Duplicating tape/image - what gets duplicated

[Leecabs]

I have a number of tapes which I need to duplicate the images on these tapes. When I start the duplication it's also asking for about 8 other tapes, I've not got the tapes yet but I guess the duplication will not start until all the list (9 tapes) are in the library??? Also, what gets duplicated? Does the image for just the tape I've selected get duplicated or does that image on ALL tapes get duplicated?

[Suryakiran21]

What does it say when you select duplicate  on one tape??I suppose it must duplicate the image for the tape you selected and not on all .

[J_H_Is_gone · Accepted solution]

A duplication really does a duplication of each IMAGE on a tape.

So if you dup tape A0001 and you have 1 image on it.  I will dup that image to a new tape.

But say you do multiplexing, and say the tape got full so the backup images spanned more then one tape.

So you have

A00001:  servers A, B, C and D - tape go full had to go to another tape

A00002: server A  - finished with this image

A00003: server B and C and D - finished with these images

When you tried to duplicate all images on A00001 - as they were not complete images on these tapes, and a duplication does the whole image, it will want tapes A00002 and A00003 so it can complete the duplication of all images on the tape.

If you had chosen to just duplicate the image for Server A, it would only want tapes A00001 and A00002

[Nicolai]

This thread talk about duplicates as well:

http://www.symantec.com/connect/forums/bpduplicate

[Andy_Welburn]

 (9 tapes) are in the library?"

It may start if the first tape it requires is in the library, then wait. Never actually tried it - usually load all media beforehand. As for the rest, I think Judy's got it covered - unless the images you wish to duplicate are all on one tape then you'll need the rest. Should be reported as to what tape(s) the image(s) is/are on.

[Ray_Esperanzate]

If the first tape is in the library it will start.  Once it tries to duplicate the part that is on a tape not in the library, it will sit in an active state on activity monitor.  If you look in detailed stats, it will be "stuck" on waiting for the media that it needs.  If you go to device monitor, you'll see a pending request for the tape to be mounted.

As for what it will duplicate, it will duplicate only the image that you are requesting to be duplicated.  

[Leecabs]

Nice explanation. I'm doing a duplication from the "catalog" option on the admin console, I expected it to just duplicate the tape but it seems what your saying it duplicates the IMAGE so therefore like you say it needs all tapes that have that image so I need all tapes that it's asking for in the library to complete the duplication.

[Andy_Welburn]

To visualise, in the following to duplicate tape 300052 (or image 1280377881) I would need a total of 6 tapes; to duplicate tape 300070 I would need a minimum of 2 tapes (there could be more notified in the rest of the output!); to duplicate image 1283446807 I would only need 1 tape, but 2 for image 1283446827.