Storage Containers are equipped with hard disks from different production batches. This prevents data loss due to batch errors.

The Silent Brick System consists of the following components:

• Controller
• Shelf (optional)
• Bricks
• Hard disks
• Rack tracks.

These components are described in more detail in the following sections.

The controller is the basic unit of the Silent Brick Library. The controller contains the control unit (12) for the Silent Brick Library, five slots (13) for Silent Brick Storage Containers, as well as two power supply units (16) for the power supply.

There are three LEDs (10) in the upper left corner of the front of the unit. These indicate the status of the device as follows:

• Green: The system is active.
• Yellow: The system is in standby mode.
• Red: The system has detected an error (This LED is lit in addition to the operating status).

In the upper left corner of the control unit there is an ePaper display (11). This contains the following information about the Silent Brick Library:

• IPv4 address,
• IPv6 address or IPv4 address of the data network during network disconnection,
• Name,
• Version
• Memory capacity,
• Status,
• QR code.

The locking levers (14) are located at the lower corners of the front of the unit. With these levers the anchorage between the device and the rack rails can be loosened.

Fig.: Controller overview

Fig.: Controller front panel

Controller G5000 Rev.1 Rear

Controller Revision G5000 Rev.2 / G5200 Rear

The shelf is the extension unit of the Silent Brick Library. The shelf contains fourteen slots (13) for Silent Brick Storage containers, as well as two power supply units (16) for energy supply.

There are three LEDs (10) in the upper left corner of the front of the unit. These indicate the status of the device as follows:

• Green: The system is active.
• Yellow: The system is in standby mode.
• Red: The system has detected an error (This LED is lit in addition to the operating status).

The locking levers (14) are located at the lower corners of the front of the unit. With these levers the anchorage between the device and the rack rails can be loosened.

Fig.: Shelf overview

Fig.: Shelf front side

Picture.: Extension Shelf Revision 1 Backside

Picture.: Extension Shelf Revision 2 Backside

The Single Drive is the smallest Silent Brick System. The Single Drive contains a control unit for the Silent Brick Library, a slot (13) for the Silent Brick Storage Container, as well as two power supply units (16) for the power supply and is not expandable with a shelf.

There are three LEDs (10) on the front of the unit. These indicate the status of the device as follows:

• Green: The system is active.
• Yellow: The system is in standby mode.
• Red: The system has detected an error (This LED is lit in addition to the operating status).

Fig.:Drive front side

Fig.: Single Drive rear side

The drive is the boarding or satellite system. The drive contains a control unit for the Silent Brick Library, two slots (13) for Silent Brick Storage Containers, as well as two power supply units (16) for power supply and is not expandable via shelf.

Three LEDs (10) are located on the front of the unit to the left of the display. These indicate the status of the device as follows:

• Green: The system is active.
• Yellow: The system is in standby mode.
• Red: The system has detected an error (This LED is lit in addition to the operating status).

In the middle of the drive there is an ePaper display (11). This contains the following information about the Silent Brick Library:

• IPv4 address,
• IPv6 address or IPv4 address of the data network during network disconnection,
• Name,
• Version
• Memory capacity,
• Status,

The locking levers (14) are located at the lower corners of the front of the unit. With these levers the anchorage between the device and the rack rails can be loosened.

Fig.:Drive front side

Fig.: Drive rear side

The Drive Pro is the larger version of the entry-level or satellite system. The Drive Pro contains a control unit for the Silent Brick Library, two slots (13) for Silent Brick Storage Containers, as well as two power supply units (16) for the power supply and is not expandable via shelf.

Three LEDs (10) are located on the front of the unit to the left of the display. These indicate the status of the device as follows:

• Green: The system is active.
• Yellow: The system is in standby mode.
• Red: The system has detected an error (This LED is lit in addition to the operating status).

In the middle of the drive there is an ePaper display (11). This contains the following information about the Silent Brick Library:

• IPv4 address,
• IPv6 address or IPv4 address of the data network during network disconnection,
• Name,
• Version
• Memory capacity,
• Status,

The locking levers (14) are located at the lower corners of the front of the unit. With these levers the anchorage between the device and the rack rails can be loosened.

Drive Pro front side

Drive Pro rear side

The Silent Brick is the hard disk container of the Silent Brick System. One brick contains twelve slots (3) for the hard disks (4). The slots are enclosed by the brick housing (2).

In the front area of the brick there is a handle (1) to push the brick into the controller/shelf or to pull the brick out of the controller/shelf.

On the front side of the handle there is an ePaper display (5) in the upper area which serves as an electronic label.

The ePaper display includes the following components:

• A QR code that contains information about the brick,
• the barcode of a VTL formatted brick,
• the volume name of a SNAS formatted brick,
• the archive name of a brick used as a compliant archive,
• the memory capacity of the brick used,
• the free memory capacity of the brick.

Below the ePaper display there is a touch sensor (6) with the inscription "Silent Brick". With this touch sensor you can activate the automatic ejection of the brick. The ejector ensures that the brick is pushed out of the controller/shelf a little to expose the handle of the brick.

Below the touch screen is an LED (7) that can be activated via the configuration interface of the Silent Brick Library to locate the brick in the server rack.

On the back of the brick there is a locking lever (8) with which the brick can be released from its housing.

Below the locking lever is the electronic connector (9) of the brick, which is responsible for the connection between the brick and the controller/shelf.

Fig.: Brick Overview

Fig.: Brick back side

The Silent Brick Max is a non-transportable Silent Brick in the form factor of a 19" rack with one height unit. The Silent Brick Max also contains twelve hard disks, but in a format factor of 3.5 inches. Due to the larger hard disks, the Silent Brick Max offers significantly more capacity than a single Silent Brick.

The Silent Brick Max behaves like a Silent Brick, but can only be operated with the Silent Brick Controller. The connection is made via SAS.

A mixed operation of Silent Bricks and Silent Brick Max is possible within one system, but not within a SNAS or SNAS ERC volume.

Abb.:Silent Brick Max back

Abb.:Silent Brick Switch 16+1

The Silent Brick Library can hold 2.5 inch hard disks. Each hard disk can have a storage capacity of 1 TB or 2 TB. If you are not sure which hard disk types you can use, please contact FAST LTA GmbH.

The rack rail set is used for mounting the controller/shelf in a 19-inch rack.

A set of rack rails consists of the following components:

• 2 rack rails (22)
• 1 set M4×4 screws (30)
• 1 set of locking pins, screws (31)

Fig.: Rack rail set

The following general conditions must be observed for proper operation of the devices:

• The place of use must be dry and free of dust.
• The optimum air temperature at the place of use is between +15°C and +25°C.
• The air temperature at the place of use should not exceed 38°C.
• The air humidity at the place of use should be max. 65%.
• The system must not be operated above 2000 meters normal altitude.
• If the components are installed in a rack in which other units can also be installed, the temperature in the rack may rise higher than the ambient temperature and thus possibly exceed the maximum permissible ambient temperature for the components. Make sure that none of the ventilation openings are covered after installation to ensure adequate air circulation.
• The mechanical seating elements within the rack must be designed to support the weight of the components.
• Due to the total gross weight, a fully equipped Silent Brick Shelf must be mounted on a sturdy shelf.
• Do not overload the electrical connections to the power supply. Please refer to the technical data in the manual.
• Reliable grounding must always be ensured. Please note that the integration of several components can lead to an aggregation of the respective leakage currents, which can result in an impermissibly high leakage current (e.g. if a component is installed in a rack in which additional units can also be installed).

The nameplate is attached as a sticker to one side of the controller housing or shelf housing. You will find the following information on the nameplate:

• Product name
• Serial number
• Barcode
• Features
• CE mark.

• ➤ Only transport the controller or shelf when it is empty. Remove the Bricks storage containers before transporting the controller or shelf.
• ➤ Make sure the bricks are properly anchored in their brick enclosures to prevent the hard drives from slipping out.

The following basic conditions must be observed to ensure proper operation of the devices:

• The place of use must be dry and dust-free.
• The optimum air temperature at the place of use is between +15°C and +25°C.
• The air temperature at the place of use should be max. 38°C.
• The humidity at the place of use should be max. 65 %.

