These were just common utilities that most people are aware of that I
thought I would recommend.  However my co-worker here at work said he found
out the other day of a quicker way of doing.

By removing the volume from the NetWorker database and then re-labeling it
does cause it to re-label it with the new block settings.  So all you would
have to do is write a quick script for volumes you are having problems with
to have them removed and then re-labels.

Hope this information helps for some out there that have headaches on
re-setting the block size on certain types of tapes.


Chad Smykay, RHCE
Systems Storage Administrator
Rackspace Managed Hosting (TM)
210-892-4025 ext 1603
Cell: 210-273-2344

-----Original Message-----
From: Legato NetWorker discussion [mailto:NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU] 
On
Behalf Of Yura Pismerov
Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 8:13 PM
To: NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU
Subject: Re: [Networker] Tape Positioning by Record is Disabled on AIT
Drives??????

Chad Smykay wrote:

>I am sorry to say my friend that re-labeling does not suffice.  When
>you "re-label" a volume in networker it does not write back over the
>labeled block size set for that tape.  OHHH GOD HOW I WISH IT DID!  In
>fact I am planning on putting in an RFE for this.  I mean if the Legato
>is a tape backup software would it not be nice if you could tell it or
>check off an option like "Re-write label."  That would just make to much
sense.
>Otherwise we have been doing the same thing you have.  Rewind tape tar
>some data to it then have NetWorker re-label the volume.
>

    Why tar ?
    What's wrong with /etc/LGTOuscsi/erase ?
    man erase...

>
>Hope my experience helps
>
>
>Chad Smykay, RHCE
>Systems Storage Administrator
>Rackspace Managed Hosting (TM)
>210-892-4025 ext 1603
>Cell: 210-273-2344
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Legato NetWorker discussion
>[mailto:NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU] On Behalf Of Marigomen, Ted
>{Info~Palo Alto}
>Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 3:34 PM
>To: NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU
>Subject: Re: [Networker] Tape Positioning by Record is Disabled on AIT
>Drives??????
>
>I used to get this a lot.  And, it was always on AIT-2 tapes with weird
>block sizes, on AIT-3 drives.  The drive would happily read the tape
>and then wham, it encounters a part where the block size is different
>and then the error comes up.  We used to have AIT-2 drives which
>labeled and wrote to these tapes.  We started getting the errors after
>we changed the drives to AIT-3.
>
>We're slowly migrating off of AIT-2 tapes.  In case we do run out of
>tapes and have to reuse our old AIT-2 tapes, I make sure to erase them
>(write something over them using tar or mt erase) and then label them.
>I read that relabeling should suffice (without erasing), but I'm paranoid.
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Legato NetWorker discussion
>[mailto:NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU]
>On Behalf Of Davina Treiber
>Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 12:22 PM
>To: NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU
>Subject: Re: [Networker] Tape Positioning by Record is Disabled on AIT
>Drives??????
>
>
>Dave Martini 1 wrote:
>
>
>>I have Networker Server 7.1 and a Spectra Logic treefrog with dual
>>Sony AIT-3 Drives running on a solaris 9 server.
>>
>>My st.conf entry looks like this
>>
>>tape-config-list=
>>           "SONY SDX-700C", "SONY 8mm AIT-3 ", "SONY_AIT3";
>>            SONY_AIT3=1,0x36,0,0xd679,1,0x00,0;
>>
>>Legato says that the syntax of my st.conf is correct for the Sony
>>AIT-3.
>>
>>But whenever I try to restore I get this error.
>>
>>"Cannot decode block. Verify the device configuration. Tape
>>positioning by record is disabled."
>>
>>Sometimes the recover works and sometimes the recover fails.
>>
>>I called Legato and they said put these two environment variables in
>>place so I put them in the .login file on the UNIX solaris 9 legato
>>server machine and rebooted
>>
>>setenv NSR_DEV_BLOCK_SIZE_AIT_3 192
>>setenv NSR_DEV_TAPE_FILE_SIZE 10922
>>
>>The problem is still occuring.
>>
>>
>
>A .login file is not the place, you need to put these commands in the
>startup script for NetWorker, and you need to convert them to sh
>syntax, i.e. VARIABLE=value; export VARIABLE The FILE_SIZE variable
>won't make a scrap of difference to restores, but may affect the seek
>time when backing up.
>
>Somehow I don't think this is your problem though. If you always had
>the problem then it might be, but if it is intermittent then it means
>one of two
>things:
>
>(1) You have a mixture of block sizes in use
>(2) You have some other error which may be media or drive related, or
>some other hardware problem.
>
>--
>Note: To sign off this list, send a "signoff networker" command via
>email to listserv AT listmail.temple DOT edu or visit the list's Web site at
>http://listmail.temple.edu/archives/networker.html where you can also
>view and post messages to the list.
>=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
>
>--
>Note: To sign off this list, send a "signoff networker" command via
>email to listserv AT listmail.temple DOT edu or visit the list's Web site at
>http://listmail.temple.edu/archives/networker.html where you can also
>view and post messages to the list.
>=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
>
>---
>Incoming mail is certified Virus Free.
>Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
>Version: 6.0.547 / Virus Database: 340 - Release Date: 12/2/2003
>
>
>---
>Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
>Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
>Version: 6.0.547 / Virus Database: 340 - Release Date: 12/2/2003
>
>--
>Note: To sign off this list, send a "signoff networker" command via
>email to listserv AT listmail.temple DOT edu or visit the list's Web site at
>http://listmail.temple.edu/archives/networker.html where you can also
>view and post messages to the list.
>=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
>
>

--
Note: To sign off this list, send a "signoff networker" command via email to
listserv AT listmail.temple DOT edu or visit the list's Web site at
http://listmail.temple.edu/archives/networker.html where you can also view
and post messages to the list.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=

---
Incoming mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.547 / Virus Database: 340 - Release Date: 12/2/2003


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.547 / Virus Database: 340 - Release Date: 12/2/2003

--
Note: To sign off this list, send a "signoff networker" command via email
to listserv AT listmail.temple DOT edu or visit the list's Web site at
http://listmail.temple.edu/archives/networker.html where you can
also view and post messages to the list.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=