Tandberg Data B DLTSAGE INTEGRATION, DLTSAGE Integration Manual

Integration Guide

ii Octob er 20 03 81-812 01-01 Rev A01

Copyright

Copyright © 2003 by Quantum Corporation. All rights reserved.
Document Origination: Boulder, Colorado, USA.

Trademarks

Quantum, the Quantum logo, and the DLTtape logo are trademarks of Quantum Corporati on, registere d in the
U.S.A. and other countries. DLTtape, DLTSage, Value DLTtape, and Super DLTtape are trademarks of Quantum
Corporation.

Other company and produc t names used in this doc ument are trademarks , registered trademarks, or service
marks of their respective owners.

Legal Disclaimers

The inform ation contained in this document is the excl usive property of Quantum Corporation. Quantum re tains
its copyri ght on the information c ontained herein in all cases a nd s ituations of usage, including derivative works.
The possess or agrees to safe gua rd thi s infor mat ion and to m ain tain it in con fide nce and not r e-p ublis h it in whole
or in part without Quantum’s prior written c onsent.

Quantum reserves the right to make c hanges and improvements to its products, without incurring any obligation
to incorporate such cha nges or improvements in units prev iously sold or shipped.

Contact Information

You can request your Tandberg Sales Representative or order them directly from Tandberg or Quantum.

Telephone numbers and street addresses change freq uently; for the lates t, up-to-date co ntact information, visit:

www.tandberg.com

81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 iii

Revision History

All revisions made to this document are listed below in chronological order.

Document Release Date Summary of Changes

A01 October 20, 2003 Initial Release per ECO C008211.

iv Octob er 20 03 81-812 01 - 01 Re v A01

Notes

81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 v

Ta ble of Contents

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Purpose and Scope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Online Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Related Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

2 About DLTSage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Enabling Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

3 Features of DLTSage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Theory of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

How DLTSage Collects Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

TapeAlert Flags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Full Suite of TapeAlert Flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Host Responses to TapeAlert Flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6

Benefits Offered by DL TSage Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7

DLTSage xTalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7

DLTSage iTalk and Pocket DL TSage iTalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9

A MAM Attributes and Diagnostic Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

Diagnostic Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1

T able of Contents

vi October 2003 81-81201-01 Rev A01

DLTSage Firmware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1

LOG SENSing T ape Drive Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-2

LOG SENSE Command Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-2

MODE SENSE Command Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Modifying the Media Load Count Threshol d. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-3

Medium Auxiliary Memory (MAM) Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Device Type Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-4

Host Type Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-5

Host Vendor-unique Type Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-6

81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 vii

List of Tables

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

2 About DLTSage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

3 Features of DLTSage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

T able 3-1. Firmware Responses to Tape Drive and Media Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

Table 3-2. Media Use TapeAlert Flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3- 3

Table 3-3. Temperature Thresholds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

T able 3-4. Supported TapeAlert Flags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Table 3-5. Host Responses to TapeAlert Flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6

Table 3-6. DLTSage xTalk Features and Benefits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Table 3-7. DLTSage Pocket iT alk Icons and Functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12

A MAM Attributes and Diagnostic Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

T able A-1. Firmware Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

Table A-2. LOG SENSE Command Pages and Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

T able A-3. Device Type Attributes (for MAM) Supported by the SDLTtape

Drive Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4

T able A-4. Host Type Attributes (for MAM) Supported by the SDLT Tape Drive Firmware . . . . . A-5

List of Tables

viii Octob er 20 03 81-81201-01 Re v A01

Notes

81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 ix

List of Fig ures

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

2 About DLTSage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Figure 2-1. DLTSage Architecture Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

3 Features of DLTSage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Figure 3-1. Sample T apeAlert Flag Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Figure 3-2. DLTSage xTalk Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7

Figure 3-3. DLTSage iTa lk Main Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10

Figure 3-4. Pocket DLTSage iTalk Main Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11

List of Figures

x Oct ob er 2003 81 -8 1201-01 Re v A0 1

Notes

81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 1-1

CHAPT ER 1

Chapter 1Introduction

1.1 Purpose and Scope

This publication provid es informati on abou t DLTSage™, a suite of preventive maintena nce diagnost ic
software tools that enable users to more simply manage tape storage environments.

This publication also pr ovides information about the Tap eAlert flags that are set by the DLTSage
firmware. These TapeAlert flags can be read by all backup applications, including the DLTSage
host application.

