Multi-tape Backup Issue - Loading Media when new tape is inserted.

[Sekunjalo_Suppo]

I have an issue with Backup Exec 13 (4164). Last night a tape backup was scheduled to run, backing up 4 servers of data. This morning, the tape is now full. I ejected and replaced the tape with a new sealed tape. Backup Exec does not seem to register that a new tape has been inserted and is still attempting to load the media. I cannot perform any operations like format or inventory on the tape itself as the job reports "Ready, no idle devices are availible"

Any assistance would be much appreciated.

[AmolB]

Is the tape drive online? Check if the tape device appears in the Windows device manager.

[Sekunjalo_Suppo]

The tape drive is online and in use.

[AmolB]

Drive is in use hence the message "Ready , no idle device" (assuming you have only 1 drive)

If you restart the services the drive should come back to normal but the backup will fail.

Note :When backup job spanns, BE always looks for an overwritable media it does not append.

[pkh]

I ejected and replaced the tape with a new sealed tape.

You cannot use this new tape because it has not been labeled (formatted).  If you do not have another overwriteable tape, then you would have to cancel your job.  You need to put in a properly labeled overwriteable tape.

[Sekunjalo_Suppo]

This is interesting.

If I eject a tape from the drive (Quantum LTO2), Backup Exec Does not sense that the tape has been ejected until I restart the Backup Exec services.

In other words, Backup Exec is not sensing when tapes are inserted or removed from the Quantum LT02 drive.

[AmolB]

You need to perform an inventory whenever you insert or eject a tape.

[pkh]

This is the normal behaviour. Ejecting/inserting a tape into the tape drive is a hardware function.  There is no way for the hardware to tell which program is controlling it, so there is no notification from the hardware to the software.  The software has to query the hardware for the status, i.e. you got to do an inventory to tell BE which tape or no tape is in the tape drive.

[Sekunjalo_Suppo]

In that case how would one backup to multiple tapes in Backup Exec with only one tape drive attached ?

[AmolB]

Once the tape is full BE prompts for another ovewritable tape, once the tape is in backup proceeds

[Ken_Putnam]

To expand on Amol's comment a little

If you have a stand-alone drive, BackupExec will signal the drive to eject the tape and post an Alert to "Insert Overwriteable Media"  Remove the original tape, insert an overwriteable volume (all spanned tape are overwrite, even if the job starts as append) and then reply OK to the alert

For a loader, BackupExec should unload the volume to it's slot and search for an overwriteable media in all other slots