Robotic Library getting "Insert overwriteable media" error ??ugh

[tashaK]

Hi Guys,

I'm running version backup exec 8.6, and I have a compaq ssl2020 that has 20 slots. I created a lot of jobs - and assigned them all to write to my own Media Set, called C Tapes. The loader is full of empty 50GB tapes.

A couple jobs ran fine and finished, but now one that is probably pretty big, like 90GB gave that error, "Please insert overwriteable media"

Well - I ran the report "Robotic Library Inventory" and it says that the first three tapes are full, but the rest of the tapes don't have any data on them.

My question is,,,, how do I get Backup Exec to know that I have an auto loader and to write to the rest of the tapes???

I think my media set is wrong somehow. I have 3 rotation of tapes, so I can go back 2 weeks. Any suggestions on that too?

i am SO Stuck!

thank you for any help,

Greets
Tash

 

[tashaK]

Follow Up:

I have performed an Inventory - a Scan and a Catalog of all the slots in the Devices list, it still asks for more writeable media.

Overwrite Protection is set to Infinite, Append time left is set to Infinite also.

Under the User Media Sets, C Tapes, I highlighted and moved a tape to the Scratch media. Then the job continued. But I probably don't want to do this, do I?

Should I move everything to scratch?

Thanks for your help...

 

[Prydonian]

Tash:

Your problem is with the Overwrite protection being set to Infinite. This means do not EVER overwrite this tape..... The Append time is just the opposite.... It means add files to this tapes for all time.... IF you want to reuse the tapes, set the Overwrite to NONE and the Append time to Inifinite. Dragging the tape to Scratch will do the same thing, but the tape will take on the characteristics of whatever group your jobs says to put the written tapes into.

Check the parameters on your media groups and make sure your jobs use the groups you really want....

Good luck!

Mike

 

[tashaK]

Mike,

Thank You for the response! Let me ask you this: when I start a job, it uses the first available drive (Overwrite and Append set to Infinte). Then When it runs out of space, why won't it write to the next available drive? Overwrite protection?

So I'll change the Overwrite to None, but in the backup Job Properties (general tab) I can leave the "Append to media, terminate job if no appendable media is available" checked? I thought that having that checked, and all the media is Infinte Append it would work. But I guess I'm wrong. Why again?

Thank you for any clarification you can provide.

Tash

 

[tashaK]

See I Still don't get it. The tapes have been erased (quick erase) - so they should all be appendable,, but when a job needs more than one tape it asks me to import a tape to scratch or recycleable media to continue. UGH with a capital V!!!!

What is the solution??? I DONT want to overwrite stuff.... i will erase the tapes if i want to overwrite them.

What oh what do i do? add them all to scratch media.

 

[SQLBill]

I have 3 rotation of tapes

So do you have the tapes assigned to different media sets or partitions?

If so, then the tapes have to come from one media set. So when all the tapes in one set are full, the job will fail and ask for overwritable media. If there is a tape in scratch media, that will be assigned to the media set and the job can continue. But the job CAN NOT cross media sets.

-SQLBill

Posting advice: FAQ481-4875

 

[tashaK]

SQLBill, thank you for answering.

Yes I do have the 3 sets of tapes assigned to different media sets. For these jobs, they all are set to write to one set of media which is the only media inserted into the library. I follow you completely, no problems crossing media sets.

What happens is I start one job, it runs and finishes fine if it can fit all on one tape *it doesn't ask to insert new media*. Successive jobs start and run fine (writing to consecutive tapes in the library, I know this from the Robotic Library Inventory Report run before and after I start jobs) as long as they fit on one tape. Once the one tape that it was writing to fills up - it asks me to insert empty media. But here's the thing: There are 15 tapes after it that are empty in the library in the same media set. I can start other jobs and then they start writing to the next available tapes while that one job remains queued waiting for new media (remember also that all the tapes are set to Overwrite Protection Infinite, Append time Infinite)... so why won't backup exec realize that there are a whole bunch of empty tapes in the media set that it can use, they're empty!!

What I've been doing as a work around (because these are critical backups) is adding the other empty tapes to the Scratch Media so it will continue to write to them when they get too full.

I'm also thinking of breaking up the jobs so they are smaller so they don't require more than one tape. Either that or just assigning 5 or 8 tapes to scratch media each time I load the new media in.

I read something about Importing drives and Exporting drives from a post you wrote before, SQL Bill,,, do you have to do that each time you load in a new library?

I really really appreciate your time on this one, i'm so bummed. I wish my company had the money to upgrade to 10.

tash

 

[SQLBill]

Each tape needs to be IMPORTED into the tape library. Don't just open the main door and stick a tape in.

Once the tapes are in, you need to INVENTORY them.

I suggest that you do an Inventory now and see if that solves the problem. All Inventory does is check to see if tapes are in the library, it doesn't write/format/etc them.

Also, are the tapes properly barcoded?

-SQLBill

Posting advice: FAQ481-4875

 

[tashaK]

I am now importing all tapes, and exporting them - thank you for that.

I do/have performed inventory on the tapes (did one earlier, didn't solve the problem).

They are barcoded - as far as properly, they have a barcode on them - no duplicates - it is being read fine and they show up in the slots view. I don't know what else to check.

It's like Backup Exec does not know there are more tapes in the media set. Maybe I should start over and delete the media set - import them properly, create the media set - then change all the jobs to point to write to the new media.

Maybe it's a firmware issue too. Well, if anyone has any last minute ideas don't hesitate. Thanks again for all your support. I'll try to help as many people as possible with what I do know.

tash