Unexpected Tape error...

[A_Goode]

I inherited a system that was built by another admin.  I assume in the testing or creation phase he wrote to some tapes with a different set of Barcode Rules or with none at all.  One tape, for example, should be SB0001, but when I attempt to write backups to it, I get an error that says: Tape SB0001 was expected, but tape 0001L3 was found, freezing tape and I cannot write to it at all.  The full bar code of course is SB0001L3, but we only use the first 6 digits in our system. The previous test system has since been dismantled, yet I'm still trying to use these tapes (there are several) that were written to by another NBU server and never deleted or expired properly from it's database.  I've tried importing them, then deleting them.  I've tried erasing them.  I've tried all the expdate commands in the manual expiration list, and I know there is no important data on these tapes, as they should have long since expired.  I tried running a search here but couldn't find any specific information that either referenced my issue or fixes that I hadn't already tried.  Is this common?  Is there a reliable fix for it?

We're using NBU 6.5.1A and the tapes were likely written on a system using 6.5.0 or 6.5.1.

Message Edited by A.Goode on 10-07-2008 08:44 AM

[Omar_Villa]

This is because barcode read the last 6 characters of your tapes, you need to configure netbackup to see the first 6 ones.

http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/276938.htm

Message Edited by Omar Villa on 10-07-2008 08:49 AM

[A_Goode]

No, the barcode rules are currently in place and reading the tapes fine.  Where the issue is, is that somehow the tape has another "name" written to it that I can't seem to get rid of.  It reads the barcode and imports the tape into the proper pool based on that, but something ON the tape lists the name differently, so when I go to write to it, erase it, do anything to it on the current NBU Server, it fails because it thinks it's another tape from a "previous use" on a different server.

Message Edited by A.Goode on 10-07-2008 11:27 AM

[J_H_Is_gone]

if you do not need the data on the tape then do bplable on it to over write the old label to match the barcdoe.

you can do this from the gui, right click on the tape and choose Lable, UNCHECK the box that says to verify the barcode and the label.  the tape will then get a lable to match the barcode.

if this does not give you the label of SB0001, check the config on your robot to see how it is configured to report the tape labels to netbackup.

[Jaap_Hartog]

First unfreezing the tape followed by performing a Quick Erase might do the trick as well.

Make sure you have

Verify media label before performing operation

deselected ! 

This causes the EVSN (External Volume Serial Number), in your case SB0001, to be written as the RVSN (Recorded Volume Serial Number) thus overwriting the previous RVSN of 0001L3.

[A_Goode · Accepted solution]

bplabel ended up doing the trick, but I had tried it before and couldn't get it to work.  I had to expire the tape again, delete it from the NBU database, then inventory the robot to re-inventory the tape, THEN run bplabel on it, and now I can write data to it fine.  Prior to that it wouldn't let me erase the tape or anything else because the labels didn't match.  I need to go to an NBU class so that I can get a firmer grasp on some of the utilities in the software, but I'm not doing too bad considering I'm an NBU newb.  Thanks for the input folks.  Helped me immensely.