Does VTL usage drive during erase (bplaebl -erase process) ?

[shekhar_Dohtre]

Hi All,

We run bplabel -erase on tapes in VTL to make them scrtach. During the process does VTL usage a tape drive (virtual) to erase  the tape or is it just a software process (no actuall hardware involved ?) Thanks

My script

 cat erase_media_tld33.ksh
for i in `cat /usr/openv/scripts/media_to_erase_tld33.list`
        do
                echo $i
                /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bplabel -erase -m ${i} -d hcart2 -o -p scratch -host london01

done

cat /dev/null > /usr/openv/scripts/media_to_erase_tld33.list

[Marianne]

Yes. A drive is needed to load the tape in order to perform label or erase on the tape.

[RamNagalla]

yes, it requires the drive..

When NetBackup labels a volume, it writes a record on the magnetic tape of the
volume; the record (or label) includes the NetBackup media ID.

see page number 471 in netbackup 7.6 admin guide volume 1

[revarooo · Accepted solution]

Well the -erase option will actually long erase the media, so it has to be mounted first to the virtual tape drive first (or physical drive in the event of physical tapes), so yes there is hardware involved too, in the event of VTL, it's virtual hardware (apart from the disk that is used for VTL of course)

[shekhar_Dohtre]

Thanks All. All answers were useful. 

[Nicolai]

erasing a tape does not mean existing backup written to the tape are automaticaly expired

you should first run

bpexpdate -m {BARCODE} -d 0 

and then the bplabel process.

[mph999]

A quick erase only relabels  the media, this allows NBU to overwrite them later. In the event of a real drive with modified firmware, you would still be able to read the images.  A normal drive cannot do this as it will not go past the end of data mark on the tape. 

A long erase does, well, that is up to the drive manufactures, it's a scsi command sent from NBU, what the drive actually does, is outside the control of NBU.

WWhen tapes where lower capacity, then would be over written.  I have heard, but never seen, that some drives don't do a complete full erase (probably due to the time it would take), I don't know if this is true, but I did hear it from a good source 

[mph999]

A quick erase only relabels  the media, this allows NBU to overwrite them later. In the event of a real drive with modified firmware, you would still be able to read the images.  A normal drive cannot do this as it will not go past the end of data mark on the tape. 

A long erase does, well, that is up to the drive manufactures, it's a scsi command sent from NBU, what the drive actually does, is outside the control of NBU.

WWhen tapes where lower capacity, then would be over written.  I have heard, but never seen, that some drives don't do a complete full erase (probably due to the time it would take), I don't know if this is true, but I did hear it from a good source