1.2 Audience

The primary audiences for this publication are Independe nt Software Vendors (ISVs), Operating
System Vendors (OSVs), Original Equipmen t Manufacturers (OEMs), and Library Storage Vendors
(LSVs).

1.3 Organization

This publication includes the following chapters:

• Chapter 1, “Introduction”—Includes information about this document’s purpose, scope, audience,

organization, and resour ces.

• Chapter 2, “About DLTSage”—Introduces DLTSage, describes its architecture, and enabling

technologies.

Chapter 1: Introduction

1-2 October 20 03 81-812 01 - 01 Re v A01

• Chapter 3, “Featu re s of DLTSage”—Provides information about the SDLT tape dr ive firmware,

TapeAlert flags and host responses, DLTSage xTalk, DLTSage iTalk, and Pocket DLTSage iTalk.

• Appendix A, “MAM Attributes and Diagnostic Information”—Provides infor mation about

diagnostic level s, LOG SENSing tap e drive conditions, and Medium Auxiliary Memory (MAM)
Attributes.

1.4 Resources

Refer to the books and online links in thi s section for additional inf ormation about how DLTSage
obtains information.

1.4.1 Online Resources

For information relate d to DLTSage and this publication, visit the following web sites:

• www.t10.org/ftp/t10/drafts/ssc2/ssc2r09.pdf—to view information about TapeAlert flags, see

Information Technology - SCSI Stream Commands - 2 (SSC-2), Section 8.2.3 and Appendix A.

• www.t10.org/ftp/t10/drafts/spc3/spc3r15.pdf—to view inform ation about MAM Attributes, see

Information Technology - SCSI Primary Commands - 3 (SPC3), Section 7.3.

• www.dltsage.com—off icial web site for DLTSage

• www.quantum.com/dltsage—product information on Quantum’s web site

• www.dlttape.com—Quantum SDLT tape drive information

1.4.2 Related Publications

For information relate d to DLTSage and other Quantum products, r efe r to the following publications:

• SDLT 600 Fibre Channel Interfac e Guide (8 1-81202-01)

• SDLT 600 SCSI Interface Guide (8 1-81200-01)

• SDLT 220 and SDLT 320 SCSI Interfac e Guide (81-85001-01)

• SDLT 600 Product Manual (81-81184- 01)

• SDLT 220 and SDLT 320 Product Manual (81-85002-01)

81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 2-1

CHAPT ER 2

Chapter 2About DLTSage

2.1 Overview

DLTSage comprises both SDLT tape drive firmware and Quantum host software enhancements that
help you understand and mana ge how SDLT tape drives and SDLTtape media are used thr oughout the
enterprise.

DLTSage tape drive firmware capabilities provide:

• Automatic coll ection and continuous monitoring of more than 20 tape dri ve and media para meters.

• Automatic over- threshold detection and history collection.

• Automatic identific ation of tape drives and media that are at risk.

• Automatic identific ation of media that is nearin g or has reached its end of life.

• Predictive clean ing of the tape drive.

DLTSage host software capabilities allow you to:

• Evaluate the tape drive’s basic overall health.

• Run tape drive diagnostics.

• Determine if the tape drive needs to be returned for service.

• Collect detailed engineering debug information.

• Use a hand-held device to gather importa nt tape drive parameter s and infor mation.

• Supports multiple oper ating systems and device interfaces.

Chapter 2: About DLTSage

2-2 October 20 03 81-812 01 - 01 Re v A01

2.2 Architecture

The DLTSage architecture is built on standards that interface cleanly into customers’ storage
environments. Figure 2-1 shows this achitecture.

Figu r e 2-1. DL TSage Architecture Overview

NOTE: To download DLTSage xTalk, DLTSage iTalk or Pocket DLTSage iTal k ,

visit www.tandberg.com or www.dltsage.com.

xTalk provides host-based

diagnostics for all operating

environments

iTalk communicates
with all elements of customer
environments with tape drive

systems to obtain status

information and issue

commands

Tape Drive Firmware collects

usage information and operating

parameters, and sets TapeAlert flags if

the usage or operating parameters

exceed their thresholds

Tape Drive Firmware

Drive Info (log pages)

Media Info (T-10 MAM)

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81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 2-3

2.3 Enabling Technologies

DLTSage uses the following technologies to monitor SDLT tape drives and media:

• TapeAlert Flags—notify the host application and librar y of cur rent or impending problems with

the tape drive or media.

