4 \chapter{Autochanger Support}
5 \label{AutochangersChapter}
6 \index[general]{Support!Autochanger }
7 \index[general]{Autochanger Support }
9 Bacula provides autochanger support for reading and writing tapes. In
10 order to work with an autochanger, Bacula requires a number of things, each of
11 which is explained in more detail after this list:
14 \item A script that actually controls the autochanger according to commands
15 sent by Bacula. We furnish such a script that works with {\bf mtx} found in
16 the {\bf depkgs} distribution. This script works only with single drive
19 \item That each Volume (tape) to be used must be defined in the Catalog and
20 have a Slot number assigned to it so that Bacula knows where the Volume is in
21 the autochanger. This is generally done with the {\bf label} command. See
22 below for more details. You must pre-label the tapes manually before
25 \item Modifications to your Storage daemon's Device configuration resource to
26 identify that the device is a changer, as well as a few other parameters.
28 \item You should also modify your Storage resource definition in the
29 Director's configuration file so that you are automatically prompted for the
30 Slot when labeling a Volume.
32 \item You need to ensure that your Storage daemon (if not running as root)
33 has access permissions to both the tape drive and the control device.
35 \item You need to have {\bf Autochanger = yes} in your Storage resource
36 in your bacula-dir.conf file so that you will be prompted for the
37 slot number when you label Volumes.
40 In version 1.37 and later, there is a new \ilink{Autochanger
41 resource}{AutochangerRes} that permits you to group Device resources thus
42 creating a multi-drive autochanger. If you have an autochanger,
43 you must use this new resource.
45 Bacula uses its own {\bf mtx-changer} script to interface with a program
46 that actually does the tape changing. Thus in principle, {\bf mtx-changer}
47 can be adapted to function with any autochanger program, or you can
48 call any other script or program. The current
49 version of {\bf mtx-changer} works with the {\bf mtx} program. However,
50 FreeBSD users have provided a script in the {\bf examples/autochangers}
51 directory that allows Bacula to use the {\bf chio} program.
53 Bacula also supports autochangers with barcode
54 readers. This support includes two Console commands: {\bf label barcodes}
55 and {\bf update slots}. For more details on these commands, see the "Barcode
56 Support" section below.
58 Current Bacula autochanger support does not include cleaning, stackers, or
59 silos. However, under certain conditions, you may be able to make Bacula
60 work with stackers (gravity feed and such). Support for multi-drive
61 autochangers requires the \ilink{Autochanger resource}{AutochangerRes}
62 introduced in version 1.37. This resource is also recommended for single
65 In principle, if {\bf mtx} will operate your changer correctly, then it is
66 just a question of adapting the {\bf mtx-changer} script (or selecting one
67 already adapted) for proper interfacing. You can find a list of autochangers
68 supported by {\bf mtx} at the following link:
69 \elink{http://mtx.opensource-sw.net/compatibility.php}
70 {http://mtx.opensource-sw.net/compatibility.php}.
71 The home page for the {\bf mtx} project can be found at:
72 \elink{http://mtx.opensource-sw.net/}{http://mtx.opensource-sw.net/}.
74 If you are having troubles, please use the {\bf auto} command in the {\bf
75 btape} program to test the functioning of your autochanger with Bacula. When
76 Bacula is running, please remember that for many distributions (e.g. FreeBSD,
77 Debian, ...) the Storage daemon runs as {\bf bacula.tape} rather than {\bf
78 root.root}, so you will need to ensure that the Storage daemon has sufficient
79 permissions to access the autochanger.
82 \section{Knowing What SCSI Devices You Have}
83 \index[general]{Have!Knowing What SCSI Devices You }
84 \index[general]{Knowing What SCSI Devices You Have }
85 \index[general]{SCSI devices}
86 \index[general]{devices!SCSI}
96 to see what SCSI devices you have available. You can also:
100 cat /proc/scsi/sg/device_hdr /proc/scsi/sg/devices
104 to find out how to specify their control address ({\bf /dev/sg0} for the
105 first, {\bf /dev/sg1} for the second, ...) on the {\bf Changer Device = }
108 For more detailed information on what SCSI devices you have please see
109 the \ilink{Linux SCSI Tricks}{SCSITricks} section of the Tape Testing
110 chapter of this manual.
112 Under FreeBSD, you can use:
120 To list the SCSI devices as well as the {\bf /dev/passn} that you will use on
121 the Bacula {\bf Changer Device = } directive.
