Protection Agent failure error during backup to tape with DPM 2010.

Question

DPM TechNet Forum,
We are experiencing an intermittent error when backing up to tape using DPM 2010 (with latest QFE roll-up applied).
"The operation failed because of a protection agent failure. (ID 998 Details: The device is not connected (0x8007048F))"
Any idea what could be causing this error?
Thanks in advance,
Joe

Answer 1

Hi,
You can try to reproduce the problem outside of DPM using some external utilities.  If you have more than one drive in the library, run the test against both drives simultaneously to simulate multiple backup jobs running.  If you get an error
before the tape fills you can use net helpmsg errorcode to see what the error was.
Download the DPMerasetape.zip file from the following link and extract to c:\temp folder.
https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=b03306b628ab886f&id=B03306B628AB886F%21524&sc=documents
The utilities are not that user friendly, but here are the basics.
Always Stop DPMLA Service prior to running MCT.EXE Commands.
  NET STOP DPMLA
C:\> mct-x64.exe -p
Opening changer \\.\Changer0
     ********** Changer Parameters **********
         Number of Transport Elements : 1
         Number of Storage Elements : 50
         Number of Cleaner Slots : 0
         Number of of IE Elements : 0
         Number of NumberDataTransferElements : 6
         Number of Doors : 0
         First Slot Number : 0
         First Drive Number : 0
         First Transport Number : 0
         First IEPort number : 0
         First Cleaner Slot Address : 0
         Magazine Size : 0
         Drive Clean Timeout : 600
  Flags set for the changer :
         CHANGER_BAR_CODE_SCANNER_INSTALLED
         CHANGER_POSITION_TO_ELEMENT
         CHANGER_STORAGE_DRIVE
         CHANGER_STORAGE_SLOT
         CHANGER_DRIVE_CLEANING_REQUIRED
         CHANGER_VOLUME_IDENTIFICATION
         CHANGER_VOLUME_SEARCH
         CHANGER_SERIAL_NUMBER_VALID
 Changer can move from Slot to :
                 Slot
                 Drive
 Changer can move from Drive to :
                 Slot
                 Drive
 Changer is Capable of positioning transport to Slot.
 Changer is Capable of positioning transport to Drive.
C:\> mct-x64.exe -d
Opening changer \\.\Changer0
Product Data for Medium Changer device :
  Vendor Id    : STK
  Product Id   : L180
  Revision     : 030
  SerialNumber : 3077520000
For MCT utility we have the  -m [MOVE] command to move media around inside the library.
-m [ElemType-T] Transport# [ElemType-Source] S_lot#/D_rive# [ElemType-Destination] S_lot#/D_rive#
Get / view command syntax for –m (move) command for changer 0
C:\>mct-x64 0 -m
Opening changer \\.\Changer0
MoveMedium : mct -m t N s\d N s\d N   [Where s/d means Slot or Drive and N is ZERO based].
Some Examples:
mct-x64 -m t 0 s 0 d 0    (Using transport-0, move media from slot-0  to drive-0)
mct-x64 -m t 0 d 0 s 0    (Using transport-0, move media from drive-0 to slot-0)
mct-x64 -m t 0 s 0 s 100  (Using transport-0, move media from slot-0  to slot-100)
mct-x64 -m t 0 d 0 d 1    (Using transport-0, move media from drive-0 to drive-1)
mct-x64 -m t 0 s 0 ie 0   (Using transport-0, move media from slot-0  to IEPort 0)
Once you move a tape into a drive, use mytape commands Loadtape, taperewind, locktape, Disable hardware compression, Set block size to 65536 (64K), writeforspanning.
You need the symbolic name for the tape drive you loaded media into - look in the DPM console by clicking the tape drive and look at the details for
\\.\tape########.  use that in the following command.
Mytape.exe \\.\Tape2147483638
Status: Getting the handle for \\.\Tape2147483638...Success
TapeConsole_1.0>taperewind">\\.\Tape2147483638>TapeConsole_1.0>taperewind
Status: Rewinding Tape ...Success
TapeConsole_1.0>setdriveinfo">\\.\Tape2147483638>TapeConsole_1.0>setdriveinfo
Hardware error correction  [y]-Enable / [n] Disable : y
Hardware data compression  [y]-Enable / [n] Disable : N   (BE SURE TO DISABLE)
Data padding  [y]-Enable / [n] Disable : n
Setmark reporting   [y]-Enable / [n] Disable : n
Number of bytes between the end-of-tape warning and the physical end of the tape: 0
Status: Setting Drive Information...Success
TapeConsole_1.0>writeforspanning">\\.\Tape2147483638>TapeConsole_1.0>writeforspanning
Status: Writing onto tape...Failed !!!
Error_ID reported: 1100                 (net helpmsg 1100
= The physical end of the tape has been reached.
Number of bytes written: 983040     (Ignore bytes written, we'll get physical tape position later)
Giving up
Time taken: 15788ms
TapeConsole_1.0>taperewind">\\.\Tape2147483638>TapeConsole_1.0>taperewind
Status: Rewinding Tape ...Success
REPEAT
TapeConsole_1.0>erasetape">\\.\Tape2147483638>TapeConsole_1.0>erasetape s
Short erase / Long Erase [s/l]:Status: Erasing the tape...Success
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