Media checking: handling unprepared or unrecognized tape media

Accessing media checking options
To access the Media checking options shown above:

1. Click Jobs in the navigation bar
2. Select the job to be edited and click Edit at the bottom of the window.
3. Click Destination on the left menu.
4. Click Media checking to expand the section.

Specify how to handle unrecognized, unprepared, or incorrect media

One of the first steps in the backup process is detecting what media has been inserted to be used as the backup destination. This step involves determining if your tape media has been prepared for use with BackupAssist. If the media has been prepared, BackupAssist will then check if the label of the media (eg. Monday 1, Month 1, etc) is correct according to the rotation scheme selected and the media that is required for that day (ie. that Monday's tape has been inserted for Monday's backup).

BackupAssist can be configured to take different actions depending on whether unrecognized or unprepared tape media is detected, or if the wrong tape has been inserted for that day (eg. Tuesday's tape is inserted on a Wednesday).
Preparing media for use with BackupAssist
Selecting a rotation scheme for backup

The two settings available are as follows:

1. If the wrong media is inserted (media with a different label than the rotation scheme requires for that day):
   1. Backup anyway and warn user:
      BackupAssist will attempt to backup to the incorrect tape and add a warning to the backup report to inform you that incorrect tape was detected. This option is recommended as it is preferable, in terms of data protection, to have a backup to incorrect media than no backup at all.
   2. Do not backup:
      BackupAssist will not perform a backup to the incorrect tape and you will receive a message in your backup report indicating that the backup did not take place.
2. If new or unrecognized media is inserted (media that has not been prepared with BackupAssist):
   1. Backup and warn user:
      BackupAssist will attempt to backup to the unrecognized or new media. A warning will be added to the backup report to inform you that an unrecognized tape was detected. You will need to prepare the tape to avoid this warning in future.
   2. Do not backup:
      BackupAssist will not perform a backup to the unrecognized tape and you will receive a message in your backup report indicating that the backup did not take place. You will need to prepare the tape to ensure that the backup is attempted in the future.