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8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive
User’s Guide
Order Number: EK-STWCT-UG. E01
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Fifth Edition,December 1994 The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Digital Equipment Corporation. Digital Equipment Corporation assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document. Restricted Rights: Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c) (1) (ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227
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Contents Revision Record .......................................................................................................... v About This Guide .....................................................................................................vii 1 Introduction 1.1 Product Overview ...............................................................................................1–1 1.2 StorageWorks Packaging Options for the Cartridge Tape Drive...........................1–1 1.3 Support for
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StorageWorks 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive Appendix A Product Specifications ™ ™ Appendix B Product Notes for Novell and MS-DOS Appendix C Product Notes for Sun™ Appendix D Product Notes for IBM™ RS/6000 Appendix E Product Notes for Hewlett-Packard Reader Comment Form ........................................................................... Inside Back Cover Figures 1–1 StorageWorks 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive..................................................1–1 1–2 Option SWXTE-AA: One
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Revision Record This Revision Record provides a concise publication history of this guide. It lists the manual revision levels, release dates, and reasons for the revisions. It also describes how the changes to affected pages are marked in the guide. The following revision history lists all revisions of this publication and their effective dates. The publication part number is included in the Revision Level column, with the last entry denoting the latest revision. Revision Level Date Summary of
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About This Guide This section identifies the users of this guide and describes the contents and structure. In addition, it includes a list of conventions used in this guide. StorageWorks 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive User's Guide This guide provides operational and maintenance information for the StorageWorks 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive. Intended Audience This guide is intended for any user who is responsible for operating or maintaining the cartridge tape drive. Document Structure This guide
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StorageWorks 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive ™ Appendix B: Product Notes for Novell™ and MS-DOS Product Notes for Novell and MS-DOS provides information for the system administrator. It must be read before installing and using the cartridge tape drive SBB with a host system operating with the Novell and MS-DOS, or MS-DOS/WINDOWS operating systems. Appendix C: Product Notes for Sun™ Product Notes for Sun provides information for the system administrator. It must be read before installing and usin
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About This Manual Cleaning cartridge, 3 cleaning passes . . . . . 727113 Cleaning cartridge, 12 cleaning passes . . . . 727386 Order Number: xxx-xxx-xxx iii
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1 Introduction This chapter provides a product overview of the StorageWorks 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive, outlines its features, and describes the formats it can read and write. 1.1 Product Overview The StorageWorks 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive (Figure 1–1) is an enhanced 8mm digital helical-scan cartridge tape drive, which is packaged in an industry standard 5.25-inch half-height form factor. The half-height size allows for ease of integration across a multitude of platforms. Figure 1-1 Stor
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StorageWorks 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive Option SWXTE-AA is a configuration in which one or two 8mm tape drives is installed in a device carrier, and the device is subsequently placed in a StorageWorks drive expansion unit. Figure 1–2 shows one tape drive installed in a device carrier. Figure 1–2 Option SWXTE-AA: One Tape Drive in a Device Carrier NOTE The expression StorageWorks Building Block, or SBB, is used in StorageWorks documentation to refer to a device, such as tape or disk drive, th
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Chapter 1 Introduction Figure 1–3 Option SWXTE-AB: Two Tape Drives in a Device Carrier Option SWXTE-AC is a configuration in which an 8mm tape drive is installed in a desktop expansion unit. Figure 1–4 shows the tape drive as it is shipped to you. Figure 1–4 Option SWXTE-AC: For Installation in Desktop Expansion Unit Order Number: EK–STWCT–UG. E01 1–3
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StorageWorks 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive 1.3 Support for Four Data Formats The StorageWorks 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive can read and write data in four formats: • EXB-8500c (compressed) format • EXB-8500 format • EXB-8200c (compressed) format • EXB-8200 format When writing in its default EXB-8500c (compressed) format, the 8mm tape drive implements a powerful algorithm that enables it to compress user data at ratios of 2:1 or greater. Assuming an average compression efficiency of 2:1, the tap
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Chapter 1 Introduction 1.4 Support for Partitioned Tapes Some operating systems provide support for tape partitions. With these systems, the tape drive can read and write tapes containing either one or two partitions. Partitions provide an efficient way to maintain a directory on a tape without the risk of overwriting data when updating the directory. For additional information, refer to the operating manuals that support your system. 1.5 Enhanced Performance Assuming an average 2:1 compression
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2 Installation and Initial Power ON This chapter refers you to the installation document you need. It also provides the steps you should follow for the initial power on of the StorageWorks 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive. 2.1 Unpacking the StorageWorks 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive CAUTION If the current environment differs from the storage environment by 15° or more, allow the Cartridge Tape Drive to acclimate to the current environment for at least 12 hours. The cartridge tape drive's packaging
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StorageWorks 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive • SWXTE-AB: This option number identifies a configuration in which a second cartridge tape drive is installed in a device carrier. For installation instructions, refer to the same documents listed in the preceding bullet. In addition, this option is always shipped with the document StorageWorks Family 5.25-inch SBB Half-Height Device Installation Guide, which provides instructions on installing the second cartridge tape drive in a device carrier. • SWX
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3 Operating the Cartridge Tape Drive This chapter describes how to operate the 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive. It also includes information about using a data cartridge. This chapter includes information about the following topics: • How to use the tape drive operator controls and indicators, including a table showing how the LEDs represent the drive’s operating states • How to set the write-protect switch on the data cartridge • How to load and unload data cartridges 3.1 Location of Controls and
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StorageWorks 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive 3.1.1 Unload Button The unload button is the only operator control on the cartridge tape drive. NOTE The unload button can be used to clear hardware errors. If a hardware error occurs, press the unload button to reset the tape drive. If necessary, wait a few seconds and press the button again to eject the tape. 3.1.2 LEDs The cartridge tape drive uses three LEDs to indicate its various operating states. The location of these LEDs is shown in Figure 3–2.
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Chapter 3 Operating the Cartridge Tape Drive Table 3–1 States Indicated by LEDs Drive State Top LED (errors) Middle LED (SCSI)* Bottom LED (motion) POST (1st part) On On green On POST (to completion) On Flash irregular** Off*** Failed POST Flash fast Flash irregular Off Ready (no tape loaded) Off Flash irregular Off Ready (tape loaded) Off Flash irregular On Normal tape motion Off Flash irregular Flash slow High-speed tape motion Off Flash irregular Flash fast SCSI bus reset On Flash irregular
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StorageWorks 8505 8mm Cartridge Tape Drive Before loading a data cartridge into the drive, ensure that the write-protect switch is set correctly for the desired operation. You can use a ball-point pen or similar instrument to set the write-protect switch. • To write protect the data cartridge, move the write-protect switch away from the edge of the data cartridge, as shown in Figure 3–3. If the red tab is visible, the cartridge is write-protected and cannot be written to or erased. • To write en
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Chapter 3 Operating the Cartridge Tape Drive 3.5 Load Time Once a data cartridge has been inserted, the drive requires approximately 35 seconds to load the data cartridge and position the tape (assuming that the data cartridge has been rewound). During this 35-second load time, the drive determines the following: • The tape format (blank, EXB-8500c, EXB-8500, EXB-8200c, EXB-8200, or other format). • The adaptive tape-reading parameters. This process enables the drive to read tapes produced by di