The rack rails must first be dismantled into two parts. To do this, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Pull the inner rail out of the outer rail until you see the release lever (32).

Fig.: Pulling out inner rack rails

• ➤ Actuate the release lever (32).
• ➤ Pull the inner rail completely out of the outer rail.

Fig.: Release lever

To mount the inner rack rails to the controller/shelf, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Place the inner rack rail on the side housing of the controller/shelf so that the locking pins of the controller/shelf fit into the locking eyelets of the rail.
• ➤ Push the rail forward until it clicks into place.

Fig.: Locking rack rails

• ➤ Fasten the rails to the housing on both sides with one of the M4×4 screws supplied.

Fig. screw rack rails together

=

• ➤ To mount the outer rack rails in the rack, proceed as follows:
• ➤ Push back the safety mechanism (33) of the rail.
• ➤ Hook the rail into the rack.

Fig.: Safety mechanism

• ➤ Release the safety mechanism.
• ➤ Make sure the rectangular locking bolts are correctly anchored in the rack holes.

Fig.: Locking bolt

• ➤ Screw the rack rail at the front of the rack to the locking pin.

Fig.: Locking spigot

• ➤ Screw the rack rail to the rear of the rack using the locking screw.

Fig.: Locking screw

To insert a controller/shelf into a rack, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Pull the outer rack rails out of the rack as far as possible.

Fig.: Pulling out rack rails

• ➤ Attach the unit so that the inner rack rails slide into the outer rack rails.
• ➤ Slide the unit into the rack until it stops.

Fig.: Inserting the device

• ➤ Actuate the release lever.

Fig. unlocking lever

• ➤ Slide the unit into the rack until the lock engages.

Fig.: Locking device

To insert a brick into a controller/shelf, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Make sure that the controller and shelf are switched on and ready for operation.
• ➤ Push the brick into a slot of the controller/ shelf until the automatic feed grips the brick.

Fig.: Inserted brick

• ➤ The brick is automatically pulled in by the controller/shelf.

• ➤ Make sure that the drive is switched on and ready for operation.
• ➤ Slide the brick sideways into a slot of the drive until the automatic feed picks up the brick.
• ➤ The brick must be inserted with the LED facing in.

• ➤ The brick is automatically pulled in by the controller/shelf.

To use the Silent Brick Library for the first time, you must first cable the device(s) and then configure them.

The wiring of the Silent Brick Library described here can only be used as an example, since different connection variants are available.

If your Silent Brick Library consists of several controllers and shelves (e.g. a controller and a shelf), you must first perform the following actions:

• ➤ Establish the internal network connection between the controller and the shelf.
• ➤ Use the connectors (19) for controller communication and the connectors (18) for shelf communication.
• ➤ Establish the SAS connection. Use the SAS connectors (17) to do this.

If your Silent Brick Library consists of a single device, or if you have already connected several devices to each other, proceed as follows:

• ➤ For a Silent Brick Controller G5000 Rev. 1, connect the Ethernet loop cable to connect the controller to its internal bricks.

• ➤ For a Silent Brick Controller G5000 Rev. 2, connect the Ethernet Loop cable and the SAS Loop cable to connect the controller to its internal bricks.

• ➤ For a Silent Brick Controller G5200, connect the Ethernet loop cable, as well as both SAS loop cables to connect the controller to its internal Bricks

• ➤ Use the connectors (19) for controller communication and the connectors (18) for shelf communication.
• ➤ Connect the device to the management network.
• ➤ Use the management ports (20) for this purpose.
• ➤ Connect the device to the data network.
• ➤ Use the data ports (21) to do this.
• ➤ Connect the device to the mains supply.
• ➤ Use the connections on the power supply units (16) for this purpose. If possible, connect each power supply to a separate circuit.

Fig.: Controller G5000 Rev.1 rear side

Fig.: Controller G5000 Rev.2 / G5200 rear side

Fig.: Extension Shelf Revision 1 rear side

Fig.: Extension Shelf Revision 2 rear side

Fig.: Single Drive rear side

Fig.: Drive rear side

Fig.: Drive Pro rear side

Fig.: Wiring of several devices

To log in to the Silent Brick Library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Read the IP address from the ePaper display of the controller.
• Connect to the data port of the Silent Brick Controller during initial setup. Attention: New behavior since version 2.45
• ➤ Open the configuration interface by entering the following in the address line of your web browser: "https://<IP address>".
• ➤ If the device has not detected a DHCP server at the data port during the startup process, it will switch to a fallback IP address and also display this in the ePaper display of the controller.
• ➤ Please use the following access data to log in for the first time:
  • ➤ Username: admin
  • ➤ Password: adminadmin
• ➤ Configure the device.
• ➤ See the "Configuring the Silent Brick Library" chapter for more information.

After you have successfully logged in, the configuration interface is displayed.

Fig. elements of the configuration interface

The configuration interface contains the following elements. These are displayed on a case-by-case basis.

In the navigation bar (6) you will find an overview of all sections of the configuration interface.

• ➤ To display its contents in the main window (4), click on a section.

The menu bar (7) is next to the navigation bar (6) an alternative way to navigate on the configuration interface.

• ➤ To display the contents of the corresponding section in the main window, click a button on the menu bar.

Messages and events are displayed in the "Notifications & Events" area (5).

• ➤ To view all Silent Brick Library messages, click the Notifications tab.
• ➤ To view all configuration events, click the Configuration Events tab.
• ➤ To view all Library events, click the Library Events tab.

In the "Settings" section you can see an overview of all possible settings.

In the "Network" section you can view and set the network configuration.

• ➤ To set the network identification, proceed as follows:
• ➤ In the Network Identification area, click the Edit button.
• ➤ The Network Identification window appears.

• ➤ Enter a host name.
• ➤ Enter a domain name that is valid for IPv4 and IPv6.
• ➤ Optionally enter a domain name that is only valid for IPv6.
• ➤ To confirm your entries, click on the "Save" button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click on the "Cancel" button.

Via the button "SSL-Certificate" you can upload your own SSL certificate for the web interface of the Silent Brick System.

For this purpose the certificate, the private key and the corresponding CA are required.

• ➤ To set an SSL certificate, proceed as follows:
• ➤ Click on the "Edit" button in the "SSL-Certificate" section.

• ➤ In the following window, upload the certificate, the key and the corresponding CA.

• ➤ Use the upper area to select finished text files with the certificates.
  • ➤ Use the lower area to insert the certificates as text.
• ➤ Use the "Save" button to save the changes.

• ➤ To configure the management network, proceed as follows:
• ➤ In the "NIC" section, select the "management" option.
• ➤ Click the "Edit" button.
• ➤ The "NIC - management" window is displayed.

=

• ➤ Check the option "Use DHCP".
• ➤ To confirm your entry, click on the "Save" button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click on the "Cancel" button.

=

Make sure in advance that the "Use DHCP" option for the 'data network has already been unchecked and saved.

• ➤ If necessary, remove the check mark from the "Use DHCP" option.
• ➤ Enter a default gateway, if necessary.
• ➤ Enter up to two DNS servers if necessary.
• ➤ Enter an IP(v4) address.
• ➤ Enter a network mask.
• ➤ Set the "Bonding Mode" to the desired setting. Default: "Active-backup"

• ➤ 0: This mode transmits packets in a sequential order from the first available slave through the last. If two real interfaces are slaves in the bond and two packets arrive destined out of the bonded interface the first will be transmitted on the first slave and the second frame will be transmitted on the second slave. The third packet will be sent on the first and so on. This provides load balancing and fault tolerance.

• ➤ 1: This mode places one of the interfaces into a backup state and will only make it active if the link is lost by the active interface. Only one slave in the bond is active at an instance of time. A different slave becomes active only when the active slave fails. This mode provides fault tolerance.

• ➤ 2: Transmits based on XOR formula. (Source MAC address is XOR’d with destination MAC address) modula slave count. This selects the same slave for each destination MAC address and provides load balancing and fault tolerance.

• ➤ 3: The broadcast mode transmits everything on all slave interfaces. This mode is least used (only for a specific purpose) and provides only fault tolerance.

