The SCSI DDS Tape Expert Tool provides low-level tape functions to test and examine a tape drive in depth. The SCSI DDS Tape Expert Tool is fully interactive, with its own set of menus.
CAUTION: The SCSI DDS Tape Expert Tool contains commands which can destroy data or impair the functioning of the tape if used improperly.
To use the SCSI DDS Tape Expert Tool safely, you should be trained and knowledgeable about SCSI DDS tape drives.
The SCSI DDS Tape Expert Tool allows low-level access to SCSI tape devices by issuing SCSI commands.
Although this tool uses the term "SCSI", the real name for the protocol is SCSI-2. SCSI-2 is a popular standard protocol for a class of devices such as disks and tapes. SCSI-2 includes:
If you experience problems, consult the Troubleshooting help topic.
To run the SCSI DDS Tape Expert Tool on a device:
The following procedure is one possible method for troubleshooting drives. The idea is to perform quick tests first to find easy problems then to perform more time-consuming tests to find less obvious problems.
To troubleshoot a suspect drive:
If you run into problems, see the Troubleshooting help topic.
Consult the Failure Log (for failures) and the Test Activity Log, accessible from the STM main menu.
Make sure the device is connected, powered on, and on-line.
The SCSI DDS Tape Expert Tool offers the following commands and buttons:
Use the Save As command to save the contents of the Tool's main window to a file. (Only the most recent 200 lines can be saved.)
Use the Print command to print the contents of the Tool's main window. (Only the most recent 200 lines can be printed.)
Use the Exit command to leave the SCSI DDS Tape Expert Tool and return to the main STM menu.
The View Log command displays information from the drive's internal logs. These logs record the occurrence of events such as data errors and hardware faults. Available logs include:
The Clear Log command clears the drive's maintenance log, resetting the error counters within the drive mechanism. Available logs which can be cleared include:
CAUTION: Clearing the logs will permanently delete service-related information from the drive.
The Pull Trace Logs command initiates a dump of all four trace logs. The output of the trace logs can be saved to a default file or a file specified by the user. The four trace logs are:
The Describe command displays the following information for the selected DDS drive:
Running this command is a quick way to check if the drive is responding.
The Tape Info command displays the following information for the selected drive's tape media:
The Selftest command allows the user to run selected built-in diagnostic tests on the selected device. The user can specify which tests to run as well as the number of iterations to run each set of selected tests.
The Test Unit Ready command causes the drive to perform a SCSI TUR (Test Unit Ready) command to see if the drive is ready to accept commands which access the tape media.
The Tape Validate command verifies the data on the tape media. This command performs a read of the tape media starting from the Beginning-of- Partition (BOP) to the End-of-Data (EOD) or until an error condition is encountered. If the tape is formatted with more than one partition, this command will validate both partitions. Upon completion this command will display the total number of bytes read, and total number of filemarks and setmarks encountered.
The Tape Copy command performs a tape to tape copy of the content on the source tape media.
After selecting the command, you are queried to enter the hardware path of the target device. The hardware path of the target device must be different than the current (source) device which you are running the Expert Tool on.
CAUTION: The Tape Copy command will destroy all user data on the target tape media! If you want to preserve data on the target tape, press "Cancel" to cancel the command.
The Tape Copy command can take a long time to execute. The time required for the Tape Copy command depends on the capacity and content of the source tape media.
The Load Tape command performs a load sequence for the drive.
The Unload Tape command unloads the tape media from the drive.
The Rewind Tape command rewinds the tape media to the beginning of the currently active partition.
The Mode Sense command retrieves the selected mode pages. Available Mode pages include:
The Mode Select command allows configuration of the selected mode pages. Available Mode pages include:
The Prevent command disables the eject button on the drive.
The Allow command enables the eject button on the drive. Allowing the tape media to be unloaded.
The Interpreted command causes internal status data or logs to be displayed or printed in an interpreted (ASCII) format.
The Hexadecimal command causes internal status data or logs to be displayed or printed in a hexadecimal format.
The Both command causes internal status data or logs to be displayed or printed in both an interpreted format and a hexadecimal format.
Full path: Options | Display Format | Both
The General Help command displays online help for the SCSI DDS Tape Expert Tool (the help system you are currently viewing).
For information on using the help system, select the "Using Help..." command in the Help menu.
For online help on STM as a whole, use the Help option in the STM main menu.
The Version command displays version and copyright information for the SCSI DDS Tape Expert Tool.