Cleaning tapes not showing up in Netbackup

[perez_cmz]

I've labeled new cleaning tapes, inventoried the library, but they do not show up in the "None" or the "Media" volume pool.

I do see them in the tape library. The new cleaning tapes begin with CLN17 and CLN20.

These are the barcode rules for my environment.

[SymTerry]

TECH164472 shows the steps to follow when adding a cleaning tape. I see you have the barcode rule for the cleaning tape specifing the number. Try it without the number, just CLN

[mph999]

Good point to use CLN not CLN<number>.

It shouldn't make a difference to be honest, but CLN is a bit neater and should do the job perfectly well.

You don't say if you were using the library to do the cleaning previously or not.  Either way, can you run robtest from the robot control host and then run the command :

s s

This will list the tapes that the library is prepared to tell NBU about (which is how the inventory works, NBU does not 'look', it is 'told').

Do you see the cleaning tapes listed ?

If not, you have a library config issue.

If you do, then it's something else ...  report back and we'll go from there.

[SJ_Hollist]

Did you use the library to import the tapes as cleaning taps? If so the library is controlling them. If you want NetBackup to control them, you have to import the tapes via NetBackup.

[perez_cmz]

I removed the previous CLN17 and CLN20 barcode rules, and replaced them CLN. I inventoried the library, still nothing.

I've used the library to do the cleaning because netbackup doesn't see the cleaning tapes.

I ran the robtest command, then s s. Did not see the cleaning tapes.

Btw, it seems no matter what I change the barcode rules to, the media id's in the "None" volume pool do not seem to change.

[Marianne]

I ran the robtest command, then s s. Did not see the cleaning tapes.

Not all the barcode rules or any action from NBU side will help.

The robot is not seeing the cleaning tapes in normal slots that is presented to the backup application.

There may be cleaning tapes in the robot's 'maintenance' slots, but that means that the robot is controlling drive cleaning, not NBU.

If you want NBU to perform the cleaning, open the robot door, find the cleaning tapes, ensure they all have barcodes starting with CLN, then put them in the CAP/MAP and Inventory robot.
Select 'Empty Media Access Port before update'. 

[perez_cmz]

What slots do the cleaning tapes need to be in inorder for nbu to see them ?

Sorry, but what is the "CAP/MAP" ?

[mph999 · Accepted solution]

The CAP/ MAP is the small 'door' on a library used to add /remove tapes without opening the main door.  Not all libraries have these (not usually found on 'small' libraries'.

If you post robtest / s s  command it will confirm what I and Marianne are thinking.

In a nutshell ...

I (and I suspect the wonderful Marianne) imaging thet the cleaning tapes are in the libraries own cleaning slots, these are special slots the library does not show the contents of these slot the backup software, hence why netbackup doesnt know about them.  They are used for when the library does the cleaning, not the  backup application.

In some libraries they cannot be changed, you just need to physcally move the cleaning taps into regular data tape slots.  In other libraries, they can be configured, so you can turn them back into regular slots - meaning the tapes in them will then be disclosed to the backup software,

The library documentation will explain how this is done for the particular library you have.

[Marianne]

As per Martin's excellent explanation, knowing more about your robot will help. What is the make/model? Please show us output of 'scan -changer'.

[mph999]

If you look on the robot web console you should be able to spot what is happening.

Somewhere there will be settings for cleaning - I suspect you will see that the tapes are located in some 'cleaning tape slots'.

If there is an option to disable the slots this might fix the issue, and the tapes will become visible in the robtest s s output.  If there is no option just physically move the tapes in to 'normal' slots - following a library inventory they should then show up in robtest.  Then, following a NetBackup inventory the poblem should be resolved.

[perez_cmz]

IBM TS3500

[root@sv144889 ~]# scan -changer
********************************************************************
*********************** SDT_CHANGER ************************
********************************************************************
[root@sv144889 ~]#
 

[Marianne]

On which media server did you run the command? It must be done on robot control host. Is robot control TLD or ACS?

[perez_cmz]

TLD, and I reran the command on the robot control host.

[root@mediany1p01 ~]# /usr/openv/volmgr/bin/scan -changer
************************************************************
*********************** SDT_CHANGER ************************
************************************************************
------------------------------------------------------------
Device Name  : "/dev/sg5"
Passthru Name: "/dev/sg5"
Volume Header: ""
Port: -1; Bus: -1; Target: -1; LUN: -1
Inquiry    : "IBM     03584L32        B170"
Vendor ID  : "IBM     "
Product ID : "03584L32        "
Product Rev: "B170"
Serial Number: "0000078255490401"
WWN          : ""
WWN Id Type  : 0
Device Identifier: "IBM     03584L32        0000078255490401"
Device Type    : SDT_CHANGER
NetBackup Robot Type: 8
Removable      : Yes
Device Supports: SCSI-3
Number of Drives : 6
Number of Slots  : 1600
Number of Media Access Ports: 16
Drive 1 Serial Number      : "0007847204"
Drive 2 Serial Number      : "0007847201"
Drive 3 Serial Number      : "00078AAC96"
Drive 4 Serial Number      : "00078AAD03"
Drive 5 Serial Number      : "00078ADEF3"
Drive 6 Serial Number      : "00078ADEF4"
Flags : 0x0
Reason: 0x0
 

[perez_cmz]

Is it preffered to have netbackup clean the drives, if the library can do it ?

If I do have the library clean the drives, how can I get rid of the "Needs Cleaning" comment in the "Cleaning Comment" column ?

[mph999]

OK - if it's an IBM3584 I think,, if I remember correctly, you just disable library cleaning but it you look around in the library GUI it should be fairly obvious.

Look under Drives > cleaning mode

[perez_cmz]

Apparently the library is using ALMS (Advanced Library Management System), which has the library do the "Automatic cleaning".

Automatic cleaning is "required (and cannot be disabled) when the Advanced Library Management System (ALMS) is enabled" according to IBM documentation.

This explains why our older cleaning tapes weren't showing up in netbackup either (we thought it was the barcode rules).

Are the "Need cleaning" comments for a drive something that would down a drive ?

[mph999]

Hmm, I don't remeber that ...

Why don't you try ad see if it can be turned off, nothing to lose ...

[Marianne]

Number of Media Access Ports: 16 Did you see this? This is your MAP/CAP. How do you normally change tapes? We still don't know how the cleaning tapes were added or where in the robot they are.

[perez_cmz]

I'd rather not introduce changes to the library as we've just kicked off our end of month backup cycle.

At this point, I'm fine with the library cleaning the tapes. I just want to confirm that those "Needs cleaning" comments in the netbackup console don't bring down the drives.

Aparently, I'm beginning to find out that this is how the drives have been getting cleaned all along (I'm new to this organizations environment, and still familiarizing myself with it).

Marianne, the cleaning tapes were manually loaded into the library. I know where they are, but netbackup doesn't see them.

[Marianne]

... I know where they are, but netbackup doesn't see them....

Bear in mind that the Library has slots for data tapes and dedicated maintenance slots.

The Library will only report on the data slots when you run an Inventory.

This says to me that the cleaning tapes are probably in the maintenance slots, right?