On Thu, Feb 02, 2006 at 01:24:15PM -0700, Mark.Donaldson AT cexp DOT com wrote:
> In general, I've heard nothing bad about tape alert cleaning.  The mistake,
> usually, is library-based cleaning.  If you use library-based cleaning, then
> the library, without any alert to Netbackup, can chose to clean a tape
> drive, usually using a pseudo-hidden cleaning tape from a reserved slot.  If
> the library cleans the tape drive & Netbackup doesn't know about it, then NB
> can try to use the drive when a cleaning is occurring.  The tape mount will
> fail & NB will down the drive.
>  
> For an SSO environment, your only NB-based option is tape alert cleaning.
> Frequency-based (at least in v5.x & down) doesn't work in SSO because the
> media servers make no attempt to coordinate hours of run time for each
> drive.

We're in an SSO environment and we use library-based cleaning.  We've
been doing for about 3-4 years and have not had issues.

YMMV.

        .../Ed

-- 
Ed Wilts, Mounds View, MN, USA
mailto:ewilts AT ewilts DOT org