Backup Media Sets

[Janis_Vanderpoo]

I am running BE V10 with an autoloader tape library. I have a media set with overwrite set to infinite and append also set to infinite, and I have the backup options set to "Append to media, overwrite if no appendable media available." When I have a backup job that fills a given tape and then needs to span to another tape, it will not use media currently in the media set. It either takes a blank tape from the scratch media set or waits until overwriteable media is available (ie I erase a tape or put new blank tape in the library). How do I set options so that a backup job can continue on another tape in the media set that is still appendable? I am ending up with several tapes in this media set that have room left, but the jobs will never use them.

[ray_littlefie1]

When a backup job needs to span to additional media, it can only use an overwritable or scratch tape (must start at the beginning of a tape). This has to do with the tape format and the media family that gets created when spanning tapes.
To increase tape utilization, look for ways to have large backup jobs(that will span multiple tapes) run early in the night, that will be followed by smaller backup jobs, that can utilize the appendable space remaining.

[Janis_Vanderpoo]

Well, I guess I have no options. It seems then, that I if am using the media to never overwrite, for long term archival, that I will have either have to micro-manage my backup jobs or accept the fact that the tape usage will be inefficient. Disappointing.