Elements of the Operate Tape Library Window

The Operate Tape Library window displays the contents of a tape library. It displays the status of all slots, ports, and tape drives. The left side of the window displays the slots and information about the media volumes inside them. The top portion (drive panel) of the right side of the window displays information about the drives. The middle portion (port panel) of the right side of the window displays information about the ports. The bottom portion (media pool panel) of the right side of the window displays information about the available media pools.

To print comprehensive tape library information, including slots, drives, and ports:

  • From the menu bar on the Operate Tape Library window, select File > Show Print Friendly Version.

To see device paths to a SAN drive (i.e., the nodes that can access that drive), right-click SAN drive in the drive panel (top right section of the Operate Tape Library window).

If your tape library has a barcode reader, barcodes should appear in the barcode columns. If they do not appear, set the -b on option (short for “barcode on”) for the tape library parameter SSJUKER. (For example, SSJUKER -b on.) After setting SSJUKER, you need to properly shut down the communication agent (cmagent) and restart. Contact Catalogic Software Data Protection Technical Support if you need help with the environment variable.

Tip. In Windows, parameters are set in registry entries in:

HKEY\_LOCAL\_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Syncsort\\BEX\\nodename\\0.

Note. If your tape library is not Catalogic Software certified, DPX might not be able to operate the barcode reader, and the barcode will not appear in the barcode columns.

From the Operate Tape Library window, you can manually move tapes among slots, ports, and drives. To do this, select the function you want to perform, click the slot, port, or drive containing the tape you want to move and drag it to the slot, port, or drive where you want it to go.

You cannot directly move tapes between slots, and if you move a tape from a slot to a drive, the only slot to which you can return it will be the original slot. To move a tape between two slots, move it to a port first.

Each tape drive is accessed through its device server node in the Enterprise. A SAN drive can be accessed through multiple nodes (device paths). For SAN drives, DPX preselects a device path for the drive (defaulting to the first one). If you want to change this device path, right-click SAN drive in the top right section (drive panel) and select an available path.

The physical inventory of a tape library may become unsynchronized with the inventory displayed in the Operate Tape Library window from activities performed outside the management console, such as exporting a media volume and removing it from the export port. When this happens, if your tape library has a barcode reader, you can use Refresh to update the displayed inventory to accurately reflect the contents and state of the tape library. This closes the current Operate Tape Library window and displays the message “Do you want to update the inventory in the tape library?” Click Yes to direct the tape library to inventory every slot. The Operate Tape Library window re-opens in a new browser instance and may take considerable time to display the new inventory.

You can perform operations for multiple tapes, ports, and drives in a single action by using CTRL-click or SHIFT-click.

The procedures for each operation are in the topics that follow.

Note. Some of the features on this window are not available for StorageTek Automated Cartridge Systems or ADIC/Quantum AML Automated Storage Libraries.

Related Topics:

The following describes some elements of the Operate Tape Library window:

  • Tape Library Context Menus

    Tape Library context menus, which are opened by right-clicking an object, vary according to the state of the last operation. Task descriptions discuss context menus as appropriate.

  • Operate Tape Library Menus

    In addition to the common menu options (see Common Menu Bar Options in the User's Guide), the Operate Tape Library window contains two other menus, Function and Option.

    To access an item in the Function menu, do one of the following:

    • From the menu bar, select Function. Then select the desired item.

    • Use the keyboard shortcut [ALT+U], use the up-arrow and down-arrow keys to select the desired menu item, then press [Enter].

    The following is the Option menu:

    To access an item in the Option menu, do one of the following:

    • From the menu bar, select Option. Then select the desired item.

    • Use the keyboard shortcut [ALT+O], use the up-arrow and down-arrow keys to select the desired menu item, then press [Enter].

    The menu options are described in the topics that follow.

  • Tape Library Task Panel

    The tape library task panel buttons are described in the topics that follow.

  • Operate Tape Library Window: Left Pane

    The left pane of the Operate Tape Library window contains the slots where tapes are stored. The following is a sample of a left pane.

  • Operate Tape Library Window: Right Pane

    The right pane of the Operate Tape Library window contains the devices, the ports, and the media pools panels.

  • Operate Tape Library: Column Headings

    Left Pane Headings:

    • Slot#

      This column indicates the slot number and displays the slot icon. As you roll over either one with your mouse, a tool tip will appear giving some information about the device. The slot icon displays a media volume icon if it is occupied.

    • VOLSER

      This is the volser either from the media volume label or the media pool entry. If “Medium not known” is displayed in the volser column, neither the bar code nor the label has been read. Click on this text to view more information about the media volume.

      If the message states that the medium does not have media pool information, you can add it to a media pool by clicking Yes. See Assigning Media in a Tape Library to a Media Pool.

    • Barcode

      If the tape library has a barcode reader and the media volume has a barcode, it is displayed in this column.

    • JobName

      This is the name of the last job associated with this media volume if one exists.

    • Media_Status

      This column indicates the status of the media volume. The values are:

      New

      The media volume has not yet been labeled or written to.

      Empty

      The media volume has been labeled and contains no unexpired jobs.

      Appendable

      The media volume contains one or more unexpired jobs.

      InDrive

      The media volume has been loaded to a tape drive.

      Inaccessible

      The media volume is not accessible, possibly because the drive to which it is loaded or being loaded is out of service.

    • Media_pool

      This column indicates the name of the media pool this media volume is associated with.

    Right Pane Top Panel (Devices) Headings:

    These fields are empty if there is no media volume in the drive.

    • Device

      The device column displays the device icon followed by the device name. As you roll over either one with your mouse, a tool tip will appear giving some information about the device.

    • VOLSER

      This is the volser from the media volume label.

    • Barcode

      If the tape library has a barcode reader and the media volume has a barcode, it is displayed in this column.

    • Slot#

      This column indicates the number of the slot from which the media volume was loaded.

    • Status

      The status field indicates the current status of the operation of the drive. The values are:

      Free

      The drive is not undergoing an operation.

      Loading

      An operation has requested that a media volume be loaded into the drive.

      Unloading

      An operation has requested that a media volume be unloaded from the drive to its home slot.

      Reading Label

      An operation has requested that the tape library read the media volume’s label.

      Writing Label

      An operation has requested that the tape library write a label on the media volume.

      Formatting

      The tape is being formatted.

      Verifying

      DPX is ensuring that either an entire media volume or a particular media volume partition can be read.

      Releasing

      An operation is releasing the drive.

      Mounting

      An operation has requested the tape library to mount a tape on the drive.

      Mounted

      The tape library has mounted the tape on the drive as requested.

      Dismounting

      An operation has requested the tape library to dismount a tape from the drive.

    Right Pane Middle Panel (Ports) Headings: This panel is blank if there are no import and export ports on the tape library.

    • Port This column indicates an import or export port number.

    • VOLSER This is the volser from the media volume label.

    • Barcode If the tape library has a barcode reader and the media volume has a barcode, it is displayed in this column.

    Right Pane Bottom Panel (Media Pools) Headings:

    • MediaPool The MediaPool column indicates which media pools match the media type of this tape library.

    • New_Volser# The New_Volser column indicates the number of media volumes assigned to this media pool with a Status : Current Value of New.

    • Unassign_Volser#s The Unassign_Volser#s column indicates the number of configured volume serial numbers not yet associated with media volumes.

Related Topics:

Editing a Media Volume

Adding a Media Volume

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