We are using a standalone tape drive with a 3-tape rotation.
Our current plan is:
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We have 3 tapes.
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Every Friday at 9:00 PM, we perform a full backup.
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On the remaining days, we perform incremental backups at 9:00 PM.
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Every Friday at 7:00 PM, the operator changes the tape, and the new tape is used for the full backup at 9:00 PM.
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Week 1 uses Tape 1, Week 2 uses Tape 2, Week 3 uses Tape 3, and Week 4 uses Tape 1 again.
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After Week 4, Tape 1 is ejected at 7:00 PM on Friday and sent to HQ for long-term storage. HQ then sends us another tape, which we label as Tape 1, so we always continue with a 3-tape rotation.
I have a few questions about how Commvault handles tape retention and exports:
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Does the retention period matter for tapes? For example, if my storage policy has a 14-day retention, what happens when I insert a tape again after 14 days? Will Commvault automatically move it to the Scratch Pool and overwrite it, or can I still browse and restore the data that is physically on the tape?
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Does the retention period actually erase the data from the tape, or does it only mark the media as recyclable? Is a manual erase required if we want the data to be permanently removed?
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For the tape change process, the operator will physically eject and replace the tape. Is there anything we should configure in Commvault, such as an Export Media operation or an export schedule, or is simply ejecting the tape sufficient?
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Since the Week 4 tape is sent to HQ for long-term storage, should I configure an extended retention period for that tape or the copies written to it?
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Do we need to create an automatic export schedule every week, or is it sufficient to schedule an export only at the end of the month when the tape is being sent offsite?
I would appreciate any guidance or best practices for managing standalone tape drives in Commvault.
