Cannot Unlock Tape Library

[SigV]

We're running BE 2010 V13.0 on a 2003 Windows server.  Everything has been fine for a long time, over a year or so.  Until yesterday (5/14/2012).  I went to open the library and it was "Locked by Host System".  So, I ran the Unlock job from the server.  However, this time it went into Queued status and stayed there indefinitely. 

After I ran the gammit of pausing and unpausing the library as well as the server, rebooting the server, rebooting the library, shutting down the server and library, etc etc etc. I've also read through each forum article on this site which recommend the same things.  One thing I'm not willing to do is reinstall BE 2010 and rebuild all of my backup jobs.  This would be a huge undertaking as we run daily incremental, weekly and monthly backup jobs 45 servers with policies based on various priority policies.

I've yet to find a solution to the Unlock job issue.  However, until I can find a solution, I've disabled Symantec's lock function in the server's registry.  I found the directions here http://emrullahekmekci.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/disable-auto-lock-library-door-option-on-symantec-ba... .

Unless someone can enlighten me, I've yet to identify a benefit to Symantec's lock "feature".

[RahulG]

you can stop the BE services and then try to open the library . Check if any tape stuck in the drive >

[SigV]

Stopping the BE services didn't help.  I went as far as shutting down the server, then restarted the library.  This didn't help either. 

[SigV]

Also, something I failed to mention, all of our weekly full backup jobs ran fine.

[SigV]

I'm sucessfully running our daily incrementals now.  Another issue I may be having is erasing tapes.  I tried to erase a scratch tape to place into the Incremental media set.  The erase job went into queued status and stayed there.

[pkh]

The library is locked when BE performs an operation.  This is to prevent other actions on the library during this time.  If the library is unlocked during a backup operation, someone can open the magazine and replace some tapes.  BE will not know about this tape replacement and there would be all sorts of problem.  You should only disable the lock function under exceptional conditions.  The fact that your erase job get queued would indicate that there is something wrong with your library and not just the unlock function.

I would suggest that you run the manufacturer's diagnostic utility against the library.  Make sure that you select the write test and that you have stopped all the BE services before running the utility.

[SigV]

I don't completely agree that the library can't be opened while BE is performing a function.  We have a Dell TL4000.  It's very easy to open the library and swap tapes while a tape is running in the drive.  The library won't open when the arm is in motion or the "unit is busy". But while it's running a backup job, it's perfectly ok to open the magazines. 

[pkh]

If you swap tapes during a backup, BE will not know about this swap.  If the next tape that BE wants is in slot 8 and you swap it with something else, then BE will just use it and may overwrite important data.  It is up to you whether you want to expose yourself to this kind of problems by disabling the lock function.

[SigV]

You make a good point.  However, when I interact with the library while it's performing a backup, I'll run a scan from the BE console afterwards.  Most of the time I'm pulling tapes that BE has marked as full and not overwritable.

[swamp_gator]

It sounds like you have attempted all the necessary basic troubleshooting - so far unsuccessfully resolving your problem.  I would suggest that you attempt to determine of this is truly a hardware problem, or a software problem.  To do so, you could capture a SCSI trace of the event.

I recommend that the library and associated tape drives are idle while doing so.  In other words, no other backup or restore operations are occurring.  This will limit the traffic that must be analyzed.

Read the associated technote: http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH49432 to capture the trace.

Start TRACER and issue the UNLOCK command (you will probably have to "undo" your registry setting) that fails.  You'll want to see what type of error (if any) is returned.

If the device is issuing sense code that identifies a failure, this could identify sick hardware.  Let us know what your investigation turns up.

[pkh]

In the scenario I described previously, you would not have time to do a scan.

[Larry_Fine]

Power cycling the library WILL unlock it.  I have never seen a library that stayed locked after a power cycle.

Backup Exec 2010 R3 and previous versions will re-lock the library as soon as the library is accessed by BE or the BE services are started.  An "unlock", "import" or "export" job will include the proper unlock commands to the library.

Backup exec 2012 no longer locks libraries by default.

This has more info on changing the default behavior

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH67698

[Larry_Fine]

If backups run OK, but none of the utility jobs do, it sounds like your server is paused.

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH63380

http://qsupport.quantum.com/kb/node/3496

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH126625

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH5228

[pkh]

Backup exec 2012 no longer locks libraries by default.

Do you have a document to backup this statement? 

[Larry_Fine]

file:///C:/Program%20Files/Symantec/Backup%20Exec/ReadMe_en.html

bullet #3

• By default, the robotic library portal is no longer locked, even when you run the Lock storage operation. For instructions on how to lock the library portal, go to: http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH67698.