How to disable TapeAlert in NetBackup

Description

TapeAlert can be disabled in NetBackup by creating a touch file called NO_TAPEALERT in follow paths:

• Windows: install_path\Volmgr\database\NO_TAPEALERT
• UNIX/Linux: /usr/openv/volmgr/database/NO_TAPEALERT

Notes:

If TapeAlert is disabled in NetBackup, the vendor must be able to support drive cleaning.

Once NO_TAPEALERT is touched you must restart NetBackup services. This touch file should be on ALL media servers.

Before NetBackup version 6, NetBackup does not support cleaning of ACS-controlled drives. NetBackup 6.x and later does support ACS-controlled drives.

In SSO, if TapeAlert is not disabled and a TapeAlert flag is set by the drive NetBackup will not release the drive. You can use vmdareg -a (on the Primary/Master) to see if the SSO drive is reserved and use vmoprcmd -d to see if not in use. The drive will not be released until the drive is cleaned, the tapealert flag cleared, or if NetBackup is restarted.

To check whether or not there are TapeAlert flags currently set, on the Primary/Master run the following command:

• tpconfig -emm_dev_list
  • Check the output and look for "Tape Alert", all flags should be 0. Or run tpclean -L and look for cleaning needed.

You can temporarily clear the flag with command:

• tpclean -M <drive_name>

In install_path\netbackup\db\media\errors there is a log of all media / drive errors that have been encountered on the media server. Starting in NetBackup 6.x, enhancements were made to also log TapeAlert errors in this file.

In order for NetBackup to manage drive cleaning, cleaning cartridges must be defined in NetBackup in the following manner:

• media type with 'cleaning' suffix, such as dlt_cleaning or hcart_cleaning, matching the density of the drive (hcart, hcart2, dlt, dlt2....)
• in the "NONE" pool
• present in the robotic library (and inventoried)
• cleanings remaining greater than zero (use vmquery -m <mediaid> to see number of cleanings remaining)

The administrator must monitor the number of cleanings remaining, add new cleaning cartridges when all cleanings have been used. The system logs will have messages when cleaning is required or if other problems occur. Search these system logs for "clean" (non case sensitive).

Note: All of the commands listed in the KB article (vmdareg, vmoprcmd, vmquery, tpconfig, tpclean) are located in the following path...

• Windows: install_path\Volmgr\bin\
• UNIX/Linux: /usr/openv/volmgr/bin/

Applies To

As a note TapeAlert can be disabled in NBU, but you may consider leaving TapeAlert enabled even if the vendor is cleaning the tape drives. With TapeAlert enabled you will see TapeAlert related messages in install_path\netbackup\db\media\errors (on each media server) in both Windows and UNIX/Linux (and the system log). With TapeAlert disabled you will not see these errors. So it may be helpful for documentation purposes to NOT disable TapeAlert, but if you do this please read this note below:

Note: You need to consider the following:

1. Are these TapeAlert errors important to be reported?
   • If yes, leave TapeAlert enabled.
2. If you have shared tape drives (SSO), you do not have a cleaning tape, TapeAlert is enabled, and there is a cleaning request from the tape drive. There will be a request to clean this drive and the tape drive will not be able to be used by NBU until the either cleaned or the cleaning request canceled. Use tpclean -L to see if the drive needs cleaning.
   • If yes, clean it and or clear this cleaning request with the tpclean -M <drive_name> command. The -M only "marks" the drive as clean (it just clears the flag and does NOT clean it), the tpclean -C will clean the drive if you have a cleaning tape defined to NBU. If the vendor is cleaning the tape drive, have that done and use the -C option to clear.