• ➤ 4:The 802.3ad mode is known as Dynamic Link Aggregation mode. It creates aggregation groups that share the same speed and duplex settings. This mode requires a switch that supports IEEE 802.3ad Dynamic link. Slave selection for outgoing traffic is done according to the transmit hash policy, which may be changed from the default simple XOR policy via the xmit_hash_policy option. Note that not all transmit policies may be 802.3ad compliant, particularly in regards to the packet mis-ordering requirements of section 43.2.4 of the 802.3ad standard. Differing peer implementations will have varying tolerances for noncompliance.

• ➤ 5: This is called as Adaptive transmit load balancing. The outgoing traffic is distributed according to the current load and queue on each slave interface. Incoming traffic is received by the current slave.

• ➤ To confirm your entry, click on the "Save" button.
• ➤ To cancel your entry, click on the "Cancel" button.

To set TCP/IP(v6), proceed as follows:

• ➤ Enter an IP address for the router.
• ➤ Enter an IP(v6) address.
• ➤ To confirm your entries, click on the button "Save".
• ➤ To cancel your entries, click on the "Cancel" button.

To set the data network, proceed as follows:

• ➤ In the "NIC" section, select "data".
• ➤ Click the "Edit" button.
• ➤ The "NIC - data" window is displayed.

=

• ➤ Check the option "Use DHCP".
• ➤ To confirm your entry, click on the "Save" button.
• ➤ To cancel your entry, click on the "Cancel" button.

=

Make sure in advance that the "Use DHCP" option for the management interface has already been unchecked.

• ➤ If necessary, remove the check mark from the "Use DHCP" option.
• ➤ Enter a default gateway, if necessary. Attention: This setting overwrites the setting on the management network.
• ➤ Enter up to two DNS servers if necessary. Attention: This setting overwrites the setting on the management network.
• ➤ Enter an IP(v4) address.
• ➤ Enter a network mask.
• ➤ If necessary, remove the check mark "Link Autonegotiation" to adjust the connection settings.
• ➤ If necessary, check the box "Jumbo Frames" to activate Jumbo Frames.
• ➤ Set the "Bonding Mode" to the desired setting. Default: "Active-backup"

• ➤ 0: This mode transmits packets in a sequential order from the first available slave through the last. If two real interfaces are slaves in the bond and two packets arrive destined out of the bonded interface the first will be transmitted on the first slave and the second frame will be transmitted on the second slave. The third packet will be sent on the first and so on. This provides load balancing and fault tolerance.

• ➤ 1: This mode places one of the interfaces into a backup state and will only make it active if the link is lost by the active interface. Only one slave in the bond is active at an instance of time. A different slave becomes active only when the active slave fails. This mode provides fault tolerance.

• ➤ 2: Transmits based on XOR formula. (Source MAC address is XOR’d with destination MAC address) modula slave count. This selects the same slave for each destination MAC address and provides load balancing and fault tolerance.

• ➤ 3: The broadcast mode transmits everything on all slave interfaces. This mode is least used (only for a specific purpose) and provides only fault tolerance.

• ➤ 4:The 802.3ad mode is known as Dynamic Link Aggregation mode. It creates aggregation groups that share the same speed and duplex settings. This mode requires a switch that supports IEEE 802.3ad Dynamic link. Slave selection for outgoing traffic is done according to the transmit hash policy, which may be changed from the default simple XOR policy via the xmit_hash_policy option. Note that not all transmit policies may be 802.3ad compliant, particularly in regards to the packet mis-ordering requirements of section 43.2.4 of the 802.3ad standard. Differing peer implementations will have varying tolerances for noncompliance.

• ➤ 5: This is called as Adaptive transmit load balancing. The outgoing traffic is distributed according to the current load and queue on each slave interface. Incoming traffic is received by the current slave.

• ➤ To save your entries, click on the "Save" button.
• ➤ To cancel your entries, click on the "Cancel" button.

To set TCP/IP(v6), proceed as follows:

• ➤ Enter a router.
• ➤ Enter an IP(v6) address.
• ➤ To confirm your entries, click on the button "Save".
• ➤ To cancel your entries, click on the "Cancel" button.

By default, the data and management networks have been placed together since software version 2.45. This prevents complicated routing and ensures the accessibility of the system.

When merging the data and management networks after a network disconnection, the IP address that was previously set on the management network is moved to the network card for data.

To merge the data and management networks, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Set the desired IP address on the management network.

• ➤ ( see "Setting the management network" )

• ➤ Click on the "Combine Data & Management" button.

• ➤ The desired IP address is now available on the data port.

=

If the data and management network was previously merged, it can also be separated again.

When disconnecting, the IP address is transferred to the management interface.

To do this, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the Separate Data & Management button.

• ➤ The common IP address is now available on the management port.

The IPMI interface is used for maintenance access to the server part of the Silent Brick controller and thus provides KVM access for support for advanced analysis in case of errors. The IP address is configured either via DHCP or by assigning a static IP address.

To set the routing, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on the "Edit" button in the "Routing" area.
• ➤ The "Routing" window is displayed.

To add a route, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the "Add Route" button.
• ➤ The Add Route window appears.

• ➤ Enter an IP(v4)/IP(v6) address.
• ➤ Enter a network mask/prefix length.
• ➤ Enter a gateway.
• ➤ To confirm your entries, click the "Add&quot; button.
• ➤ To cancel your entries, click on the "Cancel" button.

To remove a route, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on a route to highlight it.
• ➤ Click the Delete Route button.

• ➤ Open the user interface of the target system.
• ➤ Go to 'Settings' -> 'Connections'.
• ➤ Click on 'Create Endpoint'.

• ➤ Assign a name under 'Endpoint Name'.
• ➤ Assign a description
• ➤ Click 'Create'.

• ➤ Mark the endpoint.
• ➤ Download the endpoint from the target system

• ➤ Open the user interface of the source system.
• ➤ Go to 'Settings' -> 'Connections'.
• ➤ Import the endpoint configuration

• ➤ The connection is established when...
  • ➤ ...which shows the status 'Established'
  • ➤ ...a current value is displayed in 'Last Lakes

• ➤ If the connection is not established, check the...
  • ➤ ...a connection from source to destination IP is possible
  • ➤ ...the ping from source to destination is allowed
  • ➤ ... TCP port 22 from source to destination is allowed

In some cases, it may be that the target system cannot be reached directly via the native IP address, but can only be reached via a forwarding behind a firewall or router. This means that the target system has a different IP address externally than is actually assigned to the device internally. This is referred to as Network Address Translation, or NAT for short.

If such a situation exists, the NAT setting can be activated and configured after importing the endpoint configuration. To do this, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Open the web interface of the source system.
• ➤ Switch to "Connections".
• ➤ Right-click to open the context menu of the affected connection
• ➤ Select "Use NAT Address".

• ➤ The NAT setting dialog opens.

• ➤ Enter the external IP address of the target system under IP Address of NAT/Firewall.
  • ➤ Define the port assigned externally for forwarding to internal port 22. (Default:22)
• ➤ Save the settings

For the replication of Compliant WORM archives, a floating IP can be set up on the host connection.

The Floating IP is a third IP address that automatically switches to the replica if the source system fails. Thus the system always remains available under the Floating IP address.

Setting up the Floating IP requires an existing remote connection with static IP addresses.

• ➤ Switch to the source system of the replication
• ➤ Select the corresponding remote connection
• ➤ Open the context menu by right-clicking

• ➤ Select the "Setup" item in the "Floating IP" submenu

• ➤ Define the desired floating IP address

• ➤ Select a mode for switching
  • ➤ "If One Compliant Archive is Unavailable" The switch-over already takes place if a single Compliant Archive fails.
  • ➤ "If Network Resources Fail": Switching takes place when the network connection fails.

In the Users section, you can manage the users of the Silent Brick Library. You can add or remove users, manage user information, and simulate a user interface for a user.

User management is based on a role-based concept. Each user can be assigned several roles. Basically, a distinction is made between the following user roles:

To add a user, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the "Add" button.
• ➤ The "Add User" window appears.

• ➤ Enter a user name in the window.
• ➤ Enter a description for the user.
• ➤ Select one or more roles for the user.

• ➤ To select multiple roles, highlight them while holding down the 'CTRL' key. or 'CTRL' key.

