Can't do a merge or restore a tape older than 24hrs!!!!

[Dagk]

Hi,

I am using ARCSERVE 11.1 SP1 on a Windows 2000 environment. I use an Overland PowerLoader. I have various agents installed including the Tape RAID option which enables me to makle a tape copy at the same time as the backup is completing.

My backups are working fine. My problem is I cannot do a restore unless the backup being used is the last job done. I cannot merge older tapes at all. This means that if I try to do a restore from Monday's tape on say a Thursday I can't do it! I get the following error message:

3823 Unable to find media. (MEDIA=media_name, ID=media_id, SEQ=sequence_number)


I know that the backup has been successful and that the tape is definitely mounted in the tape drive. I have re-installed ARCServe twice now and get the same results.

I have tried without using the RAID option and just having normal groups but get the same result. I have tried using the different merge option where you edit the registry but still get the same result. Can anyone help me.....please! Thanks!

 

[vschumpy]

Ok, I presume when you mentioned that you tried with and without the RAID option you have the whole set of tapes loaded (and have inventoried then if this is in a library) when you try to do the restore ?

If you are just using mirroring then you can break the RAID set (ie destroy the RAID group and configure your drives as a non-RAID group), and just use 1 tape of the 2.

 

[Dagk]

Hi Vschumpy!

I have tape raid configured with 2 tapes (Tape Raid 0). When I backup to one tape then it automatically backs up to the second tape at the same time. I only have the one group (the tape RAID group).If I wanted to do a merge from say a backup 2 months ago are you saying that if I left the RAID group alone I would need BOTH the tapes in the library i.e. the backup tape and the copy backup tape and run an inventory before attempting a merge?

If I only wanted to do a merge from one tape I would need to delete the RAID group and just create a normal group and assign the appropriate slot to the normal group and then run an inventory? Is my understanding correct? Thanks.

 

[vschumpy]

Yep, that's my understanding of it.