• DL TSage xTalk—provides host- based diagnostics for all operating environments through SCSI or

Fibre Channel. It is a host-based tool for Windows, Solaris, Unix, a nd Linux operating syste ms.

• DL TSage iTalk and Pocket DLTSage iTalk—communicate with all elements of customer

environments with SDLT tape drive systems to obtain status inf ormation and issue commands via
the infrared (IR) conne ction. The pocket version of DL TSage iTalk obtains ta pe drive information
and sends commands using an IR connection. DLTSage iTalk uses the infrared (IR) port that is
available exclus ively on SDLT tape drives.

• Medium Auxiliary Memory (MAM) Attri butes—stores MAM att ribute s on the data cartr idge. The

attributes are ac ces s ed usi ng the RE AD an d WR IT E ATTRIBUTE SCSI co mm an ds .

NOTE: These topics are discussed in detail in Chapter 3, “Features of DLTS ag e”

and in Appendix A, “MAM Attributes and Diagnostic Information”.

Chapter 2: Abou t DLTSage

2-4 October 20 03 81-812 01 - 01 Re v A01

Notes

81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 3-1

CHAPT ER 3

Chapter 3Features of DLTSage

3.1 Overview

The DLTSage firmware sets TapeAlert flags that the DLTSage host softwa re , the IS V softwar e, and the
library controlle r can read independentl y. When a TapeAle rt flag is set, it indic at es that the DLTSage
firmware has deter mined a speci fic condit ion re lated to the data ca rtridge or the SDLT tape drive itself .
You can read these TapeAlert flags after the data cartridge is loaded, anytime during use, after an error
(Check Condition Status) is reported, and you should definitely read them be fore unloading the data
cartridge.

This chapter provides detailed information about the SDL T tape drive firmware, TapeAlert flags,
typical host responses to TapeAlert flags, DLTSage xTalk, DLTSage iTalk, and Pocket DLTSage iTalk.

3.2 Theory of Operation

3.2.1 How DLTSage Collects Data

DLTSage uses over 2000 data collection structures to co ntinuously monitor, accumulate, and analyze
critical tape drive and media performance parameters. These structures contain data that is collected
for each track, each segment (eight segments per track), each Magneto Resistive (M R ) channel, and
each optical band.

The amount of data collected and the leve l of gran ularity allow DLTSage tape drive firmware to
differentiate between tape drive and media-related problems. If a critical operating parameter exceeds
a DLTSage threshold, the dat a structure—corresponding to the track, segment, MR channel, or optical
band—is marked to indicate syste m performance degradati on.

Chapter 3: Feat ure s of D LTSage

3-2 October 20 03 81-812 01 - 01 Re v A01

3.2.2 TapeAlert Flags

T apeAlert flags report to the host or library that DLTSage has detected an issue where operation is
affecte d by a specific condition related to the data cartridge or the tape drive itself. When a TapeAlert
flag is set, DLTSage host software or ISV backup software instructs you to isolate the component that
could be pre venting a sucessful backup. The host software and library controller should at a minumum
read the TapeAlert log page prior to unloading media, but can query TapeAlert flags at any time after
the media is inserted in the tape drive.

T apeAlert flags recommend that you perform specific actions to enhance the use of your data cartridge
or tape drive, but do not prevent you from using eithe r the data cartridge or the tape drive.

Severity levels of TapeAlert flags are:

• Informational—provides an early warning of media near ing end of life.

• Warning—indicates that pe rformance or capa city of the sys tem has been d egraded but no d ata ha s

been lost.

• Critical—indicates that one of the monitored predictive parameters is outside the range for

recommended use. If the TapeAlert flag indicates the the problem lies within the media, it should
be removed from the system. If the TapeAlert flag indicates that the proble m lies within the tape
drive, contact your field service provider.

You can query information about SDLT TapeAlert flags by retrievi ng the LOG SENSE
TapeAlert Page (2Eh)

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81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 3-3

Tape Drive and Media Related Problems

Table 3-1 lists hypothetical scena rios and DLTSage firmware responses.

Media Thresholds

DL TSage monitors the number of times a data cartridge has been loaded, as well as the number of
times the directory revision has changed. If eithe r of these numbers are above a pre-set threshold,
DL TSage sets a TapeAlert flag. Table 3-2 lists the three TapeAlert flags that could be set by DLTSage
firmware in this scenario.

For more information about media thr es holds, refer to your tape drive’s Product Manual.