• ➤ Enter a password for the user.
• ➤ Repeat the password.
• ➤ To confirm your entries, click on the button "Save".
• ➤ To cancel your entries, click on the "Cancel" button.

To remove a user, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click a user in the list to highlight it.
• ➤ Click the Remove button.
• ➤ The "Remove User" window opens.

• ➤ To remove the user, click the "Remove" button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click on the "No" button.

To manage user information, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Double-click a user in the list.
• ➤ The "Edit User" window opens.

• ➤ Enter a user name in the window.
• ➤ Enter a description for the user.
• ➤ If necessary, adjust the roles for the user.

• ➤ To select multiple roles, highlight them while holding down the 'CTRL' key.

• ➤ Enter a new password for the user.
• ➤ Repeat the new password.
• ➤ To confirm your entries, click on the "Save" button.
• ➤ To cancel your entries, click on the "Cancel" button.

===== Enable 2-factor authentication ===

To activate 2-factor authentication for certain users, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Double-click on a user in the list.
• ➤ The "Edit User" window opens.

• ➤ Activate the check mark "2 Factor Authentication".

• ➤ Use an Authenticator application to scan the QR Code ( e.g. Google Authenticator )
• ➤ Enter the received numerical code in the field One Time Passcode and save the entry
• ➤ A PUK is also assigned for users with admin rights. This serves as an emergency code if the Authenticator application is not available and should be noted after creation. Note that using the PUK results in 2FA being disabled again for the corresponding user.

From now on, you will need both your previous password and the current numerical code from your Authenticator application to log in to the administration interface. These you enter in the order password, numeric code in the password field of the login mask directly after each other.

To simulate a user interface, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click a user in the list to highlight it.
• ➤ Click on the "Simulate User" button.
• ➤ A new user interface opens for the selected user.

To update the view of the main window, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on the "Refresh" button.

In the section "Notifications" you can make settings for the notifications.

To make settings for the notifications, proceed as follows:

• ➤ In the "Notifications" section, click the "Edit" button.
• ➤ The "Notifications Settings" window opens.

• ➤ Enter an IP address or a server name for the mail server.
• ➤ If authentication is required to log on to the mail server, check the "SMTP Authentication" option.
• ➤ If a secure connection is supported, check the option "Use SSL/TLS" and enter a user name and password.
• ➤ Use the "Sender Email Address" field to define the address with which the Silent Brick System sends.
• ➤ If an e-mail is to be sent to the FAST LTA Monitoring Service, check the "Email to FAST LTA Monitoring Service" option.
• ➤ If an e-mail is to be sent to a list of specific e-mail addresses, check the "Email to adress list below" option.
• ➤ Then enter the e-mail addresses to which the e-mail is to be sent.
• ➤ If you want to add additional information to each message, fill in the "Custom Message" field.
• ➤ To edit the time for sending the daily status message, use the "Daily Status sending.
• ➤ To save your entries, click the "Save" button.
• ➤ To save your entries and send a test mail, click the "Save and Send Test Mail" button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click the "Cancel" button.

In the "Miscellaneous" section you can set the date, time and automatic log off. Log Off ensures that the user is automatically logged off if he has been inactive for a specified period of time.

To set the date and time, proceed as follows:

• ➤ In the Date & Time area, click the Edit button.
• ➤ The Date & Time window opens.

• ➤ Specify an IP address for the NTP server 1.
• ➤ Specify an IP address for the NTP server 2.
• ➤ Select a time zone.
• ➤ The current date and time are displayed automatically.
• ➤ To confirm your entries, click on the "Save" button.
• ➤ To cancel your entries, click on the "Cancel" button.

To set the automatic log off, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the "Edit" button in the "User Interface Auto Log Off After No Activity" area.
• ➤ The "User Interface Auto Log Off Timeout" window opens.

• ➤ Select a period after which the user is automatically logged out.
• ➤ To confirm your entry, click on the "Save" button.
• ➤ To cancel your entry, click on the "Cancel" button.

To set the unit for displaying the temperature, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on the "Edit" button in the "Temperature Unit" section.
• ➤ The "Temperature Unit" window opens.

• ➤ Choose between Celsius and Fahrenheit.

=

When adding further bricks to an existing virtual tape library, these are stored directly in a free slot by default. A connected software recognizes this only over the inventory.

By changing this setting, new tapes are added to the virtual tape library via the virtual I/O slot and can be added and correctly stored in the connected software via its import function.

• ➤ In the Default Slot for New Library Bricks area, click the Edit button.
• ➤ The "Default Slot for New Library Bricks" window opens.

• ➤ Choose between I/O Slot and Storage Slot.

=

To activate the automatic import of newly inserted Secure NAS bricks, proceed as follows:

• ➤ In the "Handling of New Inserted Volume Bricks" area, click the "Edit" button.
• ➤ The "Handling of New Inserted Volume Bricks" window opens.

• ➤ Check the option "Import Volumes Automatically".
• ➤ To confirm your entry, click on the "Save" button.
• ➤ To cancel your entry, click on the "Cancel" button.

Under the item "Index Partition Size Defaults" the default values for the size of the index partitions in the area of the WORM archive as well as in the area of the Secure NAS ERC can be edited. These values apply to newly created SNAS ERC volumes and archives, as well as to silent bricks added to existing SNAS ERC volumes or archives.

The System ID is an internal identifier that you receive with your maintenance contract from FAST LTA.

When logging in, the system continuously asks for this ID as long as no ID has been entered.

To edit the system ID, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on the "Edit" button in the "System ID" area.
• ➤ The "System ID" window opens.

• ➤ Enter the correct System ID.

In the section "Services" you can perform different service actions.

To perform an online update, proceed as follows:

• ➤ In the Online Update of Silent Brick Library section, click the Search for Updates button.
• ➤ The system checks for updates online.
• ➤ Select an update version from the Available Software Versions list.
• ➤ Click the "Update to Selected Version" button.

To perform an update from a USB stick, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Play the update file on a FAT32 formatted USB stick.
• ➤ Insert the USB stick into the corresponding Silent Brick Controller or Drive.
• ➤ In the "USB Stick Update of Silent Brick Library" area, click the "Scan USB Sticks for Updates" button.
• ➤ The system scans all connected USB sticks for updates.
• ➤ Select an update version from the Available Software Versions list.
• ➤ Click the "Update to Selected Version" button.

To perform a file update, proceed as follows:

• ➤ In the File Update of Silent Brick Library area, click the Browse... button.
• ➤ Select an update file.
• ➤ Click the "Update" button.

=

To reset the layout, proceed as follows:

• ➤ In the "Reset User Interface to Default Layout" area, click the "Reset to Default Layout" button.

• ➤ The "Reset User Interface to Default Layout" window appears.

• ➤ To perform the reset, click on the "Reset" button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click on the "No" button.

To perform a factory reset of the settings, proceed as follows:

• ➤ In the "Reset to Factory Settings and Erase All Content" section, select the reset options.
• ➤ If you want to receive the current IP configuration, check the option "Preserve Current IP Configuration".
• ➤ Click the "Reset to Factory Settings" button.

• ➤ The "Reset to Factory Settings and Erase All Content" window appears.

• ➤ To perform the reset, click on the "Reset" button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click on the "No" button.

To restart the system, proceed as follows:

• ➤ In the Reboot/Shutdown Silent Brick Library area, click the Reboot Silent Brick Library button.
• ➤ The Reboot Silent Brick Library window appears.

• ➤ To restart the system, click the "Reboot" button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click on the "No" button.

To shut down the system, proceed as follows:

• ➤ In the Reboot/Shutdown Silent Brick Library area, click the Shutdown Silent Brick Library button.
• ➤ The Shutdown Silent Brick Library window appears.

• ➤ To shut down the system, click the "Shutdown" button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click on the "No" button.

To restart the services for SMB or NFS shares globally, use the corresponding buttons in the "Restart Share Services" section

In the "SMB" section you can configure the Global Samba settings. These include the administration of local Samba users and the connection to the Active Directory.

• ➤ Click the "Add" button in the "SMB" section under "Users".
• ➤ Fill in all information in the following window accordingly.
• ➤ Save the new user by clicking on the "Safe" button.

• ➤ In the "SMB" section under "Users", select the appropriate user.
• ➤ Open the editing dialog by double-clicking the user.

