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So sometime last year we set up and installed a Win2k3 server and VPN router for a company. The server wasn't really anything special, just a terminal server for the VPN endpoints to log in to and do their business, plus a tape drive to backup all their crap. My boss set the whole thing up, and as always sets himself as a recipient for the backup log email (IMO kind of stupid as they dont pay any extra). He tells them he'll keep an eye on it and that they don't have to worry.
Fast forward to a month or two ago. The backup hasn't been performed for several months due to some problem with the tape drive and/or tape. Mr. Manager didn't notice and the customer didn't bother reading the backup log emails since they thought he was. So it is decided that all the technicians (all three of us!) will receive the backup logs for all the servers we have set up. This is where I get involved.
The tape drive on the aforementioned server asks to be cleaned every time a backup is done, but the cleaning light is off. I get the to clean it several times in a row and it is still acting up. I also upgrade the firmware of the drive, as that has fixed this problem in the past. The warnings go away - or so I thought.
A few weeks after the firmware upgrade the error messages start popping up again. I phone HP to get it replaced under warranty, and they have me jump through a bunch of hoops before sending out the tape drive. Turns out Mr. Manager had told them to only clean the tape when the cleaning light came on, but according to HP you must clean it after every 5 backups regardless of the cleaning light. No big deal, right?
Wrong. The customer is quite agitated because the tape drive 'has never worked properly' and if they lost any of their data it would be an incalculable loss. They don't want to have to clean it after every five backups because that is SUCH a hassle and is not what they were sold. They want to return the tape drive (which they have had for the better part of a year!) for a full refund. Oh, they also want a backup solution where they don't have to do anything (even change tapes). I wanted to offer to go on-site and change the tape for them every day for $100/h (w/ minimum 1 hours pay), but my coworker said that was probably a bad idea.
Fast forward to a month or two ago. The backup hasn't been performed for several months due to some problem with the tape drive and/or tape. Mr. Manager didn't notice and the customer didn't bother reading the backup log emails since they thought he was. So it is decided that all the technicians (all three of us!) will receive the backup logs for all the servers we have set up. This is where I get involved.
The tape drive on the aforementioned server asks to be cleaned every time a backup is done, but the cleaning light is off. I get the to clean it several times in a row and it is still acting up. I also upgrade the firmware of the drive, as that has fixed this problem in the past. The warnings go away - or so I thought.
A few weeks after the firmware upgrade the error messages start popping up again. I phone HP to get it replaced under warranty, and they have me jump through a bunch of hoops before sending out the tape drive. Turns out Mr. Manager had told them to only clean the tape when the cleaning light came on, but according to HP you must clean it after every 5 backups regardless of the cleaning light. No big deal, right?
Wrong. The customer is quite agitated because the tape drive 'has never worked properly' and if they lost any of their data it would be an incalculable loss. They don't want to have to clean it after every five backups because that is SUCH a hassle and is not what they were sold. They want to return the tape drive (which they have had for the better part of a year!) for a full refund. Oh, they also want a backup solution where they don't have to do anything (even change tapes). I wanted to offer to go on-site and change the tape for them every day for $100/h (w/ minimum 1 hours pay), but my coworker said that was probably a bad idea.
Eric the Grey
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