> Hi,
> 
> This is my first post to the list.

Please use a good subject when posting.

> I have two questions/issues:

> 1) The jobs ate staggered but not so much that 2 or even 3 can be running at
> the same time. The result is that the night's backups are spread over at
> least 3 tapes.

The second sentence may be true, but I don't see that the first sentence
is a cause.  Depending on the various settings, speeds of machines, and
what you need to accomplish, you could have multiple jobs going to a
single tape.

> These tapes can sometimes be expired tapes completely overwritten, or
> contain as yet unexpired data which is appended to. This all makes it
> very difficult to identify where the data has gone, and if tapes are
> to be archived off sometimes older but not yet expired data previously
> written to the tapes has to go off too.  I would like to tell
> Networker to only write to blank/expired tapes, and/or force it to
> write to specific tapes.
> 
> How can I do that? 

To do so is really "fighting" networker, rather than working with it.
You can do that, but don't expect it to give you a lot of help.  I can
think of a couple of things.

One method is to use pools more aggresively.  Pools are the concept that
networker uses for segregation of data.  Create pools for your offsite
data.  Then use those pools when you need to create an offsite backup.
An easy networker rule for when to use a pool is when you need to deal
with the data on the volume differently from other data (goes to a
different location, has different retention policies, etc.)

Another method is either manually or with a script, mark tapes read-only
or full.  When networker needs a tape, it won't select those.  The tape
will still expire at the correct time based on retention, and when
relabled will become appendable again.

(Did you have a second question?)
-- 
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. >

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