• ➤ In the "SMB" section under "Users", select the appropriate user.
• ➤ Delete the user by clicking the "Remove" button.

To use users and groups from the Active Directory, connect the Silent Brick System to the Active Directory as follows

• ➤ Click the "Edit" button in the "SMB" section under "Active Directory".
• ➤ Fill out the edit dialog accordingly:

• ➤ Click the "Enable Active Directory Support" button.

To remove the Active Directory setting, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the "Edit" button in the "SMB" section under "Active Directory".
• ➤ In the following dialog, enter the user name and password of a domain administrator.
• ➤ Click the "Disable Active Directory Support" button.

In the Resources section, you can manage the controllers, shelves, and bricks of the Silent Brick Library.

In the "Controllers" section you will find an overview of all controllers and the associated information.

To set up a controller, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Double-click a controller.
• ➤ The "Edit Controller" window is displayed.

• ➤ Enter a description for the controller.
• ➤ Select a server rack for the controller.
• ➤ Select a rack position for the controller.
• ➤ To confirm your entries, click on the button "Save".
• ➤ To cancel your entries, click on the "Cancel" button.

In the "Shelves" section you will find an overview of all shelves and the corresponding information.

To set a shelf, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Double-click a shelf.
• ➤ The Edit Shelf window appears.

• ➤ Enter a description for the shelf.
• ➤ Select a server rack for the shelf.
• ➤ Select a rack location for the shelf.
• ➤ To confirm your entries, click on the button "Save".
• ➤ To cancel your entries, click on the "Cancel" button.

In the "Bricks" section you will find an overview of all bricks and the corresponding information.

To set a brick, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Double-click on a brick.
• ➤ The Edit Brick window appears.

• ➤ Enter a description for the brick.
• ➤ Select a display mode for the display
  • ➤ "QR Display": A QR code is displayed which contains the corresponding fields.
  • ➤ "Text Display" : The description of the brick is displayed as text. You can choose between different orientations.
• ➤ To confirm your entries, click on the "Save" button.
• ➤ To cancel your entries, click on the "Cancel" button.

To add a brick to a library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on a brick to highlight it.
• ➤ Click the "Add to Library/Volume" button.
• ➤ The Select Library/Volume window appears.

• ➤ Click on a library to highlight it.
• ➤ To confirm your entry, click on the "Select" button.
• ➤ To cancel your entry, click on the "Cancel" button.

To remove a brick from a library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on a brick to highlight it.
• ➤ Click the "Remove from Brick" button.

In the "Libraries" section you can manage the libraries and SAN clients. You can also view the statistics of the libraries.

The selection of the correct settings depends on the respective software to be connected.

To add a library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the List tab.
• ➤ Click the "Add" button.
• ➤ The Add Library window appears.

• The installation wizard will guide you through the next steps in the following order:
• Add drives
• Add bricks
• Add SAN Client.

To remove a library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the List tab.
• ➤ Click on a library to highlight it.
• ➤ Click the Remove button.
• ➤ The Remove Library window appears.

• ➤ To remove the library, click the Remove button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click on the "No" button.

To set up a library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click a library in the navigation bar under the Libraries folder.
• ➤ Click the Settings tab in the main window.
• ➤ You will now see an overview of the setting options for the selected library.

To set the name, description and type of the library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ In the Library Name, Description and Type area, click the Edit button.
• ➤ The Library Name, Description and Type window appears.

• ➤ Enter a library name.
• ➤ Enter a description of the library.
• ➤ Select a library type.
• ➤ To save your entries, click on the "Save" button.
• ➤ To cancel your entries, click on the "Cancel" button.

To set the slots of the library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on the "Edit" button in the "Slots" area.
• ➤ The Slot Settings window appears.

• ➤ Select the number of slots.
• ➤ Select the number of import/export slots.
• ➤ To confirm your entries, click on the "Save" button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click on the "Cancel" button.

To set the tape export behavior, do the following:

• ➤ In the Set Tape Export area, click the Edit button.
• ➤ Choose between the options
  • ➤ Make Ready for Removal

The Silent Brick is switched offline by the export command and can now be ejected manually via the touch display (not Silent Brick Pro) or via the eject command in the user interface (Silent Brick Pro). From the application's point of view, the corresponding tape is located in the so-called I/O slot.

• ➤ Eject Silent Brick Physically

The corresponding Silent Brick (not Silent Brick Max) is physically ejected from the Silent Brick Controller (not Silent Brick Drive) by the export command. The ejection is done via a motor mechanism. To be able to use the Silent Brick again, it must then be removed and physically reinserted into the device.

To set the barcode interval of the library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on the "Edit" button in the "Barcode Range" area.
• ➤ The "Barcode Range Settings" window is displayed.

• ➤ Enter a start value for the barcode interval.
• ➤ Enter a final value for the barcode interval.
• ➤ To confirm your entries, click on the "Save" button.
• ➤ To cancel your entries, click on the "Cancel" button.

To set the interval for the Digital Audit, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on the "Edit" button in the "Audit Management" section.
• ➤ The Audit Management window appears.

• ➤ Select a time interval for the digital audit.
• ➤ To confirm your entry, click on the "Save" button.
• ➤ To cancel your entry, click on the "Cancel" button.

Under the "Statistics" tab you can view the read and write statistics.

• ➤ Use the drop-down menu to select the statistics for the bricks or libraries.

To manage the bricks in a library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click a library in the navigation bar under the Libraries folder.
• ➤ In the main window, click the Bricks tab.
• ➤ You will now see a list of all bricks used in the selected library.

To add a brick to a library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the "Add Bricks" button.
• ➤ The Add Bricks to Library window appears.

• ➤ Click on a brick to highlight it.
• ➤ Hold down the Ctrl key and click more bricks to highlight them.
• ➤ To confirm your entries, click the "Add&quot; button.
• ➤ To cancel your entries, click on the "Cancel" button.

To remove a brick from a library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on a brick to highlight it.
• ➤ Click the Remove Bricks button.
• ➤ The Remove Bricks from Library window appears.

• ➤ To remove the brick from the library, click the Remove button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click on the "No" button.

To delete a brick, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on a brick to highlight it.
• ➤ Click the Erase button.
• ➤ The Erase Bricks window appears.

• ➤ To clear the brick, click the Erase button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click on the "No" button.

To format an empty brick, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click an empty brick to highlight it.
• ➤ Click the Format button.
• ➤ The "Format Bricks" window opens.
• ➤ Enter the prefix of the brick name.
• ➤ To format the brick, click the Format button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click on the "Cancel" button.

To add drives to a library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click a library in the navigation bar under the Libraries folder.
• ➤ Click on the "Drives" tab in the main window.
• ➤ Click the "Add" button.
• ➤ The "Add Drives " window is displayed.

• ➤ Enter a prefix for the drive names.
• ➤ Select the number of drives.
• ➤ Select a drive type.
• ➤ To confirm your entries, click the "Add&quot; button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click on the "Cancel" button.

To remove drives from a library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click a library in the navigation bar under the Libraries folder.
• ➤ Click on the "Drives" tab in the main window.
• ➤ Click the Remove button.
• ➤ The Remove Drives window appears.

• ➤ Select the number of drives.
• ➤ To remove the drives from the library, click the Remove button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click on the "Cancel" button.

To add a SAN client to a library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the SAN Clients tab.
• ➤ The Add SAN Client window appears.

• ➤ Select a data connection, either iSCSI or FibreChannel.
• ➤ If you have selected the iSCSI procedure "Client", the subarea "iSCSI" opens automatically in the window "Add SAN Client".

• ➤ Enter a client name.
• ➤ Enter the initiator name of the client.
• ➤ For free access, select the Allow Unauthenticated Access option.

For limited access, select the "User Who Can Authenticate for the Client" option and make the following settings:

• ➤ Enter a username.
• ➤ Enter a password for the user.
• ➤ Repeat the password.
• ➤ Select a target IP.
• ➤ To confirm your entries, click the "Add&quot; button.
• ➤ To cancel your entries, click on the "Cancel" button.

If you have selected a FibreChannel, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Select a World Wide Port Name (WWPN) for the device that will be accessed later.
• ➤ Select a port. The numbering is from right (0) to left (1).
• ➤ If you want every WWPN to have access, select the "Everyone" option. In this case port 1 is enabled.

