Import/Export Slots; Storage Slots - HP BB118BV - StorageWorks Data Protector Express Package User Manual

The tape drives in a tape library are viewed and managed in the same way as stand-alone tape drives.
This folder contains information about media in the mail slots.
Library devices provide special import/export mail slots an operator uses to enter or eject media to or
from the device without removing the whole media repository or magazine. Depending on the device,
more than one import/export slot can be provided. In case of a single mail slot, media are inserted one by
one, while in case of multiple mail slots, a particular number of slots can be used in one enter/eject
operation. For consistency and to avoid duplicating processes you should ensure that use of the mail slot/s
is achieved through Data Protector Express user interface.
The Storage Slots folder displays the number of available slots. These may contain blank (new) media,
Data Protector Express media or non-Data Protector Express media. Data Protector Express inventories
the media in the slots and displays the information about the media and its status in the view. This allows
you to view all kinds of media, not just the media used by Data Protector Express, but you will not be
able to select non-Data Protector Express media for a backup or restore job. If the tape is not present in
the catalog the slot status will say 'Invalid – not in database'. Media in this state are candidates for use in
a job if the Media AutoFormat rule is set to 'auto format all media'. Otherwise they will not be chosen for
use until they are imported, erased, or formatted.
It can take a long time to inventory the tape media in a tape library, which is why Data Protector
Express usually performs a "light inventory" rather than running an identify job on all the slots in a
loader. See the "Inventory Process" section below for more information.
Additional media slot information and configuration details are accessed via the Element Status dialog for
that slot, which is accessed by a right click on the desired slot. For example, you can use this to disable
slots (using the 'Reserve' option) and identify a cleaning cartridge. It also allows you to mark media in a
slot as offsite, which is useful if you are planning to remove the tape cartridge from the tape library.
Please refer to the "Element Status" section of this user guide for a detailed explanation of media status
and validity.