Vault ejects tapes required for SLP duplication

[-matt-]

Master - NBU 7.6.0.3
O/S - W2K8 Ent R2

Hi all,

I use SLP's in all my policies to run two backups, one with media for an onsite volume pool and one with media for on offsite volume pool.  (The backups run at the same time, creating a control job and two child jobs)
Recently of late there seems to be bad tapes circulating around, and often, one of the copies is failing with 84 errors.  SLP's won't start the duplication until the good copy has completed, and as our backup environment runs pretty much 24/7, the Vault process has run, ejecting offsite media which may still be required for the SLP duplication.

I can't see a way of ensuring media required for SLP duplication is omitted from the Vault eject process.  Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions?

Thanks,

Matt

[Marianne]

Look at Vault selection criteria - if selection is up to 0 or 1 day in the past, increase this value to 1 or 2 days. Best to troubleshoot and fix status 84 errors.

[StefanosM · Accepted solution]

For now, you have to insert back the tapes to library to let the SLP to finish or you have to cancel it.

Unfortunately there is no way to configure vault to exclude tapes with pending SLP. If you continue to use VAULT, you have to follow Marianne's subjections.

I have a customer with the same SLP configuration as yours and we stopped using Vault. We replace it with custom scripts that do the necessary checks before send the email with the tapes to export.

[-matt-]

Thanks both for your suggestions.

I have some scope to alter the hour(s) ago value in the Vault selection criteria, but don't want offsite tapes hanging around the library when they should be ejected and sent offsite
We used to have inifite offsite backup retentions starting way back in 2004 and a recent retention policy change and subsequent image expiration process has meant older media is now in circualtion.  I have >14,000 tapes.

Netbackup will freeze problem media which helps identify what can be disposed of, but fixing it is easier said than done.

Replacing Vault with scripts sounds like a drastic option.  I run a SLP backlog script to identify media that needs to remain in the library, some of which has already been ejected.

Would be good to see Netbackup handling this in the future.

[-matt-]

Just had a thought whilst looking at the Vault Profile - Choose Backups - Attribute - Retention Levels

An image that has an incomplete SLP has an infinite retention right?

If I change the Retention Levels attribute and select the retention i expect the image to have (35 days) the eject should ommit media with outstanding SLP's.

What do you think?

[-matt-]

Scratch that.  Just checked an image that is currently being duplicated and it doesn't have an infinite retention.

Maybe because the SLP is two Backups rather than Backup and Duplication.