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Error 96 even with available tapes

giri_b
Level 4

Hi all,

       I am getting error 96 even though the tapes are available in the respective volume pool. The master server runs on netbackup 6.5 and the client is a SAN media server running Windows 2003. Please help.

Thanks

Giri B

9 REPLIES 9

Will_Restore
Level 6

If the storage unit and volume pool appear to have media, verify the following:

Volume is not FROZEN or SUSPENDED.

Check for this condition by using the NetBackup Media List report. If the

volume is frozen or suspended, use the bpmedia command to unfreeze or

unsuspend it (if that is wanted).

Volume has not expired or exceeded its maximum number of mounts.

The EMM database host name for the device is correct.

If you change theEMMdatabase host name, stop and restart the following:

the Media Manager device daemon, ltid, (if the server is UNIX or Linux)

or the NetBackup Device Manager service (if the server is a Windows

system).

The correct host is specified for the storage unit in the NetBackup

configuration.

The host connection should be the server (master or media) with drives

connected to it.

The Media and Device Management volume configuration has media in the

correct volume pool. Unassigned or active media is available at the required

retention level.

Use the NetBackup Media List report to show the retention levels, volume

pools, and status (active and so on) for all volumes. Use the NetBackup

Media Summary report to check for active volumes at the correct retention

levels.

giri_b
Level 4

Some of the tapes I had was frozen. So I unfreezed them and they are now showing as available. Eventhen its not taking the tapes.

Thanks

Giri b

Will_Restore
Level 6

The NetBackup bptm process is rejected when it requests media from the vmd

process (UNIX and Linux) or the NetBackup Volume Manager service

(Windows). The cause of this problem is that the process or service cannot

determine the name of the host that makes the request.

This error can be due to an incorrect network configuration that involves the

following:

Multiple network interfaces

/etc/resolv.conf on those UNIX or Linux systems that use it

Running DNS with reverse addressing not configured

Create bptm and vmd debug log directories and retry the operation.

Examine the bptm debug log to verify that bptm connects to the correct system.

If an error is logged, examine the vmd log.

On UNIX and Linux, the vmd log is:

/usr/openv/volmgr/debug/daemon/log.xxxxxx

On Windows, the vmd log is:

install_path\Volmgr\debug\daemon\xxxxxx.log

If this storage unit is new and this attempt to use it is the first, stop and restart

NetBackup on the master server.

Note: The mds unified logging files (OID 143) usually show the NetBackup

media selection process.

PraveenCH
Level 4

Check the tapes are under the same robotic control which the storage unit is assigned to the policies you are testing.

Check if the tapes are write protected. ( In Netbackup Management>Reports>Tape Reports>Tape Logs)

Check if max mount is reached for the media or Max mount value is set to 1. If so change max mount value and test.

 

--Praveen

watsons
Level 6

- Check media type:

For example:
  If the storage unit is set to use HCART, and all your available media are HCART2, you will still get error 96.

- Check media expiration date:

Note that this is not image expiration date. If you go to "Change" your media in GUI, there is an option for you to set "expiration date" for a media. If a date is set and has passed, you will need to clear it. That setting prevents an available media from being picked up because it's logically expired.

- If your master server is at 7.0.1 and Windows-based, there is a bug that image cleanup may not expire your images, which may in turn lead to error 96 because expired media are not become available.

Of course there was a fix: http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH138266  :)

sarsingh
Level 4

you can also try available_media command in goodies to double check if the media is really available as scratch tapes and that all blank tapes are assigned to scratch pool.

David_McMullin
Level 6

what does it say there, that is the first place to get your clue...

 

I had this happen - tape drive thought it had unloaded a tape but it was still stuck.

When you try to load a tape it fails, so it freezes the tape and tries again - you can freeze every scratch tape this way...

nbrbutil -dump | grep "drive name" will show if EMM thinks it is in use...

 

Marianne
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited Certified

We can provide more useful advise if we can see what you see - please provide output of all of the following:

available_media   (see @sarsing's post above)

policy output for one (or more) of the policies failing with status 96:
bppllist <policy-name> -U
 

Storage unit config specified in policy failing with 96:
bpstulist -label <STU-name> -L

AnotherUnknownV
Level 3
Employee

Use this command to get the maximum info regarding a tape :

All tapes : # nbemmcmd -listmedia -allrecords

RAW753 media : # nbemmcmd -listmedia -mediaid RAW753

For one tape, you have :

Status ... only ACTIVE is ok to receive additional data

Volume Expiration Date ... usually not set ! If set, it means you prevented the tapes to be used for backup after that date.

Data Expiration Date ... according to the retention period of the images present on the tape, that's when the tape goes back to scratch pool if you don't add any data before.

Maximum Mount : like Volume Expiration Date, if you set a maximum mount value, then the media won'y appear as SUSPENDED nor FROZEN, but won't be part of the selection process, even if you see it as ACTIVE.

 

By the way, AVAILABLE is never shown in nbemmcmd -listmedia -allrecords. Consider that an ACTIVE tape, without an Assignation Date is what you call AVAILABLE.