Re-using OLd tapes on Netbackup

[lajolla95]

I am currently in the deployment stage of a project.  I need to reuse tapes we utilized during the first few months of deployment, data not relevant just needed to prove process and not wanting to waste these  tapes.  Is there a way to reuse the tapes?  Can it be done from the console or will it need to be done form the command line?  Do I need to expire the tape or image and then I can place back into the tape server, scratch pool?  I have not used Veritas in a few years.  I am using Windows 2003 server an IBM tape server and running Netbackup COnsole 6.5.2.  Any help or suggestions will be great.     

[J_H_Is_gone]

If you do not need the data on the tapes - then yes you can reuse them.  As you say you used them for testing.

If the images on the tape have NOT expired yet - and you don't want to keep them you can expire all the images on the tape.

You don't mention if you are using the same master server now going into prod as you did for your test - so that all depends.
   if you are using a new master - then that master does not know anything is on those tapes and they will appear as scratch.
  if you are using the same master and just want to start fresh
 (where $1 is the Tape ID)

/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bpmedialist -m $1

/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bpexpdate -m $1 -d 0

/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bpmedialist -m $1

I have a script that does the above commands.
the first command looks up the tape and shows me info

id rl images allocated last updated density kbytes restores

vimages expiration last read <------- STATUS ------->

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

K00541 8 1 12/13/2009 12:00 12/13/2009 12:00 hcart 91708927 0

1 12/13/2010 12:00 N/A

(will show if it is frozen - and it shows you when it should expire

the second command will ask if you want to expire

the third command is the same as the first - and if the second command worked the last one will say it cannot find it (because all the images on the tape have been expired)

you can script this to do more then one - (I never have had to do more then one at a time)


Once the tapes are not longer assigned you can put them into the scratch pool.

[XJ37]

This how I reuse tapes that have a different barcodelabels than when first used. The second command puts the tape into the Netbackup volume pool. Steps 3 &4 are done from the admin GUI.

1.       Expire the media (both tape label on tape and external)

Bpexpdate –m MEDIA_ID –d 0 –force –host MEDIASERVER_NAME

2.       Deassign the Media (both tape label on tape and external)

Vmquery –deassignbyid MEDIA_ID 1 0

3.       Delete internal media label from media catalog

4.       Relabel external tape label

*Uncheck “verify media label before performing operation”

*Make sure Media Server name is correct

Additional useful commands

To unfreeze a tape

Bpmedia –unfreeze –m MEDIA_ID –h MEDIASERVER_NAME

To move a tape to the scratch pool

Vmchange –m MEDIA_ID –p POOL#

[lajolla95]

THank you all I appreciate it.  

[NBUTSE]

If you're using barcodes, those barcodes may be read differently by different tape libraries.  I would also urge you to re-label the tapes so you don't get any inconsistencies between the logical media ID of the tape (the one which NetBackup knows about in the volume database), as compared to the media ID written to the tape's header block.  If those two pieces of information don't match, you'll wind up with a frozen tape.

A re-label operation is a destructive action, and data on a tape would be lost.

[T_N]

remember if you're using barcodes, I believe used tapes  are still keeping old barcode on their header, best way is : reformat the tapes, if not when you restore the files from tape, you'll get problem