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Shieling's avatar
Shieling
Level 2
10 years ago

Using multiple cleaning tapes successively

Dear all,

when using multiple cleaning tapes they will be automatically selected by NetBackup in alternating order (e.g. CLN001 - CLN002 - CLN001 - etc.) upon request. Therefore, the usage count will increase equally and all the tapes will have no cleaning cycles left at nearly the same time.

So, leaving the system unattended for a couple of days might cause a tape drive going down due to unsatisfied cleaning requests. How to avoid that - is there a setting which forces NetBackup to use one cleaning tape first, till it has no cycles left, and then the next one (i.e. one after another)?

 

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  • RonCaplinger's avatar
    RonCaplinger
    10 years ago

    I agree.  Put in one tape and let it get used until about half of the cleans are used up, then add another cleaning tape to the library.  NBU will then alternate which one to use, and one will be used up before the other.  OpsCenter can altert you when one is completely used up.

    Or you can script and schedule a job to warn you when the number of cleans left on a tape reaches zero. I think there is something like this in the .../goodies directory.

     

    edit: yup, there is a "cleanstats" script you should be able to schedule to show all of the cleaning tapes and when the drives were last cleaned.

6 Replies

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  • Will_Restore's avatar
    Will_Restore
    Level 6
    10 years ago

    I let the library handle the cleaning.  The library uses one cleaning tape and sends alert when it has expired and starts using another automatically.

  • Nicolai's avatar
    Nicolai
    Moderator
    10 years ago

    We clean our tape drives once per month - this is according to recommendation from Oracle (Storagetek). 

    If a cleaning tape has been used up, no real cleaning will occur - the built-in logic has that under control. Using a used-up cleaning tape will not cause the tape drive to go down.

     

     

     

  • mph999's avatar
    mph999
    Level 6
    10 years ago

    A cleaning tape can do around 50 cleans, drives shouldn't be being cleaned enough to use a few tapes up in a few days.

    If they are, I suspect something is wrong somewhere and there are being over cleaned. 

    We used to have libraries with 20 - 30 drives in, we loaded a few cleaning tapes and didn't have to replace any for months at a time.

  • Shieling's avatar
    Shieling
    Level 2
    10 years ago

    That's true, but the point is, we'd prefer to not watch all the time if the cleaning tapes have reached their "end of life" state (count=0). Currently, they're reaching that point more or less at the same time.

    In my opinion it would be better to have a second tape as standby which is not going to be used until the first one is expired. Though this doesn't seem to be supported, does it?

     

  • jim_dalton's avatar
    jim_dalton
    Level 6
    10 years ago

    Use opscenter alerting to alert you, built in for just that purpose. Theres a no cleaning media alert and theres a no cleans left alert too. Works fine for us. Jim

  • RonCaplinger's avatar
    RonCaplinger
    Level 6
    10 years ago

    I agree.  Put in one tape and let it get used until about half of the cleans are used up, then add another cleaning tape to the library.  NBU will then alternate which one to use, and one will be used up before the other.  OpsCenter can altert you when one is completely used up.

    Or you can script and schedule a job to warn you when the number of cleans left on a tape reaches zero. I think there is something like this in the .../goodies directory.

     

    edit: yup, there is a "cleanstats" script you should be able to schedule to show all of the cleaning tapes and when the drives were last cleaned.