Table 3-1. Firmware Responses to Tape Drive and Media Problems

Problem Probable Cause TapeAlert F lag Flag Type

Recommended Application Client
Message

Tape drive read / write
performance is at risk (and
cannot be attributed to the
media).

The tap e dr iv e thin k s it
may have a head cl og or
needs cleaning.

14h Clean now Critical

The tape drive n ee d s cleanin g:

1. If the operation has stopped, ej ect the tape
and clean th e drive.

2. If the operation has not stopped, wait for it
to finish and then clean the drive.
Check the tape drive users man ual for device
specifi c cleaning instructions.

Significa nt history of pr oblems
with the medi a (and cannot be
attributed to the tape drive).

Media can no longer be
written/read, or
performance is severely
degraded.

04h Media Critical

Your data is at risk:

1. Copy any data you require from this tape.

2. Do not use this tape again.

3. Restart the operation with a different tape.

The tap e dr iv e is ha vi ng
severe trouble reading.

01h Read warning Warning

The tape drive is having problems reading
data. No data has been lost, but there has
been a reduc tion in the performance of the
tape.

The tap e dr iv e is ha vi ng
severe trouble writing.

02h Write warning Warning

The tap e dr iv e is ha vi ng pr ob l em s wr it ing
data. No data has been lost, but there has
been a reduc tion in the capacity of the tape.

Significa nt history of pr oblems
with the t ape driv e ( and canno t
be attributed to the media).

Predicted failure of tape
driv e ha rd w a re.

26h Predictive
failure

Critical

A hardware failure of the tape drive is
predicted. Call the tape drive supplier help
line.

Table 3-2. Media Use TapeAlert Flags

Thresh o ld E xc ee d ed TapeAlert F lag

Nearing Media Life 13h Nearing media life
Reached Media Life 07h Media life

End of Media Life

a

a. DLTSage firmwa re does not prevent the use of media that has reached its

end of life.

04h Media

Chapter 3: Feat ure s of D LTSage

3-4 October 20 03 81-812 01 - 01 Re v A01

Temperature Thresholds

DLTSage also monitors the internal temperature of the tape drive (for SDLT 600 tape drives only).

Table 3-3 explains how this TapeAlert flag operates.

3.2.3 Full Suite of TapeAlert Flags

Table 3-4 lists the full set of TapeAlert flags that SDLT tape drives support.

Table 3-3. Temperature Thresholds

Threshold TapeAlert Flag Set Description

3 ºC below the shutdown
temperature

24h Drive te mperature

The 24th TapeAlert flag indicates tha t the tape drive is
reaching its shutdown te mperature. If the current
temperature l owers to 5 ºC below the maximum allowed
temperature, DLTSage clears the 24th TapeAlert flag.

Table 3-4. Supported TapeAlert Flags

Operating Parameters TapeAlert F lag Flag Type Description

Load Count

a

13h Nearing media life Informational Nearing Media Life
07h Media life Warning Reached Media Life
04h Media Critical Media Life Exceeded

Directory Revision

13h Nearing media life Informational Nearing Media Life
07h Media life Warning Reached Media Life
04h Media Critical Media Life Exceeded

Write Error Rate

02h Write warning Wa rning Write Warning

04h Media Critical

Media exceeds recommend ed
usage parameters. Retire media
immediately.

Read Erro r Rate

01h Read warning Warning Read Warning

04h Media Critical

Media exceeds recommend ed
usage parameters. Retire media
immediately.

Tracking Servo Write

02h Write warning Wa rning Write Warning

04h Media Critical

Media exceeds recommend ed
usage parameters. Retire media
immediately.

DLTSage Integ ration Guide

81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 3-5

Figure 3-1 shows an example of an Informational TapeAlert flag.

Figu r e 3-1. Sample TapeAlert Flag Me ssage

Tracking Servo Read

01h Read warning Warning Read Warning

04h Media Critical

Media exceeds recommend ed
usage parameters. Retire media
immediately.

Clean Drive Now 14h Clean now Critical

DLTSage has detected that the
tape drive needs clea ning (failed

backup).
Drive Shutdown Temp 24h Drive temperature Warning Check for sufficient airflow
Channel Wr ite Performance 26h Predictive failure Critical Replace tape drive

a. Load count thresholds are user definable for greater control.