To show advanced FibreChannel options, do the following:

• ➤ Select the appropriate volume.
• ➤ Switch to the SAN Clients tab.
• ➤ Select the "Fibre Channel Info" button in the menu bar.

To remove a SAN client from a library, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the SAN Clients tab.
• ➤ Click a SAN client to highlight it.
• ➤ Click the Remove button.
• ➤ The Remove SAN Client window appears.

• ➤ To remove the SAN client, click the Remove button.
• ➤ To cancel the process, click on the "No" button.

In the "Volumes" section, you can manage the NAS units and accesses. You can also view the statistics of the NAS units.

The selection of the correct settings depends on the respective software to be connected.

There are two different types of volumes:

• SNAS ERC
  • Secure NAS for archiving without WORM protection
  • Linear storage
  • 4 redundancies
  • structural safety
  • Memory space is released when deleting not.
  • Encryption
  • Internal and external replication
  • Manual snapshots are possible
  • Continuous Snapshot is part of the linearity
• SNAS
  • Secure NAS for backup and storage
  • 2 or 3 redundancies selectable
  • Memory space becomes free immediately when deleting
  • Internal and external replication
  • Manual snapshots are possible
  • Continuous Snapshots can be configured manually

To add a new NAS unit, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the List tab.
• ➤ Click the "Add" button.
• ➤ The Add Volume window appears.
• ➤ Select the volume type 'SNAS ERC'.
• ➤ Select "Encrypt Volume" to encrypt the volume with a password.

• The installation wizard then takes you to the "Add Bricks" step.

• ➤ Click the List tab.
• ➤ Click the "Add" button.
• ➤ The Add Volume window appears.

• ➤ Select the volume type "SNAS".
• ➤ Check "Encrypt Volume" to encrypt the volume with a password.
• ➤ Select the desired number of redundancies.

Attention: To use the Silent Brick Max, it is mandatory to choose 3 redundancies!

• ➤ If required, disable 'Compression'.
  • ➤ Due to the high efficiency we recommend to keep the compression.
  • ➤ We recommend deactivation if you want to store already compressed data.
• ➤ If necessary, disable the 'Case Sensitive' option.
  • ➤ Usually Case Sensitivity is not a problem.
  • ➤ In special cases it may be necessary to disable this option.
• ➤ When using for big files ( i.e. Backup Files ) make sure to active 'Optimize for Large Files'
  • ➤ This flag applies to new files only
• ➤Activate the 'Fast Clone Support' switch to enable the use of Fast Clone and Reflink support in combination with the VEEAM backup software.
  • ➤ By activating the Fast Clone support, you can take advantage of the Fast Clone technology provided by Veeam Backup & Replication. This technology allows for faster Synthetic Full Backups and Forever Incremental chains, resulting in a reduction of the required time and storage space.
  • ➤ Note that the Large File Optimization setting is ignored in this case.

• The installation wizard then takes you to the "Add Bricks" step.

• ➤ Select the desired volume
• ➤ Switch to the "General" tab.
• ➤ Use the "Edit" button to adjust the corresponding settings:

A volume can consist of several bricks. The bricks behave like a shared memory area and cannot be distinguished in the file system.

To add bricks to a volume, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the Bricks tab.
• ➤ Click the "Add Bricks" button.

• ➤ The Add Bricks to Volume window appears.
• ➤ Select one or more bricks while holding down the "CTRL" key.
• ➤ To confirm the selection, press the "Add" button.
• ➤ To cancel the operation, press the "Cancel" button.

A volume can consist of several bricks. The bricks behave like a common storage area and cannot be distinguished in the file system.

The force audit is used to check all data of a brick. It is always a good idea to select all bricks.

To start the force audit, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the Bricks tab.
• ➤ Right-click on the bricks
• ➤ Select "Force Audit"

The Force Audit now starts and can be monitored via the status display in the same window.

A volume can provide multiple shares. Mixing different release types is not recommended due to different authorization mechanisms.

Possible release protocols are:

• SMB
• NFS

SMB shares are based on the Server Message Block protocol, which is widely used in Windows environments. Authorizations are set on a user basis.

Supported versions of the SMB protocol are:

• SMB v2
• SMB v3

To add an SMB share to a volume, do the following:

• ➤ Click the Shares tab.
• ➤ Click the "Add SMB Share" button.

• ➤ The "Add SMB Share" window opens.

• ➤ Select the share path in the Share Path input box.
  • ➤ "/" shares the entire volume at the top level.
  • ➤ "/folder/" shares a subfolder "folder" within the volume.
• ➤ Select a unique share name in the "Share Name" input field.
• ➤ Select "Read Only" to deny write access.
• ➤ Select "Browseable" to show the share in Explorer.
• ➤ Select "Case Sensitive" to enable case sensitivity.
• ➤ Select "Support NTFS-ACLs" to enable file system level permissions.
• ➤ Use the "Access Based Enumerations" option to control the permissions on files to which the user has no rights.
• ➤ Activate or deactivate the op-lock functionality via the "No Opportunistic Locking" option. ( See also: O'Reilly - Samba settings) )
• ➤ Deactivate the "Public" selection to restrict access for certain users or groups.

• ➤ Use the search window to search for users and groups
  • ➤ Activate the checkbox "Add Selected User With Admin Rights" to give this user administrative rights to all folders of this share

See section "Customizing SMB Settings.".

NFS shares are based on the Network File System protocol, which is widely used in Unix and Linux environments. The permissions are set on a host basis.

Supported versions of the NFS protocol are:

• NFS v3
• NFS v4
• NFS v4.1

To add an NFS share to a volume, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the Shares tab.
• ➤ Click the "Add NFS Share" button.

• ➤ The "Add NFS Share" window opens.

• ➤ Select the share path in the Share Path input box.
  • ➤ "/" shares the entire volume at the top level.
  • ➤ "/folder/" shares a subfolder "folder" within the volume.
• ➤ Select "Enforce NFS3" to force protocol version 3.
• ➤ Click Add Client to open the permissions configuration help.

S3-compatible shares allow access to a SNAS volume ( NOT SNAS ERC ) via the S3 object store interface. The permission settings are based on access key and secret key.

To add an S3 share to a volume, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on the Shares tab.
• ➤ Click the "Add S3 Share" button.

• ➤ The "Add S3 Share" window opens.

• ➤ Select the share name in the "Share Name" input field.
• ➤ Select an access key in the "Access Key" input field.
• ➤ Select a password in the "Secret Key" input field.
• ➤ Confirm the password in the "Retype Secret Key" input field.
• ➤ If necessary, edit the service point DNS name for „virtual-host-style“ access. Make sure that this name must also be resolvable via your DNS server.
• ➤ If necessary, edit the port number.
  • ➤ The port number is unique per share.
  • ➤ The port number is automatically counted up.
• ➤ Click "Save" to save the share.

Buckets so to speak root folder within a S3 share. Buckets can be created both via an S3 client and via the user interface.

• ➤ To create or delete a bucket via the user interface, open the context menu of the share by right-clicking on the corresponding S3 share and select "Manage Buckets":

• ➤ To create a new bucket, select "Create new Bucket" or "Create new Bucket with Object Locking" (if activated in the last step).
  • ➤ Assign a unique name.

• ➤ To delete a bucket, select the empty bucket and choose "Delete Bucket":

To delete a volume, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the appropriate volume.
• ➤ Click the General tab.
• ➤ Click the "Delete with all Data" button.

• ➤ The Delete Volume with all Data window appears.
• ➤ Confirm the deletion process again by entering "Yes".

• ➤ To delete the volume, click "Delete".

To delete the contents of a volume, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the appropriate volume.
• ➤ Click the General tab.
• ➤ Click on the "Erase all Data" button.

• ➤ The Erase all Data of Volume window appears.
• ➤ Confirm the deletion process again by entering "Yes".

• ➤ To delete the volume, click "Erase".

To create the local replication of a volume, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the appropriate volume.
• ➤ Click the General tab.
• ➤ Click on the "Replicate" button.

• ➤ The "Replicate" window opens.

