Turned out to be a defective tape device.
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Browse All TopicsOur backup process recently started failing with the error:
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The job failed with the following error: A tape read/write error has occurred. This is usually caused by dirty read/write heads in the tape drive. Clean the tape drive, and then try the job again. If the problem persists, try a different tape. You may also need to check for problems with cables, termination, or other hardware issues.
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I upgraded the tape drivers, uninstalled the drive, reinstalled it with the new drivers. I also cleaned the drive and all the other options that SYM shows on their support site.
Any ideas?
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by: dovidmichelPosted on 2009-04-02 at 09:43:39ID: 24051884
The LTO tape drives are designed to automatically report to the host application when cleaning is needed. The idea is that when cleaning is needed the backup will stop and request a cleaning.
Check Event Viewer System logs for errors from the controller driver.
Cleaning tapes are good for a certain number of uses.
If you don't know how many times it has been used try a different cleaning tape.
Check the user guide for the tape drive to see if it reports cleaning is needed via status lights or front panel. If it does that is an easy way to see if it really is an cleaning issue.
Check to see if it happens only with specific tapes.
Try a new tape of the same brand as the drive.