NetBackup media types
NetBackup uses media types to differentiate the media that have different physical characteristics. Each media type may represent a specific physical media type.
The NetBackup media types are also known as Media Manager media types.
The following table describes the NetBackup media types.
Table: NetBackup media types
| Media type | Description |
|---|---|
|
DLT |
DLT cartridge tape |
|
DLT_CLN |
DLT cleaning tape |
|
DLT2 |
DLT cartridge tape 2 |
|
DLT2_CLN |
DLT cleaning tape 2 |
|
DLT3 |
DLT cartridge tape 3 |
|
DLT3_CLN |
DLT cleaning tape 3 |
|
HCART |
1/2 inch cartridge tape |
|
HCART2 |
1/2 inch cartridge tape 2 |
|
HCART3 |
1/2 inch cartridge tape 3 |
|
HC_CLN |
1/2 inch cleaning tape |
|
HC2_CLN |
1/2 inch cleaning tape 2 |
|
HC3_CLN |
1/2 inch cleaning tape 3 |
NetBackup writes media in a format that allows the position to be verified before NetBackup appends new backup images to the media.
Note:
The user interface for NetBackup may show configuration options for the media types that are not supported in that release. Those types may be supported in an earlier release, and a NetBackup primary server can manage the hosts that run earlier NetBackup versions. Therefore, the configuration information for such types must appear in the user interface. The NetBackup documentation also may describe the configuration information for such types. To determine which versions of NetBackup support which media types, see the NetBackup Enterprise Server and Server - Hardware and Cloud Storage Compatibility List:
Alternate media types let you define more than one type of tape in the same library. You can use the alternate types to differentiate between different physical cartridges.
The following are examples of alternate media types:
DLT, DLT2, DLT3
HCART, HCART2, HCART3
For example, if a robot has DLT4000 and DLT7000 drives, you can specify the following media types:
DLT media type for the DLT4000 tapes
DLT2 media type for the DLT7000 tapes
NetBackup then does not load a tape that was written in a DLT4000 drive into a DLT7000 drive and vice versa.
You must use the appropriate default media type when you configure the drives. (When you configure drives in NetBackup, you specify the default media type to use in each drive type.)
In a robot, all of the volumes (of a specific vendor media type) must be the same NetBackup media type. For example, for an ACS robot that contains 3490E media, you can assign either NetBackup HCART, HCART2, or HCART3 media type to that media. You cannot assign HCART to some of the media and HCART2 (or HCART3) to other of the media.
For more information, see "Media formats" in the NetBackup Administrator's Guide, Volume II.