Tapes freezes: Incorrect media found

[j1000]

I get the error below, please how can I resolve the issue:

An unexpected media is found in the drive

Incorrect media found in drive index 2, expected BAK001, found BK001, FREEZING BAK001

I deleted the tape from media and wanted to re-use the same tape again in same library.

The tape had the old entry BK001 before it was deleted.

I did a Re-inventory of the robot and now has BAK001 which is what I want based on the rule, but how do I delete the old entry so that the tapes stops freezing.

[areznik]

If I remember correctly, when you wrote data on your tape, the media-id was written in the headers and cannot be changed without expiring the data on the tape. When the data is expired and you re-inventory the tape you can use the bplabel command to force netbackup to rewrite the header with a new media id. If you are using barcodes, the internal and external labels must always match. 

Check this post:  https://www.veritas.com/community/forums/new-barcode-tape-still-seeing-old-media-id  

[Marianne · Accepted solution]

Why would the internal label be different to the external label? With only 5 characters as opposed to 6 which is the default? There is nothing you can do to change this. The tape was labeled and the backup written with 5 characters in the media id. The only assumption is that the tape was manually labeled with different media id to external label. Unless you have a different explanation. Please show us output of these commands: nbemmcmd -listmedia -mediaid BAK001 nbemmcmd -listmedia -mediaid BK001 If BAK001 shows no images, and BK001 does, you will need to delete it and 'marry' the internal and external media-id: vmchange -m BK001 -barcode BAK001 If none of the commands show valid images, you can overwrite the internal label. Unfreeze BAK001, then right-click, label, de-select 'verify label'.

[mph999]

Agree with above posts

This is how it works:

The library, presents NBU with a barcode based on the 8 characters of the sticky label.  The library, not NBU controls this, and most libraries can be set to display all or a selection of the total 8 characters.

Eg.

AB1234L4

AB1234

1234L4

... would all be command variations for the barcode.

When an inventory is run in NBU, NBU asks the library, what tapes do you have and where are they.  NBU does not look, it waits to be told. (hence why inventory issues are usually robot problems, not NBU).

Whenever NBU sees a different barcode, it classes that as a new tape.

Eg. AA1234, AA1234L4, 1234L4 although the same tape, would be classed as 3 different tapes by NBU.

You can see theerfore, if the library is set to show the first 6 characters for the barcode, it must not then be changed to show say all 8 charcters, as NBU woud class these as new tapes.

The media ID makes things more complex.  Apart from when adding 'new'  tapes, NBU doesn't really use the barcode, it refers to the media ID.

The mediaID is derived from the barcode, it could be the first 6 characters, or the last six, these being the most common.  It has a max of 6 characters but can be any combination of the charcters in any order but lets not gp there ...

Example.   Media ID is first 6 characters of barcode

So lets say you have barcode/ media ID

AA1234L4 / AA1234

If the library is now set to display only the first 6 characters of te barcode, NBU will think it is a new tape and try to add this

AA1234 / AA1234  - it will fail as the media ID already exists (duplicate media ID error)

If however, the robot was changed to display the last 6 characters, it would add as a new tape

1234L4  / 1234L4

.. because the barcde is new, and the derived media ID does not match anything.

The problem will be when you try and use it ....  NBU wil read the media hearder written to the beginning of the tae, which will show media ID AA1234, but it is in fact expecting to find media ID 1234L4 - hence the error you ate getting.

What isn't clear, and we have no way to tell, is how you ended up BK001 as a  media ID when the barcode is BAK001

I suspect at one time, the media ID generation rule was 1:3:4:5:6 (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th characters of barcode) in error .