Remove Tape in Library

[technimdaxviii]

Hi,

We're planning to remove full tape from the library to move offsite. I just wanna know and confirm if we can still put the old tape in the library for recovery.

Thank you

[Tousif]

Hello,

Yes you can use that old tape for recovery until unless not reuse of those tape after tape expiration in netbackup.
Before sending tape offsite. I would recommend to note down the tape detail like media id and barcode.
You can also create report of images are available on which media. It will be very helpful for you in future reference for restore purpose.

Thanks & Regards

[technimdaxviii]

Hi Sir,

Appreciate your input.

Yes you can use that old tape for recovery until unless not reuse of those tape after tape expiration in netbackup

As shown in the screenshot, we've 3 tapes which data will expired on May. You mean:

1. We can recover the data til its expiration date?

2. We can reuse the tape for backup when data expires?

Before sending tape offsite. I would recommend to note down the tape detail like media id and barcode.
You can also create report of images are available on which media. It will be very helpful for you in future reference for restore purpose.

Noted on these Sir. Thank you

[Tousif]

Hello,

Lets understand about the Expiration in NetBackup.

There are two type of expiration in NetBackup.

1. Image expiration in NBU database.

2. Tape Expiration in NBU database.

 1. Image expiration in NBU database: If image meet the expiration date the image clean job delete information from NetBackup. So after expiration we can not able to see the detail of that image in NetBackup.

2. Tape Expiration in NBU database: All images written on that tape expired in NetBackup database. Then netbackup remove the AssignTime in database and consider as new media in NetBackup. Once the tape use for new backup it overwrite the parent header of that tape and we lost all backup images reference on that tape.

1. We can recover the data til its expiration date?

Ans: If image has expired in catalog database only then yes we can perform phase I and phase II to rebuild the catalog info for that image in catalog using tape.

2.We can reuse the tape for backup when data expires?

Ans: Once the tape expired in netbackup database then we can reuse it.

Summary:

NetBackup never erase the data automatic it overwrite the data. For complete loss the data need to meet below all 3 condition. 

1. Image expiration in NetBackup database. (There is possibility to recover the data)

2. Tape expiration in NetBackup. (There is possibility to recover the data)

3. The tape reused or header info lost. (There is no possibility to recover the data using NetBackup)

Thanks & Regards,

[technimdaxviii]

Wow...Very informative, thank you Sir!

What if those 3 tapes expiring on May 2017 are pull out and then inserted again by June in the library to reuse. Is this possible? Are they consider as new media?

[Tousif · Accepted solution]

Hello,

Once the tape get expire it will consider new tape. Default it goes to scratch pool or NetBackup pool.

If any backup trigger or queue job after robot inventory  required new tape then there is possibility to take this this tapes for backup and overwrite the data. 

Solution:

Make sure there is no backup running during the inventory and till phase I import against that tape. In busy environment its not possible to keep the environment backup free.

So, I always recommend to create new pool e.g "restore pool" for this kind of tape and whenever run robot inventory, move that tapes to restore pool. Make sure that restore pool should not be part of any backup. 

Thanks & Regards

[technimdaxviii]

Hi Sir,

Once the tape get expire it will consider new tape. Default it goes to scratch pool or NetBackup pool.

If any backup trigger or queue job after robot inventory  required new tape then there is possibility to take this this tapes for backup and overwrite the data. 

Just to confirm, whenever I've insert an old tape in the library to reuse this will be consider as new and will go to scratch or netbackup pool. Inseting an old tape(expired) still have a data, can I manually clean up the tape before using for backup instead of overwriting?

Make sure there is no backup running during the inventory and till phase I import against that tape. In busy environment its not possible to keep the environment backup free.

So, I always recommend to create new pool e.g "restore pool" for this kind of tape and whenever run robot inventory, move that tapes to restore pool. Make sure that restore pool should not be part of any backup. 

Noted Sir :) Thank you

[Tousif]

Hello,

There is option to erase the data on tape called quick erase and long erase. It just like format USB quick format and long format.

But why are you wasting your time and energy to erase the data manually? Overwrite also do the same think.

