Re: Can LTO ULTRIUM5 tapes be initialized to *ULTRIUM4 on an 8202-E4C POWER7?

I'm not aware of a way to do it from the tape itself. As Larry indicated, the device reads that data but I don't think IBM i stores it anywhere.

-- IF -- you do not initialize tapes every time you use them (BRMS/Robot Save/LXI all initialize a tape precisely one time) you only initialize a tape when you first start using it, then you can go into SST, Option 1, start a service tool, Option 1, Product Activity Log, Option 4, Work with Removable Media Lifetime Statistics.

Pick the type of media, ( I use 2 - Self Configured Tape Device and 1/4 inch Cartridge Tape) and it will show the statistics that IBM i has kept on the tape.

One of the things you can see in there is the error rates for read/write. The moment a tape starts posting write errors, dispose of it.....

I think, although I have not looked for them, there are APIs that you can use to get after that information as well.

Jim Oberholtzer
Chief Technical Architect
Agile Technology Architects


On 12/15/2012 10:25 AM, Sam_L wrote:

You said "It contains the things like the cartridge type as well as the
number of uses etc."

How can I access the number of uses? (LT03& LT04)

(I was under the impression that I could find usage info in SST, but
that it was reset when the tape was initialized.)

Sam

On 12/15/2012 11:08 AM, DrFranken wrote:

> Commonly ignored is that there is a memory chip in each cartridge that
> contains 4K (LTO1,2,3) or 8K (LTO4+) of memory which contains
> information about the cartridge (cleaning cartridges included!) This
> chip is read by RF which is why you don't see it or any connections to
> it. It contains the things like the cartridge type as well as the
> number of uses etc. The drive reads this chip as soon as it is
> installed also preventing the LTO5 tape from being used as an LTO4.
>
> - Larry "DrFranken" Bolhuis

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