Restoring Server from Tape

[redman1138]

I have a client that lost their server and only did a backup when they felt like it.  So I am recovering the server from a 2 week old tape.  Tape system is LTO2.
I reloaded the OS, loaded BE and performed an Inventory of the tape.  The odd thing is the inventory says that there is only 103 MB of data on it.  Now, the tape is encrypted and I already put in the encryption info before the inventory.  Also, this tape has been overwritten in the past as daily full backups.

When I do a catalog, it gets through 213 GB (which is a lot more than should be on the tape) and errors with E0000900 and stops.  In the restore option, I see most of the data, but I am missing the most critical, System State.

I have tried Article 280017, cleaned out the catalogs, turned off Use Storage Media-based Catalogs and started the whole process over again.  Still got the same error.

Am I hosed?  Is the tape bad? Any suggestions?

[sksujeet]

If you don't see the system state then it is not backed up otherwise ther is no reason why you don't see only the system state and able to see the other data. Please check the backups and find out if you were backing up the system state ro not or missed that.

In some cases it always give that error message but you can still see the data that can be restored.

[redman1138]

When looking at the restore catalog, it gets most of the way the the second partition then I get a red x on a folder and nothing is listed below that.  I suspect that system state was scheduled to happen after the data was backed up.
I notice that when I try to catalog the tape, it get a half a gig further.  The last two times it error'ed at 213.014 GB and the second, 213.623 GB. (I also noticed the job rate goes down each time. ie first run 1540MB, second 1346 and currently 1204)  I just cleaned the drive, updated the driver from Mfg web site and making sure I have the latest updates for BE. (found 13 more not installed)
Would it make much of a difference doing the cataloging from Restore mode vs normal mode?  I know to actually restore I have to be in restore mode, but wasn't sure if the os boot up would make much of a difference in the cataloging.  My biggest problem is it take 2.5 hrs to catalog before I know if it fails or not.

btw, thank you for responding.

[CraigV]

Hi Redman,

Had that error message before, and the tech article below helped me resolve it.
It is a simple tick you need to make, and you will be able to catalog tapes again...

http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/280017.htm

Please post the results!

[redman1138]

I tried that.  I've tried it with both check boxes unchecked and only the middle one unchecked.
Oddly enough, I finally got the tape to inventory and tell me the correct info.  177 GB used with 21 GB available.  I had to turn those features back on to get the tape to recognize correctly and am about 40% through the catalog now.  I will be curious as to if the tape says it only has 177 GB of data, if the catalog will continue to go to 213 GB and error out again, or if this will work (Hopefully).

[CraigV]

Cool...post the results, and if it worked, you can close off the query with the solution.

[redman1138 · Accepted solution]

Well, it failed again.  Same spot too.  From watching the progress, it looks like the tape filled up and they failed to insert a second tape to get the system state and other info.  I can recover most of the data files and I have an older backup of the OS/system state that I will have to use and just deal with the AD changes that are either missing or incorrect.

Thanks for the help though.

[CraigV]

Got to love that!!! That is where having an autoloader/tape library comes in handy...which then brings its own problems too...