> Ok, so what happens when I label a tape on a standalone
> drive("testlab" with a label that does not match the
> barcode(GZ1001), then I put the media in a barcode library?  Do I
> now have two pieces of media in the media database, GZ1001 and
> testlab?  How does Net Backup keep track of retention and such for
> the 1 media that is now two?

There will now be two pieces of media in the VOLUME database.  As
others have mentioned, it is HIGHLY recommended that you use a single
volume database host, preferably the master, though technically not
required.  

IIRC, what will happen here is that the tape will be added as a new
piece of media GZ1001, but when it first goes to get used it'll see
the media id (which is the unique thingy you've asked about) and
freeze the tape.
 
The right way to deal with this is to always label the media to match
the barcode, even (especially?) for standalone drives.

In the scenario you've presented, what you would want to do is:

 # vmchange -barcode gz1001 -m testla

BEFORE you put it in the library with the barcode reader.  By doing
so, MM will know that when it sees the media with barcode GZ1001 it's
actually looking at mediaid testla and not a new tape whose media id
should be gz1001.

Personally, I would then duplicate all the images off that tape to a
new media, expire testla, delete it, and readd it as gz1001 and label
it.  It's a bit of work, but makes for a less confusing environment,
especially if you do it know while you remember why.

L

P.S.  Obviously, change "testla" to whatever the media id you used
when labelling was.  I'm pretty sure it wasn't actually "testlab"
since mediaid's are limited to 6 characters.

-- 
Larry Kingery 
         "Robots should be RESPECTFUL."  -- Calvin, to Hobbes