NetVault 13.0.2 - Administration Guide


	NOTE: The amount of free space available on a tape is not calculated in NetVault. This information is obtained from the tape drive and displayed on the Explore Tape Storage page.

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Space Used: Amount of space used.

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Online: Tape is online (

) or offline (

By default, the table is sorted by media label.

You can sort the table by one or more columns, as required. For more information, see Sorting records in NetVault WebUI.

To view the page size setting, sorting order in the table, export the records, or edit table settings, click the icons at the lower- right corner of the table. For more information, see Customizing tables in NetVault WebUI.

You can use the Search option to filter the table data and quickly find entries that contain the specified string in any column values. You can also include wildcards (“?” or “*”) in the search filter string.

To view the details of a particular tape, select the item in the list, and click Explore Media.

On the Explore Tape Media Item page, you can view the following information:

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Tape summary: This area shows the following information:

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Barcode: Media barcode.

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Label: Media label.

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Group: Media group label.

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Library: Name of the library where the tape resides.

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Offsite Location: Off-site location, if specified.

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Media Type: Disk file (virtual tape) or physical tape.

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Data Stored: Total data stored in the tape.

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Space Available: Amount of free space available.


	NOTE: The amount of free space available on a tape is not calculated in NetVault. This information is obtained from the tape drive and displayed on the Explore Tape Storage page.

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Reuse Policy: Tape can be reused or not.

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Date Last Written: Date on which the last write operation was performed.

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Date Last Read: Date on which the read operation was performed.

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Times Reused: The number of times the tape has been reused.

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Read Errors: Number of read errors.

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Write Errors: Number of write errors.

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Usable: Tape is usable or unusable.

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Read-Only: Tape is marked read-only or not.

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Media Online: Tape is online or offline.

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Media Usage: Pie chart showing the amount of storage used by various savesets.

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Saveset table: The Saveset table lists all backups stored in the repository. It shows the saveset creation date, saveset name, saveset size, job ID number, instance number, and phase number.

By default, the table is sorted by saveset date. You can sort the table by one or more columns, as required. You can also use the Search option to filter the table data and quickly find entries that contain the specified string in any column values.

To perform a storage-related task, click the corresponding button in the Operations pane. Alternatively, click a link in the Navigation pane to open a different page

Managing tape storage media

This section includes the following topics:

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Labeling tape media

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Blanking tape media

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Scanning tape media

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Marking a tape as unusable

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Marking a tape as read-only

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Marking a tape for reuse

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Removing an offline tape

Labeling tape media

Each piece of media, whether a tape cartridge or a virtual tape in a VTL, uses a label for identification. Media items can be labeled using media barcodes, system-generated strings, or user-defined strings. You can manually assign labels to blank media or automatically label the media during a backup.

By default, NetVault assigns a system-generated string to a blank media item. You can modify the configuration settings to use media barcodes as the default labels. For more information, see Configuring general settings for Media Manager.

The following sections describe the procedures that you can use to assign media labels to blank tapes:

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Labeling multiple tapes in a library in list view

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Labeling multiple tapes in a library in tree view

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Labeling a single tape in list view

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Labeling a single tape in tree view

Labeling multiple tapes in a library in list view

To label multiple tapes in a library:

In the Navigation pane, click Manage Devices.

In the list of devices, click the icon

to locate the library, and then click the corresponding Manage Library icon

On the Tape Library Management page, click Media Label, and configure the following options.

Table 94. Tape media labeling

Option

Description

Type of Media

Select the type of media that you want to label. The available options are:

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Blank: Select this check box to label any blank, non-labeled piece of media in a device that is accessible to the NetVault Server.

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Other: Select this check box to label media types that do not belong to any category listed here.

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NetVault 5: Select this check box to label any piece of media that was used to back up data with NetVault 5.x.

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Reusable: Select this check box to label reusable media items.

Type of Label

Select the type of media label. The available options are:

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Barcode: To use media barcodes as the media labels, select this option.

