Hmmm ... How do you avoid the problem wherein the library goes to load a
cleaner tape, but NetWorker is in the middle of writing or reading to
that device or waiting to use that device? I suspect, and maybe someone
can correct me on this, that the drive issues the request for cleaning
to the library and the library then takes the drive offline to clean it,
effectively unloading whatever may be in there at the time. I mean, it
has to get any tape out before it can load a cleaner, right? If so, then
how will NetWorker know that the tape it had in there has since been
ejected? How does the library gracefully choreograph all this and not
have NetWorker choke?
Here's what would be nice, and maybe this is the case:
1. The drive sends a request to the library that it needs to be cleaned.
2. The library checks to see if the drive is in use
(writing/reading/whatever). If so, it waits until the
drive is not in use and then takes the drive off line so NetWorker will
not attempt to use it, ejects the loaded tape, loads the cleaner, ejects
the cleaner when completed and then re-loads the original tape back.
OR optionally for step 2, and even better, it tells NetWorker to eject
the tape so it can load the cleaner. That way, NetWorker knows exactly
what's going on.
George
Librado Pamintuan wrote:
>
> Based on our experience, we use the Library cleaning option. The tape
> library will be able to sense the tape drive's request for cleaning. If
> you set or schedule the cleaning thru Networker, you might end up
> damaging the heads because of frequent cleaning even though the drives
> aren't dirty yet or the worst scenario is that you might have damaged
> media due to dirty heads. The tape drives needs to be cleaned, but they
> are not scheduled to be cleaned yet by Networker, so they stay dirty
> until the cleaning schedule is reached.
>
> Librado Pamintuan
> Technical Support Analyst II
> Information Systems Dep.
> Operations Group
> City of Regina
>
> Phone: (306) 777-7573
> General Fax: (306) 777-6804
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> eMail: lpamintuan AT regina DOT ca
>
> >>> George Sinclair <George.Sinclair AT NOAA DOT GOV> 07/29/04 02:33pm >>>
> Hi,
>
> We're running a Storagetek L80 with 4 LTO gen 1. drives (Seagate).
> Using
> NetWorker 6.1.1 on primary (Solaris) and storagenode (Linux). We can
> set
> up cleaning from the library or NetWorker. Can someone suggest which
> method is best? Obviously, we don't want both, but not sure which way
> to
> go.
>
> Storagetek tells me that they have customers doing either of the two
> methods. I'm concerned that if we set up the cleaning from the library
> that the library will take the drive off line when it needs to clean
> it
> and NetWorker could either be using the device or preparing to and
> that
> might cause problems, so I'm leaning toward setting this up from
> NetWorker for proper hand shaking, but I'm open for suggestions.
> Another
> concern, though, is this: if I set up automatic cleaning from
> NetWorker,
> will the library in fact tell NetWorker that the drive(s) needs to be
> cleaned? The library is supposed to relay this info/request to the
> software, correct? Does this work properly on the Storagetek
> libraries,
> anyone?
>
> Thanks.
>
> George
>
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