How does Veeam determine tape types based on barcode and media ID?

[rin]

Hi,

While reviewing tape behavior in Veeam Backup & Replication, I have a question regarding how cleaning tapes are identified.
According to the user guide, cleaning tapes are typically labeled with a barcode such as "CLNxxxCU", where "CU" indicates universal cleaning media.
https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbr/u ... tml?ver=13

However, in my environment, I have encountered cleaning tapes that do not use "CU" as the Media ID.
For example, tapes with labels like "CLNxxxL1" are being used, and these are recognized as cleaning cartridges on the tape library side.

Based on this, I would like to confirm the following:

- If a tape is physically a cleaning cartridge, will Veeam recognize it as a cleaning tape even if the Media ID is not "CU"?
- Does Veeam determine the tape type strictly based on the barcode Media ID, or does it rely on hardware/drive-level identification as well?
- What is the expected behavior when a cleaning tape has a non-standard Media ID (e.g., something other than "CU")?

My current understanding is that Veeam primarily relies on the barcode (specifically the Media ID) to determine the tape type, and therefore non-CU Media IDs may not be correctly recognized as cleaning tapes.
I would appreciate it if you could confirm whether this understanding is correct.

Thanks,
Rin

[vnikiforov]

Hello, Rin,

I hope that KB article answers your question about the methods we use to read the cleaning tapes data.
In the solution section, you will find the recommended approach if you encounter incorrect cartridge detection.

[rin]

Hi vnikiforov,

Thank you for your response.
I understand the behavior described in the KB article.

However, I would like to clarify the classification logic itself:
If a tape has a barcode starting with "CLN" but the Media ID is not "CU",
which factor does Veeam prioritize when determining the tape type?

In other words, is the tape type determined primarily by the prefix (e.g., "CLN"),
the Media ID, or a combination of both?

Clarifying this would help us better understand how Veeam classifies tapes
in environments where barcode conventions differ from the documented examples.

Thanks,
Rin

[vnikiforov]

Hello, Rin,

As mentioned in the article, It is a combination of different methods in the internal logic:
- Barcode prefix = CLN/CLR
- Tape detection in a Library's dedicated cleaner slot - you can configure one in library UI and every tape from there will be considered cleaning
- SCSI medium chip - whenever a tape is loaded into a drive we read its chip and if drive returns medium type cleaning we mark the tape as cleaning
- Drive TapeAlert - defense against faulty/retired cleaning tapes - when we load tape to drive we get alerts from drive and if alert says, that it is cleaning media - we mark tape as cleaning.

There are no priorities; the tape is marked based on a combination of indicators.

[rin]

Hi vnikiforov,

Thank you very much for your detailed explanation — it really helped me understand how Veeam evaluates multiple indicators when determining the tape type.

Based on your explanation, I understand that Veeam does not rely on a single condition, but instead combines several factors such as barcode prefix, library slot configuration, internal cartridge information, and drive alerts.

With that understanding, I would like to confirm one point.

For tapes with labels like "CLNxxxL1" (label is not "CLNxxxCU"),
is it correct to assume that they may be recognized as cleaning tapes in some cases,
and not recognized as such in other cases, depending on the combination of indicators?

If so, would it be fair to say that such configurations are not guaranteed
and that the behavior may vary depending on the specific environment and conditions?

Thanks,
Rin

[rin]

Hi vnikiforov,

Thank you again for your explanation.
Apologies for the follow-up question.

Based on general LTO documentation (e.g., IBM),
it seems that Media IDs such as "L1" may also be used for cleaning tapes.
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/syste ... ELSPEC.pdf

From Veeam’s perspective, is it correct to understand that
only labels like "CLNxxxCU" are fully supported and guaranteed for cleaning tapes?
https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbr/u ... tml?ver=13

If so, could you clarify why other Media IDs (such as "L1"),
even if they appear in general LTO-related documentation,
are not considered fully supported by Veeam?

Thanks,
Rin

[vnikiforov]

Hi Rin,

If something is documented in general LTO material that isn't automatically something we can guarantee in the product: as I explained, tape detection uses a combination of indicators rather than any single field.
I've already shared the full program logic, so I won't repeat it. If a specific tape in your environment isn't being detected the way you expect, that's the point to open a support case, where the team can look at your actual library, drive, and media and explain what's happening in that setup.

Worth keeping in mind as well: this is a forum to contact Product Management and discuss Veeam product features, rather than a technical support channel, so we can't troubleshoot environment-specific behavior here.