W3855 Unable to position media (MEDIA=prueba, EC=FFFFFFFF)

[jcsanchez]

Hello everybody,

I have the following problem. Scenario: W2k + ARCServe2000 + TLO + SAN + Oracle Backup Agent + ARC SP5 + TL891 Library
with two drives. I can perform a backup. Inmediately afterwards, in the "restore by session" screen I can see the name
of the tape with all the information backed up. Till now all is normal. If I run an inventory of the tape used to do the
backp, I go again to the "restore by session" screen and I can see the tape but there is no information, it just
dissappears. This is the problem.
When I perform a merge I get the follogin errors:

W3855 Unable to position media (MEDIA=prueba, EC=FFFFFFFF)
W3884 Unable to position media catalog file
Retry Merge operation with the seguential merge method

Anyway the merge works.

Anyone knows why the information dissappears when I perform and inventoy, or at least, anyway to
prevent this?

Thanks.

 

[davidmichel]

No idea why an inventory would cause the tape to disapear from the Database. The inventory can only add tapes to the database and not take away.

ARCserve SAN installations are real sensitive to other applications that will access the tape device. So make sure that all the servers do not have the tape device drivers loaded, Removable Storage service, configur HP/Compaq Storage Agents to have SCSI Information removed.

 

[jcsanchez]

David, thanks for your answer.
I have two ARCServe machines attached to the same library (SAN). I have the problem in one of them. Both of them have the same hardware configuration. Both of them had the same ARCServe installation and patch level (SP4), except for that one of them has a Oracle Agent installed (which seems to have nothing to do with this). I applied SP5 in the problematic one but the problem persists. The SP5 installation was a very clean one (machine formatted). I don't know what else can I do.

Thanks form your time.
Regards.

 

[davidmichel]

These messages
W3855 Unable to position media (MEDIA=prueba, EC=FFFFFFFF)
W3884 Unable to position media catalog file
are the failure to restore the catalog file. During the backup database info is written to a catalog file. At the end of the session it is written to tape, and will be the last file in the session. To merge a session it restores that catalog file and then reads the data out of it. In this case it is failing to restore the cat file. Then it automaticly does the sequential merge were it just reads the session file by file.

A good next step to troubleshoot this problem is to swap libraries between servers. Then see if the problem follows the library or stays with the server.

 

[jcsanchez]

Hi David,

I have two servers accessing the same library (SAN topology). The problem is with only one server. I think this is a bug, I have reported this to CA but they are still working on this problem. Meanwhile, if there were any workaround.....

Thanks again.

 

[davidmichel]

So are the two servers a Primary and a Distributed?

Then which one has the problem?

The workaround is the sequential merge which is already happening.

 

[jcsanchez]

The problem is in the Distributed one.
A sequential merge can last hours and this is a problem. Thanks anyway. If I solve this issue I will update this post.

Thanks again.

 

[Padzik]

May I ask you, how you set "sequential merge"? I also cannot merge one tape and this would help me even thou it would last for hours. Thanks

 

[jcsanchez]

I do nothing to perform the sequential database. It runs automatically as the normal one fails. Any way you can force it. In CA FAQs you have this....

Q: How do I do a merge without using cat files?
A: This requires making a change to your NT/2000 registry. This procedure, and the subsequent merging of database records without using your cat files should ONLY be performed if you are unable to run a normal merge job.
On your ARCserve server, run the appropriate registry editor:

When you have located the Task key perform the following procedure:
- ADD KEY with the name merge
- ADD VALUE with Value Name DonotUseCatalogmerge
- Choose REG_DWORD as the Data Type
- In the DWORD Editor enter 1 and select Binary as the Radix

Hope this helps.

 

[mohamdr]

to do sequential Merge add the key in registry

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Software
Computer Associates
ARCserveIT
Base
Task
Add key = Merge (leave class empty.)
Add Value = DonotUseCatalogMerge
Dword
Value = Hex 1.


Note : the path may differ for next relases just make sure you add it under Task hive.

 

[Padzik]

Thanks to both of you. I'll give it a try.