Message "write protected" when it is not!

[gmanea]

BrightStore ArcServe 9

Trying to erase tapes fron a previous version that were in a media pool and I get the message "Write Protected". The tab on the tape is in the right position and the write protected light on the device is not lit!? The tapes are DLT IV and new tapes work!

 

[davidmichel]

What version and OS of ARCserve was used to backup to the tape?

Try a format.

Capture the failure in a tape log and lets have a look.

 

[gmanea]

The tape was used with ARCServe 6.6. I can read it with ARCServe 9, I can merge and restore but I can not erase or format. If I go to device manager and look at the "Media Information", for "Write Protect" it has "Yes". The "Media Characteristics" are the same as a new tape that works. There is nothing to capture because as soon as I click "Format", I get a warning window that states "Write protected". I tries several tapes with the same results. Again, new tapes of the same brand and model work!

 

[davidmichel]

A tape log will tell us what is going on.

 

[gmanea]

Hi!

As I have said, there is no tape log as the error comes up right away. If you are referring to the log from the time the tape was created, it is not available as the old database was erased by the people that installed the new hardware and updated the software!

Thanks!

 

[davidmichel]

1 more try.

The Manager only knows what the Tape Engine reports about tape.

enable Tape Engine debug
load the tape
generate the failure
disable debug
post the log

 

[Bonze]

I assume this user’s problem has already been resolved, but I wanted to post for the record. I encountered the same problem myself, and couldn’t readily find the answer anywhere.

The root of the problem is that ArcServe is set to use a smaller block size than the blocks that exist on the old tapes. Since it can’t write new blocks, it calls the tape Write Protected. New tapes are useable because there is no block size set on them yet.

Check the TAPESVR.CFG file in the ARCSERVE\NLM directory. You can increase the BLOCKSIZE= parameter (I believe 7 is the current max). Removing it also seems to work.

The one decent link I found is this:

http://www.intel.com/support/storageexpress/30119.htm#E6501

 

[mcm1k3y]

I have seen this on Release 11 with DLT IV tapes being re-used from ArcServe 2000. I find that a full inventory of the tape - as opposed to read information from database - resolves the problem.

 

[DanCassin]

I have also seen this problem, and it’s not related to any software limitations or bugs.

The particular error I experienced was when I attempted to erase a DLT IV tape, which was previously used in a DLT4000/7000/8000 in the HP DLT1 drive.

Though the DLT1 drive's capacity is identical to the DLT 8000 (40/80) drives, the read/write head writes at a lower Gaussian level, which means the erase / format that the DLT1 does cannot overcome the residual magnetism between tracks and would result in media errors, therefore the DLT1 drive, when it reads the leader, detects that the media is now 'incompatible' for writing and marks it read only (or write protected).

Check the following link...

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...dTypeId=12169&prodSeriesId=34643&locale=en_US

The solution is to use an external degausser on the tapes you want to reuse.