Backup Exec 2010 R3 Media Mount Failed

[matt_allford]

Hi there,

We installed a new server a few weeks ago running Windows Server 2008 R2. We installed Symantec Backup Exec 2010 R3 which worked well for the first week or so. The last few nights, the job has still backed up the right amount of data, but it has cancelled and produces an error:

Canceled, timed out. The job was automatically cancelled because it exceeded the job's maximum configured run time.

Media Mount Failed. User canceled a Physical Volume Library operation. V-79-57344-33861 - The media operation was terminated by the user.

We have the job set to cancel after 7 hours, for the first few nights it didn't even come close to that. What people usually experience with this particular error, is that the tape is full and there is an alert prompting for another tape. This is not the case. The tapes we are using are 200/400 and we have under 100GB of data to back up. In the alerts tab, we get:

• 10:00pm - Overwriting allocated media 'MONDAY'
• 1:01am (3 hours later) - There is no media in the drive
• The above message is displayed every few minutes until the job finally cancells after being 'running' for 7 hours'

We have tried a restart of the server last night, which didn't help at all. Here is a shot of our job history:

http://imageshack.us/f/641/backupexec.jpg/

Another thing, which might be unrelated, is that our software is showing as being a 'Trial Version' again. When I installed the product, I used the code which went through fine, a few days later it showed as trial so I put the code back in. Today I notice it is now back in trial mode again.

Any ideas?

[AmolB]

For the trial mode issue, click on Tools->Install options and license key->remove the license key->

on the next screen check\uncheck any of the options (say AOFO) -> click on next->click on install.

Follow the above process but this time enter the license key, the purpose behind checking/unchecking

the option is to recycle BE services. The license keys will not get registered untill the services are

not recycled.

For the media issue, check the alerts tab. If its a standalone device then probably BE is throwing

Media remove alert, if you see multiple media remove alerts in the alerts tab then configure it to clear

out automatically.

[matt_allford]

Thanks for the reply,

When I go to Tools -> Install options on this server, there is no license key in there at all. I am just a bit hesitant to do it again, considering I have now done this twice and after a few days it seems to disappear.

Regarding the media, as said in my first post I have checked the alerts tab and 3 hours after starting the job, there is one alert repeated over and over (refer to my OP). The only other alert is regarding database maintenance. There is no alert to insert another tape or anything like that.

It is a single HP Ultrium drive.

Thanks, Matt.

[AmolB]

There is no harm in again installing the license key, make sure no jobs are running during installation.

Have you tried using a different tape ?

[matt_allford]

Ok I will enter it again and see how it goes.

Yes, different tapes are put in each night (which worked the previous week) and has failed the last 3 - 4 nights.

[AmolB]

Is the tape getting ejected while the backup is running ?

[matt_allford]

I don't believe so, as per my first screenshot the data in the jobs that failed is a similar level to those that were successful. Being 1am I don't see any reason why the tape would be ejected and nothing logged with backup exec.

[AmolB]

If the backup is completing then it has to do something with the media remove alert.

Hope you are checking both the tabs(active alerts and alert history) under the alerts tab.

[matt_allford]

Whoops, I didn't notice the second section, Alert History. I'm not sure if that helps though.

There is an alert at 1:57am that says 'please remove the media from the drive, and respond OK'. This alert is set to automatically clear after 1 minute. After that, ever few minutes there is the usual 'please insert overwritable media into the drive', until it eventually times out.

[pkh]

This is the normal sequence of events when your job needs a second tape.  It will eject the first tape and then requests for a second overwriteable tape.  Since this request is not fulfiled and your 7 hour time limit has expired, the job is canceled.  You need to either lengthen your 7 hour time limit or put in a overwriteable tape before the 7 hour limit so that you job can complete.  The fact that your software is on trial has nothing to do with this.  It is a separate problem.

[matt_allford]

I don't see why the job needs a second tape though.

The data is under 100GB and we are using 200/400 tapes in a 200/400 tape drive. Correct me if I am wrong, but we should be able to fit roughly 300GB of data on a tape (given how well compression goes, of course)

As you can see from my screenshots, the first jobs that completed on one tape were consistantly 92 / 93GB, but since then backup of 87, 89 and 86GB have all failed.

[pkh]

The byte count as shown by the job history does not reflect what ends up on the tape.  You should click on the tape in the Media tab and from the tape statistics you would be able to see what is actually written onto the tape.

If you are not appending to the tape, check that your job properties specify Overwrite.

I would suggest that you temporarily remove the time limit for your job and put in a second tape if required.  When you job is complete, click on the tape and check the tape statistics to see what is actually written on to the tape.  You might want to post the screenshot of the lower right hand panel when you click on the tape.  Don't use imageshack.  Attach the screenshot directly using the File attachments link, just above the Save button.

[matt_allford]

Hi there,

Thanks for the reply. When clicking on the tape on the media tab, I see that it is indeed full (195.3GB of 195.8GB). I am still getting used to this software.

So I guess now I need to find out why it didn't overwrite the tape, I assume it has appended to it from last weeks backup and has now hit a limit (they definately have under 100GB of data that is backed up).

[pkh]

If you don't want to append to your tapes, then you can either change the AP of the media set that they belong to or your job property.

[matt_allford]

Yeah we don't, we just want full complete backups every night and that to be the only thing on the tape.

Under the job properties I already had:

Device and Media -> Overwrite media ticked

And under Tools -> option in Backup Exec:

Job Defaults -> Backup -> Media overwrite protection = Overwrite media

Media Management -> Overwrite Protection level = None

I'm not sure what other settings there are to check really?

[pkh]

Your Overwrite Protectioin Level should be set to at least Partial.  Otherwise, your OPP and AP would not work.

AP and OPP is part of your media set properties.  Click on the media set in the Media tab to set these.  You should set an appropriate period for your OP so that your data do not get inadvertently overwritten.

[matt_allford]

I thought if I set the Overwrite Protection Level to None then any media can be overwritten and the properties of the media set don't really matter?

I have a similar setup at other clients and it works fine. Both AP and OPP on the media set are infinite.

I don't see why it shouldn't work?

[pkh]

You are right in that with Overwrite Protection Level set to None any media can be overwritten, but is that what you want, i.e., you are opening yourself to inadvertently overwriting your media.  Suppose you want to insert Tape1, but you accidentally insert Tape2 which is meant to be kept.  BE will just happily overwrite Tape2.

There is nothing to say that you must use the overwrite protection facility in BE, but manual control means that human errors can occur.  Also, if you don't understand and get comfortable with setting OPP and AP, then you are going to find it very difficult to upgrade to a tape library.

[matt_allford]

I do understand what the OPL set to none means and it opens the gap for human error. We are aware of this risk.

Any idea why it is not happily overwriting the tapes and is appending?

[pkh]

I have not tried OPL = None and would never use this setting, so I cannot tell you what kind of behaviour you  would get.