NetWorker: How to configure a tape library manually using "jbconfig"
Summary: This article describes how to manually use the legacy 'jbconfig' command to configure a tape library in NetWorker.
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Instructions
The NetWorker '
jbconfig' command is a legacy tool that predates the modern and advanced NetWorker Management Console (NMC) methods of library detection and automatic configuration.
NOTE: The NetWorker Management Console is the preferred and recommended method for library detection, configuration, and reconfiguration. The methods below are provided for situations where NMC is not an option, or to assist troubleshooting where NMC fails to detect or configure a library.
Using 'jbconfig' for a standard, server-local library with unshared tape drives
- Run the '
jbconfig' command:C:\Users\Administrator>jbconfig Jbconfig is running on host networker.dell.nsr (Windows Server 2008 R2 6.1), and is using networker.dell.nsr as the NetWorker server. 1) Configure an AlphaStor Library. 2) Configure an Autodetected SCSI Jukebox. 3) Configure an Autodetected NDMP SCSI Jukebox. 4) Configure an SJI Jukebox. 5) Configure an STL Silo. 6) Exit. which activity do you want to perform? [1] 2 - Choose option 2 to use autodetection:
14484:jbconfig: Scanning SCSI buses; this may take a while ... Installing 'Standard SCSI Jukebox' jukebox - scsidev@2.1.0. - This automatically detects the SCSI address for the library. Provide a name for the library:
What name do you want to assign to this jukebox device? MrData 15814:jbconfig: Attempting to detect serial numbers on the jukebox and drives ... 15815:jbconfig: Will try to use SCSI information returned by jukebox to configure drives. Detected emulated library `MrData' on storage node `networker.dell.nsr'. The following drive(s) can be auto-configured in this jukebox: 1> LTO Ultrium @ 2.2.0 ==> \\.\Tape2147483646 2> LTO Ultrium @ 2.3.0 ==> \\.\Tape2147483645 These are all the drives that this jukebox has reported. - If automatic detection completes without error and you do not want to configure NDMP or Dynamic Drive Sharing, refuse to bypass auto-configure:
To change the drive model(s) or configure them as shared or NDMP drives, you need to bypass auto-configure. Bypass auto-configure? (yes / no) [no] no
Using 'jbconfig' to manually define all handles and addresses, configure for a shared library, or configure Dynamic Drive Sharing:
- Using '
jbconfig' in manual mode requires many more details to successfully complete. First, get an 'inquire' output from all Storage Node hosts that must access any devices in this library. Identify which host should control the autochanger itself, and its SCSI address on that host, using 'inquire':C:\Users\Administrator>inquire -p scsidev@2.1.0:ADIC Scalar 100 2.62|Autochanger (Jukebox), S/N: 79I9G00200 ATNN=ADIC Scalar 100 79I9G00200 Virtual device scsidev@2.2.0:IBM ULTRIUM-TD1 4561|Tape, \\.\Tape2147483646 S/N: 79I9G00201 ATNN=IBM ULTRIUM-TD1 79I9G00201 Virtual device scsidev@2.3.0:IBM ULTRIUM-TD1 4561|Tape, \\.\Tape2147483645 S/N: 79I9G00202 ATNN=IBM ULTRIUM-TD1 79I9G00202 Virtual device 2 Tape, 1 Autochanger (Jukebox), Total: 3 - On the Storage Node with the library, run the '
sjisn' command against the SCSI address of the autochanger robot from the previous step. This command reveals the drive's library order and corresponding serial number. In 'jbconfig', "Element 256" (the first) is considered Drive 1.C:\Users\Administrator>sjisn 2.1.0 Serial Number data for 2.1.0 (ADIC Scalar 100 ): Library: Serial Number: 79I9G00200 SCSI-3 Device Identifiers: ATNN=ADIC Scalar 100 79I9G00200 Drive at element address 256: SCSI-3 Device Identifiers: VENN=79I9G00201 Drive at element address 257: SCSI-3 Device Identifiers: VENN=79I9G00202 - Compare this output with the '
inquire' output from each host that needs access to the drives.- On each host, you can determine the local driver name of the device (such as
\\.\Tape2147483645) corresponding with each serial number (such as79I9G00202). - Using the '
sjisn' output, determine which serial number corresponds to which physical drive in order. For example: 2 is the second. - If needed, make a chart aligning host, drive name, serial number, and drive numbers.
- On each host, you can determine the local driver name of the device (such as
- Next, run '
jbconfig' on the Storage Node with the library. If that is not the NetWorker server, include the '-s <servername>' argument:C:\Users\Administrator>jbconfig -s servername Jbconfig is running on host nsrnode1.dell.nsr (Windows Server 2008 R2 6.1), and is using networker.dell.nsr as the NetWorker server. 1) Configure an AlphaStor Library. 2) Configure an Autodetected SCSI Jukebox. 3) Configure an Autodetected NDMP SCSI Jukebox. 4) Configure an SJI Jukebox. 5) Configure an STL Silo. 6) Exit. which activity do you want to perform? [1] 4 - This time, select option 4. This allows manual configuration control. This may provide a workaround when NMC configuration fails or has problems. You can select the exact model of library, but usually, 56 (Standard SCSI Jukebox) is appropriate.
