Table of Contents
Advertisement
T9x40 VolSafe
T9x40 VolSafe capability is a combination of hardware (VolSafe enabled tape drives),
microcode, and special media (VolSafe cartridges). This combination provides write-
once, read-many (WORM) functionality to safeguard selected data files. Once written to a
VolSafe cartridge, data cannot be over-written or erased. New data can be added
(appended) to a density-compatible VolSafe cartridge until the cartridge is full.
VolSafe cartridges have a magnetic signature in the Media Information Region (MIR),
distinct machine readable features, and are visually identified by colored labels and write-
protect switches. See
Description" on page 1-16
features.
Write
To write to a VolSafe cartridge, a T9x40 tape drive must have compatible data density
with the specific VolSafe cartridge, and the drive must be VolSafe-enabled. For instance,
•
T9840A/B drives write to 20-GB 9840 VolSafe cartridges only (yellow identification)
•
T9840C drives write to 40-GB 9840C VolSafe cartridges only (green identification)
•
T9840D drives write to 75-GB 9840D VolSafe cartridges only (purple identification)
Note: See
•
T9940B tape drives write to 200-GB 9940B VolSafe cartridges only (see
Cartridge Description" on page
The specific tape drive's VolSafe configuration setting must also be enabled (indicated by
Ready A, when a compatible VolSafe cartridge is loaded).
Read
To read VolSafe cartridges, a T9x40 tape drive only needs to be density-compatible, the
tape drive VolSafe configuration setting need not be enabled. The tape drive recognizes
VolSafe cartridges as file-protected (Ready F), regardless of the write-protect switch
position. For instance, the T9840C tape drive reads 40-GB 9840C VolSafe cartridges and
20-GB 9840 VolSafe cartridges, but T9840A/B tape drives only read 20-GB 9840
VolSafe cartridges.
Drive - VolSafe Cartridge Compatibility
A 20-GB 9840 VolSafe cartridge, loaded in a T9840C or T9840D tape drive is recognized
as file-protected (Ready F), regardless of the cartridge write-protect switch position, and
whether the tape drive is VolSafe enabled or not. Therefore, a T9840C or T9840D tape
drive reads a 20-GB 9840 VolSafe cartridge, but cannot write to it, even if the tape drive is
VolSafe enabled.
Attempts to load a 40-GB 9840C VolSafe cartridge into a T9840A/B tape drive, a 75-GB
9840D VolSafe cartridge into a T9840A/B/C tape drive, or a 200-GB 9940B VolSafe
cartridge into a T9940A tape drive results in a load error condition.
MT5003
"9840 Cartridge Description" on page 1-13
for more information on VolSafe cartridge identification
"9840 Cartridge Description" on page
identification
1-16, for VolSafe cartridge identification)
Revision AF
Descriptions
or
"9940 Cartridge
1-13, for VolSafe cartridge
"9940
1-3
Advertisement
Table of Contents
