Problem

STATUS CODE 86: Backup jobs fail with a NetBackup Status Code 86 (media position error) and the system's device driver returns an I/O error while NetBackup was positioning media (tape or optical disk).

Solution
Overview: Backup Jobs start to fail with a NetBackup Status Code 86 (media position error). The failures may be continuous or intermittent. Troubleshooting: Turn logging up to Verbose = 5 for the bptm process on the problematic media server. Capture the problem at the higher logging level and examine the resulting log file inside the <install_path>\netbackup\logs\bptm log folder. Log Files: Examine the bptm log for these TapeAlert error codes (bold added for clarity):
18:29:38.905 [8572.9176] <8> process_tapealert: TapeAlert Code: 0x01, Type: Warning, Flag: READ WARNING, from drive SONY.SDX-900V.000 (index 0), Media Id B26504 18:29:38.905 [8572.9176] <8> process_tapealert: TapeAlert Code: 0x03, Type: Warning, Flag: HARD ERROR, from drive SONY.SDX-900V.000 (index 0), Media Id B26504 18:29:38.905 [8572.9176] <16> process_tapealert: TapeAlert Code: 0x05, Type: Critical, Flag: READ FAILURE, from drive SONY.SDX-900V.000 (index 0), Media Id B26504

Resolution: If the above errors are isolated to a single tape, discontinue use of the problematic tape. If the above errors are isolated to a single drive, DOWN the drive within NetBackup to prevent continued use of the drive. Contact your hardware vendor to arrange for the bad tape drive to be replaced. When dealing with hardware problems, although unlikely, it is possible that more than one device (tape or tape drive) could develop problems concurrently. If this is observed, take the necessary steps with each problematic device.

Problem

STATUS CODE: 86 and STATUS CODE 5; Restores fail with status code 5, but the BPTM log shows status 86 errors.

Error
io_ioctl: ioctl (MTFSF) failed on media

Solution
Overview Exit status 86 indicates that a tape drive could not position a tape correctly, or it couldn't recognize the tape as being at the proper position for some reason. Status Code 5 indicates that the restore failed to recover the requested files. Troubleshooting Please follow all steps within the VERITAS NetBackup (tm) Troubleshooting Guide (found in the Related Documents section below), or the NetBackup Troubleshooter within the Activity Monitor for this status code before continuing. Please confirm hardware and software compatibility before continuing. A list of compatible hardware and software may be obtained within the VERITAS NetBackup Release Notes or from the VERITAS Support Web site: http://support.veritas.com/menu_ddProduct_NBUESVR_view_CL.htm If the above recommendations do not resolve the issue, please continue. Problem description Worn media and dirty, or failing tape drives can prevent media from positioning correctly. If status code 86 is received during a restore, you may be able to recover the tape by trying a couple of workarounds. Media Server Log Files: Please look for the following log error message sequence in the BPTM log of the media server that's mounted the media for the failing restore. Note that you need to follow only the lines containing the process ID of the failing job. In this example, the PID is [20447] : 05:09:07.296 [20447] <16> io_ioctl: ioctl (MTFSF) failed on media id D0043, drive index 2, I/O error (bptm.c.6696) 05:09:07.314 [20447] <2> log_media_error: successfully wrote to error file - 02/04/05 05:09:07 D0043 2 POSITION_ERROR 05:09:07.314 [20447] <2> check_error_history: called from bptm line 19596, EXIT_Status = 86 05:09:12.590 [20447] <2> check_error_history: drive index = 2, media id = D0043 , time = 02/04/05 05:09:07, both_match = 0, media_match = 0, drive_match = 0

05:09:12.590 [20447] <2> io_close: closing /usr/openv/netbackup/db/media/tpreq/D0043, from bptm.c.15388 05:09:12.591 [20447] <2> tpunmount: tpunmount'ing /usr/openv/netbackup/db/media/tpreq/D0043 05:09:12.596 [20447] <2> TpUnmountWrapper: SCSI RELEASE 05:09:32.605 [20447] <2> TpUnmountWrapper: retrying open, errno = I/O error 05:09:57.605 [20447] <2> TpUnmountWrapper: retrying open, errno = I/O error 05:10:02.663 [20447] <2> send_brm_msg: ERROR 86 Resolution Mount a cleaning tape in the drive(s) failing to position the media correctly, then re-try the backup or restore. If you're performing a backup and it still fails, try a different piece of media. If a new piece of media fails in the same tape drive then the drive has a problem. Down the failing drive and re-try the backup in a different drive. If your performing a restore and the operation still fails, down the drive that couldn't position the media and retry the job again to force the media into a different drive. If one drive is slightly out of alignment, then another drive may be able to track/position the media correctly and restore the data. If the second drive also fails, down that drive and continue trying all drives until the media has failed in every drive you have available. At this point you'll know that the media itself is the issue/bad and not your tape drives.