How Remote Storage Creates Media Copies (265487)

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After the Synchronize Media Copies wizard closes, the media copy is created in the following order:

1. Each time the wizard is run, a scheduled task is created using the name "Remote Storage Media Copy n" (where n is the copy number), which is used to initiate the media copy set.
2. The copy task starts an RSS process, RsLaunch.exe, which performs the following functions:
   1. RSS records an event message in the Service log:
      Event Type: Information
      Event Source: Remote Storage
      Event Category: Engine
      Event ID: 2001
      Description: Remote Storage is beginning to synchronize a copy set.
   2. RSS queries Removable Storage Manager (RSM), and locates media of equal or larger capacity to use for the copy. RSS traverses the Remote Storage pool, and the Free Media pool, it queries RSM for the media properties, and it looks for free media that is available online (in the library) that has a capacity that is larger than, or equal to the master media capacity.
      • If no media is available for the copy, an RSM operator request is posted, and an administrator alert message is displayed, such as:
        [Messenger Service]
        Remote Storage cannot find a unit of free media of sufficient capacity. Please add a unit of DLT media with a nominal (uncompressed) capacity of at least 14.2 GB.
        For additional information about the preceding alert message, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

        266011 Tape Capacity Differences Prevent Remote Storage from Making Media Copies

        • If the operator request is refused, the RsLaunch.exe task stops and the media copy is not completed. RSS will then record event messages in the Service log:
          Event Type: Warning
          Event Source: Remote Storage
          Event Category: Subsystem
          Event ID: 4003
          Description: Scratch mount operation for <RS-MYSERVER-1 (Copy 1)> cannot complete.
          User cancelled the operation. (0x8101000c)
          
          Event Type: Error
          Event Source: Remote Storage
          Event Category: Engine
          Event ID: 2003
          Description: An error occurred while Remote Storage was attempting to update copy set 1 for media RS-MYSERVER-1.
          User cancelled the operation. (0x8101000c)
          
          Event Type: Information
          Event Source: Remote Storage
          Event Category: Engine
          Event ID: 2002
          Description: Remote Storage has completed its synchronize a copy set task. Creating or updating a remote storage media copy encountered an error while attempting to synchronize a copy set. (0x8103001d)
        • If the operator request goes unanswered, it has a life span of one hour before it is automatically canceled and reissued. This will cause the administrative alert message to be displayed every hour. Each operator request that is not answered, will be logged as "refused" before being automatically resubmitted. RSS records the event message in the Service log:
          Event Type: Warning
          Event Source: Remote Storage
          Event Category: Subsystem
          Event ID: 4003
          Description: Scratch mount operation for <RS-MYSERVER-1 (Copy 1)> cannot complete.
          Timeout period expired while waiting for media. (0x81010010)
      • If free media is found, or the operator request to mount free media is satisfied (complete), RSS tries to mount the copy (destination) media in an empty tape drive.
        • If no drive is available to mount the copy media, RSS records an event message in the Service log, and the copy job is stopped:
          Event Type: Information
          Event Source: Remote Storage
          Event Category: Engine
          Event ID: 2002
          Description: Remote Storage has completed its synchronize a copy set task. Data movement request is denied because the HSM is busy. (0x81030003)
   3. After the copy media is mounted, RSS tries to mount the master (source) media. This requires that another drive be available.
      • If a drive is available, the media copy continues.
      • If another drive is not available, RSS stops the media copy and posts the following Service log events. This behavior is by design to avoid deadlocks. RSS will not wait until another drive is available to make the media copy.
        Event Type: Warning
        Event Source: Remote Storage
        Event Category: Subsystem
        Event ID: 4017
        Description: Removable Storage Management (RSM) cannot complete operation: <MountNtmsMedia>
        Undocumented Error: The device is not ready for use. (0x800710df)
        
        Event Type: Warning
        Event Source: Remote Storage
        Event Category: Subsystem
        Event ID: 4002
        Description: Media <RS-MYSERVER-1 (Copy 1)/RS-MYSERVER-1 (Copy 1)> cannot be mounted into a drive.
        The device is not ready for use. (0x800710df)
        
