Monitoring STORE Command Progress

After you enter a STORE command, STORE issues a message similar to the following one on the $STDLIST:

TURBO-STORE/RESTORE VERSION A.20.01  (C) 1986 HEWLETT-PACKARD CO.

  TUE, NOV 6, 1989,  2:57 PM

Monitor the console for additional messages. In addition to regular progress messages, if you requested them with the PROGRESS option, STORE sends you messages when you need to reply to a backup request, add a write ring to a backup reel, or mount a piece of media on a backup device.

Responding to Tape Requests

When your backup devices are not configured to be automatically allocated, the system answers your STORE command with one or more backup requests. Refer to Chapter 8, "Handling Media Requests," for more information.

If you have previously issued a FILE command that included the backup device's LDEV number, the backup request asks you to confirm that number. For example:

   ?14:57/#S25/43/IS "T" ON LDEV #8 (Y/N)?

Replying to Tape Requests for a Multiple-Device Backup

If you are backing up files to several devices, the system sends you a backup request for each device. If you give your backup devices unique filenames, you receive a backup request for each unique filename. Use the "Multiple Device Planning Chart" from figure 3-7 in Chapter 3, "Preparing Storage Devices," to determine which LDEV to assign to each name.

If you give your backup devices a common filename, you receive several identical backup requests referring to the common filename, one for each device. For example, the first backup request in a sequential backup asks for the LDEV number of the first device. The second request asks for the LDEV number of the second device, and so on.

During a parallel backup, backup requests for the parallel devices will be issued to the console. Requests for all parallel devices will be issued at once, in no specific order. There will be a different PIN associated with each request, although all requests are really coming from STORE. You should reply to the requests using the appropriate LDEVs for the parallel sets. Files will not begin to be stored until all requests have been replied to.

When you are using parallel device pools, the requests for the first serial device in all pools will be issued first, in no specific order. After the first serial device has been replied to, then a request will be issued for the next serial device, and so on. Parallel pool requests are independent, with each parallel pool having a different PIN associated with its request. Files will not be stored until all requests have been replied to.

Handling Media Errors

When a media error occurs while writing to a output device, the behavior of STORE depends on the value of the ONERROR option, as explained below.

Tape Error Recovery

The STORE command's ONERROR parameter lets you specify a backup error recovery procedure. Your options are ONERROR=QUIT and ONERROR=REDO. REDO is the default. QUIT instructs STORE to abort upon encountering a backup I/O error while REDO instructs STORE to continue after encountering an I/O error.

If you specify REDO and the STORE command encounters a backup I/O error on any device, STORE sends a message to your terminal (or the file or device to which you have assigned the file SYSLIST). This message indicates where the error occurred. For example, STORESET=(*T1,*T2,*T3) is requested and a backup error occurs on the device referenced by *T2 while it is creating reel 2. STORE rewinds the reel to the load point, marks the reel as bad, and asks you to mount another reel. After you mount the new reel, STORE automatically stores all the files from the point where the bad reel began.

The message is similar to the following:

The user sees:

   STORE ENCOUNTERED MEDIA WRITE ERROR ON LDEV #

where LDEV # is the device referenced by

T2. This means that the store error recovery occurs on the same device where the error occurred.

The operator sees the following messages on the console:

   STORE IS MARKING REEL BAD ON LDEV #



   MOUNT MEDIA # OF SET # FOR STORE ON LDEV #

Optical Disk Errors

If an optical disk write error is encountered, STORE displays the same error messages that it would display for tape backup devices.

You can determine which piece of media is has been marked bad by using the STATUS command of the MOUTIL program. The status display indicates which piece of media is bad by showing "THE MEDIA IS BAD" in the media name field. If a disk write error occurs while storing to a disk file, STORE aborts, irrespective of what ONERROR option was specified.

Bad Media

Once a piece of media has been marked bad, it should not be used for future STORE operations. If a media that has been marked bad is mounted for use in a STORE operation, STORE will issue the following message to the console:

MEDIA ON LDEV # IS BAD. CONTINUE ANYWAY?(Y/N)

If you reply YES, then STORE will write over this media. If you reply NO, the media will be unloaded, and you should mount another piece of media.




	NOTE: `STORE` will not check to see if a piece of media has been marked bad if it is the very first reel mounted. Therefore, it is important that once a reel has been marked bad by store, some note is made on the physical label of the media to indicate that it encountered a write error while storing to it.

Responding to a NO WRITE RING Message

Reel backups require you to insert a write ring into the reel in order to store files onto the backup. You see a NO WRITE RING message when you attempt to store files to a reel-to-reel backup and neglect to insert a write ring into the groove on the back of the backup reel. For example:

   15:57/2/LDEV#8 NO WRITE RING

The message above tells you there is no write ring on the backup reel mounted on LDEV 8. Without the write ring, the files on the backup are protected from being inadvertently copied over. You must rewind and remove the backup reel, and mount a backup which has a write ring. Follow the instructions in Chapter 2, "Managing Backups and Backup Media." When the backup is correctly mounted, STORE continues, and another REPLY is not necessary.

You can also get this message when attempting to store to a write-protected DDS tape or 3480 cartridge. Follow the instructions in your device's manual for making your media writeable. Usually this involves sliding a tab on the end of the tape (for DDS), or turning a dial on the end of the cartridge (for 3480).

Progress Messages

If you have used the PROGRESS parameter in your STORE command, the system displays progress messages at the interval you specified. For example:

   STORE OPERATION IS 4% COMPLETE

You see similar messages at regular intervals, for example:

   STORE OPERATION IS 7% COMPLETE

   STORE OPERATION IS 11% COMPLETE

   STORE OPERATION IS 14% COMPLETE

The backup is finished when the 100% complete message displays.

Mounting Additional Tapes

When STORE fills a piece of media on a device and it has additional information to store to that device, it asks you to mount another piece of media. You see a mount request and LDEV NOT READY message like the ones below:

   15:28/#S43/59/MOUNT MEDIA FOR STORE ON LDEV 8

   15:29/#S43/59 LDEV 8 NOT READY

The mount request above asks you to mount another piece of media on logical device 8.

To mount another piece of media:

Unload the first piece of media and stack it, label side down, on top of any media previously written on this drive during the current STORE operation. Remove the write ring.
Select the next piece of media from the prepared stack near the piece of media device. If there are no more media prepared, prepare a new piece of media following the instructions in "Preparing Your Backup Media", in Chapter 3, "Preparing Storage Devices."
Mount the new piece of media.
Continue monitoring the backup process. Mount new media as the system requests them.