Dell PV 124T w/SAS-LTO5 + BE 2010R3, Cannot enable compression

[ikmit]

We just got a new Dell PowerVault 124T autoloader with a LTO-5-140 SAS drive.

Even though I have "Enable compression" ticked in Drive Properties in BE, the autoloader web gui says "Compression Disabled" and the tape backup jobs does not compress.

I have hardware compression enabled in the backup job.

[pkh]

If  the autoloader web gui says "Compression Disabled", then you got to check with Dell to get compression enabled.  If the hardware disabled compression, the BE will not be able to enable and use hardware compression.

[ikmit]

The web gui says this is handled by the software, there is no way to change it in the autoloader web gui:

Compression
View the current compression setting. The default setting is enabled, but may be changed through the host backup application software.
Compression	Disabled

[sbora · Accepted solution]

Hello Ikmit,

Compression on the tape drive will be set to disabled by default. If the backup job is set to use Hardware Compression then the job will enable the compression on the tape drive during backup and then at the end of the backup it will disable it again.
Refer to following technote for details:

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH50766

What makes you think that the data is not getting compressed? 

[ikmit]

Thank you sbora,

The tapes had 1:1 compression, and during jobs the autoloader gui still said compression disabled.

Removed and reinstalled the autoloader drivers and disabled/enabled compression on the device in BE, afterward compression is working.