Problem with tape backups

  • I would highly appreciate if someone elaborated on the following statement:

    If you have ever had a backup fail because you forgot to load a tape (come on, admit it), you can appreciate disk backups.

    Why would a backup fail if you forgot to load a tape? Are more tapes required in addition to the one you are backing up to? Does the database not wait for you to load a tape? Please explain the full scenario as it happens because I am totally unfamiliar with tape devices.

    Thanks.

  • Ok lets explore this: we write to the tape, so If you forgot to load the tape, then we are not able to write (full stop). So no backup of anything, right?

    Backing up to any media requires space on that media, In the case of tapes or any other removable media this also includes loading the removable media. So a similar statement could be made (says I with the red face):

    If you have ever had a backup fail because you forgot to swap the removable hard drive (come on, admit it), you can appreciate someone else being responsible for backups.

    Andy

  • Would you forget to load the tape because backups take place automatically and your share in the job is to basically load the tape which you forget to do, leading to a failed backup? Is that the idea or is it some other way?

  • Of course, if your backup solution only writes to tape, and you forget to load the necessary tapes into the library, then your backups would fail for that evening.

    Jules Bui
    IT Operations DBA
    Backup and Restore Administrator

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