123 Please check that your Storage daemon has permission to access this
126 The following tip for FreeBSD users comes from Danny Butroyd:
127 on reboot Bacula will NOT have permission to
128 control the device /dev/pass0 (assuming this is your changer device).
129 To get around this just edit the /etc/devfs.conf file and add the
130 following to the bottom:
133 own pass0 root:bacula
135 own nsa0.0 root:bacula
140 This gives the bacula group permission to write to the nsa0.0 device
141 too just to be on the safe side. To bring these changes into effect
144 /etc/rc.d/devfs restart
146 Basically this will stop you having to manually change permissions on these
147 devices to make Bacula work when operating the AutoChanger after a reboot.
150 \section{Example Scripts}
151 \index[general]{Scripts!Example }
152 \index[general]{Example Scripts }
154 Please read the sections below so that you understand how autochangers work
155 with Bacula. Although we supply a default {\bf mtx-changer} script, your
156 autochanger may require some additional changes. If you want to see examples
157 of configuration files and scripts, please look in the {\bf
158 \lt{}bacula-src\gt{}/examples/devices} directory where you will find an
159 example {\bf HP-autoloader.conf} Bacula Device resource, and several {\bf
160 mtx-changer} scripts that have been modified to work with different
166 \index[general]{Slots }
168 To properly address autochangers, Bacula must know which Volume is in each
169 {\bf slot} of the autochanger. Slots are where the changer cartridges reside
170 when not loaded into the drive. Bacula numbers these slots from one to the
171 number of cartridges contained in the autochanger.
173 Bacula will not automatically use a Volume in your autochanger unless it is
174 labeled and the slot number is stored in the catalog and the Volume is marked
175 as InChanger. For each Volume in your
176 changer, you will, using the Console program, assign a slot. This information
177 is kept in {\bf Bacula's} catalog database along with the other data for the
178 volume. If no slot is given, or the slot is set to zero, Bacula will not
179 attempt to use the autochanger even if all the necessary configuration records
180 are present. In addition, the console {\bf mount} command does not cause
181 Bacula to operate the autochanger, it only tells Bacula to read any tape that
184 You can check if the Slot number and InChanger flag are set by doing a:
189 in the Console program.
192 \section{Multiple Devices}
193 \index[general]{Devices!Multiple}
194 \index[general]{Multiple Devices}
196 Some autochangers have more than one read/write device (drive). The
197 new \ilink{Autochanger resource}{AutochangerRes} introduced in version
198 1.37 permits you to group Device resources, where each device
199 represents a drive. The Director may still reference the Devices (drives)
200 directly, but doing so, bypasses the proper functioning of the
201 drives together. Instead, the Director (in the Storage resource)
202 should reference the Autochanger resource name. Doing so permits
203 the Storage daemon to ensure that only one drive uses the mtx-changer
204 script at a time, and also that two drives don't reference the
207 Multi-drive requires the use of the {\bf
208 Drive Index} directive in the Device resource of the Storage daemon's
209 configuration file. Drive numbers or the Device Index are numbered beginning
210 at zero, which is the default. To use the second Drive in an autochanger, you
211 need to define a second Device resource and set the Drive Index to 1 for
212 that device. In general, the second device will have the same {\bf Changer
213 Device} (control channel) as the first drive, but a different {\bf Archive
216 As a default, Bacula jobs will prefer to write to a Volume that is
217 already mounted. If you have a multiple drive autochanger and you want
218 Bacula to write to more than one Volume in the same Pool at the same
219 time, you will need to set \ilink{Prefer Mounted Volumes} {PreferMountedVolumes}
220 in the Directors Job resource to {\bf no}. This will cause
221 the Storage daemon to maximize the use of drives.
224 \label{ConfigRecords}
225 \section{Device Configuration Records}
226 \index[general]{Records!Device Configuration }
227 \index[general]{Device Configuration Records }
229 Configuration of autochangers within Bacula is done in the Device resource of
230 the Storage daemon. Four records: {\bf Autochanger}, {\bf Changer Device},
231 {\bf Changer Command}, and {\bf Maximum Changer Wait} control how Bacula uses
234 These four records, permitted in {\bf Device} resources, are described in
235 detail below. Note, however, that the {\bf Changer Device} and the
236 {\bf Changer Command} directives are not needed in the Device resource
237 if they are present in the {\bf Autochanger} resource.
