Chapter 9 — Configuring and Using Media Lifecycle Management
Cartridge Scanning
If the PostScan prerequisites are met, the library inserts the first cartridge
in the PostScan queue into an available drive. The cartridges in the
PostScan queue are processed on a first‐in‐first‐out (FIFO) basis.
Depending on the PostScan option selected for the partition, the drive
loads the cartridge and begins one of the following operations to check for
media errors.
This PostScan
option...
FullScan
August 2019
PostScan reads the data on the tape but does not process this
Notes:
data into a usable form. It simply verifies that it can read the
data from the tape.
See Enable and Configure MLM PreScan and PostScan on
page 180 for additional information about the differences
between the FullScan and QuickScan processes.
Uses...
A Global Spare drive assigned to the partition. FullScan verifies all of the data
on the tape, from the beginning of the tape (BOT) to the end of the recorded
data (EOD) or the physical end of the tape, whichever comes first.
Notes:
A Global Spare drive must be assigned to the partition.
Partitions using SAS drives cannot use FullScan.
The cartridge does not appear on the BlueScale inventory screens while it is
being scanned. If the cartridge is requested by the storage management
software it is immediately ejected from the drive that is performing the
verification and moved to the location requested by the storage management
software. A system message is posted to indicate that the FullScan operation
was interrupted. The cartridge is returned to the top of the PostScan queue
and is the first one processed after it is returned to its slot.
The Global Spare drive cannot be activated while FullScan is running. You
must first pause the PostScan process (see Pause the PostScan Process on
page 274). The library immediately aborts the FullScan currently in progress
and returns the cartridge to its original location. You can then activate the
Global Spare drive (see Using a Global Spare Drive on page 355). The aborted
FullScan process resumes when the Global Spare drive is again available.
The time to complete a FullScan depends on the type and amount of data on
the tape and whether it was written using fixed‐ or variable‐length blocks.
Using FullScan on tapes that are written using variable‐length block sizes is
not recommended.
User Guide—Spectra T950 Library
Using PostScan
269