Question : How do I ensure different backup jobs append to the same tape(s) in a media set through the week Backup Exec 2010?

I have the standard Daily and Weekly policies that backup agent-based data in Backup Exec. The daily obviously uses different tapes every day, but there is only one weekly 'full' backup that can span two tapes. There are two media sets inbvolved, thankfully called Daily and Weekly for the respective policies.

I also have different VMware servers being backed up daily by AVVI (I don't have large enough of a window to back them all up at one time). I have set this to append to the 'weekly' tape(s) so that when I send these off site I have a full data backup and a full VMware systems backup in the same set. I can't use the daily policy as I need different servers backed up on different days using its own selection list.

Currently, there are different VMware jobs that run each day that do run successfully. The first job on a sunday overwrites the media, then subsequent days the jobs append the weekly media set until finally the weekly policy appends the agent data. For some reason, they randomly append to different tapes than the eventual tapes on the saturday (this is the 'weekly' policy backup for data from agents). This means I have 4 or more tapes of backups. I would understand if it was filling the tapes, but Wednsedays might change tapes, then Thursdays backup goes back to the previous tapes.

Is there a way I am able to force the different backup jobs/policy jobs to append to the same media? I am at a loss what to do.

Many thanks in advance!

Answer : How do I ensure different backup jobs append to the same tape(s) in a media set through the week Backup Exec 2010?

This is not possible in terms of media. Symantec's own support documentation indicates that the only determination used in pulling tapes is if the tape is overwritable.

http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/327050.htm

To help mitigate this, if you have a library, you could create partitions for specific jobs and different media sets for those partitions. I have done this in the past.

http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/309279.htm

http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/206843.htm