        Event Type: Error
        Event Source: Remote Storage
        Event Category: Engine
        Event ID: 2003
        Description: An error occurred while Remote Storage was attempting to update copy set 2 for media RS-MYSERVER-1.
        The device is not ready for use. (0x800710df)
        
        Event Type: Information
        Event Source: Remote Storage
        Event Category: Engine
        Event ID: 2002
        Description: Remote Storage has completed its synchronize a copy set task.
        Creating or updating a remote storage media copy encountered an error while attempting to synchronize a copy set. (0x8103001d)
      • If the master media mount was unsuccessful, the copy media is dismounted to free up the drive.
   4. When the master media is successfully mounted, the RSS Media task (RsSub.exe) performs the actual copy operation. When the copy is complete, RSS records an event message in the Service log:
      Event Type: Information
      Event Source: Remote Storage
      Event Category: Engine
      Event ID: 2002
      Description: Remote Storage has completed its synchronize a copy set task. Ok
   5. RSS then issues dismount commands to RSM for each piece of media, to free up the drives.
      
      After a media copy is created, it will not appear under the Remote Storage snap-in Media icon. Only the master media is displayed under the Media icon. You can view media copies in RSM, under the Remote Storage media pool. The media copy names use the name syntax of the master, followed by the copy number:

      RS-Machine_Name-1
      RS-Machine_Name-1 (copy-1)
      RS-Machine_Name-1 (copy-2)
      RS-Machine_Name-2
      RS-Machine_Name-2 (copy-1)
      RS-Machine_Name-1 (copy-2)
      ..
      .

If you have multiple master tapes, and you want multiple copies of each, repeat the process by running the Media Copy Synchronization wizard, or by manually running the associated scheduled task mentioned in step 1.

After a successful copy media operation, the copy version date and time will reflect the current master version date and time. If you perform a migrate operation to copy more files to the master media, the master version is more recent, and the copy is no longer current. The copy version date and time will reflect the older version of the master from which you made the copy.

You can manage copies by using RSS snap-in. Right-click the master media, and then click the Media copies tab. You will see the list of media copy names, status, and version, by date and time. You can delete a media copy from this list. Also, you can synchronize older media copies (which have the status out-of-date) by running the Synchronize Media Copies wizard again.

NOTE: An indicator that a media copy operation has been unsuccessful is an incorrect date and time stamp in place of the copy version information. If an operation is unsuccessful, RSS does not update the stamp.

1. When a media copy job is performed for the first time on the media, last copy time is initialized with zero.
2. Remote storage allocates the copy media. If the copy operation stops before completion, the copy time is not updated. Because it is the first time the job has been run, the time remains zero.
3. The user interface (UI) displays "zero time" as January 1, 1970 0:00 Greenwich mean time, which is zero for Microsoft Foundation Classes absolute time (CTime) class (which translates to December 31, 1969 16:00 Pacific time if the clock in your computer is set to Pacific time).

If, for any reason, an in-progress media copy operation stops, or you manually stop RsLaunch.exe by using Task Manager, the master, and copy media may remain in the libraries drives because RSS still has the resources open. If such an event occurs, restart the computer, or use the following method to dismount the tapes, and to free up the drives.

To dismount the media without restarting the computer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
2. Type net stop Remote Storage Media. This command will stop the Remote Storage Engine service.
3. From Removable Storage Manager, perform a manual dismount to free up the drives.
4. At a command prompt, type net start Remote Storage Engine. This command will start the Remote Storage Media service.

NOTE: If you try to open a file from a piece of media that is in the process of being copied, the request will not be fulfilled until the media copy operation is completed. You can cancel a copy media job, but the cancel will take place only after the current media copy is completed.

For example: You start a copy media job to create a copy set of tapes RS-1, RS-2, and RS-3. The copy for RS-1 is completed, and you cancel the copy media job while tape RS-2 is being copied. Media copy for tape RS-2 will continue, but RSS will not create a copy for tape RS-3. The media copy job will cancel after the copy of tape RS-2 is completed.

To ensure timely access to files, you should plan your copy media jobs to occur after normal operating hours so a file request will not occur while a copy operation is in progress.