241 \item [Autochanger = {\it Yes|No} ]
242 \index[sd]{Autochanger }
243 The {\bf Autochanger} record specifies that the current device is or is not
244 an autochanger. The default is {\bf no}.
246 \item [Changer Device = \lt{}device-name\gt{}]
247 \index[sd]{Changer Device }
248 In addition to the Archive Device name, you must specify a {\bf Changer
249 Device} name. This is because most autochangers are controlled through a
250 different device than is used for reading and writing the cartridges. For
251 example, on Linux, one normally uses the generic SCSI interface for
252 controlling the autochanger, but the standard SCSI interface for reading and
253 writing the tapes. On Linux, for the {\bf Archive Device = /dev/nst0}, you
254 would typically have {\bf Changer Device = /dev/sg0}. Note, some of the more
255 advanced autochangers will locate the changer device on {\bf /dev/sg1}. Such
256 devices typically have several drives and a large number of tapes.
258 On FreeBSD systems, the changer device will typically be on {\bf /dev/pass0}
259 through {\bf /dev/passn}.
261 On Solaris, the changer device will typically be some file under {\bf
264 Please ensure that your Storage daemon has permission to access this
267 \item [Changer Command = \lt{}command\gt{}]
268 \index[sd]{Changer Command }
269 This record is used to specify the external program to call and what
270 arguments to pass to it. The command is assumed to be a standard program or
271 shell script that can be executed by the operating system. This command is
272 invoked each time that Bacula wishes to manipulate the autochanger. The
273 following substitutions are made in the {\bf command} before it is sent to
274 the operating system for execution:
279 %a = archive device name
280 %c = changer device name
281 %d = changer drive index base 0
284 %o = command (loaded, load, or unload)
291 An actual example for using {\bf mtx} with the {\bf mtx-changer} script (part
292 of the Bacula distribution) is:
296 Changer Command = "/etc/bacula/mtx-changer %c %o %S %a %d"
300 Where you will need to adapt the {\bf /etc/bacula} to be the actual path on
301 your system where the mtx-changer script resides. Details of the three
302 commands currently used by Bacula (loaded, load, unload) as well as the
303 output expected by Bacula are give in the {\bf Bacula Autochanger Interface}
306 \item [Maximum Changer Wait = \lt{}time\gt{}]
307 \index[sd]{Maximum Changer Wait }
308 This record is used to define the maximum amount of time that Bacula
309 will wait for an autoloader to respond to a command (e.g. load). The
310 default is set to 120 seconds. If you have a slow autoloader you may
311 want to set it longer.
313 If the autoloader program fails to respond in this time, it will be killed
314 and Bacula will request operator intervention.
316 \item [Drive Index = \lt{}number\gt{}]
317 \index[sd]{Drive Index }
318 This record allows you to tell Bacula to use the second or subsequent
319 drive in an autochanger with multiple drives. Since the drives are
320 numbered from zero, the second drive is defined by
329 To use the second drive, you need a second Device resource definition in the
330 Bacula configuration file. See the Multiple Drive section above in this
331 chapter for more information.
334 In addition, for proper functioning of the Autochanger, you must
335 define an Autochanger resource.
336 \input{autochangerres}
339 \section{An Example Configuration File}
340 \index[general]{Example Configuration File }
341 \index[general]{File!Example Configuration }
343 The following two resources implement an autochanger:
350 Changer Device = /dev/sg0
351 Changer Command = "/etc/bacula/mtx-changer %c %o %S %a %d"
357 Archive Device = /dev/nst0 # Normal archive device
360 AutomaticMount = yes;
366 where you will adapt the {\bf Archive Device}, the {\bf Changer Device}, and
367 the path to the {\bf Changer Command} to correspond to the values used on your
370 \section{A Multi-drive Example Configuration File}
371 \index[general]{Multi-drive Example Configuration File }
373 The following resources implement a multi-drive autochanger:
379 Device = Drive-1, Drive-2
380 Changer Device = /dev/sg0
381 Changer Command = "/etc/bacula/mtx-changer %c %o %S %a %d"
388 Archive Device = /dev/nst0 # Normal archive device
391 AutomaticMount = yes;
399 Archive Device = /dev/nst1 # Normal archive device
402 AutomaticMount = yes;
409 where you will adapt the {\bf Archive Device}, the {\bf Changer Device}, and
410 the path to the {\bf Changer Command} to correspond to the values used on your
413 \label{SpecifyingSlots}
414 \section{Specifying Slots When Labeling}
415 \index[general]{Specifying Slots When Labeling }
416 \index[general]{Labeling!Specifying Slots When }
418 If you add an {\bf Autochanger = yes} record to the Storage resource in your
419 Director's configuration file, the Bacula Console will automatically prompt
420 you for the slot number when the Volume is in the changer when
421 you {\bf add} or {\bf label} tapes for that Storage device. If your
422 {\bf mtx-changer} script is properly installed, Bacula will automatically
423 load the correct tape during the label command.
