Why do I keep getting ghost media?

[Jason_Caesar]

Backup Exec creates ghost media and resets (at least as far as BEX is concerned) media usage data!
I have an Exabyte 1X10 VXA library with bar codes, yet somehow I wind up with 3 media icons for TAPENAME01. Usually, only one is marked ONLINE, and the OFFLINE media persist until retired. These ghost entires appear in SCRATCH and MEDIA SETS.

Today, I had a tape physically online and marked as being in its SLOT, but I had no entry for it in SCRATCH, MEDIA SET, or ONLINE MEDIA (although there were offline tapes in scratch and the media set). I INVENTORIED, SCANNED, and closed BEX (several times) and finally got it to appear in my Media Set. I sent it to the VAULT, but it never arrived and disappeared from the Media Set. An ONLINE tape appeared in Scratch (next to its offline counterpart). I sent that tape to the vault, and now I have two ONLINE entries for the same tape in the vault; both are online and each has a different home Media Set.

[Amruta_Purandar]

Hello,

Try the following steps:
1. Installing latest Veritas drivers, upgrading device firmware
VERITAS Backup Exec (tm) 10.0.5520 - Device Driver Installer (20050815) - Includes Tape Driver Release (20050115) and Robotic Library Release (47) (Intel Only)
http://support.veritas.com/docs/278408

2. Power cycling the library and the server (verifying the SCSI connections and cabling)
3. Disable and enable the device in Backup Exec
4. Stop the RSM service

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[Jason_Caesar]

I currently have 7 data tapes in my library.
I had 15 tape IDs in my media sets for these tapes, 18 if you count the 2 tapes that are supposed to be in the Vault.
8 Media Set tapes showed as Online, and 3 (1 duplicate) showed online in the Vault.
Tape2 was given a new ID with a new serial number, the old ID was flagged offline.
I ran an inventory this morning: Tape1 switched serial numbers and now uses the Tape1 ID that was offline last week. Tape7 is now a "Cleaning Tape" even though it is a data tape and not in a cleaning slot. BEX has generated yet a new ID with new serial number and placed it in Cleaning Media.
System Log reports no SCSI events or problems with the Drive or Library.
I cannot restore from or catalog tapes that have switched IDs (different serial numbers) even though the tapes have not been removed and share the same Media Label!Message was edited by:
Jason Caesar

Since each serial numbered ID has different usage stats, the overwrite protection may no longer apply and jeopardizes that data!

[ray_littlefie1]

Can you look and compare the media GUID (found by viewing properties -> Media ID) This is the 32 character unique ID assigned by backup exec the very first time the tape is used. Are these numbers the same?

If so, are you attempting to rename the barcode names of the tapes? (Media Label value) This will create ghost entries because there is the label that is written on the tape physically and then the label name you provided it thru the GUI. The lable originally written to tape will keep reappearing each time the tape is used. If you want to change the media label, you'll need to write mouse click and choose label- and this will erase all data on the tape, but will update the on-tape label.

[Jason_Caesar]

The labels are the ones that came with the Exabyte hardware. They are numbered after the fashion A0000001, A0000002, B0000001
These are also the Media Labels that BEX assigns new tapes automatically. We do not change these.
The Media IDs from Media Properties are unique 32-digit strings (8-4-4-4-12).
For convenience, tapes are loaded in library slots that have corresponding numbers: A0000001 in Slot1.
Today, I have 2 new Media Labels with new Media IDs, and 2 sets of Media Labels that have swapped with their offline alter egos: A0000007(ID 400FF) became A0000007(ID DE0C9)
I still have 2 "online" tapes B0000003 (ID E81B7 and 5C127), one "offline" B0000003 (ID FAEC9) in my Weekly Media Set and 1 "online" B0000003 (ID D04CA and new as of today) in my Scratch Media Set..
My Media\Media Location\Online Media has a correct number Media Labels and they match the "online" Media Labels except B0000003 (only D04CA in Scratch)
None of the tapes have been removed, and the last backup group was only about 10GB on an appended differential.