Cartridge LTO 4 always frozen when using LTO 5 robot

[yogahariman]

Hi Guys,

i have a problem that i can't solved. i have 2 type robot machine, LTO 4 and LTO 5, but last month, my LTO 4 was failure and cannot be used anymore. so the company decided to use only LTO5 robot for any backup to tape. i have read that LTO 4 can be used for read and write in LTO5 machine, so i try to do backup my file to tape LTO4 using LTO5 robotic.

But, when i try to do backup, the job was failed because something that i don't understand, and when i see in my NetBackup 6.5, in media menu, all of my media that used to backup job is frozen. I have no idea to solve it, would you please to help me guys?

Thanks before.

03 Feb 17 14:56:49 - requesting resource netbkp-hcart-robot-tld-1
03 Feb 17 14:56:49 - requesting resource netbkp.NBU_CLIENT.MAXJOBS.em-int
03 Feb 17 14:56:49 - requesting resource netbkp.NBU_POLICY.MAXJOBS.Orcl-EPM-dbfnon1
03 Feb 17 14:56:50 - Error nbjm (pid=19821) NBU status: 96, EMM status: No media is available
03 Feb 17 15:06:50 - job 28428 was restarted as job 28428
unable to allocate new media for backup, storage unit has none available  (96)

root@netbkp # ./nbemmcmd -listmedia -mediaid M018L4
NBEMMCMD, Version:6.5.6
====================================================================
Media GUID:                     4e026ace-e8a0-11e6-8000-8201d5312ddb
Media ID:                       M018L4
Partner:                        -
Media Type:                     HCART
Volume Group:                   000_00001_TLD
Application:                    Netbackup
Media Flags:                    1
Description:                    Added by Media Manager
Barcode:                        EPM018L4
Partner Barcode:                --------
Last Write Host:                NONE
Created:                        02/01/2017 10:03
Time Assigned:                  -
First Mount:                    02/01/2017 10:44
Last Mount:                     02/02/2017 15:45
Volume Expiration:              -
Data Expiration:                -
Last Written:                   -
Last Read:                      -
Robot Type:                     TLD
Robot Control Host:             netbkp
Robot Number:                   1
Slot:                           18
Side/Face:                      -
Cleanings Remaining:            -
Number of Mounts:               3
Maximum Mounts Allowed:         0
Media Status:                   ACTIVE
Kilobytes:                      0
Images:                         0
Valid Images:                   0
Retention Period:               -
Number of Restores:             0
Optical Header Size Bytes:      0
Optical Sector Size Bytes:      0
Optical Partition Size Bytes:   0
Last Header Offset:             0
Adamm Guid:                     00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
Rsm Guid:                       00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
Origin Host:                    NONE
Master Host:                    netbkp
Server Group:
Upgrade Conflicts Flag:
Pool Number:                    9
Volume Pool:                    Oracle-Kept_AtDC
Previous Pool Name:             -
Vault Flags:                    -
Vault Container:                -
Vault Name:                     -
Vault Slot:                     -
Session ID:                     -
Date Vaulted:                   -
Return Date:                    -
====================================================================
Command completed successfully.

[quebek]

Hi

In order to be able to use LTO4 media for writes in LTO5 drives you need to change the media type from current HCART to (most probably) HCART2 - as your LTO5 drives are HCART2. So the drive media type has to match the cartridge media type.... to change all LTO4 from hcart to hcart2 (or what ever is configured at your env for LTO5) you can use
(Change volume's media type)
  vmchange [-h <EMM_server> | <volume_database_host>]
           -new_mt <media_type> -m <media_id>

 Of course all these media should be unfrozen, ie:

bpmedia:
  -freeze|-unfreeze|-suspend|-unsuspend -m <media_id> [-h <hostname>] [-v]

Also you can change some LTO5 drives types from hcart2 to hcart and create new STU... up to you...

[yogahariman]

Hi quebek,

but in my environment, my LTO5 using HCART just the same way with my LTO4 using HCART too..

so, i think i can't change HCART in my case.

Thanks

[quebek]

ok - how could I have tell... ;)

then run

bperror -media -U -hoursago

to figure out why media were frozen... these are not getting frozne without any reason, right?

[yogahariman]

Hi quebek,

sorry for late reply,

when i check the error, it shows me like this below.

