Backing up to incorrect media set / tapes moving into wrong media set

[phil_dewhurst]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone can help me troubleshoot the problem I have.

We are using B.E. 9.1. The server that it is installed on is attached to a tape library which houses two LTO drives. We have a small number of Media Sets defined, each job backing up to a different Media Set.

The problem: two of the jobs back up to the wrong Media Sets. For example, the Media Set �S01 Media Set� contains all the tapes for the �S01� backup job. This job should only back up to tapes in this Media Set. The �SMS01 Media Set� contains all of the tapes for the �SMS01� backup job, the �SMS01� backup should only use tapes in this Media Set.

However, the backup job S01 backups up to tapes in the SMS01 Media Set and the backup job SMS01 backs up to tapes in the S01 Media Set. After a backup job has run, the S01 Media Set will now contain the tape that has just been backed up to by the SMS01 job (and vice versa).

Thanks in advance

[Keith_Langmead]

I think you're confusing the purpose of media sets and how they work. When you run a backup job it runs using a set media set, which in turn specifies the overwrite and append protection periods on the tape(s) which are used, and subsequently the media is listed within that media set.

Now the confusion comes in that while the media is now protected by the OP and AP period of the media set, it is not permanently attached to that media set, and other jobs using a different media set can still use that tape, provided obviously that the OP has expired.

If you want specify specific tapes in your library (I'm assuming you have a tape library with multiple tapes) to be used by specific tapes you'll need to partition the libraries slots, such that you have a partition for each media / media set, and then point your backup jobs to use the relevant library partition rather than the library in general. Then only the tape(s) within the partition will be used by a job pointing to it, and all other tapes elsewhere in the library will be ignored.

[phil_dewhurst]

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, we have a tape library with multiple slots, however I want these two jobs to run at the same time - each using a different drive. I couldn't see a way of allocating slots AND drives to jobs, just slots. If I allocated, say slot 1 for one job, slot 2 for the other they wouldn't run concurrently, rather the first job would have to finish before the second started.

The method of using Media Sets for running jobs concurrently is detailed somewhere on this site I think, I'm sure that's where I got the information from originally.

All the other Media Sets contain the correct tapes and the backup jobs always back up to the correct Media Sets, it's just these two jobs that don't.

[Keith_Langmead]

When you create the partitions what do you see within the drive pools for the partitions? Don't have access to an autoloader with multiple drives so can't see for myself, I can see an entry for the tape drive within each partition.

If you see both drives listed in each of the partitions then I'd suggest removing one from each, so each drive only appears within one partition, or alternatively add the second drive to one of them. Then when you're referencing the partition it will also force it to use the relevant drive as well.

[phil_dewhurst]

When I configure the partitions I can only select the tape library, rather than a specific drive. See the screen grab here:

http://s2.simpload.com/1115455b3352e76d8.jpg

DELL 1 = The library
DELL 2 = first tape drive
DELL 3 = second tape drive

There doesn't seem to be a way of tell BE to use a specific drive for a specific partition.

[Ken_Putnam]

I don't think there is any way to specify which drive a specific job will use, but whichever drive it uses, it will only pull tapes from the partition you specify. You might be able to do it using priorities, but I've never tried

Set one job to use Dell 2 and the other to use Dell 3 rather that Dell1 or "All Pools"

[Rucha_Abhyankar]

Hi Phil,

Please let us know if the suggestions provided were helpful in resolving the issue.


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[phil_dewhurst]

Hi,

Sorry for the delay in replying.

In a word, no, I am still unable to achieve what I want.

There seems to be no way of telling a backup job to use a specific TAPE and a specific DRIVE. The partitions allow me to select a slot in the device (which contains two drives) but I cannot create a partition that relates to a particular drive (rather than the device).

All I want is for one of my backup jobs, which spans two tapes, to use the second drive (all other backups point at the first, so the jobs can run concurrently) and the correct two tapes for the job. Media Sets doesn't allow me to do this, and, as I said, I cannot seem to do it any other way.

Would it be safe to say that Backup Exec simply doesn't provide this functionality? If so, I find that astonishing.

Thanks

Phil.

[Keith_Langmead]

OK, so if you point your job to a specific partition rather than a specific drive (which it seems are the only options, no combinations allowed), the partition contains both drives. So what actually happens if once the first job is running you start the second job? Does it go into a queued state, or start running on the unused drive?

Logically it seems to me as if the drive selection is effectively in an All Devices state, so the second job should just automatically start running on the second available device, but I don't know if logic actually corresponds with reality.

I imagine you've already tried this, but just in case...

[Gauri_Ketkar]

Hi Phil,

Could you please update us on the issue ..


Revert for any further Query ..



Thank you
Gauri