Networker

Re: [Networker] Problems scanning old tapes with SSIDs that span tapes - more info

2008-09-04 11:55:38
Subject: Re: [Networker] Problems scanning old tapes with SSIDs that span tapes - more info
From: Bruce Breidall <Bruce.Breidall AT CONCUR DOT COM>
To: NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU
Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 08:54:04 -0700
I'd be interested in knowing the final verdict from support. Under
normal circumstances, how would you ever know the actual order of a
multi-tape to scan? 

This sounds like another huge flaw in Legato logic to be aware of,
unless there is an official explanation and reason for having to do this
the way you did.



-----Original Message-----
From: EMC NetWorker discussion [mailto:NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU] On
Behalf Of MIchael Leone
Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 10:15 AM
To: NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU
Subject: [Networker] Problems scanning old tapes with SSIDs that span
tapes - more info

Some may remember that I was having a problem, with scanning old tapes 
that had savesets that spanned multiple tapes. Using the GUI, I could
not 
browse for a saveset that spanned multiple tapes; it just wouldn't show
up 
at all in the GUI. nsrinfo would show the saveset; mminfo would show the

saveset, even showing which volumes it was one, and which was the head, 
middle, and end (in my testing case, my saveset spanned across 3 tapes).

Tech Support was totally confused, and have escalated my case.

Now, when I scanned, I scanned in parallel - I scanned all 3 tapes at 
once. I did not feed it one tape, and wait for it to ask for the next. 
Tech Support told me I didn't have to; my previous experience with 
scanning tapes told me I didn't have to; NetWorker knew enough to figure

out which tape held which part of the saveset.

As an experiment, Tech Support had me delete the saveset, and scan the 
tapes in sequence (the only way I knew the sequence - which tape was
first 
- was because I had previously scanned them in, and knoew which volume
had 
the "head" of the saveset - fragflags = "hb"). This took 3+ hours per 
tape, and 2 days (since I started the scan around 8:30AM, and didn't
want 
it still running when my nightly backups started at 6PM, especially
since 
I can't sit and watch it, so it sat there, waiting for the next tape for

an hour, because I was busy doing other things).

And guess what? Now the saveset shows up, in all it's glory. :-(

I certainly can't always scan tapes in sequence; that can take way too 
long (imagine scanning 4 tapes in sequence, at 3+ hours). Plus, if 
Networker is smart enough to know which is the head, middle, tail of the

saveset (as evidenced by the fragflags), then why can't it just stitch
it 
all together properly? What is so different about scanning in sequence, 
versus scanning in parallel? I have no idea which tape is first in the 
sequence; all I have is 4 old tapes that need to be scanned.

Anyone else seen this? Am I the only one who thinks this is odd behavior

(that volumes/savesets *must* be scanned in sequence, because NetWorker 
apparently can't figure out the sequence after scanning all the tapes in

parallel) ?
-- 
Michael Leone
Network Administrator, ISM
Philadelphia Housing Authority
2500 Jackson St
Philadelphia, PA 19145
Tel:  215-684-4180
Cell: 215-252-0143
<mailto:michael.leone AT pha.phila DOT gov>

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