Extending/Adding Storage through tape cartirdge?

[edsgonzaga]

We are using Symantec Backup Exec 2012 installed on our file server and Eternus L20 S2 for our backups. This Eternus L20 S2 tape machine have 8 slot where we insert tapes as storage to put our backups. Recently our file server disk capacity are getting low. Is it possible that this tape cartridge be used to expand our file server capacity by adding the tapes storage to our disk storage? Hope you can provide us idea. Thank you.

[CraigV]

Hi,

Nope, not at all...you can look at archiving data off to tape through Backup Exec, but not use tape like you would a drive. It gets written too, then overwritten. Disk allows changes to files etc...tape won't.

Your best bets are as follows:

1. Add more disk storage to the server;

2. Archive old data off to tape and you will end up with more space on the server.

Thanks!

[pkh]

What you can do is to target some of your jobs to tape rather than disk, especially the ones that produce backup sets with long retention periods

[edsgonzaga]

Alright! Got it!.. Thanks for your explaination guys. Anyways, just one more concern, though this is not related to my previous question.

For last week, I changed our tape cartridge since all space was already used up. After changing the tape cartridges I did an inventory (we don't use bar code to read tapes) but the newly installed tapes cannot be seen. Instead, when I checked the slots, the old tape information was still there in the slots (so it shows each slot still contains the used tape). I used to look for the tapes in the scratch media but it was not even there as well. Do I need to manually erase the media in the slot to make it usable? or what should I do with the old tape information that appears in the slot?

[CraigV]

Best bet is to use labels as it makes management of your tapes so much easier...not sure why the old media labels are showing up, but if you know and are sure the tapes are usable, just erase them and let BE label them accordingly.

Thanks!

[edsgonzaga]

Yes we already have labelling rules for our tapes (example: BIPH-0820-001). The thing is, after i installed new blank tapes (default label is LTO00001), the slots in the library are still showing the previous tape we used (BIPH-0820-001). So what I think is that, since tape BIPH-0820-001 was already removed physically, I can long erase the media to make it scratch media and change the labels after. Is this idea correct or there is other way to see the blank tapes in the library? I have just started managing backup in our company so I have no idea regarding this.

[pkh]

Most probably your new tapes are not labeled.  Before using a new tape, you have to right-click on the slot with the new tape and select label to label the tape.  A long erase does not label a tape.

As previously advised, you should use barcode labels.  It makes the management of the tape library a lot easier.  See my article below

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/using-barcode-labels-why-and-how