[Feature Request] Marking cleaning tapes manually

[b.gahr]

Hi!
I recently had an case (02201649) regarding our cleaning tapes. The library is recognizing them as cleaning tapes without a barcode, but Veeam don't. If i change automatic cleaning from Veeam to the library itself, the tapes are still recognized by Veeam as normal tapes, but the drives would be cleaned.
Can you give us the option to set a tape as cleaning tape in the management console, when there is no barcode on a cleaning tape? Right now, I have to edit the table dbo.Tape.tape_mediums for each cleaning tape I use. Thats pretty .... dangerous
Maybe theres an API provided by the library which can give Veeam more information about the online mediums..

Library is an Overland Storage NEOs T48

Kind regards,
b.gahr

[veremin]

The library is recognizing them as cleaning tapes without a barcode, but Veeam don't.

Does backup server treat cleaning tape as normal one or places it in Unrecognized media pool? The latter is expected behaviour. Thanks.

[b.gahr]

They are stored in Unrecognized media pool, so there there won't be any write operations on the tapes (or at least some tries), but Veeam did't use these tapes for cleaning, because they are unrecognized and not labled as cleaning tapes

[veremin]

They should are there by design. Is a corresponding check box "Perform drive cleaning automatically" enabled in the library settings? Be aware that cleaning is performed as a part of tape jobs and only when a tape device generates cleaning alert. Thanks.

[b.gahr]

Right now, I don't have any problems. Veeam is configured to perform the the cleaning. The library don't. We have a barcode reader in the library but our cleaning drives are recognized by the library otherwise, because the cleaning tapes don't have a barcode. Without the barcode, Veeam did't mark the tapes as cleaning tapes, so Veeam will never start using them for cleaning and spits errors and warnings. What I did:
I edited the Veeam database table dbo.Tape.tape_mediums and set field "cleaner" from "0" to "1" only at the cleaning tapes. Now they are correctly recognized in Veeam and Veeam uses these tapes automaticly for cleaning. But I don't want to edit the database, just for marking tapes as cleaning tapes.

[veremin]

Cleaning media even without barcode should be recognized by backup server. If that doesn't happen (which seems to be your case), kindly, reach our support team. Thanks.

[b.gahr]

Like I posted in the opening post, I had a case (02201649), which is now closed.
The solution was editing the database....

[Dima P.]

Hi b.gahr,

Thanks for posting the case again and sorry for confusion. We will ask our QA folks to review the case details and identify the root cause. Cheers!

[cruis]

+1 for this request

[Dima P.]

Hello cruis,

Are you using non-labeled cleaning media with your tape device? Is that a tape library or a tape drive? Thank you!

[cruis]

Hi Dima,

in the meantime, I have printed barcodes myself. There are different generators on the internet. After that, the tape was recognized. However, I had to catalog it afterwards.

Cataloging Tapes
https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backu ... l?ver=95u4

[Dima P.]

cruis,

Thanks for the update! Veeam B&R relies on CLN prefix in the barcode, so please make sure that you have it in the label. As for catalog, yes it's required to correctly match previously written tape (non barcoded one) with the new barcode. Cheers!