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Issue with Backup Exec 12.5 communicating with HP Storageworks MSL2024 Library with inbuilt HP LTO Ultrim-4 tape drive drive

gbclark99
Level 2
Hello, I'm hoping someone here can help me with an issue I'm having on a client's site.

The client has a backup solution running off a Windows 2003 Storage Server: the server has Backup Exec 12.5 installed which communicates with the HP Storageworks device via a SCSI cable between the server and the Library.  The system was backing up fine for months: during the week there are backup-to-disk jobs that upload data from other servers to the Storage Server, and then this data is backed up on the weekend to the Storageworks Library.

However, the last two weekends, the tape backup job had been failing and attempts to start the job would only happen after a reboot of the Windows Storage server.  We could also run Inventories etc on the Library in the Devices.  Following a support call to HP, and running a series of software tests using HP LTT software, it was determined that the Ultrim-4 tape drive in the Library had to be replaced.  This happened today with a like-for-like replacement of the drive - an HP engineer came in to replace the drive.

Unfortunately, when we brought the server backup, we could not run anything with Backup Exec.  In Devices, The HP Robotic Library was displayed, and it listed the new drive within it. The old drive that was replaced was also displayed within Devices, but now as a standalone device and offline.
Each time I try and do something within Devices, e.g. run an Inventory on the Robotic Library, or even a Clean on the drive, in the Job Monitor it shows as Initialising but proceeds no further.  After a few minutes it changes to "Communication Stalled". 
If I try to run a backup job, it remains in a Ready state, stating that it can't find tapes in the particular slots in the library.  However these are physically in the correct slots, and we can see them as having tapes in the relevant slots in Devices. 

I thought that the old drive being listed within Devices could be an issue (a SCSI ID conflict, they both had the same ID), but removing this and rebooting the server makes no difference.  We tried several things - even reinstating the the old physical drive unit into the library, but this now has the same error.

It's as though we can see the library and new drive in Devices, but the Jobs are pointing to the old drive, or something like this....

The engineer ran the LTT software to test the new drive - this passed without a hitch.  He's convinced the issue is with Backup Exec.

Can anyone help?  I'm not in front of the server at the moment, so can't provide any more information than this, but will do in the morning.

Many thanks
Greg
1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

Hemant_Jain
Level 6
Employee Accredited Certified

Here are some steps you may try:
1. Delete all the library or tape devices seen in Backup Exec devices tab. You can do so by disable and delete option.
2. Shut down the server and the library system.
3. Iniitalize the library, wait for it to come back completely.
4. Power on the server.
5. In device manager, check if symantec drivers for tape drives are installed, if not install latest symantec drivers for tape drives. You can install symantec drivers by running library configuration wizard in the User Interface. Or by launching tapeinst.exe located in c:\program files\symantec\backup exec.
6. Check for any errors in event viewer during this process. If no errors, try launching the console and see if you can do some operations with the library.
Following document would give you some more details:
http://support.veritas.com/docs/255501

Please mark it a solution, if this is useful.
Thanks

View solution in original post

3 REPLIES 3

Hemant_Jain
Level 6
Employee Accredited Certified

Here are some steps you may try:
1. Delete all the library or tape devices seen in Backup Exec devices tab. You can do so by disable and delete option.
2. Shut down the server and the library system.
3. Iniitalize the library, wait for it to come back completely.
4. Power on the server.
5. In device manager, check if symantec drivers for tape drives are installed, if not install latest symantec drivers for tape drives. You can install symantec drivers by running library configuration wizard in the User Interface. Or by launching tapeinst.exe located in c:\program files\symantec\backup exec.
6. Check for any errors in event viewer during this process. If no errors, try launching the console and see if you can do some operations with the library.
Following document would give you some more details:
http://support.veritas.com/docs/255501

Please mark it a solution, if this is useful.
Thanks

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited
Hi gb,

When you replaced the drive, did you consider running the Device Configuration WIzard to reassign the drive to the library?

Tools --> Wizard --> Device Configuration Wizard

Click Next x2, and then choose the option to Configure robotic library drives. THat stand-alone drive will show, with your robotics below. You can then drag it down to your robotics and restart your services once done.

Try initialising the library, and then try inventory it thereafter.

When replacing a drive in an autoloader/library, there are obviously serial # changes which I think is detected by BEWS and it therefore needs to be reconfigured.

gbclark99
Level 2
Thank you both for your responses.  I spoke to Symantec helpdesk, who advised me to delete and recreate the robotic library, and also pause, then unpause the Server.  Once these steps were taken, the problem was resolved.