1486342363 1 388 16 netbkp 28441 28441 0 em-int bptm incorrect media found in drive index 2, expected M031L4, found EPM031, FREEZING M031L4

after i changed it to HCART 2 using

# ./vmchange -h netbkp -new_mt HCART2 -m M031L4

the backup job status is always INCOMPLETE and the detail status is like this below

06 Feb 17 8:21:27 - requesting resource netbkp-hcart-robot-tld-1
06 Feb 17 8:21:27 - requesting resource netbkp.NBU_CLIENT.MAXJOBS.em-int
06 Feb 17 8:21:27 - requesting resource netbkp.NBU_POLICY.MAXJOBS.Orcl-EPM-dbfnon1
06 Feb 17 8:21:27 - Error nbjm (pid=19821) NBU status: 96, EMM status: No media is available
unable to allocate new media for backup, storage unit has none available  (96)

can you help me to solve it? i dont know what happen with my netbackup.

 Thanks.

[Marianne]

Well, you firstly have to ensure that the media is the same density as the tape drives. 

If your LTO5 drives are hcart, the media must be hcart as well.
Media, tape drives and Storage Unit must all be same density.

About media being frozen - this is the problem:

incorrect media found in drive index 2, expected M031L4, found EPM031, FREEZING M031L4

The old library only read and reported the barcode without the 'L4' at the end to NBU - EPM031.
The new library reads all 8 characters: EPM031L4, but NBU stores only the last 6 characters as Media-ID: M031L4.

So, because EPM031 on the internal label is different from M031L4, NBU freezes the media.

There are 2 ways to fix this, You need to make a choice - each one will require manual effort depending on how many media id's have already been used/written using the last 6 characters of the barcode (M###L#). It would be great if you knew this before you started using the new library.

Option 1: (Best if done before any media is written to)
Change NBU settings to add 1st 6 character as media-id: 
In Inventory -> Advanced Options -> Media ID Generation:
Select robot number (1), Barcode length: 8, Media ID ...: 1:2:3:4:5:6
This will only work for new media. Existing unassigned media must be deleted first.

Option 2: 
Relabel the LTO4 media to match current Media ID Generation behaviour:
Unfreeze media, then use Label option to overwrite internal label. De-select 'Verify label' tick-box.

[mph999]

This is not a media density issue.

Set the media to be the same 'hcart' type as the drives.

This issue is this:

1486342363 1 388 16 netbkp 28441 28441 0 em-int bptm incorrect media found in drive index 2, expected M031L4, found EPM031, FREEZING M031L4

The mediaid NBU is generating currently for the tape is M031L4.  

The media ID that was written to this tape when it was last used from 'scratch' was EPM031

You need to confirm what the barcode is, written on the tape label (please look physically, nnot from NBU) or check using 's s' command in robtest.

I will guess that the barcode is EPM031L4.

When it was first used, NBU was set to use the first 6 characters of the barcode for the media id, so EPM031 was written to the tape.

Now, NBU is using the last 6 characters of the barcode, and so the media ID is M031L4 - they do not match, hence the issue.

If that data on the tapes is not needed, easiest way to fix is to re-label them and when doing so un-check the little 'tick' box so that NBU ignores the media id written to the taoe (else the relabel will fail the same way).

A physical inventory might work, as another option.

vmphyinv -rn <robot number> -rh <robot control host> -slot_list <slot number containing tape> -d <nbu density type>

This would associate the media ID written to the beginning of the tape with the the tapes barcode, as opposed to using the 'generated media id' - again it's not idea as once done, a normal inventory of the robot will potentially cause issues.  Ultimately, you need to relabel these tapes.

[yogahariman]

Hi,

yes you're correct, in the physical label, the label is EPM031L4, but in NBU this was just show M031L4.

and honestly, this tape has been used for backup before, but i have format it using bpexpdate and i thought that was enough.

So, would you please to tell me about step by step to fix it? i really really need your help dude.

i've change it to HCART again btw.

Thanks

[Marianne · Accepted solution]

bpexpdate only deletes information from NBU catalog. It does not format or do anything to the media. In other words, old backup data and the previous internal label is not wiped or overwritten. When the tape is about to be re-used, only backup data is overwritten, not the internal label. 
When NBU sees another internal label that does not match the media-id, if freezes the media. This is perfectly normal as it may be media from another environment with valid data and someone has stuck another label on the tape.

See Option 2 in my previous post:

Relabel the LTO4 media to match current Media ID Generation behaviour:
Unfreeze media, then use Label option to overwrite internal label. De-select 'Verify label' tick-box.

[yogahariman]

finally it helps me so much, my backup job now working normally after using label in NBU GUI..

Thank you so much guys..