Table 3-4. Supported TapeAlert Flags

Operating Parameters TapeAlert F lag Flag Type Description

Chapter 3: Feat ure s of D LTSage

3-6 October 20 03 81-812 01 - 01 Re v A01

3.2.4 Host Responses to TapeAlert Flags

Table 3-5 lists suggested host responses to TapeAlert flags.

Table 3-5. Host Responses to TapeAlert Flags

TapeAlert F lag Flag Type Recommended Application Client Message

(Host Response)

Probable Cause

01h Read warning Warning The tape drive is hav ing problems reading data. No

data has been lost, but there has been a reduction in
the performance of the tape.

The tape drive is having
severe trouble reading.

02h Write warning Warning The tape drive is having problems writi ng data. No

data has been lost, but there has been a reduction in
the capacity of th e tape.

The tape drive is having
severe trouble writing.

04h Media Critical Your data is at risk:

1. Copy any data you require from this tape.

2. Do not use this tape again.

3. Rest ar t th e op e r at io n wi th a di ffer e n t tape.

Media can no longer be
written/read, or
performance is severel y
degraded.

07h Media life Warning The tape cartridge has rea ched the end of its

calculated us eful life:

1. Copy any data you need to another tape.

2. Discard the old tape.

Media has exceeded its
specifi ed life.

13h Nearing media life Informational The tape cart ridge is nearing the end of its calculated

life. It is recommended that you:

1. Use another tape cartridge for your next backup.

2. Store this tape c artridge in a safe place in ca se you
need to restore data from i t.

Media may have
exceeded its specified
number of passes.

14h Clean now Critical The ta pe drive needs cleaning:

1. If the operation has stopped, eject the tape and
clean the drive .

2. If the operation has not st opped, wait for it to
finish an d then clean the drive.
Check the ta pe drive use rs manua l fo r devic e speci fic
cleaning instructions.

The tape drive thinks it
may have a head cl og o r
needs cleaning.

24h Drive temperature

a

a. SDLT 600 tape drive only.

Warning Environmental conditions inside the tape drive are

outside the sp ecified temperature range.

Cooling problem.

26h Predictive failure Critical A hardware failure of t he tap e drive i s pred icte d. Call

the tape drive supplier help line.

Predictive failure of
tape drive hardware.

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81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 3-7

3.3 Benefits Offered by DLTSage Applications

3.3.1 DLTSage xTalk

DLTSage xTalk evaluates your SDLT tape drive’s “health” and determines if it needs to be sent in for
service. The application also provides deta iled engineering tape drive analysis information, and the
ability to quickly downlo ad updates to the firmware, online help, test scripts, release notes, and the
application itself.

The DLTSage xTalk software runs on the following Windows operating systems: 98, NT 4.0,
2000, and XP.

NOTE: For more information, go to www.dltsage.com, download

DLTSage xTalk, and refer to the built-in online help files.

Figure 3-2 shows the xTalk interface; Table 3-6 describes the icons in xTalk’s toolbar.

Figu r e 3-2. DL TSage xT alk Interface

Chapter 3: Feat ure s of D LTSage

3-8 October 20 03 81-812 01 - 01 Re v A01

Table 3-6. DLTSage xTalk Features and Benefits

Feature Description

Saves data.

Scans the SCSI bus for devices.

Helps you select a sequential tape drive device.

Gathers specific device information.

Determines whether the selected device is ready to be tested.

Clears the xTalk window display.

Aborts the test. (Available only when a test is running.)

Allows you to run a test agains t the select ed de vice.

Updates the tape drive firmware.

Creates a firmware update tape .

Allows you to:

• Interrogate the tape drive firmware im age

• Put the resultant diagnostic data into a file

• Compress the file and gi ve it a .DMZ file extension.

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81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 3-9

3.3.2 DLTSage iTalk and Pocket DLTSage iTalk

DLTSage iTalk

DLTSage iTalk is diagnostic software that allows you to test the integrity of your SDLT tape drive.
This application uses an IR (Infrared) port connected to a PC to communicate with the tape drive.
DLTSage iTalk can be used to test either: 1) a standalone tape drive, or 2) a tape drive installed
in a lib r ary.

The DLTSage iTalk application runs on the following Windows operating systems: 95, 98, NT 4.0,
2000, and XP.

NOTE: For more information, go to www.tandberg.com or www.dltsage.com,

download DLTSage iTalk, and refer to the built-in online help files.

Starts the DL TSage xTalk Test Preparation Wizard.

Provides information about xTalk or activates online help.