Then, why the quick erase and long erase option is there?

Possibility:

1. Discard the tape permanently and before that need to make sure all data on tape erased (Security purpose)

2. Find any temporary bad sector on tape and causing I/O error. 

 Regards,

[mph999]

Some good answers in here.

A few words from me ...

A quick erase is only a relabel of the tape - the data is not overwritten.  A standard tape drive however will be unable to access the data, as it will not position the tape past the 'end-of-tape'  mark that was written during the labelling process.  A tape drive with modified firmware would be able to access the data - for example, as used by data recovery firms.

What does a long erase do - well, that depends on the drive manufacturer - all NBU does is send an 'scsi' erase command.  If the drive then overwrites every block on the tape, or only some blocks on the tape ??? 

[technimdaxviii]

Hello,

There is option to erase the data on tape called quick erase and long erase. It just like format USB quick format and long format.

But why are you wasting your time and energy to erase the data manually? Overwrite also do the same think.

Then, why the quick erase and long erase option is there?

Possibility:

1. Discard the tape permanently and before that need to make sure all data on tape erased (Security purpose)

2. Find any temporary bad sector on tape and causing I/O error. 

 Regards,

Hi Sir,

Thanks again :) Everything got cleared :)

Regards,

Jr

[technimdaxviii]

Some good answers in here.

A few words from me ...

A quick erase is only a relabel of the tape - the data is not overwritten.  A standard tape drive however will be unable to access the data, as it will not position the tape past the 'end-of-tape'  mark that was written during the labelling process.  A tape drive with modified firmware would be able to access the data - for example, as used by data recovery firms.

What does a long erase do - well, that depends on the drive manufacturer - all NBU does is send an 'scsi' erase command.  If the drive then overwrites every block on the tape, or only some blocks on the tape ??? 

Hi Sir,

Thank you for joining and input.

Regards,

Jr

[Marianne]

My 2c:

Once you add a tape to NBU volume database, it stays there until a backup admin deletes the tape.

Moving a tape in and out of the robot only changes the location attributes in the volume database - robotic: with a robot and slot number or NONE (non-robotic).
Moving the tape back into the robot changes the location back to robot number and the new slot number.
Important to know that there are different ways to handle tapes if there are no tape labels on the media. (Detailed info in NBU Admin Guide I.)

Image expiration does not see tape as new - only the Assign Time is removed, which makes the tape Available (to be overwritten). After image expiration, tape will go to Scratch pool if you have a scratch pool in the environment and the tape originally came from Scratch. 
If you do not have a scratch pool, the tape will remain in the same pool.

About Volume/Tape expiration vs Image expiration: Two excellent post explaining the difference:
https://vox.veritas.com/t5/NetBackup/Difference-between-tape-expiry-date-image-expiry-date/td-p/2393...

https://vox.veritas.com/t5/NetBackup/difference-between-volume-expiration-and-date-of-expiration/td-...

HTH

[technimdaxviii]

My 2c:

Once you add a tape to NBU volume database, it stays there until a backup admin deletes the tape.

Moving a tape in and out of the robot only changes the location attributes in the volume database - robotic: with a robot and slot number or NONE (non-robotic).
Moving the tape back into the robot changes the location back to robot number and the new slot number.
Important to know that there are different ways to handle tapes if there are no tape labels on the media. (Detailed info in NBU Admin Guide I.)

Image expiration does not see tape as new - only the Assign Time is removed, which makes the tape Available (to be overwritten). After image expiration, tape will go to Scratch pool if you have a scratch pool in the environment and the tape originally came from Scratch. 
If you do not have a scratch pool, the tape will remain in the same pool.

About Volume/Tape expiration vs Image expiration: Two excellent post explaining the difference:
https://vox.veritas.com/t5/NetBackup/Difference-between-tape-expiry-date-image-expiry-date/td-p/2393...

https://vox.veritas.com/t5/NetBackup/difference-between-volume-expiration-and-date-of-expiration/td-...

HTH


Handy NetBackup Links 

Thank you Mam. I'll look into it..