Problem with full backup using SAM

[zhi wang_1]

Hi, Gurus,
Recently we have been experiencing some problem with a full back to DDS3 tape using SAM. This is a HPd390 box runing HP-UX 11.0. We set up the full backup using SAM. The br_log tells me it is completed with error code 4 and it took almost 2 hours. However, when we went back to check and verify the content of the DDS3 tape, using "tar tvf /dev/rmt/0m" or "tar -vt", we get "checksum error blocksize 2" or "checksum error blocksize 4". We tried everything: cleaning the head using the cleaning tape; changed the DDS3 from Sony to HP's own tape; replaced the tape drive itself; unplugged and plugged back the SCSI cable on the motherboard; checked and verified the tape drivers...

Yet it still refuses to work. The funny thing about it is that a couple of months ago (June) We were able to make a recovery tape using HP's Ignite_ux. Of course the only difference is we did not use SAM then.

We contacted both HP support as well as the vendor, they could not figure out what is wrong either.

Has anybody experienced this before? Do you have any suggestions? Your help are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

[Mark Grant]

I am pretty sure that SAM doesn't use tar to backup but uses fbackup. You therefore owuld not be able to restore with tar but with frecover.

[Jon Mattatall]

I've never used SAM to set up a backup, but it seems it would use fbackup.

Try frecover -Nv > /tmp/file1 2>&1

man frecover for details/options.

[zhi wang_1]

I just want to "clarify" one thing: we are not using "tar" to back up but just want to use "tar tvf" or "tar -vt" to verify the content of the tape. We have about a dozen HP-UX servers and I have had no problem with any other servers except this one.

Zhi

[Mark Grant]

Zhi,

As the backup is not in a format that "tar" understands, you can not verify it or restore it using "tar". Sam uses the "fbackup" command to store data on the tape and the tape is therefore in "fbackup" format and the only thing that undrstands "fbackup" format tapes is "frecover".

try typing "frecover -vN" and you should see all your backup data has been successfully written to tape.

[Mark Grant]

Zhi,

Just read your last post a bit more carefully. are you saying that on other servers, you backup with SAM and check the tape with "tar"? If this is the case then the only way I can see that happening is if someone has specifically set up a SAM menu to give you the "tar" backup option.

You can test all this by putting in a blank tape and doing "tar cvf /dev/rmt/0m /tmp" and then when finished, try your "tar tvf /dev/rmt/0m" again and see if you still get the same error. There is a "b" option to "tar" to set blocksize but I suspect we don't have to go near that one just yet :)