Create Scratch Media when overwrite protection has expired.

[Larsa]

Hi!

We are using Backup Exec 2010 R3 for our backup.

We duplicate backups to tape every weekend and overwrite protects these tapes through 2 different media sets. (5 weeks and 1 year)

Sometimes we have tapes in the robot that is overwritable but is associated with the wrong mediaset for the job that is in queue.

My question is: Is it possible to have Backup Exec to automatically create scratch media of tapes when the tapes overwrite protection period has expired?

Best regards

Lars-Åke

Sweden

[SuperBrain]

If the overwrite protection period expires on a particular tape, it automatically becomes an overwritable media. All scratch medias are also overwritable medias.

If you want Backup Exec to pick those medias for backup whos OPP has expired, you can configure that under Tools - Options - Media Management - and select "Overwrite recyclable media before overwriting scratch media"

A media gets assigned to scratch media set when :

1. It is formatted.

2 It is manually moved to the scratch media set

3. It is a brand new blank media.

[Larsa]

But i want the tape to become a scratch media when the OPP has expired, so backup exec can use the tape with a media set that it requires at that moment.

Is that possible?

[SuperBrain]

No, I dont think Backup Exec can automatically assign a media to the Scratch media set if the OPP expires. It will indeed mark that media as overwritable.

[Ken_Putnam]

When a tape is marked "Overwriteable", ANY media set can be written to it, based on your Media Manangement Options.  I'm sure this is basically what you want, right?

[pkh]

There is no facility to associate a media with the scratch media set once it is overwritable.  I have posted an Idea for this years ago but it is not taken up.  You can vote for it 

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/idea/automatically-associate-overrideable-media-scratch-media

As long as your library is not partitioned, then your overwritable tapes will be used when they are need even if they are in a different media set.  See this document below

How Backup Exec searches for overwritable media

After the tapes are overwritten, they will be associated with the media set targeted by your job.