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Using Backup Exec & Robotic Library

RC_2
Level 2
Partner

Hi

I have successfully installed a Dell PowerVault TL2000 and have it recognising my tapes which there are 5 in the slots. I am trying to work out how I can get my jobs to run on separate tapes for each weekday. Do I have to create a job for each weekday ?. Also, I want to move a tape out each week from the cartridge. Is there a way of automatically ejecting the magazine ?.

 

Thanks  separate tapes for each weekdayweekdays

7 REPLIES 7

Kiran_Bandi
Level 6
Partner Accredited

Create a policy with 5 job templates. One for each day.

Create 5 media sets with proper OPP and AP settings.

Associate Media Sets with the jobs.

Schedule the jobs.

Each job will write to a different tape.

After completing 5 backups all you media sets will have one tape.

Auto ejecting a magazine: I don't think such option is available.

Hywel_Mallett
Level 6
Certified

Kiran's suggestion will work, but it makes things complicated, having all those templates and media sets.

I'd just create a media set with a 4-day Overwrite Protection Period, and let Backup Exec take care of the rest. The only downside is that you won't be guaranteeing that your tapes will be used on any particular day (though in effect they will be used in nice rotation).

If you use policies, then you can add an export media job to the policy so that the tape used for the backup gets moved to the export slot.

RC_2
Level 2
Partner

Thanks for your responses. Will try this and see what happens. Is it possible to remove a tape for safekeeping ? . And, if so, how do I know which tapes to remove ?.

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited

You can...all you need to do is open up the Job Log, check under the media section which tape was used, and check in which slot it is located in your library...

Hywel_Mallett
Level 6
Certified

You can remove a tape any time you want. Just export it and remove the tape for the library.

As for which tape to remove, I assume you mean one that's had a successful full backup on it. If so, you could do this by doing any of:

  • Looking at a previous job log, and checking to see which media it used
  • Go to create a new restore selection list, and it will show you the media used for each resource
  • Run a media required for recovery report

pkh
Moderator
Moderator
   VIP    Certified

it possible to remove a tape for safekeeping ?

If you want to do this on a regular basis, then use a policy with an export template.  The tape that was just used for the backup will be exported to the mailslot after the job finished.  Of course, you have to enable the mailslot in your library first.

Hywel_Mallett
Level 6
Certified

Just following up, I see other people have interpreted this question as "How do I know what tapes to remove routinely?".

If you are talking about removing tapes in order to keep them safe, think of them as being in a vault (prefereably an off-site vault). Backup Exec will manage this for you!

In the properties for each media set, you can set the vaulting rules - i.e. when you want tapes to be moved off-site (to the vault) after they're used, and how long you wish to keep them off-site for. Once you've set these appropriately, you can schedule a "Move media to vault report" and a "Retrieve media from vault report". When you run them, they will tell you which media to move off-site, and which to return from the vault, based on the rules you've set. Once you've moved them, you need to change the location on Backup Exec though.

Backup Exec has a particularly amusing warning, telling you that when you move the media to the vault in Backup Exec, it doesn't actually move the media to the vault in real life. That would make my job easier, if Backup Exec drove my tapes to our DR site and put them in a fireproof safe for me!