These are likely Netbackup database backup tapes.  Try running vmquery
-m <media_id> to see whether the tapes are in the pool for NBU database
backups.  If they are, then you have to use vmquery -deassignby command
to expire the images.

Mark Hickey
Senior Technology Consultant
Glasshouse Technologies
www.glasshouse.com



Message: 4
Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 15:44:11 -0400
From: "Yosifovski, Tammy" <Tammy.Yosifovski AT usfc DOT com>
To: <veritas-bu AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu>
Subject: [Veritas-bu] Expiring Images

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OS: Windows 2000 SP6
NetBackup 4.5.3
L40 Library, 4 320 SDLT drive.
=0D
All, I have 10 tapes in my library that have a Time Assigned when
viewing them under Media in the Windows Admin Console.  The time
assigned date is beyond our 2 month standard retention so I do not think
there are images on the tapes.  As a result of this these tapes are not
being reused.=0D
=0D
I have tried the following to check for images and expire images on
these tapes.
=0D
1. bpimmedia -L -mediaid 557022  - to check for images
2. bpexpdate -ev 557022 -d 0 - to expire the images
=0D
I tried deassigning them with=0D
=0D
bpexpdate -deassignempty -m 557022
=0D
My issues is that it appears that the commands do not finish or nothing
happens.  I end up doing a Ctrl C to get out of them after 2 hours.  I
have tried this on several tapes but I am getting the same results.
=0D
=0D
On one tape I got allocation failed.  On another I got requested media
id was not found in NB media database and/or VV manager database. =0D
=0D
How can it show up in media and have a date assigned if it is not in the
volume database?
=0D
Most of the time the window just hung and nothing came back.  Does
anyone know why this happens?  How long should it take?  My catalog is
11.4 GB and I am backing up about 2.4 terabytes in a week.  Are there
any other commands I should be using?
=0D
Your help is appreciated.  Have a good weekend.=0D
=0D
Tammy Yosifovski
=0D
=0D
=0D