Drive Cleaning?

[Dima P.]

Nope – while writing tape media drive and media pool are locked.

[backup.master]

Hi all,

I know that VBR 8 does not support cleaning tapes.
Do you know if this feature will be implemented in VBR 9 or future versions?

Thanks in advance,
Ron.

[Shestakov]

Hi Ron,
Thanks for your feedback, but that is not among new tape features in v9. Thanks!

[mike.r]

I still remember this answer dated Jun 2015:

No available R&D resources for this version. Though, request remains valid for the next major version.

"Next major version" is 9.0 right ?
The feature is not implemented in 9.0 right ?
But the request remains valid for the next, next major release ?

We can continue this post forever, but is it realy helpfull ?

[Dima P.]

mike.r,

The feature is not implemented in 9.0 right ?

It’s not going to be implemented in v9

But the request remains valid for the next, next major release ?

Yes. I am sorry if my previous response caused any confusion. We are going to look into the requested functionality as soon as we release the upcoming v9 of the VBR. Thanks.

[monstermania]

Good idea, but it is a little bit more complex than that.
For example:
- start a backup to tape job
- backup starts with tape no. 1
- during the backup job the changer sets the flag "cleaning required"
- backup job with tape1 will continue
- but!!! the backup job will not enter tape2 before the cleaning is done
- only chance to get out of the job is to cancel it manually
This is a situation I can not handle with the "before or after Tape job starts" function.

Same thing here.
When will this problem fixed by veeam!?

best regards
Dirk

[Dima P.]

Hello Dirk,

This feature might be implemented only after the next major release. Meanwhile, please try to work around this requirement by utilizing the built in cleaning logic of the native libraries’ software. Thanks.

[monstermania]

Hello Dirk,

This feature might be implemented only after the next major release. Meanwhile, please try to work around this requirement by utilizing the built in cleaning logic of the native libraries’ software. Thanks.

Hi,
we don't need an cleaning option into veeam! We use the build in cleaning option of the tape library!
Our problem is that veeam tape job don't realize that the tape drive request and run a cleaning job during the running veeam tape job! If the tape job need more than 1 tape, everytime the veem tape job fails if the drive requests an drive cleaning!
We have this error every 100 hours of working time of the tape drive!

Failed to Get media info Das Gerät ist nicht bereit. Error code: 21 Can not get tape media information with status '21' in changer '\\.\Tape0' --tr:Timed out waiting for device ready status on FindMediaInfo operation, symLink = \\.\Tape0' Das Gerät ist nicht bereit. Error code: 21 Can not get tape media information with status '21' in changer '\\.\Tape0' Das Gerät ist nicht bereit. Error code: 21 Can not get tape media information with status '21' in changer '\\.\Tape0' --t

This is nuts!

[Dima P.]

Hello Dirk,

Thanks for clarification. Any chance you've opened a support case?

[infos3c]

This is getting ridiculous! Veeam's "Ditch your BACKUP and Upgrade to AVAILABILITY... for the the Always-On Enterprise" taglines are really false advertising. Please stop using them until your product is really enterprise ready.

Tape maintenance (including cleaning) has been a standard feature of every basic and enterprise backup solution for decades - yes, decades!
The software must (at minimum) be able to schedule tape cleaning. The fact that Veeam can recognize that the drive needs to be cleaned, but can't wait 10 minutes so that the library can perform a cleaning between tapes during a job is pure stupidity. The fact that this has not been fixed in more than 3 years is insane.

[ekisner]

I would point out that in no way do tapes advance an "always-on" enterprise functionality, so it does not impact their advertising. Where their backup to disk and replication offerings are second to absolutely none, and provide exactly that. Tapes are and always will be for long term archiving. They extend the functionality of the Veeam offering, which is to take your virtual environment and make it rock solid.

Edit:
Yes, I'm a fanboi. Veeam makes me look like a wizard to our management, and all I have to do is click next a few times.

[monstermania]

I agree 100% with infos3c!
We've changed 2014 from BackupExec to Veeam because we move our physical infrastructure to virtual. It is an absolute no go, that veeam offers "an Enterprise solution" with such a bad tape support! And the Problems are known about 3 years!

[nullifi]

It's certainly getting better. I adopted Veeam at Version 8, and was so dissapointed when I realized that to maintain a GFS rotation and to use two tape drives I had to have a total of 6 tape jobs to my two backup jobs. Getting it all figured out was a nightmare, but once it was running it was fairly smooth.

Now with v9 I can at least simplify the tape jobs yet again. I did have to switch from using BE for the tape cleaning to using my libraries cleaning functions. To be honest, I have no idea if it's even working. I haven't seen any errors or complaints, so I think it's working just fine. I should go check that.

[Dima P.]

Hi folks,

Thanks for the great feedback both positive and negative – it means a lot! To be honest we spent a lot of resources on major features like GFS, Parallel Processing, Unknown Medium Changer Support and reworking the Media Pools making them Global. We were even able to ‘push’ some really tiny features (like media set variables) but that was literary the last straw.

The reason it was not number one priority is simple – most of the tape devices can handle cleaning on their own either on a hardware level or thru the vendor’s software. That being said, I understand this is a bad excuse anyway and hope we will be able to support the cleaning tape handling (in scheduled or automated way) in the next version.

[monstermania]

I did have to switch from using BE for the tape cleaning to using my libraries cleaning functions. To be honest, I have no idea if it's even working. I haven't seen any errors or complaints, so I think it's working just fine. I should go check that.

