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VTL tapes are not expired on data domain

Karthick_R1
Level 3

Hello,

We have netbackup 7.1 which is connected to Data domain with VTL configuration. Tapes are not expiring after the retention and due to that Data domain is not able to receover the space after cleaning process.

Last week we did quick erase of scratch tapes on Netabckup and after that VTL tapes in DD expired and moved to 0 % usage. Even i can see the cleanble space on DD increased . But after the cleaning is completed none of the space was recovered.

Do i need to perform anything from the Netbackup end to cleanup the space..Kindly suggest

6 REPLIES 6

Karthick_R1
Level 3

Hello,

Please help on the below question.

Mouse
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NBU does not perform DD file system cleaning, reach out to EMC and ask them to have a look

Amol_Nair
Level 6
Employee
when DD is configured as VTL in nbu, It just behaves like a normal tape library.. What I mean here is when the images on tape expire or the complete tape is expired it can be reused.. but the space would be cleared off.. (you can always import data back from expired tapes.. same principle applies to vtl as well)

To completely get rud of data after the vtl tapes expire you need to manually run label operation on each tape from nbu.. once label is completed then the next image cleanup that runs on DD would reclaim space on it..

Nicolai
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Amol_Nair is right

When using Data Domain in a non-tape configuration, every expired backup result in Netbackup active deleting files in a backup image. When files are deleted a Data Domain can reclaim the space.

However when data domain is used as a VTL, data remain on disk because a expiration of data on tape is just a Netbackup catalog update, no information is send to data domain that contents of the tape is no longer needed. A label operation on scratch tapes will release space since this is a re-initializations of the tape.

 

Marianne
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@Karthick_R1

The links that I have posted in my previous post confirms what everyone else has said here.

You will also find examples of bplabel commands and scripts that will in essence perform a 'quick erase' in order to reclaim space on the VTL.