DLT | NetBackup Status Code 71

So I’m sure all of you are aware of the challenges NetBackup engineers go thru when it comes to troubleshooting a slew of status codes that NetBackup has to offer when something doesn’t work right.  If you have ever navigated through the manuals DVD that comes with your NetBackup software pack, then you know that NetBackup is a big deal when it comes to troubleshooting a problem.  The troubleshooting guide alone has status codes from 1 to 914!!  Okay I know that it skips some numbers there in between but still that is large amount of codes to get familiarized on! So today I will touch on one of the least difficult ones to deal with.  One that has been really bothering me as of late.  Good old status code 71 “none of the files in the file list exist”.  Honestly people??  Are we still troubled by this code?   If you are a newbie to NetBackup then this is not directed at you.  But if you have 6 months under your belt then tisk tisk…  When you create a policy you have 2 choices either you manually create one (not recommended for novice users) or you can use the wizard (recommended for novice users).  If you use the wizard towards the end of the policy creation process you will be asked to specify the files, directories, or ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES (which means everything on the server in question that you are configuring this policy for backup. Okay let’s say you need to backup server A Server A: Critical directory that needs to be backed up: C:\ In your policy under file lists you would put “C:\”.  If you put “D:\” and there is no D drive on server A, guess what, it will fail with a status code 71. AHHHHH I feel better now…  I needed to get that off my chest...