Automatically import media from mail slot

I've been working with NBU for 4 years now and didn't know about this option.  I'll be trying it out today.

Do you know if this performs the NBU inventory as well?  Or will this just put tapes from the MAP to random slots in the library?

It updates the NBU config as well.

It was introduced back in NBU 3.4 days but it didn't work very well. It was a 'heaven-sent' initially, but then we started getting the 02:00 am call-outs when customers logged calls for status 52's. Half-asleep we found that tldcd wasn't running. After many callouts like this and support calls to Symantec (Veritas) my colleague happend to be on site when the operator opened the cap to add more tapes. She noticed shortly afterwards the message in the master server console that tldcd has terminated... She put 2 + 2 together and found that it was caused by this entry... Veritas also removed the TN that introduced this feature.

The problem was resolved back in NBU 5.1 days. I have actually forgotten about this till the question was asked today... (this is the good and bad thing about AGE .... you've got all the experience, just cannot remember it all ! )

Hi,

Yes, it was a feature of most backup software.

I just came to know about this  feature from the tape drive hardware setting, in which there is a option, that creats a slot as a "Mail Slot" , which mostly used by  for cleaning the drive.( This options need to be enabled from H/W setting of the Tape librery)

When I went deep inside, I came to know more  features and thus raised this topic for a clear and a real life senerio discussion from others or any draw backs for NBU.

Thanks.

I think you meant 'library feature', not a tape drive feature... With small 10- or 20-slot libraries you normally have one slot only. The bigger ones have 10 or more slots in the Cartridge Access Port.

Please Mark Solution if your query was answered.

I figured I'd try this.

Our Quantum library does, in fact, import the tape automatically and it updates NetBackup with the new tape.  However, it is not honoring the Media ID Generation rule.

Library is set to report all 8 characters from the barcode.  The barcode on the tape being imported is 400110L4.

The Media ID Generation Rule is 1:2:3:4:5:6. The media ID should show up as 400110. 

The media ID being generated automatically is 0110L4.  But the barcode does appear in NetBackup correctly as 400110L4. 

When I delete the media ID and re-inventory the library manually, the media ID is being generated correctly as 400110.

Any suggestions, anyone?  Or is this just a bug?

Hi Mrinal

Have you tried this entry in vm.conf yet?

Please let us know if we managed to answer your question...