Tapes with no images or expiration, but can't be used

[smckelvey]

Netbackup Enterprise Server 7.0. Windows Server 2003 SP2. StorageTek 40 tape library, 299 tapes.

I have a handful of tapes that don't appear to have any images, no expiration date (images or on the volume itself), and Netbackup doesn't appear to write to them if they are in the Library. Normally, once the images expire, tapes automatically go to "Scratch" and are made available again.

I'm wondering, what if anything I should check or do to reclaim these tapes? Is my only option to expire the media, then reintroduce it to Netbackup?

As an example, here's some info for one of the tapes (000096): vmquery, nbemmcmd -listmedia, and bpexpdate -deassignempty.

C:\Program Files\VERITAS\Volmgr\bin>vmquery -m 000096

================================================================================

media ID:              000096

media type:            1/2" cartridge tape (6)

barcode:               000096

media description:     Added by Media Manager

volume pool:           FULL (5)

robot type:            NONE - Not Robotic (0)

volume group:          ---

vault name:            ---

vault sent date:       ---

vault return date:     ---

vault slot:            ---

vault session id:      ---

vault container id:    -

created:               9/1/2005 4:33:01 PM

assigned:              3/3/2006 6:28:15 PM

last mounted:          3/12/2006 5:36:09 PM

first mount:           9/1/2005 5:16:39 PM

expiration date:       ---

number of mounts:      52

max mounts allowed:    ---

status:                0x0

================================================================================

C:\Program Files\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\admincmd>nbemmcmd -listmedia -mediaid 000096

NBEMMCMD, Version:7.0

====================================================================

Media GUID:                     416403ae-ebe4-447b-8496-a21fb4074e13

Media ID:                       000096

Partner:                        -

Media Type:                     HCART

Volume Group:                   ---

Application:                    Netbackup

Media Flags:                    1

Description:                    Added by Media Manager

Barcode:                        000096

Partner Barcode:                --------

Last Write Host:                NONE

Created:                        09/01/2005 16:33

Time Assigned:                  03/03/2006 18:28

First Mount:                    09/01/2005 17:16

Last Mount:                     03/12/2006 17:36

Volume Expiration:              -

Data Expiration:                -

Last Written:                   -

Last Read:                      -

Robot Type:                     NONE

Robot Control Host:             -

Robot Number:                   -

Slot:                           -

Side/Face:                      -

Cleanings Remaining:            -

Number of Mounts:               52

Maximum Mounts Allowed:         0

Media Status:                   ACTIVE

Kilobytes:                      0

Images:                         0

Valid Images:                   0

Retention Period:               -

Number of Restores:             0

Optical Header Size Bytes:      0

Optical Sector Size Bytes:      0

Optical Partition Size Bytes:   0

Last Header Offset:             0

Adamm Guid:                     00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000

Rsm Guid:                       00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000

Origin Host:                    balt-srvr-nbu

Master Host:

Server Group:

Upgrade Conflicts Flag:

Pool Number:                    5

Volume Pool:                    FULL

Previous Pool Name:             SCRATCH

Vault Flags:                    -

Vault Container:                -

Vault Name:                     -

Vault Slot:                     -

Session ID:                     -

Date Vaulted:                   -

Return Date:                    -

====================================================================

Command completed successfully.

C:\Program Files\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\admincmd>bpexpdate -deassignempty

Search for empty media that meet the following criteria:

        Media id: All

Continue? y/n (n)y

No media matching criteria were found to be deassigned.

no entity was found

[J_H_Is_gone]

Move them out of the Netbackup pool.  I doubt any of your policies use tapes in that pool.

right click the others and see if they are frozen, if they are you will have the option to unfreeze.  I suspect this as 96 shows an assigned time.

a bpmedialist -m <mediaid>  will tell you if it is frozen or suspended.

if you are sure they are empty you can try the bpexpidate -m <mediaid> -d 0

[smckelvey]

Everything is working fine: images expire on all other volumes, which are then reassigned to "Scratch" volume pool, then written to again.

The problem is that the tapes in question are in limbo. I'm assuming there's some discrpency in the database. Only one of the tapes if frozen, and unfreezing it is not the issue. I can't change the volume pool.

"bpexpidate -m <mediaid> -d 0" will delete the tape from the database entirely correct? after which I'd need to re add the tape anew.

[J_H_Is_gone]

  If the tape has a time assigned, As I can see in your screen shot. It cannot be moved. The could be that the tape was assigned for a job that failed and then was not called again.  ( I have had that a few times)

if you run the bpexpdate command it will remove that assigned time, which will then let you move the tapes.  I think what you need to do is just get rid of the assign time  and that command will do it.

