[rescue] VS80 DLT tape drive question

[Phil Stracchino]

Mr Ian Primus wrote:
> --- Phil Stracchino <alaric at metrocast.net> wrote:
> 
>> Curtis H. Wilbar Jr. wrote:
>>> Answering my own question now....
>>>
>>> The issue was VS80s (and probably DLT8000s) if
>> they detect DLT4000
>>> formatted media go into 'write protect mode'. 
>> Tapes need to be bulk erased.
>>> I have a bulk eraser (Radio Shack), but haven't
>> tried it yet.  Trying a 
>>> brand
>>> new DLT IV tape (I had only one), and I'm writing
>> a backup to it now.
>>
>> I thought you couldn't bulk-erase DLT media because
>> it erases the servo
>> tracks...?
> 
> Nope. DLT doesn't use servo tracks. Bulk erase away.
> Now, some of the other tape formats might. And
> removable disk platters certainly do. But DLT tapes
> are much like nine track tapes in terms of the way
> data is written (albeit in both directions, with more
> tracks...). In fact, in order to use tapes that were
> once written in a DLT8000 in an older (say, DLT4000),
> I believe you have to bulk erase them. I don't know
> the specific circumstances, but some drive/media
> combinations, you do.
> 
> But keep the bulk eraser away from things like RL02
> cartridges...

OK.  I'm pretty certain one of the current crop of high-density tape
formats uses servo tracks ... I just don't remember which it is.


-- 
  Phil Stracchino, CDK#2         ICBM: 43.5607, -71.355
  Renaissance Man, Unix ronin, Perl hacker, Free Stater
  alaric at caerllewys.net            alaric at metrocast.net
          It's not the years, it's the mileage.