Tape Administration - CommCell® Console

Depending on the Media group, certain administrative tasks can be performed for the group and tapes within the group. Managing tapes in different media groups provide the Commvault^® administrator with greater flexibility and simplifies the management of media. It is important to understand the capabilities and limitations of media management within the various logical media groups that are available.

Actions can be performed on tapes in any media group

Exporting Media

Exporting tapes is a physical operation that sends commands to the library to eject tapes to the import/export mail slots.

Key points regarding tape export operations:

There are several methods to export tapes from a library:

• Library export – for bulk export of multiple tapes
• Tape export – to export individual tapes
• VaultTracker export – to allow the automatic export of tapes based on criteria

To view the progress of export operations, use the Exports in Progress view in the library tree.

To view tapes in the import/export slots, use the I/E Ports view in the library tree.

Individual Export

Select the tape | Right-click | All Tasks | Export

Tapes can be individually exported from any location within the library tree.

Bulk Export

Select the library | Export | Select media to export

Multiple tapes can be selected together to perform a bulk export. This is considered a library level operation, so the bulk export is conducted by right-clicking on the library and selecting Export Media. Optionally, use the Shift or Ctrl keys to select multiple tapes. A bulk export moves tapes until the import/export slots are full. Once tapes are removed from the slots, the export operation continues until all tapes have been exported

Preventing Tape Export

Select tape | Options | Prevent export

At times a tape must remain inside the library. To prevent a tape from being exported indefinitely or until a specific date, use the Prevent Export option. The Prevent Export option is available within any media group.

Allowing Export

Right-click the tape | Options | Allow Export

A tape that has been previously marked to prevent export can be set by the administrator to Allow Export. This operation overrides the previous setting specified during the Prevent Export operation.

Defining Export Locations

Storage Resources | Right-click Locations | New Location

When tapes are exported out of the library they are logically associated with an export location. There are two types of locations that can be defined: Stationary and Transit.

Logically Moving Tapes

Right-click the tape | All Tasks | Move

Tapes can be moved between certain media groups. Moving tapes between groups is a logical operation and no physical media movement will be conducted in the library. Moving tapes provides the administrator with a great deal of flexibility regarding media management.

Key Points regarding tape movement between media groups:

• The Move operation moves tapes between Scratch, Cleaning, Overwrite Protect, Foreign and Catalog media groups.
• Tapes can be moved to the Retired Media group by manually marking the tape bad. Tapes can be moved out of the retired media pool by using the option Mark Media Good or by deleting and rediscovering the tape.
• Tapes moved to the Overwrite Protect Media group will remain there indefinitely until they are manually moved out of the group.
• Tapes cannot be manually moved to the Assigned Media group. Tapes can logically be moved to the Overwrite Protect Media group by selecting Prevent Reuse. The tape will exist in both the Assigned Media group and the Overwrite Protect Media group until all jobs age from the tape, where it will then only exist in the overwrite protect media group.
• When a tape is cataloged or marked for catalog, it logically appears in the Catalog Media group.
• There are two methods for using the Move operation:
  • Specific tapes can be moved between media groups by selecting a tape or multiple tapes (using the Shift or Ctrl keys). After selecting the tapes to move, right-click and select the Move option. Specify the media group type and the specific destination pool to move the tapes to.
  • Groups of tapes can also be moved between scratch pools by right-clicking on the scratch pool and selecting Move. This method allows you to specify how many tapes to move but it does not allow you to specify which tapes will be moved.

Deleting Tapes

Right-click the tape | All Tasks | Delete

A Delete operation is a logical operation that deletes the existence of the tape from the CommCell^® environment and CommServe^® server database. The delete operation does not physically erase any data and the tape does not need to be in the library when it is deleted.

This is also considered a non-destructive operation which means a tape can only be deleted if no active jobs are currently retained on the tape. This means that the Delete option will not be available for tapes in the Assigned Media group.

Key points regarding tape deletion:

• When a tape is deleted, the tape records are removed from the CommServe server database. This means data on the tape would not be recoverable. If data on a deleted tape needs to be recovered, the Media Explorer tool is used to catalog and recover data.
• Since deleting a tape is a logical operation, there will be no tape movement in the library and the tape does not need to be available.
• If a tape has been permanently lost or destroyed and a replacement tape with the same barcode label will replace the original, delete the original tape before adding the replacement tape to the library. Note that within a CommCell environment, duplicate barcode patterns cannot exist.

The Delete operation is useful in the following situations:

• • A tape has been lost or destroyed.
  • A tape was marked bad and has been physically removed from the environment. Note that until the tape is physically disposed of, it is recommended NOT to delete the tape. A tape marked bad will not be re-used, but a deleted tape rediscovered will be treated as a new tape.
  • Duplicate barcodes exist in a library where an old tape has been replaced by a new tape. Note the same caveats apply in this situation as the previous one.
  • A tape was improperly marked bad. This can happen when a drive causes a tape to be marked bad.

