Tape Library DLT Cleaning tape Script

[Gerrit Winckelmann]

I am planning to write a script for the cleaning tape so that it will tell me whenever it has been used for twenty times so that it notifys me when it needs to be changed. i planned to use the cleaning.log to do so, but i just havent got a functioning script yet. does anybody have a good idea how to solve this problem? any commands that i could use or maybe even a complete script already?
THX for helping!

[Leif Halvarsson_2]

Hi

Do you use barcode labels. If so you can use the label for this. Example:
label is CLNH35L1
create a file with the tape label in the log directory.




label='cat /var/opt/omni/log/label'
nr='grep $label create a file with the tape label in the log directory.

/var/opt/omni/log/cleaning.log |wc -l'
if [nr -gt 20 ]
then echo "Change cleaning tape"
fi

When you change the tape you have to edit the label file.

[Leif Halvarsson_2]

Sorry,
Something got wrong. Hope this is better

Do you use barcode labels. If so you can use the label for this. Example:

label is CLNH35L1

create a file with the tape label in the log directory.

#SCRIPT#

label='cat /var/opt/omni/log/label'
nr='grep $label /var/opt/omni/log/cleaning.log |wc -l'
if [nr -gt 20 ]
then echo "Change cleaning tape"
fi

#END#

When you change the tape you have to edit the label file.

[Leif Halvarsson_2]

Hi

Some modifications.

I assume yuo use OmniBack.

If you don't want to use the label file you can get this information from the library.

#SCRIPT#

label='omnimm -repository |grep "Cleaning" |awk '{print $4}'

nr='grep $label /var/opt/omni/log/cleaning.log |wc -l'
if [nr -gt 20 ]
then echo "Change cleaning tape"
fi

#END#

[Gerrit Winckelmann]

thanx for your help, i already got to work it out... but now i have another problem... what could i do if i always have the same barcode for the cleaning tape? eeven when i exchange the cleaning tape, i put the old barcode onto the new cleaning tape... thats how we are supposed to do it, dont ask me why. so, how can i solve the problem, when i always use the same barcode?

[Leif Halvarsson_2]

Hi
A simple solution. Reset the logfile when you have changed the tape. Command:
>/var/opt/omni/log/cleaning.log

[Gerrit Winckelmann]

i cant reset the logfile because there are the cleaning logs from all the other librarys in there too.... any other idea maybe?

[Leif Halvarsson_2]

Hi
This is perhaps not easy as the only way to distinguish two cleaning tapes seems to be the barcode label. You cant apply any Description, Media pool or other information to cleaning tapes. Of course it is possible to find "workarounds", for example add some information to each line with this label in the log file. Another solution could be to create a "lockfile" each time a tape is used 20 times. This lockfile is removed when the tape is replaced and then divide line numbers with 20 and use the reminder. But I don't like such workarounds, they don't seems very reliable.

I think the best solution is to buy some barcode labels, it can't be very expensive.

[Gerrit Winckelmann]

thats what i would say too, thanx for your help, ut i guess i have to use a workaround... no other way out if there are stupid rules like keeping the barcode for the librarys... but oh well.
thank you again, you already helped me enough because you gave me good ideas.
i guess i will just make a grep with tail 20 and head -1 on the cleaning tape barcode and then i compare the dates from the grep with the one from the file that will be made when a new cleaning tape is put in, that way i can see if the tape needs to bechanged or not! ;)

[Hamdy Al-Sebaey]

Gerrit,
May be my answer is outside your question, but I would like to remember you about the follownig point;
I read a document from HP in which engnieers from mentioned that you do'nt need to clean your back-up unit as long as the backup-unit does'nt ask for cleaning.
They give an advice about DLT en LTO, may be you need to clean then once every six months.
so if we say you 'll clean your backup unit twice a year then you can use your cleaning tape for 10 years(according to your script).
Regards,
Hamdy