Dell NetWorker 19.9 Administration Guide

Silo slot numbering

In a library, the NetWorker software specifies many functions by slot number. A library has a fixed number of slots, and NetWorker software uses the slot number to refer to a volume’s physical location.

A silo works similarly, but a silo has a variable number of slots, starting at zero when it is first configured, and limited by the silo license purchased. The fundamental identifier of a silo volume is its barcode, or volser (volume serial number). The volser never changes over the life of a particular volume.

When the nsrjb command lists the contents of a silo, it also lists a slot number. Use the slot number to specify which volumes to mount, unmount, label, and inventory. Volumes are not always assigned the same slot number in the silo. The slot numbers in the silo are assigned dynamically, based on the sorted order of the barcodes that have been allocated. If additional barcodes that fall earlier in the sort sequence are allocated later, then the slot numbers change for all volumes that are later in the sequence.

The nsrjb UNIX man page or the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provide more information.