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BE 2010 R3 - SP4 - not detecting tapeloader after changing tapes

LunAds
Level 3

First read:
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/backup-exec-2010-r3-sp4

Short: fresh install on Server 2008 Std.
Back up exec 2010 R3 with SP 4.
HP Tapeloader 1/8 G2, using backup exec drivers for the tapeloader.
Everything was working fine before the new install.

So after some basic fresh install issues you always have with backup exec, we finally got everything working.
Our customer is changing tapes every week, on monday.
So when they change the tapes, the devices (tapeloader) is shown as 'offline' in BE.
Before the new install this wasn't the case.

The only way I get it to work again, is to reboot the tapeloader, restart BE services, and only then does the backup run again without any problems, for that week. Week after, same story.
We're using 2 sets of 8 tapes.

Any ideas to solve this?
Any dirty workaround is fine, since you can read on the thread above it's only a temporary situation.

For all I know, a script to reboot the autoloader is fine for me, but that's outside of BE.

2 ACCEPTED SOLUTIONS

Accepted Solutions

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited

...do you run an Unlock job first before removing the tapes? If not, do so and try again...

Thanks!

View solution in original post

Larry_Fine
Moderator
Moderator
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Power cycling the library to get tapes out is a very bad plan.  Schedule an unlock job or change BE to not keep the autoloader locked.

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH67698

How to change Backup Exec's robotic library locking behavior

View solution in original post

9 REPLIES 9

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited

...do you run an Unlock job first before removing the tapes? If not, do so and try again...

Thanks!

Larry_Fine
Moderator
Moderator
   VIP   

So when they change the tapes, the devices (tapeloader) is shown as 'offline' in BE.

When a device is taken offline, there are alerts sent and things logged in the adamm.log.  Also check the windows event logs.  That should help you determine when and why the robotic library went offline.

Sym-cr
Level 5

Your issue seems to be much tricky, as it is intermittent. Still, please check this link:

A tape device goes offline while performing any tape operation and the error "Final error: 0xe000820a - Library error - a problem, possibly hardware related, has been detected. Cause may be user, device, or system error. Manual intervention may be required" is generated in Backup Exec for Windows Servers

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH59144

Also, get your BE and the Hardware fully patched and try a sequential power cycle.

 

Thanks!!

Colin_Weaver
Moderator
Moderator
Employee Accredited Certified

In order to change the tapes do they move the equipment in yoru rack as it might be something as simiple as a faulty or poorly attached cable.

Also I am not familar with the specifics of that library/autoloader as such this next comment may or may not apply to you

Does it have an export slot (sometimes called a Mail Slot or and Import Slot) and if yes are they using it to remove the tapes or are they performing some manual process with the library that might in effect be taking it offline.

 

LunAds
Level 3

Thanks for all the replies.

1.

...do you run an Unlock job first before removing the tapes? If not, do so and try again...

Thanks!

No, it's one of the end users who changes the tapes. They obviously don't have access to the servers and don't have admin passwords.
It goes like this: they go to the serverroom, reboot the autoloader, since it always syas 'magazine locked by host system', and then they're able to eject the tapes.
They've been doing this for years now and never was an issue. 
Note: the software/tapeloader is not doing anything when they reboot it, it's just during the day and there is nothing running during the day.
It may not be the cleasnest wya, but I don't know of any other way if they don't have access to the servers.
It's not possible to call us (it services provider) every time since they'll be getting a ticket every week then, to unlock the tapes. 
Maybe a scheduled unlock on every monday, to start with?
 

2.

So when they change the tapes, the devices (tapeloader) is shown as 'offline' in BE.

When a device is taken offline, there are alerts sent and things logged in the adamm.log.  Also check the windows event logs.  That should help you determine when and why the robotic library went offline.


I will check the logs and edit this post when I did it.

3.

Your issue seems to be much tricky, as it is intermittent. Still, please check this link:

A tape device goes offline while performing any tape operation and the error "Final error: 0xe000820a - Library error - a problem, possibly hardware related, has been detected. Cause may be user, device, or system error. Manual intervention may be required" is generated in Backup Exec for Windows Servers

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH59144

Also, get your BE and the Hardware fully patched and try a sequential power cycle.

 

Thanks!!


The error I receive is this one:

BEerror.JPG

The link on the error brings me here: 
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH46661&actp=search&viewlocale=en_US&searchid=1415001876351

My hardware is fine since the jobs run without any errors.

