Networker

Re: [Networker] Can someone confirm the following about "scratch" tapes or "scratch pools" ?

2007-04-12 14:08:57
Subject: Re: [Networker] Can someone confirm the following about "scratch" tapes or "scratch pools" ?
From: Darren Dunham <ddunham AT TAOS DOT COM>
To: NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU
Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:07:54 -0700
>       1) NetWorker does not have an explicit ta[e pool named
> "scratch".

Correct.  You could create one, but it would not act like a NetBackup
pool that has been designated as the scratch pool (which doesn't have to
be named "scratch").

>       2) In NetWorker there is a setting for each volume pool indicate
> whether expired tapes are "Recycle to other pools".
>       3) For each volume pool you can indicate if it can fetch expired
> tapes from other pools with via "Recycle from other pools" setting.

Correct.  

>       4) For tape pools that have both the above 2 settings at "yes"
> you can see that tapes in the "recyclable" state act as a scratch
> pool.

Basically true. 

>       5) "unlabeled" tapes also act as a scratch pool.  Unlabeled
> tapes are ones that are new and do not have a label that NetWorker
> recognizes.  

If you have Automatic Media Managment enabled, yes.  If not, then
unlabeled tapes may not be used.

>       6) Any pool can grab unlabeled tapes.

Given AMM, yes.

>       7) The default pool is not a scratch pool.  A backup that has no
> assigned pool, or that cannot find a tape in the correct pool to use,
> will write to a tape in the default pool.  But that tape stays in the
> default pool.

Right.  During a save operation, Networker tried to find the best match
among the existing pools for that operation.  The docs should describe
the exact order that things are searched.  The best match wins.

The default pool has no restrictions on it, so if no other pool fits,
the default pool will always match, guaranteeing a target.

Given a backup, the tape will remain in that pool.

In addition, because the default pool must remain in this state, changes
to it are normally forbidden.  That included the 'recycle to/from'
states where are normally 'no'.  There are some hackish ways around
that, and I don't know if anything has changed in the most recent
versions of Networker.


-- 
Darren Dunham                                           ddunham AT taos DOT com
Senior Technical Consultant         TAOS            http://www.taos.com/
Got some Dr Pepper?                           San Francisco, CA bay area
         < This line left intentionally blank to confuse you. >

To sign off this list, send email to listserv AT listserv.temple DOT edu and 
type "signoff networker" in the body of the email. Please write to 
networker-request AT listserv.temple DOT edu if you have any problems with this 
list. You can access the archives at 
http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/networker.html or
via RSS at http://listserv.temple.edu/cgi-bin/wa?RSS&L=NETWORKER