Table 3-6. DLTSage xTalk Features and Be ne fi ts

Feature Description

Chapter 3: Feat ure s of D LTSage

3-10 Octob er 20 03 81-812 01-01 Rev A01

Figure 3-3 shows the DLTSage iTalk interface.

Figu r e 3-3. DLTSage iTalk Main Window

DLTSage Integ ration Guide

81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 3-11

Pocket DLTSage iTalk

Pocket DLTSage iTalk is diagnostic software that allows you to test the integrity of your SDLT tape
drive using a Pocket PC. This application uses the IR (Infrared) port on your Pocket PC to
communicate with th e tape drive . Pocke t DLTSage iTalk can be used to test either: 1) a stand alone t ape
drive, or 2) a tape drive installed in a library.

The Pocket DLTSage iTalk application runs on the Pocket PC 2002 operating system.

NOTE: For more information, go to www.dltsage.com, download Pocket

DLTSage iTalk, and refer to the built-in online help files.

Figure 3-4 shows the Pocket DLTSage iTalk interface; Table 3-7 describes the icons you see in the

main window.

Figu r e 3-4. Pocket DLTSage iTalk Main Window

Chapter 3: Feat ure s of D LTSage

3-12 Octob er 20 03 81-812 01-01 Rev A01

Table 3-7. DLTSage Pock et iTalk Icons and Funct io ns

Icon Description

Establishes a direct connection from your pocket PC to the tape drive.

Gathers specific device information.

Allows you to view the following device s tatus information:

• Cleaning Status

• Temperatur e Status

• Load Count

• Cleaning Cartridge.

Allows you to obtain the fol lowing error information:

• Total bytes—The amount of data last written to or read from the

media

• Rewrites or Rereads—The number of rewrit es or rereads

• Corrected Errors—The number of errors corre ct ed during the last

write or rea d operation

• Uncorrected Errors—The number of errors not corrected duri ng

the last write or read operation

• Raw Errors—The number of raw write or read errors.

Allows you to view the tape drive error log.

Allows you to view exist ing data or add your own vendor-un ique data
to your tape drive’s EEPROM.

81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 A-1

APPE NDIX A

Appendix AMAM Attributes and

Diagnostic Information

A.1 Diagnostic Levels

A.1.1 DLTSage Firmware

The DLTSage firmware provides three levels of dia gnostics: Electronic ( L1), Write/Read ( L2), and
Drive Health Check (L3). Table A-1 provides information about these diagnostics.

Diagnostic queri es are sen t using t he SEND DIAGNOSTIC command (1Dh). Similar ly, the RECEIVE
DIAGNOSTIC RESULTS command (1Ch) reports the test results.

NOTE: Refer to the your tape drive’s interface guide for details about the SCSI

commands used by the drive health check feature.

Table A-1. Firmware Diagnostics

Diagnostic Type Description

Level 1 (L1)
(Drive Online)

Electronic Checks the tape drive electronics and key interfaces.

Level 2 (L2)
(Drive Offline)

Write/Read Writes the entire length of tape (both directions) collecting

write statis tics. Reads the entire length of tape (both
directions) collecting read statistics.

Level 3 (L3)
(Drive Online)

Drive Health Check Reports the highest severity TapeAlert flag that has been set

for the tape drive and the media.

Level 3 (L3)
(Drive Offline)

Drive Health Check Runs the Level 3 diagnostic which consists of the write/read

diagnosti c and reporting the highest severi ty TapeAlert flag
that has been set for the tape drive and the media.

MAM Attr ib ut e s an d D ia gn os tic I nfo r m at ion

A-2 Octob er 20 03 81-812 01-01 Rev A01

A.2 LOG SENSing Tape Drive Conditions

The types of diagnostic and status inf ormation SDLT tape drives provide are orga niz ed into several
categories. These categories are based on the SCSI commands that retr ieve information from the ta pe
drive.

A.2.1 LOG SENSE Command Pages

Table A-2. LOG SENSE Command Pages and Descriptions

Log Page Description

Read (03h) / Write (02h)
Error

This log page provides information about the number and types of write or read
errors the tape drive has encountered and how many times the ta pe drive has
applied its error correction algorithm. The information this page provides allows
DLTSage to calculate the error rates.

Last n Error Events (07h) This log page stores the 32 most recent e rrors the tape drive reported. Unlike other

pages that report codes, this page reports the text associated with each error.