When I check your link, the article says to check the logs for event IDs 7, 9, 11, 15.
Event viewer is completely clean for those events.

I also checked live update, there was 1 hotfix avail:

hotfix.JPG

4.

In order to change the tapes do they move the equipment in yoru rack as it might be something as simiple as a faulty or poorly attached cable.

Also I am not familar with the specifics of that library/autoloader as such this next comment may or may not apply to you

Does it have an export slot (sometimes called a Mail Slot or and Import Slot) and if yes are they using it to remove the tapes or are they performing some manual process with the library that might in effect be taking it offline.

 

No, they are not moving the hardware in any way, since its quite a huge autoloader :) it holds 8 tapes.
It has 8 slots which are all used for normal backup tapes.

SHORT - I changed this so far:

  • Installed hotfix212812
  • Now manually ran an unlock job
    I'll give the end user a call to change the tapes right now, and then I'll try to run a job, if it works, then I'll just schedule an unlock job every monday.

@Larry Fine: I'll check the logs and edit this post.

 

 

 

 

 

LunAds
Level 3

Thanks for all the replies.

1.

...do you run an Unlock job first before removing the tapes? If not, do so and try again...

Thanks!

No, it's one of the end users who changes the tapes. They obviously don't have access to the servers and don't have admin passwords.
It goes like this: they go to the serverroom, reboot the autoloader, since it always syas 'magazine locked by host system', and then they're able to eject the tapes.
They've been doing this for years now and never was an issue. 
Note: the software/tapeloader is not doing anything when they reboot it, it's just during the day and there is nothing running during the day.
It may not be the cleasnest wya, but I don't know of any other way if they don't have access to the servers.
It's not possible to call us (it services provider) every time since they'll be getting a ticket every week then, to unlock the tapes. 
Maybe a scheduled unlock on every monday, to start with?
 

2.

So when they change the tapes, the devices (tapeloader) is shown as 'offline' in BE.

When a device is taken offline, there are alerts sent and things logged in the adamm.log.  Also check the windows event logs.  That should help you determine when and why the robotic library went offline.


I will check the logs and edit this post when I did it.

3.

Your issue seems to be much tricky, as it is intermittent. Still, please check this link:

A tape device goes offline while performing any tape operation and the error "Final error: 0xe000820a - Library error - a problem, possibly hardware related, has been detected. Cause may be user, device, or system error. Manual intervention may be required" is generated in Backup Exec for Windows Servers

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH59144

Also, get your BE and the Hardware fully patched and try a sequential power cycle.

 

Thanks!!


The error I receive is this one:

BEerror.JPG

The link on the error brings me here: 
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH46661&actp=search&viewlocale=en_US&searchid=1415001876351

My hardware is fine since the jobs run without any errors.

When I check your link, the article says to check the logs for event IDs 7, 9, 11, 15.
Event viewer is completely clean for those events.

I also checked live update, there was 1 hotfix avail:

hotfix.JPG

4.

In order to change the tapes do they move the equipment in yoru rack as it might be something as simiple as a faulty or poorly attached cable.

Also I am not familar with the specifics of that library/autoloader as such this next comment may or may not apply to you

Does it have an export slot (sometimes called a Mail Slot or and Import Slot) and if yes are they using it to remove the tapes or are they performing some manual process with the library that might in effect be taking it offline.

 

No, they are not moving the hardware in any way, since its quite a huge autoloader :) it holds 8 tapes.
It has 8 slots which are all used for normal backup tapes.

SHORT - I changed this so far:

  • Installed hotfix212812
  • Now manually ran an unlock job
    I'll give the end user a call to change the tapes right now, and then I'll try to run a job, if it works, then I'll just schedule an unlock job every monday.

@Larry Fine: I'll check the logs and edit this post.

 

 

 

 

Larry_Fine
Moderator
Moderator
   VIP   

Power cycling the library to get tapes out is a very bad plan.  Schedule an unlock job or change BE to not keep the autoloader locked.

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH67698

How to change Backup Exec's robotic library locking behavior

LunAds
Level 3

What I did was installed the hotfix and created an unlock job, which runs now every morning.
I let the unlock job run every morning just in case they'd change the tapes on some other day than monday.

That solved the problem.
I didn't change the registry key because it was kind of dodgy in the way that if you changed tapes without backup exec knowing it you went into problems. (should use import/export instead)

So, solved!

Thanks!

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited

Aweoms, great stuff!