cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Backups filling past my tape drive

emorgoch
Level 3

I currently have a Backup Exec 2010 R3 server connected to an iSCSI SAN and an ADIC FastStor 2 8-slot tape drive. Using backup policies, I'm backing up my environment to the iSCSI SAN using Backup-to-disk folders, and using duplicate jobs to replicate the weekly full backups to tape.

This has been working fine until recently, when our duplicates have reached the point where they are stretching onto a ninth tape. When this happens, the duplicate job gets stuck in a Queued state, waiting for new tape to be added. I can eject the tapes and and new ones into the drive, but those new tapes won't be acknowleged by BE2010 until an inventory job is run on the tape drive, and the inventory job won't run until the existing duplicate job completes. To get it to go, I have to cancel the duplicate job, let the inventory job run, and then re-run the duplicate job again.

For now, I've managed to get around the problem by splitting my backups in half, and having one of the duplicate jobs started on hold so I can switch the tapes and re-inventory before the job begins, but I have to assume there's a better way to do this.

Can anyone help?

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited

Hi,

 

Couple of ways around this:

1. Designate a mail slot. It means you lose an extra slot putting you down to 7, but when it asks for a new tape/overwritable tape, you'd simply insert the next tape and the job would continue.

2. Purchase a larger capacity tape drive...not always economical, but it is an option.

3. Put in exclusions in the initial job to exclude files like MP3s, *.wav, *.mpg etc to make the backup job smaller.

#1 is probably your best option along with #3 if you don't have budget for a larger capacity tape drive.

Thanks!

View solution in original post

1 REPLY 1

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited

Hi,

 

Couple of ways around this:

1. Designate a mail slot. It means you lose an extra slot putting you down to 7, but when it asks for a new tape/overwritable tape, you'd simply insert the next tape and the job would continue.

2. Purchase a larger capacity tape drive...not always economical, but it is an option.

3. Put in exclusions in the initial job to exclude files like MP3s, *.wav, *.mpg etc to make the backup job smaller.

#1 is probably your best option along with #3 if you don't have budget for a larger capacity tape drive.

Thanks!