Tape Laveling

[chriscallan]

If I do a backup on a tape using BE 8.6 and then label the tape after the backup, does that erase all the data on the tape?

 

[SQLBill]

Yes. And No.

Here's what really happens.

You have a tape labelled 'MyBackups'
You do backups to that tape. The header keeps track of the backups on the tape and Backup Exec catalogs the information. The catalog shows x backup on whatever date on MyBackups.
Now you change the label to 'MyTape'.
As far as Backup Exec knows, there aren't any backups on 'MyTape'. It shows all the backups are on 'MyBackups' which no longer exists.
When you try to restore a previous backup, Backup Exec will look for a tape with the label 'MyBackups' and it won't be able to find it.

So effectively the labelling does erase the tape.

-SQLBill

 

[chriscallan]

So once the tape is renamed there is no way to retrieve the information that was on it? or can it be named back?

 

[SQLBill]

Nope and yes it can be named back to it's original name, but that won't let you read what was on the tape. I believe it adds a date/time flag when you label it.

Could be wrong....but I don't think so. Do you have a tape to waste? Take a tape, label it. Do a backup to it (just something small will work). Give the tape a new label. Inventory it. Relabel it with the old name. Inventory it. See if you can do a restore.

-SQLBill

 

[justin2000]

When you re-label a tape - you are effectively doing a quick erase on the tape and then writing a new tape header.