Deleting Tape Contents

Click the Assigned Media group | Right-click the tape | All Tasks | Delete Contents

Delete Contents is a logical operation that automatically marks all jobs on a tape as aged. During this operation, a confirmation message appears, which requires the administrator to enter erase and reuse media. The administrator is then prompted to select a scratch group in which the tape will be moved to. Data on the tape is logically marked aged so the data can still be recovered—up to the point where the tape is mounted and the OML header is overwritten.

The most common situation where the Delete Contents operation is used is when there is not enough spare media to run scheduled jobs. This typically happens when storage policies are improperly configured, or retention expectations are unrealistic compared to the capacity to store data. If an administrator frequently uses the Delete Contents option to free up tapes for jobs, consider readdressing environment configurations or purchasing more tapes. Manual operations such as Delete Contents can accidentally delete critical data.

Tip: Delete a tape to allow for a full recovery operation when the tape is missing.

An interesting use for the Delete Contents option is when a tape containing an incremental backup job is bad or missing at the time of a recovery operation. In the case of a restore, the full backup and all incremental backup jobs will need to be available for the restore to complete.

The Commvault^® software prompts the administrator to put the tape in the library. If it is known that the tape is permanently unavailable, use the Delete Contents option to erase the records of the jobs. When the restore is run, the jobs on the unavailable tape is skipped and the restore operation completes successfully.

Erasing Tapes

Erase Media is a physical operation that mounts the tape and overwrites the OML header. Once the header is overwritten data cannot be recovered using any method Commvault^® software provides. This is considered a destructive operation, so it cannot be performed on any tapes where jobs are actively being retained. The option to erase media is available in all logical groups except the Assigned Media group.

There are two methods for erasing a tape:

1. Manually erasing a tape.
2. Automatically erasing tapes after all data ages (configured through the storage policy copy).

Manually Erasing a Tape

A tape can be erased on demand by right-clicking on the tape and selecting Erase Media. This action then loads the tape in a drive and overwrites the header physically preventing data to be recovered through Commvault^® software.

Automating Erase Operations

Right-click the storage policy copy | Media tab | enable Mark Media to be Erased After Recycling

When tapes are recycled, they can automatically be marked to be erased. This is done by selecting the Erase Media checkbox in the Media tab of a storage policy copy. When tapes are recycled, they are marked to be erased. An erase media operation must be scheduled for the library, which will physically load each marked tape and overwrite the OML header.

Erase Media Storage Policy Settings

Right-click the storage policy copy | Media tab

The option, Mark Media to be Erased After Recycling in the Media tab of the storage policy copy, marks all tapes managed by the policy to be erased once all jobs have aged. A schedule must then be set up at the tape library to erase the media. The erase media operation mounts the tape and writes a new OML header to the tape. This makes the data completely unrecoverable through the CommCell^® Console, Media Explorer, or through a tape catalog operation. It is important to note that the data on the tape is not actually erased.

Note: The only guarantee of preventing data from being recovered is to physically destroy the media. Even with the erase media and data encryption, there is no 100% guarantee that data cannot be recovered.

Scheduling Erase Spare Media Operations

Right-click the library | Erase spare media

When the Mark Media to be Erased option is enabled for storage policy copies, erase media operations must be scheduled for any library where media is marked for erasing.

Verifying Media

Right-click the tape | All Tasks | Verify Media

A Media verification operation is conducted to physically verify the barcode label, verify that the OML header matches, and that the tape belongs to the CommCell^® environment. Since this is a physical operation the tape is mounted in a drive and a job appears in the job controller. When the job is initiated, the operation type is Media Inventory.

The Media verification operation is commonly used for the following tasks:

• To ensure that the barcode label and the OML header properly match
• To identify potentially damaged tapes
• To identify tapes that may belong to a different CommCell environment
• To identify tapes that may have an OML header written by different backup software

Marking Media Full

Assigned media pool | Right-click the tape | Mark Media Full

A tape in the assigned media pool can manually be marked full to prevent additional data from writing to the tape.

Mark media full is most commonly used for the following situations:

• Jobs on the tape should be isolated for preservation purposes.
• The tape is marked full so the jobs on the tape age based on existing job data only (not additional jobs that may be written). This will allow the tape to potentially recycle sooner.
• Data on a tape needs to be refreshed to new media. Only tapes that have been marked full will be eligible for media refresh operations.

Tip: Various methods for marking tapes full

The Mark Media Full action presents a manual method to mark a tape full. Tapes can also be set to be automatically marked full. This is done through the Advanced backup or auxiliary copy options. This automatically marks the tape full after the job completes. Using the mark media full option is best used when jobs need to be isolated on tapes, such as when extended retention rules are applied.

Marking Media Bad

Right-click the tape | Options | Mark Media Bad

A tape can be marked bad from any group within the Media by Groups tree. Once a tape is marked bad it no longer is used for future backup operations.

It is important to note that depending on the state of a tape when it is marked bad, it appears differently within the CommCell^® console:

Making a Bad Tape Good Again

Select Retired Media Group | Right-click the tape | Options | Mark Media Good

There may be certain situations where a tape is improperly marked bad. The most common problem is due to drive errors.

