07-30-2013 10:50 AM
Hi, I have just got backup exec going and I thought I had it setup right.
I'm now seeing an alert for insert ovewriteable media. It looks like all the tapes in the library are showing FULL in the media tab in the set I created called "BACKUP" so I must have screwed up when I made it. What are my options now? Can I reconfigure the set of tapes to be over writeable and still keep whats on them or do I have to move the tapes in to SCRATCH and start over?
Obviously I screwed up someplace when I made this set of tapes (17 LTO4's) in a set - two partitions. What is the correct way to create a media set that I can point all my jobs too - that get used one tape at a time and then when that one is full it goes to the next tape and so on till all 17 are full and then goes back to the first tape in the set and starts to over write that one next .... and so on?
Cheers' Dave
07-30-2013 11:04 AM
IF you have created your media sets then you would just Associate all tapes with SCRATCH media and kick off a job... Allow backup exec to pull the tape and associate it with the correct media set
07-30-2013 11:06 AM
I'm now seeing an alert for insert ovewriteable media.
Because the media might be protected in Overwrite protection period
It looks like all the tapes in the library are showing FULL in the media tab in the set I created called "BACKUP" so I must have screwed up when I made it. What are my options now? Can I reconfigure the set of tapes to be over writeable and still keep whats on them or do I have to move the tapes in to SCRATCH and start over?
If the property of the media set says overwrite for 4 weeks all the tapes in the media set cannot be overwritten for 4 weeks (for eg)
You can change it to 2 weeks and make all the tapes overwritable after 2 weeks of backup job run
or associating to scrach media will make them overwritable but not delete the data
Obviously I screwed up someplace when I made this set of tapes (17 LTO4's) in a set - two partitions. What is the correct way to create a media set that I can point all my jobs too
Media gets associated to the media set after the job is run
Before the job is run make sure all the media is overwritable in the partition or are associated to the scratch media.
After the job is run backup exec will automatically move them to the media set that you have selected in the job and will acquire the overwrite protection period setting
07-30-2013 12:01 PM
Please have a look at the article below which explains append and overwrite period, and how it works, hope this helps,
http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO73312
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH5459
07-30-2013 02:52 PM
It sounds like the media overwrite settings need to be adjusted. Have you seen this document explaining how Bacup Exec seraches for overwritable media? http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO22313
07-30-2013 11:25 PM
You should familiarise yourself with the Media Management chapter in the Admin Guide.
You should use media sets to set the OPP in such a way that your media is protected for a reasonable period, but not over-protected. If your media is over-protected, i.e. protected beyond what is necessary, then you would run into your present situation which is running out of overwritable tapes.
08-01-2013 06:26 AM
Hi Everyone !
First of thanks for the answers, upon further digging, (ie: pulling my head out of my butt and reading the screen) Under used capasity they all say 779 out of 781 used, the next box over the Overwrite Protection until, they all have various dates on them, so it is configured - sort of, however in the next column under Appendable Until they all say Not Appendable (Media Full)
So in that backup set called "BACKUP" under media can that be changed? Can I change the overwrite period on all those tapes without having to delete whats there?
To Donald and Kunal - that's what I did orginally - all the tapes were in scratch and I just let the jobs pull them as they were needed. It also looks like all the media is protected becasue of the overwrite period.
I think I'm confused as to the relationship between the append setting vs. the overwrite protection period. So I think I need to fix the append part of it first so all the tapes are always set to infinate - allow append. Are all those tape set to not appandable because of the overwrite setting, does one setting automatcily effect the other?
I'd like to change it to Infinate - Allow Append so I can always use it for another job if need be. When I set it up I tried to juggle it between archving up to the point where I can use the whole library to a point, fill it up and leave it on the tapes for XYZ time and then just overwrite the oldest data next.
We don't actually archive anything forever, the way they do it here at this place is to snapshot everything and then just over write it later. So there are never any archived tapes just daily snapshots of the data but if I can I'd like to use the tape library to keep a known copy of each back up for as long as I can before that gets over written. There is never a set of tapes pulled monthly and stored forever. I didn't set this up but I am working on trying to get them to change that.
So I guess back to my orginial question, can I change the Append settings in that current backup set and not lose what's there?
I'm going to go start to read that media manaagment chapter as well but is there a solution for right now, one of the backup jobs ran ok last night and one is sitting in the job monitor "queued" asking for overwriteable media using the import command in the alert column.
Cheers' Dave
08-01-2013 06:31 AM
P.S. - under the media tab I checked the properties of the media set called "BACKUP" and it is set in the properties of that set in the General tab: Media Overwrite = 2 Weeks and the Append Period = Infinate - Allow Append. There is nothing set in the Vault Rules tab.
That being said I have no idea why all the tapes say Not Appendable (Media Full) on the main screen.
Cheers' Dave
08-01-2013 07:24 AM
What have you selected in the job properties > devices and media section?
if you select append else overwrite , the tapes will be appended first
if you have selected overwrite they will be overwritten,
08-02-2013 09:15 AM
Hi Kunal,
Thanks for the info but I'm not sure what you are asking. Are you asking me what I selected for the media each job I have?
That's under the Job setup tab - select a job I created - open it and then select properties - and under Destination- device and media - in the r.hand pane - I have the "BACKUP" media set selected, and then under that each job says - Append to media, overwrite if no appendable media is avail.
All the job I have created have that same property.
Also, I just looked in the Media tab and it now shows one tape as Infinite - allow append on one tape and another says Not appendable - End marker unreadable) and the rest of the tapes still say Not Appendable - Media Full.
I'm hoping to be able to read that chapter on Media management as well this weekend.
Cheers' Dave
08-02-2013 09:51 AM
I asked What have you selected in the job properties > devices and media section?
You answered this
Append to media, overwrite if no appendable media is avail.
It means when you run the job it will look for an appendable media
you only only 1 tape which shows infite allow append, the job will use this tape. and fill it up and that tape will show media full as well.
Now lets say you run a backup and all the tapes say media full or end maker unreadable you can append to them as media full (cannot be appended) and end marker unreadable (can only be overwritten as end marker which is responsible for append is corrupt)
So now the job will look for an overwritable tape..as per the job properties (Append to media, overwrite if no appendable media is avail.).however if your tapes are protected for 2 weeks it will not fine any overwritable tape..so it will give you a prompt "insert an overwritable media..."
solution for you is assign the tapes to scratch media and run the job , simply assiging the tapes to the scrach media will not delete the data out of them,,,when the job will use the tape from the scratch media it will then delete the data and then write new data