D2D120 w/ LTO3 and DPX - media rotation issues

[Martin Hoffmann]

I'm setting up a Storageworks D2D120 Box with internal Ultrium-3 (920) tape drive. My host server is a Windows 2003 Server with data protector express 3.50 SP2.

I've setup up a rather simple media rotation using 4 tape sets for monday til thursday and currently use 2 tape sets for fridays. I want D2D to copy the friday tapes to real tapes for offsite storing. This should be done using the D2D's internal LTO3 drive (Ultrium 920 SAS drive).

How can the automatic-job on D2D system know which slot contains the tape used for latest friday backup??

Or if mail slot is used, how do i copy from mail slot instead of moving (export) ??? And besides this how can i force DPX to export the newest friday tape to mail slot?

I'm totally confused and stuck here!
Already read the D2D manuals, DPX manuals and the best practice whitepaper - however i'm stuck!

Any help appreciated!

Regards, Martin.

[TapeDrive Killer]

Hi Martin

After the backup job has finished you can right click on the backup job go to properties and then logs. On logs you will see what tape cartridge was used on the friday backup. After this you can go to wizards > media > Copy media. Select the media and copy to tape drive.

I don't know yet if you can have DPX to load media to specific slot.

[TapeDrive Killer]

On logs also you will know wich slot contains wich tape if you don't see that you can go to DEVICES then double click until you get to storage slots.

If that doesnt help you can do a Identify media.

[Martin Hoffmann]

Sorry, i was not able to reply earlier, because the hp forum service was down?

I know that i can manually do that like you suggest, but i was searching for a full automated approach that does not need administrative effort!

Anyone?

[TapeDrive Killer]

There is copy policy on the backup job.

[Martin Hoffmann]

If i understand right i cannot use the copy policy on the backup job since i cannot access the D2D's internal tape drive directly from the windows server. I could only use the copy policy if i had a local tape drive in my server!

Any ideas?

It seems to me that the concept behind the D2D with internal tape drive is not really usable without administrators interaction!

[TapeDrive Killer]

Ok now I undestan the problem your D2D has a Tape Drive inside thas why DPX can't see it. There is no way DPX would see that Tpae drive inside the D2D.

[Cristian Hasler]

I have exactly the same problem. May be an HP technician will read this post and keep in mind the idea for a future firmware...

I have 2 tapes for complete weekly backup on friday and 4 tapes for differential daily backup from monday to thursday.

I want to copy the last used weekly media to a physical cartridge in the d2d internal LTO-3 ultrium drive.

In the software backup all work fine (I use ArcServe 12.0), but on the D2D itself there is no way to configure a scheduled task to be executed every two week, that's what I need for my media rotation :
1st Task :
From slot media "Friday1" to tape on Saturday - execution every two week from the next friday
2nd Task :
From slot media "Friday2" to tape on Saturday - execution every two week from next week friday

Actually you can only configure scheduled task as "Weekday of month", end create at least 4 tasks :
1. On first Saturday copy slot "Friday1"
2. On second Saturday copy slot "Friday2"
3. On third Saturday copy slot "Friday1"
4. On fourth Saturday copy slot "Friday2"

But some month have 5 friday (like may in 2008), and the media "Friday1" will be used for this "exceptional" backup. Because "Friday1" was used in the fifth backup, "Friday2" will be used by the software backup program on the first friday of the next month. In this case your scheduled tasks on the D2D are no more synchronized :

The scheduled task is :
1. On first Saturday copy slot "Friday1"
And because the fifth friday of the past month, the real media used is "Friday2"

Another problem not mentioned is to copy to a physical tape the backup of the fifth friday of the "exceptional" month.

That's the reason why we need a new type of scheduled task with periodicity and start date.

I also have another problems with D2D like email notification thought Exchange SMTP and scheduled task of type "Day of Month", I have submitted an HP case on January and they tell me that a new firmware will be released on late april... I'm still waiting. It seam that HP D2D have some firmware problems (bug and missing functions) and long delay response for fixes.

Hope that can help ;-)