Manual/Auto drive cleaning via library/ not application

[nia]

Mark,

Have you thought about implementing drive cleaning via library e.g manual or auto cleaning, not controlled by app ?
Most Real physical tape libraries allow for this .. This can be a setting in e.g. device.conf ..

I know, easier said than done.

nia

[Mark Harvey]

This is normally a feature we (NetBackup support) like to see turned off.

NetBackup polls the drives TapeAlert and automagically mounts the
cleaning media.
If the library is set to auto-clean, then there is a race between the
library controller and NetBackup to which one polls the TapeAlert
flags (t10 std says the flags are reset once read, so first in best
dressed).
Also NetBackup is 'surprised' when it goes to load a tape into the
drive and a cleaning tape happens to be in there without its
knowledge.

Is there any reason for this request ?
Or it was something that you realized real libraries can do and hence
the suggestion ?

Cheers
Mark

On Sat, Jul 2, 2011 at 2:54 PM, nia [via MHVTL - Linux Virtual Tape
Library - Community Forums]
<[hidden email]> wrote:

> Mark,
>
> Have you thought about implementing drive cleaning via library e.g manual or
> auto cleaning, not controlled by app ?
> Most Real physical tape libraries allow for this .. This can be a setting in
> e.g. device.conf ..
>
> I know, easier said than done.
>
> nia
>
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> To start a new topic under MHVTL - Linux Virtual Tape Library - Community
> Forums, email [hidden email]
> To unsubscribe from MHVTL - Linux Virtual Tape Library - Community Forums,
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[nia]

Mark Harvey wrote

Is there any reason for this request ?
Or it was something that you realized real libraries can do and hence
the suggestion ?

Cheers
Mark

Yes it was something that I realized real libraries can do and hence suggested .. Also I have never used to cleaning my drives via my backup application, it was also auto cleaning via the library .. I always think of this function as the hardware related problem and not the software .. something less to worry about I guess .. Many Libraries handle this very well.

[Mark Harvey]

On Jul 2, 2011, at 16:36, "nia [via MHVTL - Linux Virtual Tape Library - Community Forums]"<[hidden email]> wrote:

Mark Harvey wrote:

Is there any reason for this request ?
Or it was something that you realized real libraries can do and hence
the suggestion ?

Cheers
Mark

Yes it was something that I realized real libraries can do and hence suggested .. Also I have never used to cleaning my drives via my backup application, it was also auto cleaning via the library .. I always think of this function as the hardware related problem and not the software .. something less to worry about I guess .. Many Libraries handle this very well.

Only realy bites in environments where drives are in use 24 x 7 and backups are all queued waiting for their turn.

I know NetWorker doesn't like it if the library suddenly puts a cleaning tape in a drive.

Neither does NetBackup.

Ill add it to my todo list :)

Sent from my iPad

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[nia]

Thanks Mark. I think it is worth the effort.