Additional media slot configuration is 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.
Import/Export Slots
Some 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.
Barcodes and MIC (memory in cartridge)
If the tape library supports barcode and/or MIC (memory in cartridge), the details are added to the Data Protector Express catalog. The barcode information is hidden by default; to display this detail,
Barcode and MIC (memory in cartridge) technologies are used to reduce the time spent organizing and managing media in a library or an autoloader. In these devices, each medium is identified with a unique barcode or, where MIC is used, a chip is embedded in the tape cartridge which holds a unique identifier (as well as other information).
Barcodes and MIC enable Data Protector Express to significantly reduce media recognition, labeling and cleaning tape detection times.
•Scanning the barcode or MIC of the media is faster than reading the medium header, because Data Protector Express does not need to actually load the media into a tape.
•A barcode or MIC is a unique identifier for media in the Data Protector Express catalog. You should not have duplicate barcodes in your environment.
Barcode Filters
The barcode filter controls access to media by barcode. You can specify ranges, wildcards, or explicit barcodes that either include or exclude media. This property only applies to libraries; stand alone devices are not restricted by it.
The filter rules may be set for the whole domain and will be applied automatically to all tasks. Or, they may be set and applied at job level. Any filter rules applied at job level overwrite the default domain settings.
For more information on setting barcode filters, see Barcode Filter.
Initialization Process
The traditional loader inventory mechanism is accomplished by running an identify job on all the slots in a library. This complete inventory can take a very long time, so Data Protector Express uses a "light inventory" process, which is known as an initialization process. This initialization process consists of ...
•Checking that the loader is ready for use. If the magazine door is open, this step will fail, and initialization will fail as a result.
•Querying the number of physical storage, import/export and device elements that the library contains. (These elements will be displayed in the Tape Library view.)
•Binding the loader to its physical devices. This ensures that the devices are associated with the library in the Data Protector Express catalog.
•Updating the status for each element in the loader. Barcodes are read at this time, and are associated with each element regardless of status (i.e. both Invalid and Valid elements get a barcode shown in the loader status pane).
Working with Tape Libraries 33