Media Sets Ignored - BE8.6

[theboyhope]

I've noticed lately that backup jobs are pulling available tapes from any media set rather than just from the one assigned.

For example, if there is no tape in the Monday media set, and nothing available in Scratch, then the Monday backup just grabs an available tape from any other media set. I'd rather the job just died because then at least it wouldn't overwrite any previous backups.

Is this the expected behaviour? I'm hoping it's a fault or that there's some way to stop it.

Win2k/BE 8.6 with Powervault 128T btw.

 

[SQLBill]

That's normal behaviour. It's kinda like this...you told BE to do a backup, that means there's a tape available (or you wouldn't have told it to do a backup). It can't find a tape where it told to look (Monday media set), so it goes to it's next place to look (Scratch), nothing there so it goes on until it finds a tape. Again, you told it to do a backup so BE assumes you have a tape available and if not then you don't mind it grabbing a tape from somewhere else.

-SQLBill

 

[theboyhope]

So is there any way to stop a job from grabbing a tape outside its media set?

 

[SQLBill]

Make sure you have enough tapes in the proper media set or in Scratch media set.

-SQLBill

 

[theboyhope]

Yeah; but I think you know that I meant "is there *another* way?".

Maybe in version 9 for example? I'll assume the answer is "NO" unless someone posts otherwise.

 

[SQLBill]

I really think you are limited to:

1. make sure a tape is available
2. put the job on 'hold' or cancel it when there isn't a tape available.

I don't think BE is designed to fail the job when a tape isn't available in the designated media set. It's designed to do what you are experiencing, complete the backup with whatever tape is available.

-SQLBill

 

[theboyhope]

Sure looks that way, Bill.

If I can nail the overwrite protection times then this really shouldn't be a problem. It would've been nice to know that if something did go wrong it wouldn't start overwriting tapes reserved for other backups though.

 

[SQLBill]

Yep, would be nice to get an alert:

There are no useable tapes in the selected Media Set.
There are no useable tapes in the Scratch Media Set.
Select No to cancel the job.
Select OK to use any useable tape from other Media Sets.

OK NO


-SQLBill

 

[justin2000]

SQLBill

I like that idea, quite a good one - I have known some people to not like this, others who do - because wouldn't you rather a backup of the data than a failed backup because it couldn't find media from he correct media set.

Though put your request in to -

http://enhancement.veritas.com/

You never know, you may see it in the future.