Temperature ( 0Dh) This log page returns the operating te mperature, in degrees Cels ius , inside the tape

drive at the instant the tape drive receives the LOG SENSE command. This page
does not provide ale r ts of excessive temperature conditions, but rather, continuous
temperature monitoring.

TapeAlert (2Eh) This log page reports the curr ent status of the ta pe drive’s internal self-diagnostic

monitoring activity. The tape driv e sets and clears the vari ous TapeAlert flags as
operating conditions change. An application monit oring the tape drive should
typically request the TapeAlert page as follows:

• Before an y Write or Read op e r at io n

• Following any Write or Read error the tape drive reports

• When the tape drive reaches the end of the tape and continued Write or Read

activity on spanned media is required

• Immediately following any Write or Read operation.

Read / W rite Compre ssion
(32h)

This log page provides detaile d statistics about the curre nt write or re ad operation,
including the numb er of bytes transferred, and the compression ratio applied to the
data set.

Device Status (3Eh) This log page reports information about the tape drive, including tape drive

cleaning status and statist ics, the current ope rating temperature, and the ID of the
media most recently loaded.

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81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 A-3

A.2.2 MODE SENSE Command Pages

The MODE SENSE command pages provide information about the current operating mode of the tape
drive, including the number of write and read r etries the tape dri ve performs before reporting an error,
the density of the media currently loaded in the tape drive, and a wide variet y of other configuration
settings. The MODE SELECT (6) / (10) c ommand (15h / 55h) sets these configuration settings.

A.2.3 Modifying the Media Load Count Threshold

The media load count threshold for DLTSage is a parameter of the EEPROM Vendor Specific Page
(page 3Eh) of the MODE SELECT command. The parameter name is SageLoadCountThre sh; it is an
ASCII / Decimal data type. The allowable range for this parameter is 2 to 50. The value of this
parameter is multipli ed by 100 to achieve the actual load count threshold. For example, a value of 2
translates to a Media Life Warning threshold of 200; a value of 36 translates to a Media Life Warning
threshold of 3,600. The default value for this parameter is 50, or a Media Life Warning threshold
of 5,000.

The SageLoadCountThresh par ameter is not a Medium Auxiliary Memory (MAM) attribute and as a
result cannot be set using the WRITE ATTRIBUTE command. This also means that the Media Life
Warning threshold cannot be set on a per-cartri dge basis, but is the same for all cartridges used with a
given SDLT 600 tape dr ive.

A.3 Medium Auxiliary Memory (MAM) Attributes

This section describes Quantum’s M edium Auxiliary Memory (MAM) attributes. Quantum’s MAM
capacity is 32 KB. For more information about Quantum’s specific implementation of MAM, see your
tape drive’s interface guide.

The following relevant information is stored in MAM:

• The native (uncompressed) capacity and the remaining capacity of the media.

• All TapeAlert flags set during the previous load of the media.

• The number of times the media has been loaded into any tape drive.

• The formatted density of the media .

• The number of times the media has been formatted.

• The serial numbers of the last four tape drives that loaded the media.

• The total MB of data written to and read from the media during its lifetime.

MAM Attr ib ut e s an d D ia gn os tic I nfo r m at ion

A-4 Octob er 20 03 81-812 01-01 Rev A01

• The total MB of data written to and read from the media during the most rece nt,
or current, load.

• Complete usage infor mation for the media, includi ng total MB of data writte n to and read from the
media during its li fetime and during the previous and current loads, the total write and read retries
during its lifetime and during the previous and current loads, and the total number of loads and
formats during its lif etime.

• Static inf ormation about the media, including the manufacturer name, serial number, length and
width of the tape, native density code, and manufacturing date.

• Complete host informati on, inc luding the vendor, name, and version number of the backup or
driver applica tion that last wrote attribute information to the media, the user -assigned text label of
the media, and the last date and time any MAM attributes ch anged.

There are two commands that allow you to read and write MAM attributes. They are the READ
ATTRIBUTE command (8Ch) and the WRITE ATTRIBUTE command (8Dh). For more information
about Quantum’s implementation of the READ and WRITE ATTRIBUTE commands, see your tape
drive’s interface guide.

A.3.1 Device Type Attributes

The tape drive maintains and updat es devic e type attributes (se e Table A-3) when the medium and
associated medium auxiliary memory are present.

