How to get ntbackup to show items in the Backup\LTO Ultrium media pool so they can be restored

The first thing i would suggest is to run a cleaning tape through it at least once - possibly twice it'd bet there is a decent amount of dust on the tape heads. Which would cause symptoms like what you are describing.

Also have you tried a different tape? There might be somethign wrong with the tape.

Are there any logs on the backup machine as far as scsi errors?

We have lots of LTO-2 drives scattered around the north west of the UK. On average we find they need cleaning every two months, that is with doing a backup 5 days a week so that would be after about 50 backups. How many hours use that is I'd have to guess. Say an average of 6 hours per backup so that's 300 hours use.

However it does seem to depend a lot on the site. Some sites need to clean the drive once a month or even sooner, whilst others seem to go months and months without a clean. I suspect it depends on how dusty the environment is and how careful the staff are in handling the tapes.

I am surprised that you haven't cleaned the drive for 4 years, but I suppose with only 1,600 hours use that's just about plausible. If you're at all concerned about the drive performance download the HP Library and Tape Tools tester from the HP web site and do an acceptance test. If that comes up green HP think your drive is OK!

JR