Backup Exec 12.5 tape compression help please

[shallow]

Let me start off by saying i am a noob with this software
my guess there is a simple answer for this qustion but i can not find it anywhere

We are using Backup Exec 12.5 for Windows Servers
Backup tape device:     Tandberg  TS400
Backup Tapes:              Sony LTO Ultrium 2     Capacity 200GB \ Compressed 400GB

we have a bit more than 200GB of storage so the tapes are getting full at 200GB and the "Statistics" on the taps say "Compression ration: 1:1"

Under Media Properties i have "Media type" set to "LTO2 (609m, 200.0GB)

Under Job Monitor the job i am running properties under the "General" tab i have "Compression type" set to "Hardware [if available, otherwise software]

ever time run a backup the data does not get compressed
how do i set it so the tapes i have i can gain the 400GB compressed benefit from them?
what did i miss and what i am i doing wrong?

please

[shallow]

any ideas?

[Hemant_Jain]

How much data is it backing up currently to a tape of 200 GB native capacity? Make sure you have "enable compression" check mark with the tape drive properties. You can go to devices tab, right click tape drive and properties and ensure that enable compression is checked. If this does not help, check if symantec drivers are installed on the tape drive. Please note that you may get a compression of 1.4-1.5 times and in real situations achieving 2 times compression may not happen. So, verify the byte count you get in the job log and the actual tape size to check the compression. Also, it would depend on the type of data you are backing up, whether you get a compression or not.

Please mark it a solution, if this is useful.
Thanks

[CraigV]

Hi Shallow,

There will be times that you don't get compression, depending on the types of files being backed up. Files that are already compressed, won't get compressed to tape.
The best I can get on some of my sites is 1.6:1, bearing in mind I am also backing up Exchange which might affect that.
So what you're getting now might be as good-as-it gets. No matter what your settings, you'd still only end up getting that.
If you try to backup the same files/folders in NTBackup, do you get the same compression ratio?

Laters!

[shallow]

on the "Drive Properties"
"Enable Compression" is checked off
but i do not know if change the setting here will help with the compresson or not

currently the "Preferred Compression" is set to
Block Size (per device)     64kb
Buffer size (per device)     64kb
Buffer count                         10
High Water Count              0

should i changes these? would lowering these number enable the compression?

[teiva-boy]

You should turn that check box for drive compression on.  

[Hemant_Jain]

Do not change the numbers, just enable the compression on drive. That would make Backup Exec "compression" signal to the drive. This is required in addition to setting it in the backup job.

Please mark it a solution, if this is useful.
Thanks

[shallow]

yes i had that on the tape and the backup job
but it still stays at 1:1
so i am guessing that there is no way to compress the data

[CraigV]

Nope...sometimes doesn't happen unfortunately.