Full backup (copy2 with infinity retention) failing with error code 96.

[King25may]

Hi,

Full backup jobs whose retention period is infinity is failing with error code 96 even though there are tapes in scratch pool and their expiration date is blank.

All the first copy with 2 months retension are completed without any error. This is happening only for full backups. and also for a particular policy.

Please suggest how to avoid this error.

Thank you

[Marianne]

Things to check:
Density of scratch tapes (must match tape drive and STU )
Location of scratch tapes - in robot attached to STU media server?
Scratch pool is really marked as 'scratch pool'.

Status 96 wizard:

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=answers&type=wizard&wizardid=NBU090&wizardstepid... 

To avoid Status 96, run available_media on a regular basis.

If you need assistance with troubleshooting, please post output of these commands:

available_media (on master)
bpstulist -U (on master, and point out STU selected for duplication)
tpconfig -l (on media server for duplication STU)

[King25may]

Hi Marriane,

I've sent the output of those commad to your personal inbox

Thank u

[Marianne · Accepted solution]

WOW!!! Big environment with LOTS of media!! 

No wonder available_media takes a long time to run. 

 10176 pieces of media just in the Scratch pool!! (Where do you keep all these tapes??)
 30973 pieces of media in the environment!

Long story short - we are looking for HCART scratch media in robot 0.

I count 36 HCART tapes in robot 0. 

So, logically there should be no reason for status 96.  (We don't know if they were all there when the duplication failed yesterday...)
This may be a case of way too many device/media entries and nbrb -> EMM lookup timing out.

You will have to look at some serious EMM tuning and at the same time delete media that is no longer in the environment.
(Do you still have a use for those DLT tapes?)

It may be a case of the environment outgrowing NBU and the master server...

Hoping that Martin and other Symantec experts have some more ideas.

If you don't mind - I will forward the output files to Martin? 

[King25may]

Ya marianne, you can forward the output files.

[Marianne]

I am curious to know if this status 96 was a once off or if you are seeing this on a regular basis after confirming that there were enough scratch tapes of correct density and in the correct robot?

[King25may]

We getting this error during full backup schedule. Will check once again on next tuesday and let u know.

[Marianne]

Please remember to verify sufficient appropriate media before the backup starts.

[Marianne]

Couple of Tuesdays went past in the meantime - what happened to this backup?

Was the issue above a once-off?

[King25may]

Yes Marianne.

That issue was a once-off.

[Marianne]

So, if we can take anything from this, it would be to check for sufficient media before the time. I do understand that it will be challenging in a big environment like yours....

[suhas_kakade]

Check the NetBackup Problems report to determine the storage unit that is out of media.

 If the storage unit is a robot and there are empty slots, add more volumes (remember to specify the correct volume pool).

If there are no empty slots, move some media to nonrobotic and then add new volumes.

If you are having difficulty keeping track of your available volumes, try the

available_media script:

On UNIX, this script is in:

/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/goodies/available_media

On Windows, the script is in:

install_path\NetBackup\bin\goodies\available_media.cmd

[Marianne]

If you scroll up to previous posts (26 Feb) you will see that we've been through this...