Table A-3. Device Type Attributes (for MAM) Supported by the SDLTtape

Drive Firmware

Attribute
Identifier

Name

Attribute
Length (bytes)

Format

0000h REMAINING CAPACITY IN

PARTITION

8 BINARY

0001h MAXIMUM CAPACITY IN

PARTITION

8 BINARY

0002h TAPE ALERT FLAGS 8 BINARY
0003h LOAD COUNT 8 BINARY
0004h MAM SPACE REMAINING 8 BINARY
0005h ASSIGNING ORGANIZA TION 8 ASCII
0006h FORMATTED DENSITY CODE 1 BINARY
0007h INITIALIZATION COUNT 2 BINARY
0008h - 0209h Reserve d

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81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 A-5

A.3.2 Host Type Attributes

Application clie nts use the WRITE ATTRIBUTE command (8Dh) and the READ ATTRIBUTE
command (8Ch) to maintain the attributes listed in Table A-4. All host type attributes have a status of
read/write.

020Ah DEVICE VENDOR/SERIAL

NUMBER AT LAST LOAD

40 ASCII

020Bh DEVICE VENDOR/SERIAL

NUMBER AT LOAD-1

40 ASCII

020Ch DEVICE VENDOR/SERIAL

NUMBER AT LOAD-2

40 ASCII

020Dh DEVICE VENDOR/SERIAL

NUMBER AT LOAD-3

40 ASCII

020Eh - 021Fh Reserved
0220h TOTAL MBYTES WRITTEN IN

MEDIUM LIFE

8 BINARY

0221h TOTAL MBYTES READ IN

MEDIUM LIFE

8 BINARY

0222h TOTAL MBYTES WRITTEN IN

CURRENT/LAST LOAD

8 BINARY

0223h TOTAL MBYTES READ IN

CURRENT/LAST LOAD

8 BINARY

0224h - 033Fh Reserved
0340h MEDIUM USAGE HISTORY 90 BINARY
0341h PARTITION USAGE HISTORY 60 BINARY
0342h - 03FFh Reserved

Table A-4. Host Type Attributes (for MAM) Supported by the SDLT Tape Drive Firmware

Attribute
Identifier

Name

Attribute
Length (bytes)

Format

0800h APPLICATION VENDOR 8 ASCII

Table A-3. Device Type Attributes (for MAM) Supported by the SDLTtape

Drive Firmware (Continued)

Attribute
Identifier Name

Attribute
Length (bytes) Format

MAM Attr ib ut e s an d D ia gn os tic I nfo r m at ion

A-6 Octob er 20 03 81-812 01-01 Rev A01

A.3.3 Host Vendor-unique Type Attributes

SDLT tape drives allocate a fixed size (1,029 bytes) for the host to write their host vendor-unique
MAM attributes. These attributes are numbered in the range 1400h through 17FFh. Sinc e attribute
headers are five bytes in length, if the host wants to write one attribute , there are 1,024 bytes of
attribute data space available. If the host wants to write two attributes: one maximum and one
minimum, the large st th e maximum can be is 1,029 (tota l) - 5 (max. attribute header ) - 5 (min. attr ibut e
header) - 1 (min. attribute data) or 1,018 data bytes, and the smalles t the minimum can be is one byte.

Host vendor-unique attributes can be added and deleted. A write to a host vendor-unique attribute
causes the tape drive to test the size remaining (MAM Space Remaining (0004h)) and if the write does
not cause an out-of-memory condi tion, the drive allows it. An application is allowed to write an
attribute marked as read only to the host vendor-unique area, but this attribute can never
be deleted.

0801h APPLICATION NAME 32 ASCII
0802h APPLICATION VERSION 8 ASCII
0803h USER MEDIUM TEXT LABEL 160 TEXT
0804h DATE AND TIME LAST WRITTEN 12 ASCII
0805h TEXT LOCALIZATION IDENTIFIER 1 BINARY
0806h BARCODE 32 ASCII
0807h OWNING HOST TEXTUAL NAME 80 TEXT
0808h MEDIA POOL 160 TEXT
0809h PARTITION USER TEXT LABEL 16 ASCII
080Ah LOAD/UNLOAD AT PARTITION 1 BINARY
080Bh -

0BFFh

Reserved

Table A-4. Host Type Attributes (for MAM) Supported by the SDLT Tape Drive Firmware

Attribute
Identifier

Name

Attribute
Length (bytes)

Format

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TANDBERG DATA GmbH
Feldstraße 81 •44141 Dortmund

Telefon: [phone]
Telefax: +49 (0) 231/54 36-111

Hotline: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Internet: www.tandberg.com