• ➤ Select a name for the replica.
• ➤ Check "Encrypt Volume" to encrypt the replica ( SNAS ERC only )
• ➤ Check "Compression" to compress the replica ( SNAS only )
• ➤ Select the number of parities ( SNAS only )
• ➤ Click the "Add" button to create the replica.
• ➤ The "Add Bricks to Volume" window opens.
• ➤ Add a sufficient number of bricks to your replication volume.
• ➤ Check the replication status with the help of the volume overview

To create the remote replication of a volume, first establish a connection between the two systems. Follow the description Create Remote Connection.

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• ➤ Click the appropriate volume.
• ➤ Click the General tab.
• ➤ Click on the "Replicate" button.

• ➤ The "Replicate" window opens.

• ➤ Select a name for the replica.
• ➤ Check "Encrypt Volume" to encrypt the replica ( SNAS ERC only )
• ➤ Check "Compression" to compress the replica ( SNAS only )
• ➤ Select the number of parities ( SNAS only )
• ➤ Activate the "Remote Replication" button and select a remote connection.
• ➤ Click the "Add" button to create the replica.
• ➤ Open the target system
• ➤ Add a sufficient number of bricks to your replication volume.
• ➤ Check the replication status with the help of the volume overview

In order to create a manual snapshot proceed as follows:

• ➤ Open the desired Volume
• ➤ Switch to the tab "Snapshots"

• ➤ Click the “Add” button.

• ➤ In the drop-down “Snapshot” choose one of the following options
  • ➤ “From Now”: Create a snapshot of the current volumes state
  • ➤ “By Date / Time”: Convert a continuous snapshot to a manual snapshot (if available )
• ➤ Choose a name
• ➤ Choose a description
• ➤ By choosing "Provide Snapshot as Volume" the Snapshot will be startet as a virtual volume immediately (See: "Start a volume snapshot" )

This function is called "Continuous Snapshots".

In the volume type "Secure NAS ERC" the Continuous Snapshot function is fixed by the linear notation and therefore cannot be deactivated or configured.

In the volume type "Secure NAS" the Continuous Snapshot function can be activated and configured manually. To do this, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Open the desired volume.
• ➤ Switch to the "Snapshots" tab.

• ➤ Click on the "Continuous Snapshots" button ( Secure NAS only )

• ➤ Check "Enabled:" to enable the function for this volume.
• ➤ The "Snapshot Interval" specifies the intervals at which snapshots are to be taken.
• ➤ The "Lifetime" specifies the time after which old snapshots are automatically deleted and the storage space can be freed again.
• ➤ "Minimum Number of Snapshots to Keep" defines the minimum number of snapshots to keep.

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Please follow the instructions "Creating a manual snapshot".

Both a manually created snapshot and a continuous snapshot can be started in a readable mode parallel to the actual volume. This is a further volume which makes the corresponding files available in read-only mode.

 To display the snapshot of a volume, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on the corresponding volume.
• ➤ Click the General tab.
• ➤ Click the Provide Snapshot as Volume button.

• ➤ The "Provide Snapshot as Volume" window opens.

• ➤ In the Snapshot menu, select between the options
  • ➤ "From Now": Start a snapshot of the current time.
  • ➤ "By Date / Time": Start a snapshot from another time.
  • ➤ "Snapshot Name": Start a manually created snapshot.
• ➤ Select a name for the snapshot.
• ➤ Click the Create button to create the snapshot.

In order to use a Volume Snapshot writable, this Snapshot state must be transferred to an empty Silent Brick using the clone functionality.

To do this, follow the steps under "Cloning Volumes".

When cloning a volume, all content is mirrored to a second brick. A clone can also be used to copy a snapshot into a writable volume.

 

To create the clone of a volume, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the appropriate volume.
• ➤ Click the General tab.
• ➤ Click on the "Clone" button.

• ➤ The Create Volume Clone window opens.

• ➤ In the Snapshot menu, choose between the options.
  • ➤ "From Now": Start a snapshot from the current time.
  • ➤ By Date / Time: Start a snapshot from another point in time.
  • ➤ "Snapshot Name": Start a manually created snapshot.
• ➤ Choose a name for the clone.
• ➤ Assign a description for the clone, if necessary.
• ➤ Select the desired protection. Note that these settings are not automatically adopted from the source volume! If the protection settings are to correspond to those of the source volume, you must make the settings correctly. ''
• ➤ In the section "Action on Finish Clone" you also have the option of having a connection action performed after the cloning process is complete:

• ➤ Now click on the Create button to create the clone volume. Note that no Silent Brick has been assigned to the clone volume yet.
• ➤ Finally, add a sufficient number of Silent Bricks to your clone volume. For a local clone, the configuration wizard will help you with this.

The so-called offline mode is used for maintenance, energy saving and removal of the Silent Brick. To set a volume to offline mode, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the List tab.
• ➤ Click a volume to highlight it.
• ➤ Click the "Set Offline" button.

• ➤ The volume is now deactivated.

To put a deactivated or newly detected volume into online mode, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the List tab.
• ➤ Click a disabled volume to highlight it.
• ➤ Click on the "Set Online" button.

• ➤ The volume is now imported.
• ➤ If the status changes from "Importing" to "Online", the activation is completed.

The Compliant Archive is the revision-proof long-term memory of the Silent Brick System and consists of two components:

• ➤ Stage Area
• ➤ WORM area

During storage, the stage area, which can be rewritten by definition, is used to accept the data. In addition, the Stage Area offers the possibility to automatically store frequently used data.

The WORM area, on the other hand, serves the final and secure long-term archiving of files and can therefore only be used with specially equipped WORM bricks.

Stage and WORM area share a common namespace. The transfer of the files from the stage area to the WORM area is done by the following logic, depending on the volume type set:

• ➤ After the expiration of the time after the last change
• ➤ By setting the Read Only flag to the corresponding file

To create a new Compliant Archive, proceed as follows.

• ➤ Switch to Archives in the User Interface
• ➤ Click 'Add'.

• ➤ The dialog for creating archives opens.

• ➤ Assign a name for the archive
• ➤ Enter a description for the archive
• ➤ Select 'Encrypt Archive' to encrypt the archive.

The following options are available when selecting the Silent Bricks to be used:

• Split Stage and WORM Brick
  • The stage area is on one or more non-WORM bricks.
  • The Stage area can be extended at any time afterwards.
  • This option offers the possibility to use a faster FLASH brick as stage area for many small files.
• Combined Stage and WORM Brick
  • The stage area is defined on the WORM brick the first time it is created.
  • The size of the stage area on this WORM brick can be changed not anymore.
  • The WORM area starts after the Stage area.
  • The stage area consumes the WORM brick's memory space.

The following rules are recommended for deciding which of the two options should be used.

1. A lot of files require a larger stage area. A rule of thumb is 3600 bytes stage per file.
2. A lot of small files need a faster stage so the use of a FLASH brick is recommended.

• ➤ To create a combined archive, select a brick and proceed as follows:
  • ➤ Select a brick of type WORM.
  • ➤ Click the 'Add to Archive and Stage' button.
  • ➤ Use the slider to select the desired stage range size.
• ➤ Proceed as follows to create a separate stage and WORM area:
  • ➤ Select one or more bricks of type WORM .
  • ➤ Click 'Add to Archive'.
  • ➤ Select one or more bricks of type Brick or FLASH .
  • ➤ Click Add to Stage.

• ➤ Select the desired Compliant Archive in the sidebar.
• ➤ Go to the Sub-Volumes tab.

• ➤ Click 'Add'.

• ➤ Choose the desired volume mode
  • ➤ Compliance: Files will be hardware locked against deletion for a given time period
  • ➤ Enterprise: There will be an option to remove single files by overriding the retention using special API calls. For additional information please get in touch with our support.

• ➤ Assign a name to the subvolume.
• ➤ The volume type to choose depends on the solution to be bound:

• In the 'Safe Files' tab, activate the creation of safe files. This creates a file with the same name but with the extension '.safe' after the archiving process to signal the successful archiving to the outside.
• The safe files can be created in XML or text format.

• ➤ In the 'Miscellaneous' tab, further settings can be made depending on the volume type:

Starting with version 2.35.0.2 the Silent Brick system supports definable caching policies for subvolumes. This allows to set for how long files of a certain type and size will remain in the staging area.

