Unassigned tapes are not going to SCRATCH Pool after inventory

[sudu_mlk]

Hi,

On Windows server 2003 i have installed Netbackup 6.5 and i have Quantum Scalar tape library which has barcode reader.

I have done fresh installation and configured storage group, vool pools and policies. after this when i started inventory all tapes are going Netbackup pool instead of SCRATCH Pool.

Verified the RETRUN_UNASSIGNED_MEDIA_TO_SCRATCH_POOL value and it is set to "yes". please help me out of this.

Thanks in advance.
SUDU

[Peter_Jakobs]

You have to define the default pool for new tapes :
Robot inverntory--> advanced option --> barcode rules

Peter

[sudu_mlk]

Hello Peter,

I have created a barcode rule with the barcode tag "DLT2" and specified the volume pool. after this made the inventory, but getting same result tapes are going to Netbackup.

[Stumpr2]

Peter is absolutely correct.
You did a fresh install and that causes tapes by default to be added to the NetBackup pool when the inventory runs.

[David_McMullin]

What is your scratch pool name? NetBackup is the default scratch pool...

There is a bug in some versions of Java console, so that setting or editing scratch pool parameters, REMOVES IT AS THE SCRATCH POOL!


Run this command:

/usr/openv/volmgr/bin/vmpool -list_scratch

That is your scratch pool.

To set it, run this command:

/usr/openv/volmgr/bin/vmpool -set_scratch scratch_pool

Of course, you need to translate to windows from unix...

[sudu_mlk]

Hello David,

My scratch pool name same as SCRATCH and i ran command vmpool -list_scratch, result is "SCRATCH"

but when tried to run the second command "vmpool -set_scratch scratch_pool" got the result "pool does not exist in pool database<109>"

please suggest me to follow the next process to resolving this.

[Stumpr2]

vmpool -set_scratch  SCRATCH
use the actual value instead of the logical scratch_pool used in the example.

[sudu_mlk]

Hello Bob,

Thanks for the information.

This SCRATCH is alerady defined and once again deleted all tapes manually and done inventory get the same result going to Netbackup Pool.

The same setup has been configured in another server their it running fine without setting the barcode rules.

thanks!!!

[Stumpr2]

Sometimes things get changed. Very carefully look at all aspects of creating a barcode rule and verify that what is being defined is actually what exists. Check evey value in every selection on every tab for creating the barcode rule. Also check the vmrule command and contents of the vm.conf

# vmrule -listall
================================================================================
rule number:  0
barcode tag:  NB
media type:   HCART
pool name:    NetBackup
max mounts:   0
description:  New Tapes
================================================================================
rule number:  1
barcode tag:  NX
media type:   HCART2
pool name:    Scratch
max mounts:   0
description:  Scratch on ACS
================================================================================

[David_McMullin]

Well, you can do as Peter suggested and define barcode rules to auto set them, or simply move them all to the scratch pool.

I prefer my unused tapes to be in the NetBackup pool, and I move them to the scratch pool as needed.
There are times when issues with a robotic drive will freeze every scratch tape you have.

[Marianne]

" barcode tag "DLT2" " ?
Is 'DLT2' your media type or do all the labels on the tapes start with 'DLT2'?
Barcode tag refers to the starting characters that are common to all the tapes for which you are adding the barcode rule.
If you want ALL new tapes to go to Scratch pool by default, you can add this entry in the Barcode tag field:
<DEFAULT>

Once you have added or changed a barcode rule, that rule will only apply to new tapes. If you want the rule to apply to existing tapes in the robot, you need to delete them first (provided they are still unassigned) before running another Inventory.

The RETURN_UNASSIGNED_MEDIA_TO_SCRATCH_POOL only applies to expired tapes that came originally from the scratch pool. More information about this process in this TechNote: 
http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/323334.htm

Hope this helps!

[sudu_mlk]

Hello Marianne,

DLT2 is our media type and i was wrongly named barcode tag. all our new tapes are starting with 0 and now created with the same and worked fine.

Another concern on this, if any new tapes are starting with different character then one more new barcode code rule need to create write?

thanks for your valuable solution..

SUDU

[Marianne · Accepted solution]

Correct. If you add more media starting with new character, you will have to add another barcode rule.

[stu52]

David, you made the statement:

     "NetBackup is the default scratch pool..."

This is NOT true.  According to the NetBackup Admin guide:

    "NetBackup. The default pool to which all backup images are written..."

AND

   "You cannot change the NetBackup or DataStore pools to be scratch volume pools."

The NetBackup pool is one of the default pools that is created when you install NetBackup.  By definition the scratch pool is one that is used by NetBackup to draw tapes FROM when the pool needed for a backup has no available tapes. 

The NetBackup pool can contain images while the Scratch pool cannot.