Inventory jobs failing with: 0xe0008212 - Library error - invalid element address.

[PGSmick]

Hi all,

BE 12.5 SP4.  I use removeable backup-to-disk folders on 3 separate hard drives that are swapped into the server periodically (weekly, monthly, etc).  So at any given time, only one drive is mounted.  Each time an untrained user swaps a drive, I run an Inventory job on all three drives (because the process is semi-automated, and doesn't know beforehand which drive was installed).  I have this setup on four different and independent servers at different client offices and have been using the setup successfully for several months. 

Until very recently, on all four servers, all of the inventory jobs would run successfully even though there was only one of the 3 drives actually mounted.  However, within the last 2 weeks, on 3 of the 4 servers, the only inventory job that succeeds is the one for the mounted drive, and all the other inventory jobs fail with the message: 0xe0008212 - Library error - invalid element address.  Oddly, on the 4th server all inventory jobs continue to succeed.

It seems benign, and in a way it makes more sense that only the drive mounted can be inventoried, but what has changed?  As far as I can tell all 4 servers are at the same patch level.  Is there, in fact, an underlying problem that I need to correct?

Thanks,

Peter Smick

 

[Dev_T]

Hi,

This is by design, backup exec will constantly look for the if the media connected are online OR offline.

Please refer to following technote:

http://seer.support.veritas.com/docs/253764.htm

However note that when swapping drives or media, you will have to do the following:
1. Stop all Backup Exec services
2. Swap the drive
3. Start all Backup Exec services

Solution2:

Go to Alerts-->Alert Catagories-->Media Alert and set "Automatically clear alert after" 1 minute.

[Ken_Putnam · Accepted solution]

I use removeable backup-to-disk folders on 3 separate hard drives that are swapped into the server periodically

External USB/eSATA/FirewWire HDs should contain standard B2D devices.  R-B2D is designed for devices where the chassis stays connected and the cartridge/platter is removeable

Rather than running an inventory, try pausing and unpausing the B2D devices  (they should all have their own drive letter and always mount to that same letter   (2010 R3 resolves this requirement among other enhancments)

[pkh]

Read my article below on how to properly rotate disks.

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/how-rotate-external-harddisks

Also, as Ken said, you should be using normal B2D folders, not removable B2D folders.

[PGSmick]

Thanks very much for these suggestions.  I was originally using regular B2D folders, but switched to the R-B2D folders for a reason that I can no longer remember.  I had good luck with it and so have stuck with it.  And as I say, the Inventory jobs have been succeeding on all drives for almost a year now, and it was only recently that they began to fail for offline drives.

But now I'll upgrade and see how the newer version operates. 

Thanks again.

[pkh]

I was not able to inventory any off-line disks.