03-18-2012 04:45 AM
03-22-2012 02:30 AM
Think of it this way.
Createing the media id is related to the barcode - hence why the 'Media id generation rules" is set in the robot inventory screen (advanced options).
Here is a tape from my library (this is from the vmquery command)
03-18-2012 06:12 AM
HI,
YOu can review the following documents
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH56903
03-18-2012 06:17 AM
hi,
You can get the information from here.
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/media-id-and-label
(Note: if you get the satisfy answer then mark this as solution)
03-18-2012 10:11 AM
The reason they are shown in the gui.......
if the barcode comes off or gets switched. When a tape is loaded netbackup compares the barcode that the library says it put in the drive to the label written on the tape( if it is first use netbackup writes it).
if the barcode and the written label do not match... netbackup will freeze the tape and not use it.
reason is that netbackup wants to make sure that it does not overwirte a good tape my mistake.
WHAT THIS MEANS?
03-18-2012 10:18 AM
"WHAT THIS MEANS?"
Seems you have answered your own question:
"reason is that netbackup wants to make sure that it does not overwirte a good tape my mistake."
03-18-2012 10:26 PM
ok.
So a volume gets a media ID once it is written?
Fresh new media id wont have a media id until something has written on it?
03-19-2012 10:22 PM
ok.
So when we inventory media ,media id generates on it based on the barcode.
Media label can be done by invenory or manually.
correct?
03-20-2012 12:17 AM
Yes, the media id is generated based on the 'media id generation rule' if set (otherwise it takes the first 6 characters of the barcode (default)).
The inventory doesn't label the tapes, this is done either manually as you suggest, or when NBU uses the tape for a backup, if it finds the tape 'blank; (no header' it will label it).
Martin
03-20-2012 12:29 PM
so what if i insert a brand new tape.Then?what afte inventory?
03-20-2012 04:19 PM
I answered this question in the post you marked as the solution (thank you).
An inventory does nothing with labels, all it does is gets the library to tell NBU where the tapes are (that is, in what slots the tapes are in). NBU enters this information into the 'volume databse'.
The tape remains 100% blank - nothing is on it at all. If the tape is not used, it will never be labelled (unless you do it manually).
The NBU volume label is only written to this tape when :
1. The tape is written to in a backup, or used for a duplication
or.
2, If you maually label it
That is it, it is no more complex than that.
You do not really need to worry about this, just leave it to NBU, it will do it all. If theer are issues, then ask for help.
Regards,
Martin
03-20-2012 09:18 PM
ok so if a brand new tape has not gone into a tape drive for writing do it will remain unlabelled?
03-21-2012 12:09 AM
Yes, correct.
You might manually label it, but of not, it will remain unlabelled until it is used.
martin
03-21-2012 11:13 PM
so that new tape after inventory will go into netbackup pool and in the media tab,we will only see the barcode mentioned and media id blank.
correct?
03-22-2012 12:06 AM
I think you will still see the media ID, just that it has not been written to the beginning of the tape until it is used.
Martin
03-22-2012 12:36 AM
I am confused!!!!!
03-22-2012 01:47 AM
When you inventory a tape, the tape will appear in the netbackup GUI with the media id and the barcode.
All an inventory does is put the details of the tapes in the library in to the volume database. Is does not do any labelling.
At this time, the tape is NOT labelled.
The tape is ony labelled (the media id is written to the beginning of the tape) when it is used for the backup/ duplication, or, if you do it manually.
Martin
03-22-2012 02:19 AM
03-22-2012 02:30 AM
Think of it this way.
Createing the media id is related to the barcode - hence why the 'Media id generation rules" is set in the robot inventory screen (advanced options).
Here is a tape from my library (this is from the vmquery command)
03-22-2012 02:32 AM
No, a volume gets a media id written on the beginning of the tape when it is labelled - it does not have to contain data at this time.
Martin
03-22-2012 07:38 AM
a new tape does not have anything written to it.
When NB calls the tape for the first time the barcode is read and that same number is written to the tape as the Media id. The NB will try writing the backups to the tape.
now the backup could fail so no data on tape
or you could just bplabel the tape putting the media id on it without doing a backup
either way it gets an ID (on standalone tape drives you have to label the tape as it was not read by a barcode reader - other wise it gets a generic media id like A00000)
now if a label falls off and a different one gets put on
or a tape was labeled in standalone then gets a barcode
you now have a tape where the barcode is one number and the media id written on the tape is different.
when the tape is next loaded either for a backup or a restore - the two are compared - if they do not match NB will freeze the tape.
This is because NB does not know if you put a new barcode on the tape on purpose or by mistake so it does not want to overwrite what could be a valid backup tape.
this is also why we have the bplabel - if we do change the barcode on a tape we can force a label on it - where it will but the new media id on the tape giving it the same id as the barcode - then you can write to it.