Veeam - Insert a valid tape even if there are alread - WHY ?

[nickname89]

Excuseme

Im writing for a problem with my company tape storage.
We have one tape library used with Veeam Backup 9.0

The library is simple, only two magazines, each one with 12 slots ( 11 tapes + 1 clear tape ), generally during tapes following your guide, once all tapes are recognized we mark all as "free" and after we assigne the own production pool.

Each backup job is scheduled as one to week.
And generally after the tapes changing the situation works fine for some weeks.
After Veeam ask me to insert a valid tape, although still there various tape almost empty ( es. 2.1 or 1.9 or 1.4TB free to 2.3 of total capacity ).





When the total size of job result to be 1.8TB, so the major parts of these tapes should be sufficient.
So, why Veem continue to ask me to insert a valid tapes when still there almost free tapes ???

Regards

[DGrinev]

Hi Paolo and welcome to the community!

Can you share the configuration of media set?
Also, have you enabled Media Sets Creation with Parallel Processing?
Last but not least, I'd recommend you to update your Veeam B&R ideally to 9.5 upd3. Thanks!

[nickname89]

Thank you for answer

For media set configuration you means this ? :



"Media Sets Creation with Parallel Processing" is unchecked

[DGrinev]

Yes, that's the root cause of the issue you have, since the tapes with a free space belong to the previously created media set.
Switch to "Do not create, always continue..." should do the trick.
Please keep in mind that you should mark them as free or erase data after you change the media set config. Thanks!

[nickname89]

So after i change the configuration i must to erase all tapes written until now
right ?

The voice "Media Sets Creation with Parallel Processing" must be unselected?

[DGrinev]

Yes, however, it's not necessary to erase data, you can mark them as free or put them into Free media pool.
Parallel processing increases resource utilization by spreading separate backup chains across several tapes, if it needed you can enable that option. Thanks!

[nickname89]

Thank you for answer

Can i ask you what is the difference between create and not create a new media pool for each sessions ?
I've already read the manual but is not clear enough, i have two questions :



1 ) From the guide : "Veeam Backup & Replication will produce a separate set of tapes for each tape backup session", this in practise what means ? What happen when the sets are not separate ?

2 ) what i understand reading the guide is that using "not create" mode the library recycles the tapes when finish the space, this is right or uncorrect ?

[lyapkost]

Hi Paolo.

Every media set is either opened or closed. Tape job can append backup to a tape only if it's the last written tape in opened media set. Option 'create every backup session' closes all opened media sets in target media pool when tape job starts so the job needs a new (free or expired) tape to start writing.

1. If all backups are written to the single media set you cannot physically split backups since several different chains (or backup jobs) are written to the single tape. Options 'create every backup session' or 'create daily' are useful if, for example, you export your tapes to an offline location.
2. Option 'do not create' doesn't close media set after backup to tape job is started so it may append backups to the last written tape.

Also note that if media set is closed, it cannot be opened again. If a tape is marked as free and catalogued, it's media set is closed. If tape job cannot write to the last tape, for example, it's offline or write protected, the job opens a new media set and closes the old one.

[nickname89]

Thank you for answer

Options 'create every backup session' or 'create daily' are useful if, for example, you export your tapes to an offline location.

The problem is just that.

My requirements are :
- When the tape library finish the available space, the current tape set must be brought outside.
- And each sets ( entire set, not single tapes ) must be usable to restore the entire content.

So i dont know if the "not create new media pool" mode is valid as option for this.

[lyapkost]

When the tape library finish the available space

What do you mean by that? A single tape or the whole library tapes' space (11* 2.3 Tb)?

The answer depends on the amount of your data and jobs' schedule. For example, you may select 'create new media set daily every Monday' so all your weekly data is placed to a separarte set of tapes.

[nickname89]

And i already start a session every sunday but like this i found some tapes little used.

[Poweruser]

Support Case told me to read this Topic.
But it does not help. Iam still confused.

Cycle should be:
1. i have a reverse inc. hyper-v backup job which works every monday to friday once a day at 23:00.
2. after 1. a tape job is executed which stores latest full backup to tape. (should be data of 1.)
now B&R should overwrite every monday the tape of last monday. tuesday overwrite tape of last tuesday and so on.

So i set up a Media Pool with 6 Day retention and 5 tapes, one tape named monday, one named tuesday... one named friday.
Checkbox add from free media pool is removed.
Because Support told me to activate Media set i did. but i dont know what exactly happens if enabled or disabled. the manual is very bad in this point.
I set Media set # %id% %date% Automatically new daily at 6:00 tue,wed,th,fr,sa (shift by one day because its after 00:00)
protect data retention is set to 6 days.
offline media tracking disabled.
options everything disabled.

tape job is full backup, no eject and no export checked and process latest full backup chain only is checked so it will save the last day only i think.
schedule is after hyper-v backup. linked 1 hours prevent interrupt checked.

Is this correct? i have to create a new mediaset every day, at the time after all daily jobs to tape have been run?
and if the new mediaset is made at 6 o clock the old mediaset is closed, so its not possible to append to the tape if the wrong tape is inserted?
but after retention time the old mediaset which was closed before will automatically get free/overwritten without append?