NetVault 13.0.2 - Administration Guide

Scanning tape media

You can use the Scan method to query all backups stored on a tape and import those backups that are not indexed in the given NetVault Server’s database. You can also use the Scan method to import “foreign” tapes into the NetVault Database.

To import and restore NetVault Database backups to an alternate backup server, the alternate NetVault Server must have the same NetVault Machine Name as the original server that performed the backups. The amount of time it takes to scan the tapes depends on the number of backups that need to be imported and the size of the backup indexes. The scanning process does not read the data on the tape; this process skips between the start and end of backups to read the index for each backup saveset.

You can scan indexes that are generated with the same or previous versions of NetVault. You cannot scan indexes generated with a newer version of NetVault on an earlier version of the server if the servers do not use the same index version. If an index version is not supported, the index is not imported and a message is generated in the logs.

When a tape is swapped between libraries, removed from the NetVault Server, or loaded on a device that is controlled by a different NetVault Server, the NetVault Server is unable to find any information about that tape in the NetVault Database. In this case, the first scan retrieves header information from the tape and adds this information to the NetVault Database and then marks the tape as "foreign". NetVault cannot import backups stored on a “foreign” tape until you scan the tape again.

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

•

Scanning all tapes in a library in list view

•

Scanning all tapes in a library in tree view

•

Scanning a single tape in list view

•

Scanning a single tape in tree view

Scanning all tapes in a library in list view

To scan all 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 Scan All. (If NetVault fails to start the process, click Force Scan.)

In the Scan Device dialog box, you can configure the following option:

•

Minimum life for imported backups: This option specifies the minimum life for backups that are imported to the NetVault Database. This option only applies to the backups that are not available in the NetVault Database.

The default value for this option is seven days. You can change the default setting by modifying the Media Manager settings. For more information, see Configuring general settings for Media Manager.

To change the minimum life setting for the current session, type or select a new value. The minimum life setting is specified in number of days.

Depending on the value set for this option, the retirement time for imported backups is modified as follows:

•

If a backup is already retired, its retirement time is set to the specified minimum life. If you specify zero, the retirement time for the retired saveset is set to one hour.

•

If a backup is scheduled to retire before the specified period, its retirement time is set to the specified minimum life.

•

If a backup is scheduled to retire after the specified period, its retirement time remains unchanged. For such backups, the backup life setting determines the retirement time.

Click Scan to start the scanning process and close the dialog box.

Scanning all tapes in a library in tree view

To scan all tapes in a library:

In the Navigation pane, click Manage Devices.

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

Click Scan. (If NetVault fails to start the process, click Force Scan.)

In the confirmation dialog box, click OK.

Scanning a single tape in list view

To scan a single tape:

Use one of the following methods to select the tape that you want to scan:

•

To select a tape from the Manage Devices page:

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.

•

To select a tape from the Explore Storage page:

In the Navigation pane, click Explore Storage.

Click Explore Tape Storage. In the list of media items, select the tape, and click Explore Media.

Click Scan.

In the Scan Device dialog box, you can configure the following option:

•

The default value for this option is seven days. You can change the default setting by modifying the Media Manager settings. For more information, see Configuring general settings for Media Manager.

To change the minimum life setting for the current session, type or select a new value. The minimum life setting is specified in number of days.

Depending on the value set for this option, the retirement time for imported backups is modified as follows:

•

If a backup is already retired, its retirement time is set to the specified minimum life. If you specify zero, the retirement time for the retired saveset is set to one hour.

•

If a backup is scheduled to retire before the specified period, its retirement time is set to the specified minimum life.

•

If a backup is scheduled to retire after the specified period, its retirement time remains unchanged. For such backups, the backup life setting determines the retirement time.

Click Scan to start the scanning process and close the dialog box.

Scanning a single tape in tree view

To scan a single tape:

In the Navigation pane, click Manage Devices.

In the list of devices, locate and click the slot that has the tape.

Click Scan. (If NetVault fails to start the process, click Force Scan.)

Marking a tape as unusable

If a piece of media is damaged or not suitable for use, you can mark it as “unusable” so that it is not selected for any job. You can set this property from the Explore Tape Media Item page.

To mark a tape as unusable:

In the Navigation pane, click Explore Storage.

Click Explore Tape Storage. In the list of media items, select the tape, and click Explore Media.

To mark the tape as unusable, click Mark Unusable.

To change this property, select the tape, and click Mark Usable.

Marking a tape as read-only

You can mark a tape as “read-only” to protect it from further writes.

There are two ways to enable this property for a tape:

•

You can set the Protect Media from Further Writes after Backup option in the Target Set to enable write‑protection for a tape after the backup completes. For more information, see Configuring media sharing options.

•

Alternatively, you can set the read-only property from the Explore Tape Media Item page. The instructions are provided in this section.

To mark a tape as read-only:

In the Navigation pane, click Explore Storage.

Click Explore Tape Storage. In the list of media items, select the tape, and click Explore Media.

To mark the tape as read-only, click Mark Read Only.

To change this property, select the tape, and click Mark Writable.


	IMPORTANT: A piece of media can be marked as “read-only” to stop further writes if a SCSI error occurs during a write operation. When this error occurs, check for hardware errors. If no tape or media error is found, set the tape as “writable.”