Veritas NetBackup - querying your media

To see what tapes you currently have in your storage unit, which pool they are assigned to, which ones are full, and how much is used of the others.

From the Master Server, change directories to goodies and run the available media command:

# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/goodies
#./available_media

media media robot robot robot side/ ret size status ID type type # slot face level KBytes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CatalogBackup pool

xxx151 HCART TLD 0 47 - 3 69689341 ACTIVE
xxx152 HCART TLD 0 46 - 3 177652257 ACTIVE

NetBackup pool

xxx030 HCART TLD 0 28 - 6 477197502 ACTIVE/MPX
xxx139 HCART TLD 0 126 - 4 286852847 ACTIVE/MPX
xxx161 HCART TLD 0 59 - 4 58710487 ACTIVE/MPX
xxx195 HCART NONE - - - - - AVAILABLE
xxx007 HCART TLD 0 29 - 4 1439675239 FULL/MPX
xxx072 HCART TLD 0 128 - 4 1188893711 FULL/MPX
xxx134 HCART TLD 0 40 - 4 1287883499 FULL/MPX
xxx136 HCART TLD 0 100 - 4 1119822897 FULL/MPX
xxx137 HCART TLD 0 139 - 4 1365587550 FULL/MPX
xxx138 HCART TLD 0 140 - 4 1244368634 FULL/MPX
xxx144 HCART TLD 0 57 - 4 1101532193 FULL/MPX

Scratch pool

xxx162 HCART TLD 0 60 - - - AVAILABLE
xxx163 HCART TLD 0 109 - - - AVAILABLE
xxx164 HCART TLD 0 102 - - - AVAILABLE
xxx165 HCART TLD 0 111 - - - AVAILABLE
xxx166 HCART TLD 0 4 - - - AVAILABLE

Veritas NetBackup - Insert media failed: EMM database error (196)

Update failed: could not add new media ID 'XYZ166' into slot 4
Insert media failed:
EMM database error (196)


I am on NetBackup 6.5.4
Attempting to add new media to my tape silo I encounter the above error. Fortunately the problem was easily resolved, but not before spending most of the day researching and on the phone with technical support.
What causes this error? If you have tapes that have been Inventoried by a previous version of NetBackup and have since upgraded or re-installed the master server application. This was a new installation of NetBackup 6.5.4 and I am using unused tapes previously inventoried under the former install of 6.5.2 which had been upgraded from version 5.2. The error only occurs because I am adding new tapes to the inventory and there are existing tapes (used or not) already in the silo that were inventoried once upon a time by a previous version. Why? I believe this is unique to the circumstances, and obviously a bug, but fortunately there is a solution.
On the Master Server type the following (exactly as shown and all on the same line):

# cd /opt/openv/netbackup/bin
# ./nbpushdata -add_flag NBPUSHDATA_G_GLOBDB_HOST dummyhostname:dummyhostname

This command only needs to be executed once. You do not need to restart the Netbackup services. Inventory the robot again and you should have success.