Netbackup error (unable to allocate new media for backup) (pid = 4660))

[inAkola]

We are running netbackup 7.0 and it was running fine till last week but suddenly we started having problems were all of our backup job failed. 

we have 55 virtaul tape (data domain) and 80 % of our server on on VM's. (vmware)

backup goes to virtual tape and out of 55 i think 23 have capacity to hold more data. We first thought it was media tape so we added 10 more virtual tape but still we are getting the same/following error. 

Error nbjm(pid=4660) NBU status: 96, EMM status: No media is available

we did not made any changes to netbackup (windows update or any netback update). we have windows enviorment. 

any suggestion will be helpful..

ty

[RonCaplinger]

Check to make sure the Media Type for the new volumes you created is set to the same as your other virtual tapes.  If you defined the first ones as "HCART", but the new ones are "HCART3" or "SDLT", etc., then NetBackup won't use those new tapes.

Also, make sure the new tapes are defined to your scratch pool (ours is called NB_Scratch), not the "NetBackup" or "DataStore" pool.

[Marianne]

Use 'available_media' report from cmd on master (in goodies folder) to see what is 'available'. Compare that with the pool and storage unit specified in the policy that is failing to ensure that correct density, pool, robot #, etc is available.

[inAkola]

we have a scratch pool so move new tapes to scratch pool? but the problem here is we have netback volume pool and all of our tapes 1 to 55 have HCART3 but if i go to scratch pool we have HCART...

Am i missing something?

[Marianne]

"tapes 1 to 55 have HCART3 but if i go to scratch pool we have HCART"

Media density must match drive and Storage Unit density.

That is why you are getting status 96 - HCART media cannot be used in HCART3 drives.

[inAkola]

but it was working fine all this time and suddenly last we started having this problem? 

any reason?

[Marianne]

Densities MUST match. NBU will not use different density media and devices.  NBU has been working like this for as long as I've known the product.

Please see this In-depth Troubleshooting Guide for Exit Status Code 96:    http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH43229

[J_H_Is_gone]

Maybe you were just lucky and always had enough HCART3's avail for you backups. and now you have run out and only have those HCARTS avail -  can you prove any of the 'media' for HCART has ever been used before?

[JHeaton · Accepted solution]

It was working fine before because as you stated, your original media was in the Netbackup pool.  I'm not sure why the scratch pool doesn't allow you to choose the HCART3.

The main point I would stress about the location of the media, is to make sure the new tapes added are in the SAME pool as the original media, and that the density matches the density of the tape/drives.  For instance, if your drive is setup to use HCART3, then it won't be able to write to HCART.  It's a limitation not of Netbackup, but of the physical drives.  For instance, if you have a drive that is setup for LTO4 tapes, you can read, and therefore restore, from LTO2 tapes, but you can't write to LTO2 tapes with the LTO4 drive.

[inAkola]

may be i meesed up but thank you 

i am looking into it right now... 

[inAkola]

duplication jobs are failing... I have called netback up and they dont know the answer

one which goes from virtaul tape to phrysical tape...