All tapes are cleaning media
Created: 04 Jul 2012 | Updated: 09 Jul 2012 | 11 comments
This issue has been solved. See solution.
Backup Exec 11d. When I inventory a tape it's marked as cleaning media. It happens with all tapes and all tape drives (library has two of them). Invenotry job for all tapes runs for the same 5 mins. I guess BE don't find tape headers and thinks that it's cleaning media. Do I need to manually write these headers to the tapes before using them or do all LTO3 tapes have these headers from a factory and it's some kind of BE malfunction?
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Hi,
Check the TN below:
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH61720
Thanks!
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Did that. Nothing of it helps.
Can you try labelling one of those medias???
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No, I can't. It says: "Error: cleaning media was mounted".
...and you're using the Symantec drivers for the tape drive?
Otherwise remove the library completely from BE and Device Manager, and then re-add it. Run the Device Configuration Wizard to install the Symantec drivers.
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No, tape library is connected to NetApp filer via NDMP. So I believe drivers are on the filer's side. I tried to re-add the NDMP server where tape library is connected. But after that I get the same configuration. Even with the same cartridges statuses. Where inventoried cartridges are cleaning media and others are unknown media.
When BE tries to mount a tape and cannot read it, after 7 minutes it decides it must be a cleaning media and albels it as such. In your case, I suspect a configuration problem or a communication problem. Years ago, this was a common problem with mis configured libraries or libraries htat didn't support serialization. Serialization is the process that BE uses to determine what drives are which within a library. If BE puts that tape in the wrong drive, it will get labeled as a cleaning media because it could never be read.
If you find this is a solution for the thread, please mark it as such.
The library is the Sun StorageTek SL500. It has two identical drives which support LTO3. So I guess it doesn't matter where robot puts a tape, does it?
Since you have 2 tape drives, did you install an additional LEO licence? If not, then the second tape drive may not be recognised by BE and there will be problems if the tapes are used in this second tape drive.
So your device is listed as being supported by BE 11d Rev. 7170...is this the version you are running? Check below for the DDI package for this:
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=answers&startover=y&question_box=V-269-10
It also doesn't matter where the tape is put into...LTO3 is LTO3. Just make sure your firmware revisions are the same on both the drives.
Thanks!
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Guys, don't know what to say. I've been fighting this problem for several months and I've almost lost my faith. On Saturday we had a prolonged blackout. UPS's batteries ran out and everything switched off. So the library power cycled. Then it didn't show up on NetApp filer. So I reenabled all SCSI interfaces and now inventory works fine.
It's odd, since I tried to reboot library for several times before. But anyway, now it works. Maybe it needed power cycle instead of reboot.
Thanks to everyone for help.
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