How to overcome the limitation of 3 Tape Drive types in NetBackup

Description

This article provides a workaround for the limitation in NetBackup regarding the number of supported Tape Drive types. NetBackup currently allows only three 1/2" cartridge types (HCART, HCART2, HCART3). This limitation affects environments where more than three different tape drive types are present in the same tape library.

Example

Objective

To introduce a fourth tape drive type (T10KB) into an environment already using three types (9840B, 9950B, T10KA) and keep its media separate from existing types, despite NetBackup's limitation of three supported drive types.

Environment

• Master and Media Servers: UNIX, Linux, or Windows
• NetBackup: (Supported Versions)
• Tape Library: 1 unit with 3 different tape drive types (9840B, 9950B, T10KA), currently configured as HCART, HCART2, and HCART3
• Objective: Add a new Tape Drive of Type T10KB to the existing tape library

Example Steps

1. Current Configuration

   • 9840B drives: Configured as HCART
   • 9950B drives: Configured as HCART2
   • T10KA drives: Configured as HCART3

2. Configuring the New T10KB Drive

   • Configure the T10KB tape drive in NetBackup using a different drive type/label, such as DLT.
   • This approach allows you to create a separate Storage Unit and Media type for the new T10KB drive.

3. Media Separation

   • Assign a unique barcode label to the new T10KB media, different from existing media/tapes.
   • Create a barcode rule based on the new T10KB barcode label to add the media to the NetBackup EMM Database as DLT tapes.

4. Storage Unit and Volume Pool Configuration

   • Create a Storage Unit representing the new T10KB drive as DLT type.
   • Add the new media to a Volume Pool with the same DLT type.
   • This configuration ensures that media for the new tape drive is kept separate within NetBackup.

5. Backup Policy Operation

   • When a backup policy runs, the Storage Unit and Volume Pool are identified and selected.
   • Resources are allocated such that the tape drive from the Storage Unit and media from the Volume Pool match the drive type.