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ADSysAdmin's avatar
ADSysAdmin
Level 3
18 years ago

New Admin

I am a new admin and trying to get a better understanding of Exec 11D. I have gotten it to identify the tape robot and even the tapes. My question comes in when I set up a job and the next day it doesn't run due to some error of mine. It usually asks me to move valid media into the drive. I equate this to the media set and that its not configured correctly. I have looked at the admin user manual but it doesn't tell me in simpler terms what the requirements are on each tape.
 
I set up several tapes to be run everyday with infinite append- do not overwrite. I have put this in a media set for that backup job but I go to run it it still complains about the media.
 
I know it must sound that I am genetically simple but normally I can figure out almost anything. This has got me very frustrated. Any advice would be very apreciated.
 
Ken
  • Actually, this sounds like a very common question
     
    When you labeled the tapes, and moved them into the media set, they took on all properties of that media set as of the time of the move.  Since the OPP for the set is 0 - never overwrite, BackupExec can't overwrite to them, and since BackupExec will only append to a tape that already has data on it, Append won't work either
     
    Move the tapes to the SCRATCH media set and let BackupExec move them to the Production media set when they are opened  
  • When you say OPP, I don't know what that is an acronym for. And how do you know on the 0=Never overwrite?
  • ok,, I figured that out... Overwrite Protection period...ok. Makes sense.
     
     
    Ok, it is able to append to the media but if there isn't any media to append it won't write to it.
     
    If its in the set that doesn't allow overwrite, it won't write to it even if its the first time writing.
     
     
    Ok.. getting there.
  • Thanks, you have been very helpful. Still fighting over this in my head tho.
     
    Once a tape is associated with a media set, can you change it without erasing it?
     
    Is a tape associated with a OPP/APPEND order by job or by media set?
  • OPP and APP are both by media set, not by individual tape volume
     
    You can drag a tape volume from one media set to another from the Media tab, but again, it would take on the APP and OPP as of the time that you drag it
     
    Once the tape has expired, Backup Exec will use it as on Overwritable tape by any job that needs one, depending on whether other expired/scratch tapes are available, how old they are (it will take the one that has been overwritable longest first) and by the global media management  option to "Use overwriteable media in the target media set before scratch media" or vice versa 
     
    Remember also that APP is set from the time that the first backup set on the volume is OPENED while OPP is set when the last backup set on the tape is CLOSED, and thus is extended each time that you append to a tape
     
  • I have hit the breaks and backed up on my approach on this. I looked at all the media sets we have now. I have deleted any that do not have any data associated as well as duplicated media types. Now I am creating other media types to cover all the bases. I.E.... No Opp / No App, No Opp / App, ......etc...
     
     
    I have then associated the tapes to the necessary media set for what I am going for. Now, the issue I am having is when I go to run a job, it complains about the media not being available. What gives?
  • if you take a tape that is scratch - newly labeled for instance -  and move it into a media set that has an OPP of  14 days, you will not be able to overwrite it for 14 more days.  Just leave the tape in the scratch set and let backup exec move it when the tape is opened.