Random Tape Usage

[royalmail]

Backup Exec 8.5 on Windows 2000 Server.

We have an Exabyte EZ17 with one drive and 7 tape slots. The slots contain the following tapes each week:

Monday Differential
Tuesday Differential
Wednesday Differential
Thursday Differential
Week * Full 1
Week * Full 2
Week * Full 3

Each tape is set to a unique job. For example, the Monday Differential job is set to run every Monday, and is set to take media from the Monday Differential media pool (inside which the only tapes to be found are Monday Differential specific).

Despite this being set on all jobs, the unit refuses to use the specific media I have set for the job, and instead just uses any tape it can find in any one of the 7 slots.

This is now really annoying me. Can anyone help please?!

 

[royalmail]

Not only that but it insists on taking media from another media set (any set other than the one clearly assigned to the job) and then stealing that media into the set assigned to the job.

Each week I have to go through the media sets and put the media back into the sets they are supposed to be in.

Please help - it isn't a major problem but it is annoying me!

 

[SQLBill]

I have a couple of questions for you:

1. What kind of overwrite/append protection are on the tapes?

2. How many tapes are needed for each job?

Just a thought.....The tapes aren't set for overwrite (or the jobs take two tapes) and the job is running out of room on the tape.

If a job needs an additional tape, it first looks in the same media pool (but you only have one tape per pool). If it can't find one, it looks in the SCRATCH pool. If it can't find one it finally ends up 'stealing' one from another media pool.

I think that may be what is happening to you.

-SQLBill

 

[royalmail]

Thanks for the feedback Bill.

1) They were set to no overwrite protection and 1 week append protection. All of the jobs are set to overwrite the media and not append. I am now playing around with this and setting overwrite protection on the media to 1 week to see if it makes a difference.

2) The daily differential jobs take less than one tape each, so that will never spill over onto two tapes. The full job takes three tapes, but each week there are three tapes prepared in the media pool for the full job so that isn't an issue either.

I definitely isn't an issue of a lack of available media as when a job starts it immediately steals a tape from a different set and totally ignores the media pool applied to the job!

 

[wibbe]

Hi royalmail,

I know, this software has NO IQ, and makes own roles all the time. I dont know why the still develop new featchers insted of making some of the basic work!

There is no solution for youre problem, but there is always a work-a-round.
You can split the drive in partisions and then assign the job to a specific partision.

In youre case make slot 1-4 partision 1 and slot 5-7 partision 2.
I hope this will cover youre need.

// Wibbe