How to configure and LTO5 library on a system which already has LTO2, LTO3 and LTO4 drives confgured

Description

This article explains how to configure an LTO5 tape library on a NetBackup system that already has LTO2, LTO3, and LTO4 drives configured. It addresses the limitation of available media type definitions and provides guidance for selecting drive types in environments with more than three LTO drive generations.

Problem

NetBackup provides only three HCART media type options: HCART, HCART2, and HCART3. If you have four LTO-type drives (LTO2, LTO3, LTO4, and LTO5) managed by the same NetBackup Master/Media server, you may need to assign a fourth drive type (e.g., HCART4). However, NetBackup does not currently offer HCART4 or HCART5 media type definitions.

Solution

Although it would be logical to have HCART4 or HCART5, these media type definitions are not yet available in NetBackup. When configuring drives, you can select from the existing drive types (DLT, DLT2, HCART, HCART2, HCART3, etc.). There are no HCART4 or HCART5 options, but you can choose any available type from the list for your LTO5 drive.

NetBackup does not differentiate between drive types in terms of tape capacity or performance. The choice of drive type label does not affect the operation of the tape drive itself. Select an available drive type for your LTO5 drive and proceed with configuration as usual.