Problem Relabeling Degaused Tapes

[AnalogKidd]

Using Networker 7.1.1 for Windows 2003 with two 24 slot jukeboxes. Our company policy is to degause our old tapes before reuse. The problem I am having is Legato reads the barcode label on the tape and recognizes it as a recycleable tape in the database. However, when Legato goes to use the tape, since it has been degaused and is essentially a new tape, there is no volume label. Legato thinks I am trying to load a new tape with a duplicate label. I get an error similar to: Duplicate name, pick new name or delete old one.

To work around this, I have been going to the media database and deleteing the volumes, and then labeling the tapes. This process seeme to work, but is very tedious and time-consuming. I'm hoping there is a command line that I can run to either

1. Unconditionally relabel tapes based on the current barcode label, no matter what is in the database. I assume this would have to overwrite the entry in the database.

or

2. Generate a list of volumes that is currently loaded in my jukebox, and then delete these labels from the database.

If anyone has an idea on how to accomplish either of these, or if you know of another direction I should be going, I would be extremely grateful.

Thanks,
AK

 

[605]

Degaussing can be tricky. I am not completely sure but i think some tapes have a calibration section at the beginning which must not be deleted. If deleted such tapes will obviously become useless.

1. As a backup software, NW must read the label and verify it against the barcode. To my knowlegde, this step can not be bypassed.

2. Sure you can do this with nsrjb. For details please read the manpages.

 

[RMinNJ]

The command you want is nsrmm -d volumename. You'll need
to do this for each volume bulk erased. If you use a
barcode scanner you may be able to feed the barcode to
this command avoiding mis-typing.

I concur that we did run into problems bulk erasing SDLT
tapes that have a calibration track. Sometimes bulk
erasing did not remove all the track; this confused the
drive on tape load. A stronger degausser would have helped
us.

 

[605]

You may of course also run the commands
sjimm to load a media into a drive
sjirdtag to verify the result
mt to initiate a full erase of the media
This command initiates nothing else but the SCSI "Security Erase" command
sjimm to unload a media from the drive

For details, please see the manpages (Command line references).