426 {\bf Autochanger = yes} in the Storage daemon's Device resource
427 as we have described above in
428 order for the autochanger to be used. Please see the
429 \ilink{Storage Resource}{Autochanger1} in the Director's chapter
431 \ilink{Device Resource}{Autochanger} in the Storage daemon
432 chapter for more details on these records.
434 Thus all stages of dealing with tapes can be totally automated. It is also
435 possible to set or change the Slot using the {\bf update} command in the
436 Console and selecting {\bf Volume Parameters} to update.
438 Even though all the above configuration statements are specified and correct,
439 Bacula will attempt to access the autochanger only if a {\bf slot} is non-zero
440 in the catalog Volume record (with the Volume name).
442 If your autochanger has barcode labels, you can label all the Volumes in
443 your autochanger one after another by using the {\bf label barcodes} command.
444 For each tape in the changer containing a barcode, Bacula will mount the tape
445 and then label it with the same name as the barcode. An appropriate Media
446 record will also be created in the catalog. Any barcode that begins with the
447 same characters as specified on the "CleaningPrefix=xxx" command, will be
448 treated as a cleaning tape, and will not be labeled. For example with:
450 Please note that Volumes must be pre-labeled to be automatically used in
451 the autochanger during a backup. If you do not have a barcode reader, this
452 is done manually (or via a script).
458 Cleaning Prefix = "CLN"
463 Any slot containing a barcode of CLNxxxx will be treated as a cleaning tape
464 and will not be mounted.
466 \section{Changing Cartridges}
467 \index[general]{Changing Cartridges }
468 If you wish to insert or remove cartridges in your autochanger or
469 you manually run the {\bf mtx} program, you must first tell Bacula
470 to release the autochanger by doing:
475 (change cartridges and/or run mtx)
480 If you do not do the unmount before making such a change, Bacula
481 will become completely confused about what is in the autochanger
482 and may stop function because it expects to have exclusive use
483 of the autochanger while it has the drive mounted.
487 \section{Dealing with Multiple Magazines}
488 \index[general]{Dealing with Multiple Magazines }
489 \index[general]{Magazines!Dealing with Multiple }
491 If you have several magazines or if you insert or remove cartridges from a
492 magazine, you should notify Bacula of this. By doing so, Bacula will as
493 a preference, use Volumes that it knows to be in the autochanger before
494 accessing Volumes that are not in the autochanger. This prevents unneeded
495 operator intervention.
497 If your autochanger has barcodes (machine readable tape labels), the task of
498 informing Bacula is simple. Every time, you change a magazine, or add or
499 remove a cartridge from the magazine, simply do
505 (insert new magazine)
511 in the Console program. This will cause Bacula to request the autochanger to
512 return the current Volume names in the magazine. This will be done without
513 actually accessing or reading the Volumes because the barcode reader does this
514 during inventory when the autochanger is first turned on. Bacula will ensure
515 that any Volumes that are currently marked as being in the magazine are marked
516 as no longer in the magazine, and the new list of Volumes will be marked as
517 being in the magazine. In addition, the Slot numbers of the Volumes will be
518 corrected in Bacula's catalog if they are incorrect (added or moved).
520 If you do not have a barcode reader on your autochanger, you have several
524 \item You can manually set the Slot and InChanger flag using the {\bf update
525 volume} command in the Console (quite painful).
527 \item You can issue a
535 command that will cause Bacula to read the label on each of the cartridges in
536 the magazine in turn and update the information (Slot, InChanger flag) in the
537 catalog. This is quite effective but does take time to load each cartridge
538 into the drive in turn and read the Volume label.
540 \item You can modify the mtx-changer script so that it simulates an
541 autochanger with barcodes. See below for more details.
