If you have a tape (or a .bkf file for that matter) and you want to know what's on the tape, you need the catalog of the tape. A catalog is a catalog (or index) of the media contents. When Backup Exec creates a backup it stores a copy of the catalog in the catalogs folder, and a copy on the media. The local copy is referred to when you prompt Backup Exec for a restore selection list, or use the Search Catalogs feature.

Backup Exec periodically purges old data from the catalogs folder, according to the options set. This is to prevent the folder growing too large. If you have a tape which has not been used for some time, then the catalog may have been purged. Similarly if you have a tape which already contains a backu, but has not been used on this system, the catalog needs to be imported.

If you have a tape which is not in the catalog, you need to add it to the catalog. First the tape needs to be inventoried, if the media is unknown. It is safe to inventory a drive even if the media is already know, and it doesn't take long. That way Backup Exec knows about the media.

The next step is to catalog the tape. This can take a considerable amount of time. Backup Exec reads the catalog from the tape (if it exists), and adds it to the local catalogs folder. This can then be browsed or searched.