new tape is overwrite protected? huh?

[a4andrew]

Why do my new tapes become overwrite protected when I put it into my "Full" media set (3 weeks, not appendable). It is using Backup exec 10 on a Dell Powervault 132t. LTO2 tapes.
(I can't write to it until 3 weeks after the allocation date which is the date I inserted the tape). I would think they would be writeable off the bat since they are blank. How would I get them to write once inserted without changing the properties of the "Full" media set to something like 1 hour overwrite protection?

It doesn't happen on my other server: BUExec 10 on a Qualstar 8433 using LTO3 tapes. On this server it is automatically "overwriteable" The full media set is configured the same as above.

 

[a4andrew]

Also to mention... media managment is set to "Partial

 

[a4andrew]

...more... leaving it as "blank media" or erasing it makes no difference.... same for inventorying/scanning/cataloging
... Windows 2003 Server platform.

 

[a4andrew]

Someone posted the below in reply to my thread on another forum (this makes the workload even less than before!):

When you label a tape, it is placed in the Scratch Media set, and is thus available for any job.

When you move any tape into a media set, it immediately takes on all properties of the new media set (OPP and APP) as of the time it is moved. If the OPP is three weeks, it will be three weeks before it can be written to, even if you just labeled it 5 minutes ago.

Label your tapes and let BackupExec move them from scratch into the media set defined for whatever job pulls them.

If you are worried that a Weekly job will pull a Daily tape, set up partitions and change your jobs to point to them rather that "All Pools" or the library itself.

See

http://seer.support.veritas.com/docs/206843.htm

 

[SQLBill]

Who cares if the tape is Overwritable? Is it Appendable? If BE can append to the new tape, then it appends from the beginning (the same thing as overwriting it). Overwrite only sets what you want to do once the tape is full. IE. should BE overwrite the data immediately, wait one day, wait a week, etc???

-SQLBill

Posting advice: FAQ481-4875

 

[SQLBill]

Sorry, should have said "Overwrite only sets what you want to do once the tape has data on it."

-SQLBill

Posting advice: FAQ481-4875

 

[a4andrew]

For a full back up set, I need it to be overwriteable and not appendable, especially if I’m going to take the tape set offsite. I don’t want one tape set to spill over to another that may not be available.

Also to note, I have my differential sets to allow infinite append so as to get the most life out of the tape. After it becomes full, it will rewind and overwrite from the start of the tape.

 

[SQLBill]

Again, if it is not overwritable, but is appendable then it will begin at the start of the tape and keep adding to it until the tape is full. Then it will ask for a new tape.

If you set it for Overwriteable, then it will overwrite the tape EVERY TIME you do a backup.

-SQLBill

Posting advice: FAQ481-4875

 

[Zelandakh]

ok, I'm probably being dumb, but I've read this as a problem writing to the tape as it is not overwriteable. Have you moved the overwrite tab on the front of the actual tape?

 

[a4andrew]

Zelandakh: the tab is not set to overwrite protect

SQLBILL: When the tape is overwrite protected, it doesn't let me start appending eventhough it is blank and allows append.

I DO want my full back up tapes to overwrite everytime when they've expired.

 

[SQLBill]

You need to go to the Media tab. Find the media set that holds this tape. Right click on the Media set and select properties. Change the properties to Allow Overwrite. I believe there might not be an actual Allow Overwrite (I'm not at work right now, so I can't check). If not, then set overwrite to 0 hours.

HOWEVER, I believe that will cause the tape to overwrite with every use.

What do you mean by "overwrite everytime when they've expired."? If you mean once a week, then make the overwrite protection one week.

-SQLBill

Posting advice: FAQ481-4875

 

[a4andrew]

I resolved the situation on 3 Mar 06 15:18. Please look at its posting above.