To enable caching, do the following:

• ➤ In the subvolume, switch to the "Caching & Eviction Policies" tab.

• ➤ Enable caching by checking the "Keep Files in Cache After Ingest" box.
• ➤ Using the "Add" button, define rules for keeping files.

• ➤ Define a retention period under „Eviction Policy“ that is greater than 0.

When using versioned volume types, you can switch between different versions in the file system. Switching is done via a version file of the corresponding file.

Example:

The data abc.pdf shall be switched.

• Navigate to the file
• check the version by opening the (invisible) safe file abc.pdf.safe
• Create the version file "abc.pdf.version" with one of the following contents

• switch n' - n is an arbitrary number to show the corresponding version

• The text 'revert' to show the top revision

"Examples

type abc.pdf.safe

echo switch 3 > abc.pdf.version

echo revert > abc.pdf.version

To create the local replication of a Compliant Archive, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the appropriate volume.
• ➤ Click the General tab.
• ➤ Click on the "Replicate" button.

• ➤ The "Replicate" window opens.

• ➤ Select a name for the replica.
• ➤ Click the "Add" button to create the replica.
• ➤ The "Add Bricks to Volume" window opens.
• ➤ Add a sufficient number of bricks to your replication archive.
• ➤ Check the replication status using the archive overview.

To create the remote replication of a Compliant Archive, first establish a connection between the two systems. Follow the description Create Remote Connection.

• ➤ Click on the corresponding Compliant archive.
• ➤ Click the General tab.
• ➤ Click the Create Replication button.

• ➤ The "Replicate" window opens.

• ➤ Select a name for the replica.
• ➤ Check "Encrypt Volume" to encrypt the replica
• ➤ Activate the "Remote Replication" button and select a remote connection.
• ➤ Click the "Add" button to create the replica.
• ➤ Open the target system
• ➤ Add a sufficient number of bricks to your replication volume.
• ➤ Check the replication status with the help of the Compliant Archive Overview

• ➤ Click on the corresponding Compliant Archive.
• ➤ Click on the "Reports" tab.

• ➤ In the upper area you can download all available archive reports.
• ➤ In the lower section you can check outstanding files by type.

In the "Overview" section you can view the operating status and the temperature of the individual components. You will also find an audit radar that helps you see which bricks are currently undergoing a digital audit.

To see the operating status of a component, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the System Status folder in the navigation bar.
• ➤ Double-click on the term "State" in the main window.
• ➤ The "Overview" area and the "State" option are now displayed in the main window.

• ➤ Move the mouse pointer over a component (such as a brick or controller).
• ➤ A context menu with the operating status of the corresponding component is displayed.

To see the temperature of the components, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the System Status folder in the navigation bar.
• ➤ Double-click on the term "Temperatures" in the main window.
• ➤ A thermal image with the respective temperatures of the components is now displayed in the main window.

]

To see the audit radar, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click the System Status folder in the navigation bar.
• ➤ Double-click on the term "Audit Radar" in the main window.

• The progress of the Digital Audit is displayed as follows:
• Blue: Audit was initialized
• Green: Progress of the audit.

To identify and find a brick, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on the term "Overview" in the navigation bar under the "System Status" folder.
• ➤ Select one of the "Find Bricks..." options at the bottom of the main window.

• ➤ Select the library, barcode or description of the corresponding brick.

• ➤ The brick is now highlighted in white.

To find a brick by light signal, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on the term "Overview" in the navigation bar under the "System Status" folder.
• ➤ Right-click a brick in the main window.
• ➤ A context menu opens up.
• ➤ Select the "Toggle Brick Beacon" option.
• ➤ The light signal of the brick lights up on the configuration interface and on the component itself.

To update the view of the main window, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on the "Refresh" button.

• In the "Statistics" section you will find diagrams with statistical values for the following areas:
• System load,
• CPU usage,
• Memory usage,
• Swap usage,
• Operating time,
• Interface error.

To set the time axis of a chart, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click a diagram.
• ➤ A detailed view of the diagram opens.

• ➤ Select the time period to be displayed.
• ➤ To return to the diagram overview, click on the term "Overview".

In the "History" section you will find information about important events, such as installations and updates.

To update the view of the main window, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Click on the "Refresh" button.

It is regularly tested whether the Silent Brick System works with current software solutions.

In order to work with the Silent Brick System, the software must meet the following requirements:

• Operation as Virtual Tape Library
  • The software must support the control of tape libraries and be certified for use with tape libraries.
  • The system on which the backup software is installed must be able to connect to the tape library via a Fibre Channel or iSCSI port.

• Operation as SNAS
  • The software must support file management on a network share.

• Operation as Compliant Archive
  • The software must support file management on a network share.

To select the correct configuration type for the software, please contact FAST LTA GmbH. In many cases a documentation can be offered for the connection of the corresponding software to the Silent Brick Library.

The Silent Brick System has from version 2.15.0.9 an API, which can be accessed from outside.

This allows both control and monitoring tasks to be performed without access to the user interface.

See also GitHub.com - FAST-LTA

The API is controlled exclusively on the management port of the Silent Brick System, if the management and data networks are separated.

A complete documentation of all supported API functions can be found in the published documentation on Github.com:

Public API Description

On Github.com you can find some Examples for using the Silent Brick API as scripts in the languages

• Perl
• Powershell

Of course, the API can also be controlled from any other script and programming language.

"System status monitoring.

The following values, for example, could be queried by the system using appropriate scripts to monitor the system status:

• Status of the Silent Brick System via the Open Issues list
  • Warning of open warnings
  • Warning of open errors
• Fill level of certain Secure NAS volumes
  • Warning if threshold values are reached

'Create snapshots automatically

Scripts can be used to create snapshots on specific target volumes.

This allows you, for example, to automatically generate a snapshot after creating a backup in order to freeze the status and protect it against unwanted changes.

You could also clean up old snapshots according to their timestamps.

• The storage bin must meet the following requirements:
• The storage place must be dry and covered.
• The storage area must be protected from draughts.
• The storage area must be dust-free.
• Protection from light with high UV content (e.g. sunlight, fluorescent tubes), as plastic parts can become brittle due to UV radiation.
• The optimum air temperature at the storage location is between +15°C and +25°C.
• The air temperature at the storage location should be max. 38°C.
• The humidity at the storage location should be max. 65 %.

• ➤ Never store the device near heat sources.
• ➤ To avoid damage to property, never stack the components of the unit.
• ➤ Keep the device away from electromagnetic fields.

• To eject a brick, one of the following conditions must be met:
• The brick is not used and was put into the "export slot" by the connected software.
• The brick is not used and has been set to "Unlock for Eject" via the configuration interface.

To replace a hard disk, proceed as follows:

• ➤ Wipe the brick's touch screen with your finger.

Fig.: Touchscreen

• ➤ The brick automatically moves a few centimeters out of the controller/shelf.
• ➤ Grab the brick by its handle and pull it completely out of the controller/shelf.

Fig.: Extended brick

• ➤ Hold the brick by its handle (1).
• ➤ A: Pull the lever (8) on the back of the brick upwards.
• ➤ Make sure that the brick does not accidentally slip out of the brick housing.
• ➤ B: Pull the brick out of the brick housing by its handle.

Fig.: Open brick

• ➤ Slide the hard disk lock upwards.

• ➤ Pull the hard disk out of its slot.

• ➤ Insert the new hard disk into its slot.

• ➤ Close the hard disk lock.

• ➤ Push the brick into the brick housing until it clicks into place.

Fig.: Close brick

• ➤ Push the brick into the slot of the controller/shelf until the automatic feed grips the brick.

Fig.: Inserted brick

• ➤ The brick is automatically pulled in by the controller/shelf.

The errors and causes explained in this section can only be used as a guide for your checks. Errors depend on the type of use and the respective operating situation.

Devices marked with this symbol are subject to the European Directive 2012/19/EU for WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment).

• ➤ Dispose of the device in an environmentally friendly manner via a specialist disposal company.
• ➤ Observe the country-specific regulations at the place of use and contact your city or municipal administration in case of doubt.

WEEE-Reg.-Nr. DE 78334839

A documentation of implemented third party software can be found in our license overview.