We also Switch from BE to Veeam (7).
We use the build in cleaning option of our tape library (Quantum Superloader3 with LTO5)!
The problem is that veeam (7 and 8 ) don't realize that the tape drive request a cleaning during the running tape job! If the job uses more than 1 tape, everytime the tape job fails if the drive requests a cleaning during the running job.
Example: The job loads tape 1 into drive, after 2-3 hours runtime the drive request a cleaning. Tape 1 of the job will finised. But Tape 2 of the job won't load into drive and you get an timeout error and the whole job fails! This is not so funny, if you running tape Jobs with 3 or 4 tapes and the job chrashes after 10h of runtime. Our daily tape job uses 2 tapes, the weekly 3-4.
Every 100 hours of working the tape drive request a cleaning! So only with some luck the drive needs an cleaning during the last tape of the job. Most times one of our tape Job fails.
And this Problem Exits since Veeam has added the tape option!

[mfinnigan_g]

I'm used to backup software being able to sense when a drive needs to be cleaned, and in an autoloader situation, being able to do the cleaning automatically. I've just started implementing tape infrastructure, and don't see any options for this. Please take this as a feature request?

[Shestakov]

Hello. Thank you for the request, it will be taken into account for future product versions.

[tdawg]

Have seen this cause an issue with tape backup since installing Veeam with new equipment.

I needed to clean manually with manufacturer tools before any tape backup would work.

I suppose now I have to find a way to clean the drives on a schedule, outside of Veeams' tape backup windows (as to not interrupt as tape backup).

Veeam staff, if you have implemented similar in the past, perhaps you can post a workaround?

If anyone does this already, please share the method on here? It might point me in the right direction.

As above, please take this post as my support for a feature request for the next version (currently on 9.1).

[Dima P.]

Hi tdawg,

Thanks. This feature is in high priority list. As for possible workarounds, theoretically, if the native tools support scripting it might be possible to check the drive alerts and the fire the drive cleaning as a post job activity.

[tdawg]

Thank you Dima, I will check if the library 'allows scripting', its a HP StoreEver MSL2024, so I guess HP Library and Tape Tools? I doubt it can be scripted, but I would happily be corrected!

[Dima P.]

HP Library and Tape Tools

Right. Please, let us know how it goes. Thank you.

[tdawg]

Hello Dima P.

How did I clean my 4 tape drives today? Manually, through the HP software, when I was sure my tape backup job was not running and will not be interrupted.

I contacted HPE Support who tell me that it's impossible to script *any* drive operations for a MSL2024 tape library though their software.

While searching however, I noted that there is Powershell cmdlets for Microsoft DPM software which appear to be tape drive manufacturer agnostic.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/lib ... c.30).aspx

I expect Veeam will be able to provide similar functionality soon?

Perhaps once this is done, it would be possible to provide a scheduling option from within Veeam B&R itself to negate the need to script it at all for the backup operator?

Lets face it, most of us customers didn't invest in Veeam for the privilege of sitting over a powershell scripting window, did we?

[Didi7]

Honestly,

I would be happy to have a Tape Drive Cleaning Option (with an Eject Option after cleaning) in VBR as well, as in the case of HP tape drives or libraries you need to completely stop Veeam Services, which unfortunately is not doable by a single button (would be a nice Option as well btw), to be able to use HP Tape Tools to clean a tape drive, as concurrent access is not allowed. So, this ends up in a very time-consuming task.

Tape drive cleaning is part of every commercial Tape Backup software I know.

Regards,
Didi7

[Dima P.]

Guys,

I feel your pain and push this request as much as possible during every single discussion with the tape crew.

[Didi7]

Thanks.

[gwalters]

ID 01793399

Hello,

We have the following issue:

Our Quantum Autoloader is set to auto clean the drive.
Weekend Backup runs tape is inserted
Tape drive flags a clean is required and inserts a cleaning tape after the first tape is full
Veeam attempts to write to the tape and fails.


Is there something we can do feature wise for this ? e.g allow veeam to check the status of the autoloader and if the status is cleaning wait before deciding to error the job ?


The Auto Clean feature permits the SuperLoader to automatically
perform the cleaning process without interrupting normal operations.
The Auto Clean feature is disabled (turned off) by default.
With Auto Clean enabled, the SuperLoader monitors the cleaning
requirements of the tape drive. When the drive indicates a
status, the SuperLoader automatically checks the tape drive for a
Needed
data cartridge and, if a data cartridge is loaded, the SuperLoader waits
for the host to eject the cartridge from the drive. Then, the SuperLoader
removes the cleaning cartridge from its slot and inserts it into the tape
drive. After the cleaning completes, the SuperLoader puts the cleaning
tape away and then awaits the next command. Even if the user requests a
data cartridge to be loaded, the SuperLoader uses the cleaning tape first

[Didi7]

Hello,

to be more specific. I would like to reserve one slot from a tape library, as a slot exclusively for tape cleaning media in Veeam Backup & Replication. Should a tape drive need to be cleaned, I would like to right click on a tape drive of a tape library in Veeam B&R and select it for cleaning and the cleaning media should be ejected automatically of course.

This would circumvent the need to stop Veeam Services and launch e.g. HP Library & Tape Tools to clean a drive and restart Veeam Services again. That's really annoying.

Furthermore, it would be fine, if Veeam B&R gets a system control panel Icon and utility behind that, where you could easily stop and start Veeam B&R Services, instead of manually stopping and starting each Service one by one.

Regards,
Didi7

[gwalters]

bump...


is this being looked at ?

[Dima P.]

Gareth,

Yes, as stated above this feature is planned but we can’t provide any ETA at the moment.

[lyapkost]

... where you could easily stop and start Veeam B&R Services, instead of manually stopping and starting each Service one by one.

You may use Powershell (run as Administrartor) commands:

Code: Select all

get-service veeam*|stop-service
get-service veeam*|start-service

to quickly stop/start all services.