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Machine and Date: To use a system-generated string as the media label, select this option. This string consists of the NetVault Server Name, the current date, and a seed number.

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User Defined: To assign user-defined label, select this option, and provide the following details:

– Label: Specify the string that you want to use as the media label.

A label can contain alphanumeric and non-alphanumeric characters, but it cannot contain non-Latin characters. NetVault does not support a “%” character in the string.

There is no length restriction on media and group labels. However, the combined display range for the media label, barcode and group label is 100 characters. Therefore, a maximum of 40 to 50 characters is recommended for the media and group labels.

– Seed: To identify individual media items, a sequential number is added to the user-defined string. The option defines the initial value for the sequence. This value is increased by one for each item. The default value for this option is one.

Group Label

To add the media items to a group, select the group label in the list. If you want to create a group label, type the string.

A label can contain alphanumeric and non-alphanumeric characters, but it cannot contain non-Latin characters. Group labels are case-insensitive.

All Media in List

To label all media items in the selected library, select this check box.

Media to Label

To label specific media items, select the individual media items in the list.

To select consecutive items, hold down the Shift key while clicking with the mouse button; to select non-consecutive items, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking with the mouse button.

Click OK to save the settings.

Labeling multiple tapes in a library in tree view

To bulk label media items or media groups, follow these steps:

In the Navigation pane, click Manage Devices.

In the list of devices, locate and click the target library.

Click Bulk Label.

In the Bulk Label Media window, configure the following parameters:


	NOTE: The bulk media labeling and grouping features are not applicable to NetVault SmartDisk Device.

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Type of Media to Label: Select the type of media to be labeled:

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Blank: Select this check box to label any blank, non-labeled piece of media in a device that is currently accessible to the NetVault Server.

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Other: Select this check box to bulk label media types that do not belong to any category listed here.

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NetVault 5: Select this check box to label any piece of media that was used to back up data with NetVault 5.x.

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Reusable: Select this check box to label a piece of media that is marked as reusable.

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Type of Label: Select the type of media label:

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Barcode: To use media barcodes as the media labels, select this option.

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Machine and Date: To generate a string using the NetVault Server Name, Current Date, and a Seed Number, select this option.

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User: To assign a user-defined label, select User, and enter the following details:

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Label: Enter the string to be used as media label. NetVault does not support a “%” character in the string. A media label can contain alphanumeric and non-alphanumeric characters, but it cannot include Non-English characters.


	NOTE: There is no length restriction on media and group labels. However, the combined display range for the media label, barcode, and group label is 100 characters. Therefore, a maximum of 40-50 characters is recommended for the media and group labels.

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Seed: For the identification of individual media items, NetVault adds a sequential number to the user-defined string. The Seed parameter provides the initial value for the sequence. This value is incremented by one for each media item. The default value for Seed is one.

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Group Label: To add the media items to a group, select the group label in the list. If you want to create a new group label, enter the string. The group label can contain alphanumeric and non-alphanumeric characters, but it cannot include Non-English characters.

Group labels are case-insensitive. NetVault does not distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters in a media group label while creating and using media groups.

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Select Media Items: Select the applicable method:

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Select Individual Media Items: In the media list, select the individual media items for labeling. To select consecutive items, hold down the Shift key while clicking with the mouse button; to select nonconsecutive items, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking with the mouse button.

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Select All Media Items: To label all media items in the list, select the All Media in List check box.

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Enter ‘LABEL’ to Confirm Request: To confirm bulk labeling, enter LABEL in the box. This string is case insensitive.

Click OK.

Labeling a single tape in list view

To label a single tape:

In the Navigation pane, click Manage Devices, and in the list of devices, click the icon

to open the library that contains the tape.

If the tape is loaded in a drive, click the drive or the corresponding Manage Drive icon

Otherwise, click the Slots link or the corresponding Manage Slots icon

to open the Slot Browser. In the list of slots, select the slot that has the tape.

Click Label, and in the Media Label dialog box, configure the following options.

