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Restore from TAPE BKP

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5 replies

by an_it_guy

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Hi,

One of my Win2K Server has crashed, and all the data lost. I had been backing up the data on DDS 20/40gb tapes, using Windows proprietary Backup solutions from the server that crashed.

Now, I am trying to restore data from the tape using another server.. but the tape is not getting recognized! I am unable to catalog the new tape inserted, and hence cant go any further!!

Pls advice how to retreive data from the tape using other Win2K server which is using identical tape drive & is identical IBM x220 server to the one crashed!

Thanks.

5 replies

by hal 9000

Recover any data off the Tape as by all accounts it was never written to in the first place.

Normally when a Tape Drive Fails it will run for a few seconds to minutes and then stop. Unless you made sure that you could read the tapes after they where backed up on the server when it was working they most likely have not had anything written to them.

This is quite common as no one seems to think that they need to verify that the backup actually took place. Several years ago I had to rebuild a Health Department Server that had Daily Tape Backup's taken and from what I could work out the Tape Drive had died approximately 6 months previously and I had no Data on tapes to work with just 3 months of blank tapes to play with.

If you are absolutely certain that these tapes actually contain data then pull the tape drive out of the old server and fit it to the next one and try that. If that doesn't work you'll need to build a temp unit with the same software load and the original Tape Drive and attempt to restore from there.

By the sounds of things the DR Plan that you are working under has never been put to the test and it has never been checked for it's ability to recover data to different hardware which is always a problem.

Col

by an_it_guy

Hi Col
Thanks for your comments.

We keep checking the tapes once in a month or so by restoring atleast few files just to see if they were accessible. My mistake was, that I always only "cataloged" & restored from from the same server which was used to create that backup. Now that the server in question has crashed, I am not sure how to initiate "Catalog" of the tape on other identical server.
I will try your suggestion of using the same tape drive on the 2nd server to see if that works.

But still, I have a question. In Win2K native backup software, how do you initiate RESTORE if that tape was not backed up from that server or is not recognised?
I know what "LABEL" was used while BACKUP was created; Is there anyway I can tell the BAckup/Restore console to "look" for a tape named so-n-so??
Your help is appreciated, Thanks.

by hal 9000

I'll setup a Y2k Server and have a play and get back with a possible work around as I'm not exactly sure how the Windows Backup utility works.

Col

by ferlawy

I have the same problem, I cannot restore from all my tapes that were taken using my old Win 2003 Server machine, ever since it crashed, i have been backing up on a new server, but i have been trying to restore some tapes that were backup using the old server, but always fail at cataloging, the utility complains of Other Media being used and then ejects my tape. Any Ideas ?

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