Viewing Contents

Click the Assigned Media Pool | Right-click the tape| View | View Contents

Job contents and details can be viewed for individual tapes. To view the contents of a job, right-click on the tape and select View Contents. The view contents option only appears if jobs are on the tape.

Key points regarding viewing contents of tapes:

• Jobs on the tape that are actively being retained will appear in black print
• Jobs on the tape that have exceeded retention will appear in gray print
• The view contents option will appear for any tape that has active or aged jobs

Tip: Methods to determine why tapes are not recycling

One of the most common issues that may arise regarding media management is when tapes are not properly recycling. Using the View Contents of a tape lets the administrator view which jobs are causing the tape not to recycle. This information can then be used to track down problems that are causing the jobs to remain active within the environment.

Another method to assist in predicting when tapes will recycle is using the Data Retention Forecast and Compliance report. This report lists all tapes, their expected aging date, and specific reasons why the tapes have not aged. Each of the reasons are hyperlinks to the Commvault documentation site which will provide more details on the explanations.

Using Media Refresh

Storage Policy copy | Media tab

The Media Refresh option is a powerful tool used to write job data from existing tapes to a new destination tape. Tapes can be manually picked for refresh operations or automatic refresh operations can be triggered based on predefined criteria.

Media refresh is commonly used for the following reasons:

• When specific jobs are currently being retained on the tape, but all other jobs have aged. This situation results in inefficient use of tape resources since a tape does not recycle until all jobs are marked aged. The media refresh operation copies all active jobs to a new tape and the old tapes are recycled and moved back into a scratch pool.
• When upgrading to new tape libraries, the media refresh can copy existing jobs from an old tape format to a new format such as LTO4 to LTO5. For this method to be used, the tape library must be capable of reading the old tapes.
• When data is required to be periodically rewritten to new tapes to better ensure the integrity of the data. Data integrity on tape is especially important when job data is being retained for long periods of time.

Key points regarding the media refresh option:

• Media refresh is a physical operation and requires a source and destination drive. It is best to run media refresh operations when backup and auxiliary copy jobs are not running.
• The concept that a storage policy copy manages all jobs associated with it is still followed for refresh operations. If multiple storage policy copies require refresh operations, separate schedules must be configured for each policy.
• The scheduler is based on the auxiliary copy scheduler. This means that when refresh schedules are configured they can be configured to refresh ALL storage policy copies that have been enabled for refresh or just specific copies.
• To determine which tapes are required for a media refresh operation, use the Media Prediction report. In the General tab, specify the Media Refreshing criteria.
• For media refresh to work, the following must be done:
  • Ensure Media Refresh is enabled for the storage policy copy.
  • Media to be refreshed must be marked full.
• Define criteria through a storage policy copy.

The following threshold can be set to trigger tapes to be selected for media refresh:

• Number of months after the media was written – set this threshold when data integrity on tapes is critical. Once the tape reaches a certain age from the last write, it will be picked for media refresh.
• Number of months before the media is aged.
• When tape capacity used is below a specified percentage – This is an optional check box and is used along with the first two settings. By setting the capacity limit, this could potentially reduce the total amount of data that is written to new media. This is best used to maximize tape efficiency by writing jobs on tapes not fully utilized to new tapes, so old tapes can recycle.
• When media retirement thresholds are exceeded – This is useful to write jobs from a bad tape to a good tape.

Manually picking media for a refresh

Click the Assigned Media group | Right-click the tape | Refresh | Pick for Refresh

Tapes are manually picked for refresh through the assigned media pool. Multiple tapes can be selected using the Shift or Ctrl keys. Manually picking tapes for refresh is useful in situations where tapes need to be recycled for new jobs (and only a few jobs on tape have not aged).

Running Media Refresh Jobs

Right-click the storage policy | All tasks | Run Media refresh

The media refresh feature follows the rule that a storage policy copy manages all data associated with it. This means that the scheduling for refresh operations is conducted at the storage policy level. The media refresh scheduler is based on the auxiliary copy scheduler so the same options found in auxiliary copies are available for media refresh.

Tip: Media refresh or auxiliary copy?

The media refresh feature is a capability introduced in the Commvault v9 product. Prior to this feature, auxiliary copy jobs were used to write data from old tapes to new tapes. In situations where a tape library is being upgraded and the new library is NOT capable of reading old tape formats, the auxiliary copy method can still be used. This is implemented the same way as a normal auxiliary copy.

Using Tape to Tape Copy

Click the Assigned Media group | Right-click the tape | Options | Tape to Tape Copy

The Tape to Tape Copy option manually copies the content of a tape onto a new tape from the scratch media pool. This is useful when a tape is suspected to be defective and is required to be copied on a new tape. The advantage of using the Tape to Tape Copy option instead of traditional media refresh is that there is no need to enable any media refresh setting on the storage policy copy.

Key point regarding the Tape to Tape Copy option:

• The MediaAgent used to execute the Tape to Tape Copy job is required to be Windows-based.