Feature Request: Ability to unlock a tape library in use

[pkelly_sts]

It doesn't happen to me too often to me thankfully but I can imagine it being a major pain for people with very large datasets to copy to tape.

It appears that you cannot unlock a library to change tapes etc. whilst a job is running. This seems to be a self-imposed limitation (it's not unreasonable to want to change tapes whilst long jobs are in progress - BExec has allowed it for as long as I can remember) and means that you can only swap tapes when jobs aren't active which is rather restrictive.

In my case, the library in question isn't even currently in use! We have two libraries connected. Library 2 is currently running a job (which I'm now having to cancel) & library 1 needs a tape swapping but is currently locked, even though it isn't even in use :-/

[veremin]

I'm wondering whether the second library is a part of global media pool that currently running job is pointed to. Thanks.

[pkelly_sts]

100% certain it is not. Within Veeam, that particular library has even been renamed to "DONOTUSE" and isn't associated with anything at all. In fact, I was wondering earlier (whilst responding to another post here) how to even create a global media pool...

[veremin]

Assign more than one library on this step, and media pool will be a global one.

[pkelly_sts]

Ah, gotcha - thanks, may come in useful for something I'm looking at...

(But definitely not related to my suggestion/issue above as only a single library per MP so far)

[veremin]

Currently the behaviour you see is an expected one. Backup server locks even library that doesn't have media pool assigned to it. Thanks.

[pkelly_sts]

I'd argue that although it might be expected from Veeam design POV, it shouldn't really be the case.

A reasonable scenario, for instance, would be to have a library dedicated to LTFS archiving - something I've been considering doing for some time but haven't yet had the time to investigate fully.

I really feel that Veeam should have the ability to leave a library untouched/disabled etc. but certainly not to lock it if it isn't even configured for use (i.e. no configured MPs)