Enter the number corresponding to the type of jukebox you are installing: 1) ADIC-1200c/ADIC-1200d 20) Exabyte 690D 39) HP-Optical 2) ADIC-VLS 21) Exabyte Jukebox 40) Sony TSL-7000 3) ARC DiamondBack 22) Hitachi ML010 Series 41) Sony TSL-A500C 4) Sun 20Gb 4mm Tape Loader 23) HP-C1553A/Surestore 12000e 42) Sony TSL-AIT 5) Breece Hill Saguaro 24) HP-C1557A/Surestore 12000e 43) Digital 4mm DAT TLZ9L 6) Breece Hill 25) HP C5713A 44) Digital 4mm DAT (TLZxx) 7) Philips Blackjack 26) Hewlett-Packard A4853A 45) Digital TL800 Series 8) DLI Libra Series 27) Metrum (SCSI) 46) Digital TL810 Series 9) Quantum DLT/Digital DLT 28) Qualstar 47) Digital TL820 Series 10) Exabyte 10e or 10h 29) Spectralogic 48) Digital TL893 11) Exabyte 10i 30) STK 9704/Lago 340 49) Digital TL893 12) Exabyte 18D 31) STK 9708/Lago 380 (SCSI) Datawheel 50) Digital TL896 13) Exabyte 60 32) StorageTek 9730 51) Digital TL896 14) Exabyte 120 33) StorageTek 9738 52) Digital TL899 15) Exabyte 210 34) STK 9708/Lago 380 (SCSI) Datawheel 53) Digital TL899 16) Exabyte 218 35) Dell PowerVault 130T 54) Digital Optical 17) Exabyte 220 36) IBM 3570 55) Digital TK Series 18) Exabyte 230D 37) IBM 7331/IBM 9427 56) Standard SCSI Jukebox 19) Exabyte 400 Series 38) ATL/Odetics SCSI Choice? 56 Installing an 'Standard SCSI Jukebox' jukebox. - Choose a friendly name for the library:
What name do you want to assign to this jukebox device? SonOfMrData - Provide the SCSI address from the '
inquire' output on the local host (which must see the library in 'inquire'):39744:jbconfig: Enter the control port of the jukebox in the following format: scsidev@3.0.0 Pathname of the control port for the jukebox device? scsidev@2.1.0 - After the discovery preamble, provide all the host to host-local device name mappings, using the ordering determined from the '
sjisn' and 'inquire' output.- Answer "no" to the NDMP prompt.
- If multiple hosts are sharing the library with one host per device ("
Library sharing") but only one host per device, answer "no" to the second prompt. - If one or more devices are shared concurrently among multiple hosts ("
Dynamic Drive Sharing"), answer "yes."The drives in this jukebox cannot be auto-configured with the available information. You will need to provide the path for the drives. Is (any path of) any drive intended for NDMP use? (yes / no) [no] no Is any drive going to have more than one path defined? (yes / no) [no] yes
- The following prompts refer to the drive order as shown by the '
sjisn' output. For each drive, starting with the first ('1', regardless of 'sjisn' "Element number") and moving through that sequence, provide the host and device name mappings for each device as correlated by the serial number in each host's 'inquire' output against the 'sjisn' output:Drive 1, element 1 local bus, target, lun value = 0.0.0, Device path 1 ? nsrnode1.dell.com:\\.\Tape2147483646 Device path 2 ? \\.\Tape3 Device path 3 ? Drive 2, element 2 local bus, target, lun value = 0.0.0, Device path 1 ? nsrnode1.dell.com:\\.\Tape2147483645 Device path 2 ? nsrnode2.dell.com:/dev/nst5 Device path 3 ? - In the context of these '
inquire' and 'sjisn' examples, the first drive in 'sjisn' (element 256) is referred to here as "Drive 1" (that is, the first), and has a serial number of79I9G00201.- The '
inquire' output for the library host (which in this case is a storage nodensrnode1.dell.com) shows the corresponding device name for that host to be\\.\Tape2147483646. It is entered as "<hostname>:<host's local devicename>" because this is a storage node. - The second entry has no "
<hostname>:" piece; this is because it is meant to represent a handle to the same device, but for the server. The "<hostname>:" element is never required for the server. The server's 'inquire' output is not shown here, but would report the same serial number as the first entry for drive 1, with a different (local) device name (\\.\Tape3). - Multiple hosts accessing the same device is called "Dynamic Drive sharing." When you are done entering all
host:devicenamepairs for a given physical drive, entering a blank line proceeds to the next drive in order, if any. - In this example, the second physical drive is traced in the same way: By position in '
sjisn' output, corresponding device name 'inquire' output for each host, with serial number as the common identifier for all outputs. A second storage node is sharing the second drive. As before, the hostname must be entered for Storage Nodes only, and the device names (local to each host) do not need any relationship to one another.
- The '
After configuring your tape library
- Attempt to reset your library: In NMC, right click the instance and choose "Reset," or use the command equivalent:
nsrjb -HEvvvvv - Inventory your library if necessary: Again, in NMC by right-clicking the library and selecting "Inventory," or from the CLI:
nsrjb -IIvvvvv - Test mounting and unmounting: Again, in NMC, or using the command line:
jbverify(only tests local configuration)
Additional Information
For a command-line mechanism to add and remove configured devices to existing libraries, see:
For more advanced tape library troubleshooting information, see also:
Affected Products
NetWorkerProducts
NetWorker FamilyArticle Properties
Article Number: 000013833
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 23 مارس 2026
Version: 6
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