Forum Discussion

Mr_Moto1's avatar
Mr_Moto1
Level 2
10 years ago
Solved

Force overwrite of expired file location

I am unsure of the OS as I am not directly involve. Forgive me if there is insufficient information to render a solution.

We (our IT) have expired a server in our NetBackup Catalog and files related to a VM, and I'd like to force immediate overwriting of those "now free" sectors on tapes instead of waiting for the file expiration dates, 2 years out in some instances. I hope this makes sense. These file locations are the part of a variety of backup intervals, i.e. daily, weekly, monthly, yearly.

I want assurance somehow that the data will be overwritten somehow immediately, or rendered unreadable immediately. Is this possible? and if so, how?

7.5
Backup and Recovery
Linux
NetBackup
  • Marianne's avatar
    Marianne
    10 years ago
    You cannot do that. You can only append to the last session on tape. Only when ALL images on a tape has expired can the tape be overwritten from the beginning. See this blog: https://www.veritas.com/community/blogs/understanding-how-netbackup-writes-tape
  • nbutech's avatar
    nbutech
    Level 6
    10 years ago

    If I am understading it right there is a server for which images have been expired from NBU catalog. 

    And now you want the tapes been used for it to be overwritten ?

    If that is the case then those tapes will be allowed to overwrite as NBU catalog does not have information of the images of the server which went to those tapes

  • Marianne's avatar
    Marianne
    Level 6
    10 years ago
    You cannot do that. You can only append to the last session on tape. Only when ALL images on a tape has expired can the tape be overwritten from the beginning. See this blog: https://www.veritas.com/community/blogs/understanding-how-netbackup-writes-tape
  • Mr_Moto1's avatar
    Mr_Moto1
    Level 2
    10 years ago

    Thank you Marianne, and yes, you are correct in your understanding. Is there a way to determine when those locations (now available) will be overwritten? Can I force the use of those areas?

    Rick

  • Marianne's avatar
    Marianne
    Level 6
    10 years ago
    Please look at the blog that I have referenced in my previous post. Only when ALL images have expired can the tape be overwritten from the beginning. Use 'bpmedialist -m ( media-id ) ' to see when the last image on tape will expire.
  • Mr_Moto1's avatar
    Mr_Moto1
    Level 2
    10 years ago

    I looked at the blog. Makes sense. Good information. In this case the last image will expire in 2017.

  • Mr_Moto1's avatar
    Mr_Moto1
    Level 2
    10 years ago

    PS...these backups are striped/spread over multiple tapes throughout the enterprise.

  • Nicolai's avatar
    Nicolai
    Moderator
    10 years ago

    Copy off all the valid images to other tapes and then perform a long erase in Netbackup.

    DOCUMENTATION: How to erase a tape from the NetBackup Admin GUI

    https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.000028355

    Or get mangement approval to delete all backup on that tape and then performa a long erase.