On 07/29/2011 06:11 PM, Gilles, Paul wrote:

I'm running Networker 7.6.1.7 on a Sun T2000 running Solaris 10 with five Storage Nodes and 25 
Dedicated Storage Nodes. We use two Brocade switches to connect the backup fabric. I have four 
Quantum i6000 libraries with 48, 47, 16 and 8 drives (IBM LTO-3, -4 and -5 drives). I was using 
Quantum media when the "prematurely full" messages began back in April 2011. We are now 
using TDK media and the problem has become worse. Due to our requirements, we primarily use new 
tape media. We've replaced about eight tape drives, and removed about 25 tapes from circulation. 
We've had several hundred tape drives "marked full prematurely". This problem appears 
primarily on our two libraries that have the highest tape usage (3000+/month between the two of 
them).

I am told that Quantum and IBM have an issue with their firmware in how it handles tape errors. The 
new TDK media has a problem with tape tension (like most new media) and "dust" from the 
manufacturing process. Apparently, the firmware is a little too sensitive to tape errors that 
aren't really errors and the "dust" requires the tape drives to be cleaned much more 
often (several times a month). And we all know how enthusiastic Networker is on marking tapes as 
bad on drive errors. Our short-term fix is our script that ejects tapes now changes all tapes that 
are marked prematurely full back to appendable. On the fourth such error, we eject the tape and 
discard it. We have removed about six tapes this way. The remainder of the tapes have been reused 
without error.

I will say that Quantum has been very responsive in determining a root cause to 
this issue.

YMMV

Paul Gilles
NAVTEQ

-----Original Message-----
From: EMC NetWorker discussion [mailto:NETWORKER AT listserv.temple DOT edu] On 
Behalf Of STANLEY R. HORWITZ
Sent: Friday, July 29, 2011 9:19 AM
To: NETWORKER AT listserv.temple DOT edu
Subject: [Networker] Tape prematurely marked full

Perhaps some of you can help me uncover a mystery. I have a Spectra T50e
tape library with two LTO-5 tape drives with the hardware encryption
feature enabled. This tape library is used exclusively to do group-based
cloning in NetWorker 7.6 SP1 Power Edition on a Red Hat Linux 64-bit Dell
server. The drives are connected to the NetWorker server via fibre channel.

Last night, one of the three tapes that received clone data was marked
full much too soon. All I can find in the /nsr/logs/daemon.raw file is a
notice that this tape was marked full prematurely. This was the first tape
to be written to that night. I did not notice any problems with the other
two tapes that were used last night.

I am wondering why that occurred. Could this particular tape be defective?
Nothing out of the ordinary showed up in the /var/log/messages file last
night. The tape in question is only about two months old and it has no
aborted safe sets on it.

To sign off this list, send email to listserv AT listserv.temple DOT edu and type 
"signoff networker" in the body of the email. Please write to networker-request 
AT listserv.temple DOT edu if you have any problems with this list. You can access the 
archives at http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/networker.html or
via RSS at http://listserv.temple.edu/cgi-bin/wa?RSS&L=NETWORKER


The information contained in this communication may be CONFIDENTIAL and is 
intended only for the use of the recipient(s) named above.  If you are not the 
intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, 
distribution, or copying of this communication, or any of its contents, is 
strictly prohibited.  If you have received this communication in error, please 
notify the sender and delete/destroy the original message and any copy of it 
from your computer or paper files.

To sign off this list, send email to listserv AT listserv.temple DOT edu and type 
"signoff networker" in the body of the email. Please write to networker-request 
AT listserv.temple DOT edu if you have any problems with this list. You can access the 
archives at http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/networker.html or
via RSS at http://listserv.temple.edu/cgi-bin/wa?RSS&L=NETWORKER

To sign off this list, send email to listserv AT listserv.temple DOT edu and type 
"signoff networker" in the body of the email. Please write to networker-request 
AT listserv.temple DOT edu if you have any problems with this list. You can access the 
archives at http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/networker.html or
via RSS at http://listserv.temple.edu/cgi-bin/wa?RSS&L=NETWORKER