TS3100 library configuration

if you remove the partitions, there is NO WAY to guarantee that particular job will use a specific tape.  (You can come close using OPP/APP and use overwriteable first, but that is only close)

On top of that IIRC, there is no way to run an Export from within the job.   BEMCMD has an EXPORT function, but you cannot use this as a POST command, since as long as the job  is still active it has control of the drive.

I guess that you could create a CMD file and run it from TASK MANAGER at 08:30 or something, but that only works on a specific slot, I think, not even a partition

As Ken said, once you remove the partitions, there is no guarantee that BE will use a particular tape, but I think you realise this and do not mind which tape is used.

Even after removing the partitions, you can still separate your tapes by using media sets.  You should serious consider this since you would want to retain your data differently,  For example, you might want to retain your daily backup for 4 days and your weekly backup for 3 weeks.  For each different overwrite protection period (OPP), you need to have a new media set.   The proper design of your media sets is important so that your tapes will not be overwritten before the data on them expires.

Once you have set up your medis sets, you either associate each of your tapes to a media set or leave them in the scratch media set.  If you do the latter, BE will grab a scratch tape when it needs to and place it in the media set that the job targets.  This way the tape is protected for a specific After setting up your media set, you then target your jobs to the media set that has the correct OPP for that tape.

I don't have any partition in my library and this arrangement works fine.

To export the tape, you need to enable any mail or I/O slots in your library.  You then convert your job into a policy with your job as the first template and and export job as the second template.  After you job ran, the tape is exported to the mailslot.  If there are more tapes to be exported than there are mailslots, then BE will alert you to remove the first tape.  Once this is removed, the second tape will be exported and so on.  Plan your jobs so that there is a minimum number of tapes to be exported.  Do this by appending your data as much as possible.

It sound like a lot of change, but take it in small steps.

1) Design your media sets and plan your jobs.

2) Remove your partition and implement your media sets

3) Change your job to a policy to export the tape.

Sorry I have not been back to update.

That sounds like solid advice. We are a doing a major upgrade to our i5 OS so I can't do this until that is completed this weekend. I will post back and let you know how this goes.

Thanks again.

Well it's been a long time since I have had the opportunity to work on this. Just finished a System I upgrade and very with other little projects... This is very important so we are just revisiting this in our IT department.

I will be back shortly with what and when we are going to do.

Hi folks.

Just some confirmations are required prior to kicking this into production. The existing scenario is posted next:

• We need to have multiple media pools - Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly
• We have 3 different jobs due to time constraints: Exchange and serveral DB's (to a backup-to-disk folder or B2D), Files (Straight to Tape) and lastly the B2D is transferred to tape (B2D2T).

An example of what I have done so far:

• I configured the daily B2D, S2T and B2D2T jobs to exclude Thursdays

My questions are:

1. What do I need to with the policy templates? I know to create a policy then template and add the export template.
2. Would I need to create multiple policies (individually) and then run them at the different times just like the jobs we are currently running?

Thanks for any and replies. Man it is confusing...

 

--james

Hi PKH

I have recently posted an update to this and if you have any advice, I'd sure appreciate it.