Barcode on tape not reflecting

[Chukwuemeka]

I have netbackup 7.0.1 installed on windows server 2008

I used to have tapes that were not bercoded in my storage unit(tape library) for backus, but now they are being replaced gradually with barcoded tapes.

We have about 7 new barcoded tapes that have been inserted with 8 non barcoded tapes in the tape library, but after doing a robot inventory update,

i just get to see only one tape drive with its barcode, other tapes remain in this format A00001, etc..

Am i missing out something......

[Will_Restore]

Odd that it recognizes one of them.  First check the library to ensure it is reading barcodes correctly.  (review the hardware documentation on how to do that)

[mph999]

Just run robtest

/usr/openv/volmgr/bin/robtest

select the robot number

run  '  s s '

look at each slot do you see a barcode ?

If no, then the robot is unable to read the barcodes on the tape, nothing to do with NBU.

The output of robtest, is what the library can see, it then tells NBU.  If there are missing barcodes, it is because the library is having a problem.

Some tape labels are just not of a high enough quality to be read.

Martin

[PraveenCH]

Netbackup by default give its media ID for the new medias inserted when there is no barcode on the tape. Makesure the netbackup Media ID and the bar codes are assigned with out any overlap and confusions.

Define Media rules in Library Console and in Netbackup as well.

--Praveen

[AnotherUnknownV]

The command vmphyinv will ask your robot to mount each tape, and read its label.

You can chose the slots you want to analyze.

 (Robotic inventory)
        vmphyinv -rn robot_number [-rh robot_control_host] [-h device_host]
        [-pn pool_name] [-v volume_group] [-rc1 robot_coord1 -number number]
        [-drv_cnt count] [-non_interactive] [-mount_timeout timeout]
        [-priority number] [-verbose]

(Robotic inventory based on media ID list)
        vmphyinv -rn robot_number [-rh robot_control_host] [-h device_host]
        -ml media_id:media_id:...:media_id [-drv_cnt count]
        [-non_interactive] [-mount_timeout timeout]
        [-priority number] [-verbose]

(Robotic inventory based on slot list/range)
        vmphyinv -rn robot_number [-rh robot_control_host] [-h device_host]
        [
            { { [-slot_range from to] [-slot_list s1:s2:...sN] } -d density }
            { { [-slot_range from to] [-slot_list s1:s2:...sN] } -d density }
            ...
        ]
        [-drv_cnt count] [-non_interactive] [-mount_timeout timeout]
        [-priority number] [-verbose] 

Once NetBackup has identified each tape with its mediaID and its slot, you can request a Barcode Update from the GUI.

You can also use the commande line : vmchange to assign a new barcode to a tape. That will work, assuming the barcode is not known by NetBackup yet. This means you should have not made a robot inventory before the vmphyinv.

  vmchange [-h <EMM_server> | <volume_database_host>]
           -barcode <barcode> -m <media_id>
           [-rt <robot_type>] 

[Chukwuemeka]

Hi can you guys please take a look at the attached screenshots of the storage unit with just one of the tape media with barcode

[Marianne]

We can see that there seems to be one tape in the robot with a barcode.

Have you run 'robtest' as per Martin's post?

's s' will show what the robot sees in each slot.

Windows path: <install-path>\veritas\volmgr\bin\robtest.

Please also see this TN: http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH83129

[mph999 · Accepted solution]

Yes, the barcodes are not displayed, exactly as you explained in your first post.

You can look at NBU all day long, you will never fix the issue, it is not Netbackup causing the problem, based, on what we know so far.

As mentioned previously, if you look in robtest, you will see something like this :

Example 1 is what I think your system will look like.

Example 2 is what it should look like ...

Example 1

 root@womble upgrade $ robtest

Configured robots with local control supporting test utilities:

  TL4(0)     robotic path = /dev/sg/c0t5l1

  TL4(1)     robotic path = /dev/sg/c1t5l1

Robot Selection

---------------

  1)  TL4 0

  2)  TL4 1

  3)  none/quit

Enter choice: 1

Robot selected: TL4(0)   robotic path = /dev/sg/c0t5l1

Invoking robotic test utility:

/usr/openv/volmgr/bin/tl4test -rn 0 -r /dev/sg/c0t5l1

Opening /dev/sg/c0t5l1

Inquiry_data: HP      DAT72X6         B604

MODE_SENSE complete

Enter tl4 commands (? returns help information)

s s

slot 1 (addr 2) contains Cartridge = yes

Access allowed

slot 2 (addr 3) contains Cartridge = yes

Access allowed

slot 3 (addr 4) contains Cartridge = yes

Access allowed

slot 4 (addr 5) contains Cartridge = no

Access allowed

slot 5 (addr 6) contains Cartridge = no

Access allowed

slot 6 (addr 7) contains Cartridge = no

Access allowed

READ_ELEMENT_STATUS complete

Here we see, 3 slots have tapes in them, but no barcodes are displayed ...

Example 2

Here we see some slots (actually on a different library than example 1) and we see that those that contain tapes, also display the barcode.

Enter tld commands (? returns help information)

s s

slot 1 (addr 1024) contains Cartridge = yes

Source address = 131

Barcode = DE0024

slot 2 (addr 1025) contains Cartridge = yes

Source address = 128

Barcode = DE0173

slot 3 (addr 1026) contains Cartridge = yes

Source address = 129

Barcode = DE0205

Now, I appreciate that 'robtest' is a Symantec command.  However, if I am correct, and robtest does not display the barcodes (apart from for that one tape) then the issue is with the library not being able to either read the barcode, or, it is not reporting them for some reason.

As I mentioned, NBU never reads barcodes, 100% impossible.  Instead, NBU asks the library, what tapes do you have, and what is displyed in robtest (or NBU after an inventory) is what the library is telling NBU it has.  If anything is missing (eg. barcodes) then it is a problem with the library (or in this case more accurately, probably an issue with the quality of the barcode labels).

Regards,

Martin

[Chukwuemeka]

Hi Thanks mph999... I totally agree with your comment.

I finally had to call in symantec support on this case and we found out that the problem was from the tape library.

The tape library is not actually reading the barcodes.

So thanks everyone and mph999, for all your comments.

[Marianne]

Thanks for the feedback. Pity you had to log a support call just to hear what everyone has been telling you from day 1....