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Unable to backup to tape LTO1

tallguyriley
Level 3

Hi All, 

 

 

Very new to this software so may just be a silly issue that i may be having.

 

 

I have installed a LTO1 tape drive in my server and wanting to back my data up for a off site copy, but running into some issues i have installed all of the drivers for windows ect and can be seen in windows device manager fine. 

And can be seen under media devices in backup exce but keeps saying the tape is in use and have to re boot the server to clear the error, but the job just will not run and unable to format label new tapes at all ? all the tapes are new as well i will post images of my configuration.

 

 

Any help would be much appreciated in advance 

 

 

Thanks 

 

Josh

 

 

 

 

14 REPLIES 14

CraigV
Moderator
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Hi Josh,

 

First thing to check is whether or not your version of Backup Exec actually supports LTO1 which is incredibly old. Check the BE xx HCL. Check the link below for this:

https://www.veritas.com/community/forums/adminguides-scls-hcls-backup-exec-all-versions

If it is supported, then in the Devices tab of Backup Exec, right-click the device in question and choose Pause. Give it about a minute and then do the same but choose Unpause. Restart the services and see if this helps.

Thanks!

tallguyriley
Level 3

Hi, 

 

 

Thank you for taking the time and helping me, i have tried the above restarted the services and now keeps coming with a media removal issue the tape is brand new LT01 tape, my tape unit is a hp storage works 232 lto1 which is listed under combat able device for backup exce 12.

 

Ill provide a screen image. 

 

 

Thanks 

Larry_Fine
Moderator
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LTO1 is an old tape drive, but you are also using an old version of Backup Exec and an older OS, so I think you should be OK.

I would suggest using the Symantec/Veritas tape driver, rather then the HP tape driver.  You can install this with tapeinst.exe or the device config wizard in BE.

I would suggest pausing the server in the BE GUI, then unpausing it.  See this article for more details. http://www.veritas.com/docs/000035211

 

tallguyriley
Level 3

Hi, 

 

 

I have tried that as well still no luck :( just to mention if this may be the issue i have the full 64bit pci card installed in a 32 bit pci card ? 

 

 

Thanks

Larry_Fine
Moderator
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unable to format label new tapes at all ?

LTO tapes cannot be formatted in BE, so the format option will alway be grayed out.

It may be time for the HP L&TT diagnostics to see if the tape drives is still good after all these years.

Is your SCSI cable & SCSI termination correct?

CraigV
Moderator
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Partner    VIP    Accredited

Is this a ProLiant server? If so they have compatibility guides and product QuickSpecs that will tell you if a card is supported in a particular server. Look for xxxxxx-001 for instance on the card and reference that against what the QuickSpecs has in it...if it isn't displayed, it's probably not supported.

LTO1 as a new drive...? Are you sure it isn't refurbished as I haven't seen an LTO1 drive on the HP design app at all.

Thanks!

VJware
Level 6
Employee Accredited Certified

1) Install Symantec drivers for the tape drive. Run tapeinst.exe

2) Check the tail end of adamm.log (located under \Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\Logs) for any errors/warnings.

3) Check the Event Viewer System & Application logs as well.

4) Is BE fully patched ?

5) Do vendor diagnostics test pass fine ?

6) Does an "Inventory" complete successfully ?

7) If using Win 2k3, is the RSM service stopped ? Alternatively, does NTbackup detect this tape drive and run backups properly ?

 

tallguyriley
Level 3

Right i think i have found what the issue may be,  under Computer Management/Removable Storage/Library and my tape drive is listed as "Hewlett Packard LTO Ultrium-1 drive" with red x next to it. When i right click the device and view its properties there is a option to enable the device but when i try to do this its come up with a error " The operation cannot be performed on a offline library" 

 

The type of a SCSI interface is LVD i will show how it is connected to my server.

 

(===============)   <------  LVD terminator 

(===============)   <------  LVD SCSI cable to server  with ID of 6 

 

I have even swamped  the terminator and cable around and still the same outcome, the tape device itself seems not to display any form of errors, i have installed Hp library and tools the tape is not picked up in there but is in backup exce ?

 

 

Very confused 

 

Thanks 

VJware
Level 6
Employee Accredited Certified

Stop all BE services before using HP Diagnostic Tools.

Colin_Weaver
Moderator
Moderator
Employee Accredited Certified

If your Operating System is old enough (probably 2003 or older) to have the Removable Media Service installed, make sure this is stopped and disabled (and if you change the state of this service then restart the Backup Exec services.)

 

 

tallguyriley
Level 3

Hi Guys, 

 

Sorry for the late reply, i have stopped all backup exce services and hp library and tools does now pick up the tape drive i have performed a firmware update on the tape device with no issues but when i try to perform a test or try to erase a tape using HP LTT and i keep getting a error "Invalid test id given by application" 

 

As well it states no tape has been inserted but there is a tape inside ? 

 

 

Thanks 

Larry_Fine
Moderator
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   VIP   

When i try to perform a test or try to erase a tape using HP LTT and i keep getting a error "Invalid test id given by application" 

That is now a question for HP, not Veritas.  It could be that the newer versions of L&TT no longer support such and old drive, so you may want to check the L&TT requirements or obtain an older version of L&TT to try.  Or maybe the tape drive has failed, it is probably about 15 years old.

CraigV
Moderator
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Partner    VIP    Accredited

...make sure the drive is terminated correctly if there is a terminator involved. But, as Larry said, it might be time to invest in something new...

defender_sheikh
Not applicable

I had a similar issue to this a long time ago (now running backup exec, so I don't use ArcServe anymore.

From my old guides it looks like I had to make sure I scanned the tapes, check the Log files produced by the scan to find out where the data was (session ID) and then Restore from media. My old notes pasted below:

 

  1. Select ‘Restore from media’ (not merge)
  2. Check the Log files to find out what session ID corresponds with the data that is needed to be restored.
  3. Select ‘Scan’
  4. Load Manager