545 \section{Simulating Barcodes in your Autochanger}
546 \index[general]{Autochanger!Simulating Barcodes in your }
547 \index[general]{Simulating Barcodes in your Autochanger }
549 You can simulate barcodes in your autochanger by making the {\bf mtx-changer}
550 script return the same information that an autochanger with barcodes would do.
551 This is done by commenting out the one and only line in the {\bf list)} case,
556 ${MTX} -f $ctl status | grep " *Storage Element [0-9]*:.*Full" | awk "{print \$3 \$4}" | sed "s/Full *\(:VolumeTag=\)*//"
560 at approximately line 99 by putting a \# in column one of that line, or by
561 simply deleting it. Then in its place add a new line that prints the contents
562 of a file. For example:
566 cat /etc/bacula/changer.volumes
570 Be sure to include a full path to the file, which can have any name. The
571 contents of the file must be of the following format:
582 Where the 1, 2, 3 are the slot numbers and Volume1, Volume2, ... are the
583 Volume names in those slots. You can have multiple files that represent the
584 Volumes in different magazines, and when you change magazines, simply copy the
585 contents of the correct file into your {\bf /etc/bacula/changer.volumes} file.
586 There is no need to stop and start Bacula when you change magazines, simply
587 put the correct data in the file, then run the {\bf update slots} command, and
588 your autochanger will appear to Bacula to be an autochanger with barcodes.
591 \section{The Full Form of the Update Slots Command}
592 \index[general]{Full Form of the Update Slots Command }
593 \index[general]{Command!Full Form of the Update Slots }
595 If you change only one cartridge in the magazine, you may not want to scan all
596 Volumes, so the {\bf update slots} command (as well as the {\bf update slots
597 scan} command) has the additional form:
601 update slots=n1,n2,n3-n4, ...
605 where the keyword {\bf scan} can be appended or not. The n1,n2, ... represent
606 Slot numbers to be updated and the form n3-n4 represents a range of Slot
607 numbers to be updated (e.g. 4-7 will update Slots 4,5,6, and 7).
609 This form is particularly useful if you want to do a scan (time expensive) and
610 restrict the update to one or two slots.
612 For example, the command:
616 update slots=1,6 scan
620 will cause Bacula to load the Volume in Slot 1, read its Volume label and
621 update the Catalog. It will do the same for the Volume in Slot 6. The command:
630 will read the barcoded Volume names for slots 1,2,3 and 6 and make the
631 appropriate updates in the Catalog. If you don't have a barcode reader or have
632 not modified the mtx-changer script as described above, the above command will
633 not find any Volume names so will do nothing.
636 \section{FreeBSD Issues}
637 \index[general]{Issues!FreeBSD }
638 \index[general]{FreeBSD Issues }
640 If you are having problems on FreeBSD when Bacula tries to select a tape, and
641 the message is {\bf Device not configured}, this is because FreeBSD has made
642 the tape device {\bf /dev/nsa1} disappear when there is no tape mounted in the
643 autochanger slot. As a consequence, Bacula is unable to open the device. The
644 solution to the problem is to make sure that some tape is loaded into the tape
645 drive before starting Bacula. This problem is corrected in Bacula versions
649 \ilink{ Tape Testing}{FreeBSDTapes} chapter of this manual for
650 {\bf important} information concerning your tape drive before doing the
652 \label{AutochangerTesting}
654 \section{Testing Autochanger and Adapting mtx-changer script}
655 \index[general]{Testing the Autochanger }
656 \index[general]{Adapting Your mtx-changer script}
659 Before attempting to use the autochanger with Bacula, it is preferable to
660 "hand-test" that the changer works. To do so, we suggest you do the
661 following commands (assuming that the {\bf mtx-changer} script is installed in
662 {\bf /etc/bacula/mtx-changer}):
666 \item [Make sure Bacula is not running.]
668 \item [/etc/bacula/mtx-changer \ /dev/sg0 \ list \ 0 \ /dev/nst0 \ 0]
669 \index[sd]{mtx-changer list}
671 This command should print:
683 or one number per line for each slot that is occupied in your changer, and
684 the number should be terminated by a colon ({\bf :}). If your changer has
685 barcodes, the barcode will follow the colon. If an error message is printed,
686 you must resolve the problem (e.g. try a different SCSI control device name
687 if {\bf /dev/sg0} is incorrect. For example, on FreeBSD systems, the
688 autochanger SCSI control device is generally {\bf /dev/pass2}.
