Conference decwet::networker

    Hi,
    
    You can create a little script that you can start as a daemon from
    within /sbin/rc3.d/Sxxnsrd.
    
    But, what is the benefit to "mount" automatically a tape in a device,
    if you should STILL have to UN-MOUNT with the NSR software the tape 
    already present in the device. Maybe someone of engineering can confirm 
    or infirm that when NSR unmount a tape, it is writing a tape mark on it.
    So, if you simply remove physically the tape from the device and with a
    similar script you "un-mount" it from NSR, will the "un-mount" succeed
    ?
    
    The core of this script should do the following:
    
    Use the nsrmm command to mount the tape in the device when the device
    is transitionning from NOTREADY to READY state. You should use the
    command tur(8) (Test Unit Ready whith the argument -a b.t.l where 
    b=bus number, t=target number and l=logical unit number.) So, if your
    tape is SCSI-ID 5 on the SCSI BUS 0, you should use "tur -a 0.5.0"
    
    #!/bin/ksh
    while :
    do
    	NL=`tur -a 2.5.0 2>&1 | wc -l `
    	if [ "$NL" != 1 ]
    	then
    		NOTREADY=1
    		READY=0
    	else
    		READY=1
    	fi
    	if [ $READY = 1 -a $NOTREADY = 1 ]
    	then
    		nsrmm -m -f /dev/nrmt0h
    		NOTREADY=0
    	fi
    	sleep 10
    done
    
    
    Regards, Manu.
    

	A new feature in the recent releases of NetWorker is 
	'auto media management'.  It is intended to help in areas
	like this where you don't what to have a trained operator.

	I'm not sure about what happens if you remove a tape 
	from a drive and replace it with a new never used by NetWorker 
	tape.  It may or may not work.  

	As to the End of Tape processing this is done anytime the
	drive goes to the done state so if it has not been active
	for 30 seconds that won't be a problem.

	Auto Media Management is not a cure all but it may be worth
	looking into.

I am very VERY uncomfortable with the idea of somebody changing
tapes without coordinating with NetWorker!

NetWorker always assumes that it knows what tape is in the drive
at any point in time, and that it knows where the tape is positioned.

If you go around and cause its assumptions to be invalid, you're asking
for problems.  NetWorker in general attempts to validate its assumptions
by verifying the label of a tape before it starts writing, but there
may be windows in the logic which could allow a new tape to be substituted
without NetWorker realizing it...  

I really don't think we want your customer to find these windows by having
their backups screwed up...

If your customer REALLY doesn't want their operators to have to deal with
NetWorker during the nightly backups, talk them into a jukebox.
Everybody will be MUCH happier!

Kevin