Table 95. Labeling a single tape (list view)
Option	Description
Label	Specify a label for the tape. A label can contain alphanumeric and non-alphanumeric characters, but it cannot contain non-Latin characters. NetVault does not support a “%” character in the string. There is no length restriction on media and group labels. However, the combined display range for the media label, barcode and group label is 100 characters. Therefore, a maximum of 40 to 50 characters is recommended for the media and group labels.
Group Label	To add the tape to a group, select the group label in the list. If you want to create a group label, type the string. A label can contain alphanumeric and non-alphanumeric characters, but it cannot contain non-Latin characters. Group labels are case-insensitive.
Offsite Location	Specify the off-site location for the tape.

Click OK to save the settings and close the dialog box.

Labeling a single tape in tree view

To label a single tape:

In the Navigation pane, click Manage Devices, and in the list of devices, open the library that contains the tape.

In the list of slots, click the slot that has the tape and then click Properties.

In the Media Label dialog box, configure the following options.

Table 96. Labeling a single tape (tree view)
Option	Description
Media Label	Specify a label for the tape. A label can contain alphanumeric and non-alphanumeric characters, but it cannot contain non-Latin characters. NetVault does not support a “%” character in the string. There is no length restriction on media and group labels. However, the combined display range for the media label, barcode and group label is 100 characters. Therefore, a maximum of 40 to 50 characters is recommended for the media and group labels.
Group Label	To add the tape to a group, select the group label in the list. If you want to create a group label, type the string. A label can contain alphanumeric and non-alphanumeric characters, but it cannot contain non-Latin characters. Group labels are case-insensitive.
Offsite Location	Specify the off-site location for the tape.
Tape Format	Select MTF on Windows and CPIO on Linux/UNIX.

Select Read Only or Unusable check box as per your requirement.

Click OK to save the settings and close the dialog box.

Blanking tape media

Blanking a tape deletes or erases the backup data residing on the tape. It removes the NetVault header from the tape and deletes the media label and removes any group association. Blanking a tape also removes the indexes for backups stored on the selected tapes from the NetVault Database.

After blanking, a tape becomes available to NetVault for storing future backups.

To purposely destroy the data that is stored on a tape, you must blank it from NetVault and have its data securely removed by tools that are designed for such purposes.

The following sections describe the procedures that you can use to blank tape media:

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Blanking multiple tapes in a library in list view

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Blanking multiple tapes in a library in tree view

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Blanking a single tape in list view

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Blanking a single tape in tree view

Blanking multiple tapes in a library in list view

To blank multiple tapes in a library:

In the Navigation pane, click Manage Devices.

In the list of devices, click the icon

to locate the library, and then click the corresponding Manage Library icon

On the Tape Library Management page, click Bulk Blank, and configure the following options.

Table 97. Bulk blank
Option	Description
All media in list	To blank all media items in the Media that can be blanked list, select this check box.
Media that can be blanked	To blank specific media items, select the items in this list. To select consecutive items, hold down the Shift key while clicking with the mouse button; to select non-consecutive items, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking with the mouse button.
Password	Type the password for the NetVault Server. If no password is set for the NetVault Server, provide the system's root or administrator password.
Enter 'BLANK' to confirm request	To confirm, type BLANK (case-insensitive) in this box.

Click OK.

Blanking multiple tapes in a library in tree view

To blank multiple tapes in a library:

In the Navigation pane, click Manage Devices.

In the list of devices, locate and click the library in which the media items reside.

Click Bulk Blank.

In the Bulk Blank Media dialog box, configure the following parameters:

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Select Media Items

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Select Individual Media Items: In the media list, select the individual media items for blanking. To select consecutive items, hold down the Shift key while clicking with the mouse button; to select non-consecutive items, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking with the mouse button.

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Select All Media Items: To blank all media items in the list, select the All Media in List check box.

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Password: Enter the password for the NetVault Server.

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Enter ‘BLANK’ to Confirm Request: To confirm bulk blanking, enter BLANK in the box. This string is case-insensitive.

Click OK.