690 \item [/etc/bacula/mtx-changer \ /dev/sg0 \ slots \ 0 \ /dev/nst0 \ 0]
691 \index[sd]{mtx-changer slots}
693 This command should return the number of slots in your autochanger.
695 \item [/etc/bacula/mtx-changer \ /dev/sg0 \ unload \ ]
696 \index[sd]{mtx-changer unload}
698 If a tape is loaded, this should cause it to be unloaded.
700 \item [/etc/bacula/mtx-changer \ /dev/sg0 \ load \ 3 \ /dev/nst0 \ 0 ]
701 \index[sd]{mtx-changer load}
703 Assuming you have a tape in slot 3, it will be loaded into the read slot (0).
706 \item [/etc/bacula/mtx-changer \ /dev/sg0 \ loaded \ 0 \ /dev/nst0 \ 0]
707 \index[sd]{mtx-changer loaded}
711 \item [/etc/bacula/mtx-changer \ /dev/sg0 \ unload]
714 Once all the above commands work correctly, assuming that you have the right
715 {\bf Changer Command} in your configuration, Bacula should be able to operate
716 the changer. The only remaining area of problems will be if your autoloader
717 needs some time to get the tape loaded after issuing the command. After the
718 {\bf mtx-changer} script returns, Bacula will immediately rewind and read the
719 tape. If Bacula gets rewind I/O errors after a tape change, you will probably
720 need to insert a {\bf sleep 20} after the {\bf mtx} command, but be careful to
721 exit the script with a zero status by adding {\bf exit 0} after any additional
722 commands you add to the script. This is because Bacula checks the return
723 status of the script, which should be zero if all went well.
725 You can test whether or not you need a {\bf sleep} by putting the following
726 commands into a file and running it as a script:
731 /etc/bacula/mtx-changer /dev/sg0 unload
732 /etc/bacula/mtx-changer /dev/sg0 load 3
733 mt -f /dev/st0 rewind
738 If the above script runs, you probably have no timing problems. If it does not
739 run, start by putting a {\bf sleep 30} or possibly a {\bf sleep 60} in the
740 script just after the mtx-changer load command. If that works, then you should
741 move the sleep into the actual {\bf mtx-changer} script so that it will be
742 effective when Bacula runs.
744 A second problem that comes up with a small number of autochangers is that
745 they need to have the cartridge ejected before it can be removed. If this is
746 the case, the {\bf load 3} will never succeed regardless of how long you wait.
747 If this seems to be your problem, you can insert an eject just after the
748 unload so that the script looks like:
753 /etc/bacula/mtx-changer /dev/sg0 unload
754 mt -f /dev/st0 offline
755 /etc/bacula/mtx-changer /dev/sg0 load 3
756 mt -f /dev/st0 rewind
761 Obviously, if you need the {\bf offline} command, you should move it into the
762 mtx-changer script ensuring that you save the status of the {\bf mtx} command
763 or always force an {\bf exit 0} from the script, because Bacula checks the
764 return status of the script.
766 As noted earlier, there are several scripts in {\bf
767 \lt{}bacula-source\gt{}/examples/devices} that implement the above features,
768 so they may be a help to you in getting your script to work.
770 If Bacula complains "Rewind error on /dev/nst0. ERR=Input/output error." you
771 most likely need more sleep time in your {\bf mtx-changer} before returning to
772 Bacula after a load command has been completed.
776 \section{Using the Autochanger}
777 \index[general]{Using the Autochanger }
778 \index[general]{Autochanger!Using the }
780 Let's assume that you have properly defined the necessary Storage daemon
781 Device records, and you have added the {\bf Autochanger = yes} record to the
782 Storage resource in your Director's configuration file.
784 Now you fill your autochanger with say six blank tapes.
786 What do you do to make Bacula access those tapes?
788 One strategy is to prelabel each of the tapes. Do so by starting Bacula, then
789 with the Console program, enter the {\bf label} command:
794 Connecting to Director rufus:8101
795 1000 OK: rufus-dir Version: 1.26 (4 October 2002)
800 it will then print something like:
804 Using default Catalog name=BackupDB DB=bacula
805 The defined Storage resources are:
808 Select Storage resource (1-2): 1
812 I select the autochanger (1), and it prints:
816 Enter new Volume name: TestVolume1
817 Enter slot (0 for none): 1
821 where I entered {\bf TestVolume1} for the tape name, and slot {\bf 1} for the
829 Select the Pool (1-2): 1
833 I select the Default pool. This will be automatically done if you only have a
834 single pool, then Bacula will proceed to unload any loaded volume, load the
835 volume in slot 1 and label it. In this example, nothing was in the drive, so
840 Connecting to Storage daemon Autochanger at localhost:9103 ...
841 Sending label command ...
842 3903 Issuing autochanger "load slot 1" command.
