Tape capacitiy issues

[ShellUK]

Backup Exec 10d (v 10.1 rev 5629) with Service Pack 4 installed
Windows Server 2003 SP1
Tape drive is a HP Ultrium 1
Tapes are 100/200GB tapes

Some days we may get the job complete fine at about 103GB. Other days it will ask for a 2nd tape at anything between 86GB of data written up to a similar figure of 103GB.

Firmware has been updated on the tape drive to the latest. We also tried a long erase on a tape before the back up and it stopped again (at 96GB this time) asking for a 2nd tape.

The tapes are 100/200GB tapes though. Compression is enabled - why would is stop short of 100GB though even if compression was off?

Also most of the time (maybe even all the time) when I cancel the job when it is waiting for the 2nd tape it does not cancel, it just sits with "Cancel pending" for ever (I've left it hours already this morning...). I restart the services to get it to clear.

Any ideas? Anything in Backup Exec that could be causing this? Or is it the tapes, or even the drive?

Thanks for any help.

[sksujeet]

It can be an issue with Symantec, tape or tape drive so please try the stesp as below:

1> Install the latest symatec drivers and power cycle the drive and the server.
2>clean the drive with the cleaning tape and try the backup again.
3>If still same thing then might be an issue with the drive. Right click on drive and go to properties and look for statistics and check for any read write errors.
4> Also check the system log for any 5,7,9,15 event ids.
5> Make sure RSM service is disabled on the BE server.
5> If still same thing then please try to backup with the Nt backup utility to see how much it backups up to isolate if it is Symantec issue or your drive issue
 

[CraigV]

...I'd also suggest downloading the HP Library & Tape Tools and running some diagnostic tests to eliminate possible drive faults...

[ShellUK]

Backup last night did the same. Got to about 98GB.

1> Did this last night and rebooted before the backup. It did update the driver to a newer one.

2> Done several times. Not that the properties in the device > properties thinks it's been done though?

3> There are errors. I don't know how recent they are though.

4> There are!

Event Type:    Error
Event Source:    ltotape
Event Category:    None
Event ID:    7
Date:        24/02/2010
Time:        00:48:40
User:        N/A
Computer:    XXXXXXXX
Description:
The device, \Device\Tape0, has a bad block.

Event Type:    Error
Event Source:    Removable Storage Service
Event Category:    None
Event ID:    15
Date:        16/05/2010
Time:        20:00:02
User:        N/A
Computer:    XXXXXXXX
Description:
RSM cannot manage library Tape0. The database is corrupt.

5> Shall try this. Not had a chance yet.

HP Library&Tape Tools - Also on my list to do.

Ok, so it's def a fault with the tapes or drive and not Symantec! Any views on which though? Will be a pain to replace all the tapes to find it's the drive.

Thanks for your help.

[pkh]

RSM cannot manage library Tape0

You should turn off the Removable Storage Service