Ransomware attackers specifically target and attempt to destroy backup systems to increase the probability of payment. Hardening your system is critical. Please ensure you have reviewed your platform security using the Security Hardening Checklist
Cohesity

COHESITY Documentation

Explore our documentation to get started, discover products & new features, access troubleshooting guides, register sources, platforms support.

Products
Data Security Alliance
Visit Cohesity.com
Demos
Support
Blogs
Developers
Partner Portals
Cohesity Community
© 2026 Cohesity, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use|
Privacy Policy|
Legal|
  1. Home
  2. Veritas NetBackup™ Administrator's Guide, Volume I
  3. Section III. Configuring storage
  4. Configuring robots and tape drives
  5. Managing tape drives
  6. About downed drives
Veritas NetBackup™ Administrator's Guide, Volume I

About downed drives

NetBackup downs a drive automatically when there are read or write errors that surpass the threshold within the time window. The default drive error threshold is 2. That is, NetBackup downs a drive on the third drive error in the default time window (12 hours).

Common reasons for write failures are dirty write heads or old media. The reason for the action is logged in the NetBackup error catalog (view the Media Logs report or the All Log Entries report). If NetBackup downs a device, it is logged in the system log.

You can use the NetBackup nbemmcmd command with the -drive_error_threshold and -time_window options to change the default values.

Additional information about nbemmcmd is available.

See the NetBackup Commands Reference Guide:

http://www.veritas.com/docs/DOC5332

To reverse a down action, in the NetBackup Administration Console, expand Media and Device Management > Device Monitor to set the device to Up.

More Information

Changing a drive operating mode

Feedback

Was this page helpful?
Previous

Changing a drive comment

Next

Changing a drive operating mode

Feedback

Was this page helpful?