Backup Jobs Keep on getting QUEUED and not running (BE 2014)

[pxtian]

Hi,

I have again run into a problem after merging all the Tape Drive connections to one BackupExec 2014 Server. When I run jobs, they are only queued and won't run.

The jobs used to work with this setup:

DELL ML6000 library partitioned into 2.

Partition 1 - uses LTO3s SCSI Drives connected to another BE SERVER (2010) Version

Partition 2 - uses LTO5 SAS Drives connected to this BE SERVER (2014)

Now the jobs stopped working with this new setup:

DELL ML6000 library partitioned into 2. (no change made)

Partition 1 - uses LTO3s SCSI Drives connected to this BE SERVER (2014)

Partition 2 - uses LTO5s SAS Drives connectd to the same BE SERVER (2014)

So basically, all I did was insert a SCSI Card on the BE SERVER 2014 and plug the SCSI control path drive to it. So instead of 2 separate servers, all are now connected just to one BE 2014 Server. Nothing was changed on the partition or control paths. All drives were detected immediately. I have powercycled both the Server and the library. I have created jobs to point specifically to each library and still I get only queued jobs.

Was I supposed to configure something INSIDE the BE 2014 console to make this work?

As always, any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[pkh]

How do you expect BE to know which connection goes to which tape drives? Also BE expects to take control of the entire tape library. Which connection should it use to take control?

[pxtian]

Hi pkh,

I am not sure I understood your question. Both partitions each have a control path that connects from the library to the server.

[CraigV]

...why not logically parition this within BE itself and let the applicaiton decide what it does and how it controls operations?

BE might not be aware of the physical partition done on the library.

Thanks!

[pxtian]

Hi Craigv,

Could you please link me up to a kb that outlines the steps? Up until now, I have just been looking at the partition within the library as the point of failure. Thanks

[maurijo]

It is described in the backup exec admin guide

[CraigV · Accepted solution]

...so the previous post wasn't much help. You'd do this within BE itself after deleting the partitions from the library's web front-end.

Once you get to do this, the TN below would offer a bit more information on what's involved. It isn't for BE 2014, but the process, once started, is the same.

You'd create 1 partition with slots and your LTO3 drive, and the other partition will include the LTO5 drive and slots.

Thanks!

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH27909

[maurijo]

"...so the previous post wasn't much help" 

Sorry but reading the manual should be sufficient to setup tape partitioning... Most users here just ask questions without even reading the manual section which relates to their question.

[pkh]

Is this partition a hardware partition? Did you check with the tape library vendor whether your configuration is a valid one?

[Larry_Fine]

I don't see anything wrong with your current configuration.  Hardware partitioning that library should continue to work like it used to.  I prefer hardware partitoning over software partitioning, but there are pros and cons to each.

Are you able to run utility jobs, such as inventory or erase jobs?  If utility jobs work, then I would focus on your backup job configurations & alerts.

If utility jobs do not work, then I would try disabling and deleting both robots and all drives, then power cycle everything to make sure BE has a clean discovery of your current hardware.

[pxtian]

Hi Craigv,

So I have now configured the following:

1 hardware partition in the library using SAS as the control path

1 soft partition for the LTO 3 tapes Slots  0001-0024

1 soft partition for the LTO 5 tapes Slots  0025-0039

1 storage pool for the LTO 3 drives

1 storage pool for the LTO 5 drives

So far, I have managed to run backups on ALL 6 tapes concurrently. Thanks very much for that. I have just one last concern.

Since the 2 partitions are "inside" BackupExec, how will the library know where to put the tapes when they are being inserted and imported in the library? In the previous physical partition, the library right away allowed us to choose the partition to place tha tapes in.

We are using 2 sets of tapes: LTO3s and LTO5s. How will it know that if I insert an LTO3 tape, it should go to slots 0001-0024?

Or maybe a better question is: what are the soft partitions for? Because in my case, the Storage Pools do the job of picking which tape to use.

*note: The LTO3 drive will not pick the LTO5 tape and the LTO5 drive will not pick the LTO3 tape anyway

I have attached a screenshot of the current config. Apologies in advance for the dumb questions.

[pxtian]

Hi Larry,

Yup, I would have thought so too. That setup was working well when the library was connected to 2 BE Servers. The moment we cabled everything just to one server, the problem happened. I might try your suggestion on another server that we have that is due for an upgrade. But for this one, we were pressed for time so I decided to just go with the soft partition. Or at least until the end of this coming weekend's full backups.

[CraigV · Accepted solution]

No, your questions aren't stupid. Actually never seen this type of config on Connect before in all my years of being here, so quite interesting.

You would need to do the following:

1. Put those tapes into the correct slots (this is how I used to direct the site reps I used to look after to do this); OR...

2. Create an Import slot and import those tapes into the correct slot.

Sometimes just doing it manually yourself by opening up the library is the best option. This way the LTO5 drive will not use an incorrectly inserted LTO3 tape.

With partitions, you can't look into another partition, so-to-speak so you are good there.

Thanks!

[pxtian]

Hi Craig,

So if let's say, I wanted to just automate things during the insertion/import of tapes, should I do away with the soft partitions and just let the storage pools select which tapes to load for the backup jobs?

Something like this:

1 hardware partition in the library

1 soft partition in BackupExec

2 storage pools (LTO3 / LTO 5)

Jobs configured to specific storage Pools

Let the storage pools pick their tapes from the single partition

[CraigV]

...I think that in this case barcode rules would be better. Set rules for what can be used where and you can then get rid of partitions.

Thanks!

[pkh]

I have not heard of a tape library having two connections to the same server and I doubt this is a valid configuration. As I have asked earlier, which of the two connections do you expect BE to take control of the library? You can put in the physical connections but can they work?

[pxtian]

Hi Craigv,

We have come this far so I apologise if I have to bother you some more. I am unable to find a setting in the partitions where I can specify the tape type or barcode that it should associate with. Any link would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[CraigV]

Read pkh's article below...should be the same for BE 2014:

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/setting-barcode-rules-be-2012

Thanks!

[Larry_Fine]

This config is a bit unusual in that it has two different types of connections (SAS & SCSI), but otherwise it isn't that unusual.  Assuming that the library hardware partitioning is working correctly, BE would not know or care that these are really in one physical library.  The important thing is that each logical library has a control path enabled, which the OP has done.  I would be curious to see the adamm.log.  It is possible that there is an issue with the hardware partitioning feature that wasn't apparent when the two logical libraries were controlled by two separate BE servers.  I would also make sure that the library and drive have current firmware.

FC or SAS libraries are frequently split using hardware partitioning and there are multiple physical connections between the library(s) and servers in those cases.

[pkh]

When a software controls a library, it controls the entire library regardless of partitioning. There is only one robotic arm in the entire library. Which control path gets the arm and who/what decides the arm????