Working with barcode and medias

[sucomaster]

Hi all,

I have a question about working with medias and barcodes.

1. When I insert in my library a new media, I label that media with the barcode, and the media is labeled with that barcode.

2. Backupexec use that media for backup and when the media is full, the backup operator retires the media.

3. The problem is when we want to reuse that media. We change the barcode and the media takes that new label, but the media is full with the old information.

My question is:

What I have to do for delete the information?

Or maybe Backupexec catalog that new media as a "Scratch Media" and the media it's used and deleted when is needed?

Thanks!

[Sush--- · Accepted solution]

Hello there,

 With new name / barcode Backup Exec will see that as new Media will not matter if the data is present or not on that media.

It should be in scratch media set so that it will be overwritable. You can insert and run Inventory on the library and see the media set for that new media. If its not Scratch media set then you can manually associate that tape with Scratch Media set.

Thanks,

-Sush...

[Larry_Fine]

There should be no need to change barcodes on the tape when they are recycled.  May I ask why you are changing bar codes?

Changing the physical bar codes will not remove the old info from the BE database.  I would suggest running an erase job on the tape with the old bar code label, then change the bar code label, then inventory it and run a label job.

[Sush---]

Or simply just associate the tape with Scratch media set when you want to re-use it. This will overwrite the old data on the tape and write new one.

Regards,

-Sush...

[sucomaster]

Well, the question it's that we have to save data for 1 or 2 years (depending of the type of data).

We reuse media only one time, so when a media has more than 1 year (or 2 years) , we reuse that media. For this question, I ´d like to know how to proceed with the media and barcode,s and how reuse the medias.

So, I think the best method it's reuse the media, keep the barcode and add manually to scratch media for use.

Before the first use, the media will be deleted, true?

Thanks all for your answers.

[Sush---]

The Media will not be deleted automatically. When placed in Scratch Media set the tape will be overwritten when the backup job picks it up to write it.

Thanks,

-Sush...

[pkh]

If you have enabled the I/O or mailslot in your tape library, all you need to do when you bring back the tape from storage is to put it into the mailslot and import it into the library.  It will automatically be recognised.  You then right-click on the tape and associate it with the scratch media set.  It is then ready to be used.  However, the existing data on the tape is still there.  Don't worry about it.  When the tape is overwritten, this old data will be gone.

[Steve_4]

Also, considering you do not have bar code rules, make sure that you are running an inventory on the new tapes that you add to the library. And if required for you, set up overwrite rules for different backups too. the overwrite protection rules will just stop the tape library from using particular tapes for a set amount of time after a specified backup is run on those tapes.

Regards,

Steve

[pkh]

Also, considering you do not have bar code rules, make sure that you are running an inventory on the new tapes that you add to the library.

Barcode rules have nothing to do with whether you do an inventory on new tapes or not.  what you are suggesting is not necessary.  

Furthermore, you don't have to do inventory when you are using barcode labels.  A scan will serve the same purpose of making the tape known to BE.

[Steve_4]

No that is incorrect pkh.

In my current environment whether you use barcode rules or not is the vital part of whether you can perform an inventory or not.

If you use barcode rules, then the inventory is not necessary.

If you do not use barcode rules, a scan doesn't work with placing the new barcode in the online media set. Besides, when you close a magazine draw it automatically scans regardless....But no a scan does not do the same as an inventory....And yes, I use barcode labels. But what I have found is that randomly the barcode may become available after a few backups are performed.

Regards,

Steve

[pkh]

You only need barcode rules if you have two different types of tape drives in your tape library and you have different types of tapes and you don't want the wrong type of tape to be used in the wrong tape drive.

I can do inventory even though I do not enable barcode rules. I have only 1 tape drive in my library.

When you do a scan/inventory, it is to update BE as to the current library/slot status, which tape is in which slot and so on.  A scan read the barcode labels and it is a lot faster.  An inventory reads the label that is on the tape itself and it is slower.  This is the advantage of using barcode labels.

When you close the magazine and you see a flash of light,  this updates the magazine status in the library but not BE.  The library has no idea which software is controlling it so the information is not passed to BE. To update the library status in BE, you must initiate the scan from the BE console.

I hardly ever do inventory and my scans do place any tape in their proper media set.  I send tapes to and receive tapes from off-site everyday and have no problems.  For these, I import/export tapes and their status (online/offline) are recognised immediately by BE.  I don't have to scan/inventory them after an import.

[Steve_4]

So what you are explaining to me is the incompetence of technical support in Symantec then....

Every time I have placed new tapes to our environment in, they do not appear when I run a scan...at all.
Yet when I run an inventory it reads the label via the drive, just takes 20 or so mins for all 22 tapes...

Yet, when I have had an issue, and symantec have had to remote in (By the way they have never solved an issue for me) They always run an inventory to test...Even when I explain that we are using barcodes.

Yes the scan is instant, but I would prefer to have the tapes show up after an inventory, then to do a scan and have newly labelled tapes not show up for another day- 2 days. The scan will pull information from the current offline media pool and identify it almost instantly. Yet if I am adding new media an inventory is the only thing that adds the tape to the pool for me.

And I have never had to run a scan for current existing tapes which have been added to my library. Everytime I place the tapes in the library, it runs a scan, then stops on the powervault. And when I go back to to backup exec, all my tapes have been updated.

So I guess we are both either doing things which are unecessary or have two different problems :p

Regards,

Steve

[pkh]

If you are using BE 2012, then you are hitting a known problem whereby a scan does not put the tape in the proper media set.  The work-around is to do an inventory.  This problem does not exists for BE 2010 which the user is using.

*EDIT*

See this document

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH205392

*END EDIT*

[Steve_4]

Anyway,

I am sorry for ensuring that the user is aware of everything they need to do, and attempting to answer the question/s which had not been addressed.

Please disregard the previous comments made by myself and pkh as they are not related to the current case.

Kind Regards,

Steve
 

[Steve_4]

I am using Backup exec 2010 R3....

Just as this users post is listed under

[sucomaster]

I will test all that, but I think that the best option it's keep the same label in the media and add it to the scratch media group.

Thanks all for your help.

King Regards.