Backup Exec 2012 don't write on empty tape

[AVPtech]

Hi there,

we replaced some tapes in our HP tape library cause the end marker was not readable and the fatal write and read errors were increased.

After an inventory the new tapes are shown by BE2012, but the library won't use these new tapes.

I allocated them to the right media set with an overwrite protection of 3 weeks. The append period is set to infinite.

While looking at the details page of the media I noticed that the "storage state" is set to "not suitable".

Is there any explanation why BE do this?

[AmolB · Accepted solution]

I allocated them to the right media set with an overwrite protection of 3 weeks

Initially you need to assign the media to the scratch media set. So that the media can be picked up during next backup.

When you assign media to any media set it immediately inherits the OPP and AP of the media set.

[AVPtech]

Thanks for response.

Just to clarify, you say that I need to assign the new tapes to the scratch media set and then run a backup job so these will be picked up?

But new tapes are, by default, assigned to scratch media every time after an inventory, but these tapes are also marked as "not suitable". With assigning new tapes to a custom media set I want that these inherit the OPP and AP of the media set.

[Colin_Weaver]

The way Backup Exec works is there are rules governing how it finds overwritable media and if the rule ordering (covered in tables in the admin guide) means that the scratch tape is the next overwriteable tape, then as the job overwites the tape it will move it for you from scratch to the media set specified in the job.

Tapes in the scratch set (and as it happens new tapes in general) cannot be appended to, so I hope you are not expecting to Append to a new tape?

As you have already been told tapes that have been manually placed into a media set can take on the overwite protection properties immediately - which is why you should never manually move tapes into specific sets (other than moving to scratch or retired OR to cover scenarios where you want to extend the overwrite protection for longer that the original use) You should therefore always let Backup Exec do the moves.

[AVPtech]

Yes, thank you. You are absolutely right. I just tried it and the backup job took the next available tape of the scratch media set and started with the process.

Now everything make sense :)