Some tapes backup, some don't

[rb74]

Hi all,

We are using BE 8.6 on our server, and please pardon my comments if I do not explain the situation correctly because I am not too familiar with BE 8.6.

We are using a Compaq 20/40 GB DAT tape drive for daily backups, and hardware compression is enabled on the tape drive. Older tapes (in use for about 3-4 months) I have been using work fine when a job needs to be completed, and the byte count is now around 24G for a complete backup. But I've had to replace some bad tapes recently and the new tapes, which are coming from the same batch of tapes that are currently working, will not complete the backup on one tape. When I arrive at work the tape is ejected and BE is requesting another tape, indicating "The tape drive is having problems writing data. No data has been lost, but there has been a reduction in the capacity of the tape."

I have no problem using two tapes for a job, but what concerns me is that other tapes can handle the entire job and the new ones entered into the cycle cannot. The byte count when it spits out the tape ranges between 16-23 GB.

Each tape I enter into the mix is inventoried in BE, and in a media set. I perform a drive cleaning at least once a week as well. Could this be just a bad batch of tapes, could it be the drive or would I have to start a two tape backup per session?

Thanks in advance,

Rob

 

[packdragon]

In Backup Exec, navigate to where the media are listed, then right-click on one of the problem tapes and go to Properties. If you click on the Statistics tab you will see an accumulated summary of statistics for that particular tape. Look for the number of errors, if it is high then Backup Exec has had to skip over those parts of the tape. Perhaps it is a bad batch of tapes, though that seems odd. Are they good quality tapes like HP, Fuji or Sony?

- Zoe, that's ZOH-EEE, get it right please
- Just a little ol' MCP at Solien Technology
-

http://www.solien.com

 

[rb74]

Thanks Zoe,

I checked the errors listed for two current tapes which cannot finish a job and one tape that can. There weren't any other errors except for Soft Write Errors, and the numbers for the two tapes that cannot finish a job are 97,700 and 61,522 respecitvely. These two tapes have been in the cycle for about a month. The one tape that can complete a job has 10,451 errors, and actually this tape has been in the cycle probably about 8 months now.

I understand what you mean when BE has to skip over those portions of the tape. Would it help to completely erase all contents on the tapes that aren't finishing a job?

Our tapes are Compaq nonstop 20/40 GB. Should we invest in better quality tapes?


Thanks again,

Rob

 

[packdragon]

Try doing a full erase on a problem tape and see if that helps. As for tape quality, Compaq is a big name... I would imagine their stuff is pretty good, but I don't know for sure.

If you want to be sure it isn't the brand, try purchasing 1 tape of a different brand and see how well it works. Or if possible, try a tape of the same brand as your tape drive. Sometimes tape drive makers make tapes that are optimized for their drives. For example, I have a Benchmark autoloader and ONLY Benchmark cleaning tapes will work on it, nothing else (though I can write onto any tape).

- Zoe, that's ZOH-EEE, get it right please
- Just a little ol' MCP at Solien Technology
-

http://www.solien.com

 

[rb74]

Thanks again for your advice. I have one tape in the middle of a long erase right now. I will have to wait until next week to see if this remedies the situation, but I will buy a tape by another manufacturer and try one of those as well.

I think Compaq is the manufacturer of our Tape drive as well. Our server is a Compaq ML370.


Rob