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Lost my tape library

smwoodcrafts
Level 6

I have 3 backup servers, my master and one media server is Windows 2008 R2 and running Netbackup 8.0. The other is running 2003 and NBU 7.5.0.7. This older server is only used for offsiting with the tape library. Last week, I had issues with this unit and network. After a few reboots, the server was back up on the network, but the library and tape drives were no longer recognized. I am at a loss as to why. They don't show up in device manager and not really sure where to go from here. I was in the process of bringing up a newer library and decommissioning the old library and server, but was not ready for that. Can anyone give me some guidance?

15 REPLIES 15

Nicolai
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Sound to me like the server lost it's connection with the tape library. 

Try running the Netbackup command "scan"

https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.100025209

If its return nothing, investigate SCSI/SAS/fibre channel connection to tape library. 

If the scan command do return tape library and tape drives, then the old devices can be deleted in the NBU GUI. Use the device configuration wizard, to generate a new tape configuration.

DPFreelance
Level 4

I've always found the key on these things to be establishing the device presence in the OS first, then you can get NBU to scan for and find the devices.

So the question is: why does the OS not see any of the devices?

How are they connected etc?

Have you rebooted the library too?

That's what I've determined. They are connected through Fiber, zoned correctly, connections are up. I rebooted the library and server and also bounced the fiber ports on the SAN switch. It's driving me crazy.

Well, you're on really old versions (unsupported no less) of this part of this scenario.

Can you stand up a replacement server (prefferably with a more modern OS) and get it connected to the devices?

On the bright side, with tapes, it's not too painful to change ownership of them.

If you can get a repalcement setup, just run a decommission against the old media server and have it switch ownership of its images to the new one, then you should be back in business.  (Assuming there's no diskpool on the old one involved and its just tape)

Yes, I know. This is my issue. I'm in the process of setting up a new tape library on my 2008r2 media server that's running 8. My plan is to get that up and running and then decommissioning the 2003 box and old library. My biggist problem now is remembering the steps to configuring the changer and drives. ;) This is the only location that we offsite from. Looking at offsiting to the cloud but not quite there yet.

Configuring the changer and drives are super easy, no drivers required in 2008 or beyond.

Just connect the devices to it and Windows will find them; then you can scan for them in NBU.

 

I'm working on the whole cloud offsite as well!

Cloud Catalyst looks pretty cool!

There must be something that I missed. Everything is seen when I do the scan on the Media Server. When I run the Device Configuration Wizard on the Master Server and scan the Media Server and see the robot. on the Backup Devices screen, I see the library, I don't see the drives. If I click next, it shows the library and the 4 drives in the library, but the drives are not checked and I can't check them. I think its because the drives weren't seen in the previous screen.

Marianne
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Please show us output of 'scan' ? 

Nicolai
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Has the tape robot configuration been changed ?

Some sort of logical parition of the tape lib that doesn't include the tape drives ?

Here is the device manager and what I see with scan.

Marianne
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Please have another look at Device Manager.
The tape drives are seen as 'other devices'.
This means that the OS has somehow lost the drivers.
You need to install the drivers again.

Thanks, I thought that was an issue, but since scan saw them I wasn't sure. This is a new install though and I'm not sure where to get the drivers for these tape drives. I didn't think there was an issue with 2008. 

Marianne
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Actually, what you see in scan output is the robot reporting on tape drives seen through the control path. There is no output for each individual drive with OS device paths - this is what we call data path.
Without OS device paths, the Device config wizard will not see or be able to add tape drives.
You need to find device drivers for the tape drives.

Try taking a look here - if the drivers are still available for public download... Otherwise, you'll have to contact the support team Quantum - I believe they bought up ADIC.

 

Thank you all. I found drivers from HP and installed them. Everything is now being seen. My issue is fixed.