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lancorp

2 Intern

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343 Posts

15201

December 19th, 2007 12:00

PowerVault 110T LTO-2-L slow backups when using LTO-2 media

We have a Dell 110T LTO-2-L (Tandberg TS400) external tape drive on a Dell server.  We were using LTO-1 tapes in the tape drive and getting about a 4 hour backup using BackupExec 11d.
 
I switched to LTO-2 tapes, expecting at least a two-fold increase in performance, and instead our backups are now taking 12-18 hours.  Soft writes are "through-the-roof".  It' brand new HP media, so I doubt it's a media problem.
 
Any ideas? 
 
FWIW, every Dell tape drive I have installed recently (DAT72 and LTO-2) have had performance issues.  None of them "just work" as they should.  Lots of soft writes, slow backups, cleaning indicators coming on after every backup.  Is there an inherent problem with Dell tape drives?  The one time I spoke with Dell tech support, they said the media was incompatible.  I switched to Dell-brand tapes, and the problem persisted.  I really believe media is media...use a well-known brand, and it's all the same.  What gives?
 
 

Idaho Joe

65 Posts

December 24th, 2007 18:00

Dmylrea,
Not all media is created equally. Having said that, HP LTO2 tapes should work just find in the Dell tape drive. I don't think those tapes are your issue.
 
When it comes to performance issues, you have a few variables outside the tape drive hardware itself.
 
To ensure you have the best chance at getting a successful backup, we need to look at a few things.
 
First: What backup software are you using? What version is it and what updates have been applied?
 
Second: What SCSI controller is this plugged in to? Who provides the driver for this SCSI controller and what version is it?
 
Third: Who is the driver provider for the tape drive driver? What version is it?
 
Fourth: Always Always Always make sure your tape drive is running the latest firmware. For your tape drive you can download the firmware here:
This firmware was released earlier this month. It should be a good update.
 
Fifth: What kind of data are you backing up? Are these flat files, backups over the domain, exchange mailboxes, SQL databases?
 
Let me know the above and we can help get you in the best possible position for an optimal backup.
 
- Idaho Joe
 

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