[RonCaplinger]

"Robot Control" and "Slot" are empty; these are not in a tape library.  they are most likely offsite.

Never mind, the issue is they are not going to "Scratch"...wasn't paying attention to your dilemma.

[J_H_Is_gone]

I did not notice that part - but the tapes do still have assigned times to them ( I just cannot see the expiration date from the screen shot)

[Anonymous]

So your tapes are not being returned to scratch pool for some reason.

This technote details same symptoms but you have manually performed the deassign...hmm

The bpexpdate -deassignempty command is not being run automatically by the scheduler, and empty tapes, which hold no valid images, are not being made available for backups

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH135182

You could try performing what you say. Completely delete the volume and reintroduce it. Try on one volume first.

Verify your Media Rules, Scratch pool definition

{install_path}/volmgr/bin/vmrule -listall

{install_path}volmgr/bin/vmpool -listscratch

[Anonymous]

AS you say J, could be the issue that the tapes have a assigned time/date and no images which does not probably allow them to be written to. Need to clear the assignment time field.

I'm sure someone had this problem before..

If you try deleting the volume that will confirm whether netbackup definitely sees it as assigned.

Does your "balt-srvr-nbu" server still exist at all.? Wonder if this is a decommissioning related issue.

nbemmcmd -listhosts

Couple of technotes to review:

www.symantec.com/docs/TECH135978

www.symantec.com/docs/TECH67038

www.symantec.com/docs/TECH125287

[Marianne · Accepted solution]

Any chance that a media server was improperly deassigned or lost it's mediaDB in pre-6.x days?

If that happened, images were expired but media could not be deassigned due to missing mediaDB entries...

Try the process in this TN:

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH58277

2. Determine if the media ID exists in the merge table.  If the media ID appears in this listing, then a different issue exists - do not proceed further.  Contact Symantec Technical Services for assistance with getting this media ID out of the merge table.  The following example shows no media IDs in the merge table:

Command syntax example and output:
 

nbemmcmd -listmedia -mergetable
 

The following number of records were found:0
 

Command completed successfully.

3. From the same path, type bpimmedia -mediaid 000538 to determine if there are any images on this piece of media.  If there are no images, then no output will be displayed.  If there are images, an IMAGE line and FRAG line will appear for each valid image on the media ID.

4. As long as the media ID does not appear in the merge table, the bptm command can be used to build a complete media record for each affected media ID.  Then the volume can then be unassigned and expired.  This will require the media ID of the affected media, as well as the density and the volume pool number.

Command syntax example from a UNIX server with a media ID of 000538, a density of HCART, that resides in Volume Pool 1 (NetBackup):
 

bptm -makedbentry -m 000538 -den hcart -poolnum 1
 

5.  Once this command completes, rerun the nbemmcmd -listmedia -mediaid 000538 command from step 1.  There should now be a valid Last Write Host hostname.  

6. The tape can now be expired with the bpexpdate command:

 

bpexpdate
 

Unix: /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
 

Windows: <Install_dir>\NetBackup\bin\admincmd
 

If there are no valid images for the media, the command syntax example and output:
 

bpexpdate -m 000538 -justmedia -d 0  
 

Are you SURE you want to delete 000538 y/n (n)? y
 

If there are  valid images for the media, the command syntax example and output:
 

bpexpdate -m 000538 -d 0 
 

Are you SURE you want to delete 000538 y/n (n)? y
 

Now that the media is expired, it can be used for backups again and will be overwritten.  
 

[Nicolai]

Then you need to specify the -h switch e.g.

bpexpdate -deassignempty -m 000136  -host mediaserver_name

[Anonymous]

Does

bpexpdate -m <mediaid> -justmedia -d 0

still work in NBU 7

Was for NBU 6.5.3 in

www.symantec.com/docs/TECH63502

[Rajesh_s1]

Tapes are not in the Library i.e. Medias are showing blank there is no robotic controller ,  means either Tapes are removed from Library or it may in standalone state.

First physicall verify and confirm whether tapes are in Library or not .... Then you can check for the other options

From the Vmquery command ,  media was used last on 03/12/2006 17:36 after that , medias hasn't used .

[smckelvey]

When I inherited Netbackup here, there were more than a couple media servers in various states of non-use and/or decommissioning, some clustered. I've since formally decommissioned them, but had to open a support ticket to clean up some of the remnants of the clustered ones.

Anyways, your link to http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH58277 described the exact problem and solution. However, per that tech note, I have some that are listed in a Merge Table, and it says to contact Symantec for those.

Thanks.