843 3000 OK label. Volume=TestVolume1 Device=/dev/nst0
844 Media record for Volume=TestVolume1 successfully created.
845 Requesting mount Autochanger ...
846 3001 Device /dev/nst0 is mounted with Volume TestVolume1
852 You may then proceed to label the other volumes. The messages will change
853 slightly because Bacula will unload the volume (just labeled TestVolume1)
854 before loading the next volume to be labeled.
856 Once all your Volumes are labeled, Bacula will automatically load them as they
859 To "see" how you have labeled your Volumes, simply enter the {\bf list
860 volumes} command from the Console program, which should print something like
866 Using default Catalog name=BackupDB DB=bacula
870 Select the Pool (1-2): 1
871 +-------+----------+--------+---------+-------+--------+----------+-------+------+
872 | MedId | VolName | MedTyp | VolStat | Bites | LstWrt | VolReten | Recyc | Slot |
873 +-------+----------+--------+---------+-------+--------+----------+-------+------+
874 | 1 | TestVol1 | DDS-4 | Append | 0 | 0 | 30672000 | 0 | 1 |
875 | 2 | TestVol2 | DDS-4 | Append | 0 | 0 | 30672000 | 0 | 2 |
876 | 3 | TestVol3 | DDS-4 | Append | 0 | 0 | 30672000 | 0 | 3 |
878 +-------+----------+--------+---------+-------+--------+----------+-------+------+
884 \section{Barcode Support}
885 \index[general]{Support!Barcode }
886 \index[general]{Barcode Support }
888 Bacula provides barcode support with two Console commands, {\bf label
889 barcodes} and {\bf update slots}.
891 The {\bf label barcodes} will cause Bacula to read the barcodes of all the
892 cassettes that are currently installed in the magazine (cassette holder) using
893 the {\bf mtx-changer} {\bf list} command. Each cassette is mounted in turn and
894 labeled with the same Volume name as the barcode.
896 The {\bf update slots} command will first obtain the list of cassettes and
897 their barcodes from {\bf mtx-changer}. Then it will find each volume in turn
898 in the catalog database corresponding to the barcodes and set its Slot to
899 correspond to the value just read. If the Volume is not in the catalog, then
900 nothing will be done. This command is useful for synchronizing Bacula with the
901 current magazine in case you have changed magazines or in case you have moved
902 cassettes from one slot to another.
904 The {\bf Cleaning Prefix} statement can be used in the Pool resource to define
905 a Volume name prefix, which if it matches that of the Volume (barcode) will
906 cause that Volume to be marked with a VolStatus of {\bf Cleaning}. This will
907 prevent Bacula from attempting to write on the Volume.
911 \section{Bacula Autochanger Interface}
912 \index[general]{Interface!Bacula Autochanger }
913 \index[general]{Bacula Autochanger Interface }
915 Bacula calls the autochanger script that you specify on the {\bf Changer
916 Device} statement. Normally this script will be the {\bf mtx-changer} script
917 that we can provide, but it can in fact be any program. The only requirements
918 are that the "commands" that Bacula uses are {\bf loaded}, {\bf load}, {\bf
919 unload}, {\bf list}, and {\bf slots}. In addition,
920 each of those commands must return the information in the precise format as
925 - Currently the changer commands used are:
926 loaded -- returns number of the slot that is loaded, base 1,
927 in the drive or 0 if the drive is empty.
928 load -- loads a specified slot (note, some autochangers
929 require a 30 second pause after this command) into
931 unload -- unloads the device (returns cassette to its slot).
932 list -- returns one line for each cassette in the autochanger
933 in the format <slot>:<barcode>. Where
934 the {\bf slot} is the non-zero integer representing
935 the slot number, and {\bf barcode} is the barcode
936 associated with the cassette if it exists and if you
937 autoloader supports barcodes. Otherwise the barcode
939 slots -- returns total number of slots in the autochanger.
943 Bacula checks the exit status of the program called, and if it is zero, the
944 data is accepted. If the exit status is non-zero, Bacula ignores any
945 information returned and treats the drive as if it is not an autochanger.