User Guide

User Guide
Operation: Dell PowerVault 132T Tape Library User's Guide

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Operation: Dell™ PowerVault™ 132T Tape Library User's Guide

Operator Panel Keypad

Icon Definitions

Inserting and Removing Media

Removing Tapes

Barcode Labels

Menu Navigation

Normal Operations


Operator Panel Keypad

The library includes an easy-to-read bitmap LCD and a five-button keypad, called the Operator Panel, which allows you to interactively control library operations. Using the Operator Panel, you can set library options, check operating statistics, and diagnose errors. The buttons on the keypad are described in more in Table 1.

Table 1. Operator Panel keypad

Selection
Button
Description
Left Arrow
Navigate Menu Left

Right Arrow

Navigate Menu Right

Up Arrow

Scroll Value Up

Down Arrow

Scroll Value Down
Action button
Run Menu Option

Icon Definitions

The LCD on the library uses icons to provide graphical representations of menu items. From the Main menu (Figure 1), you can view menu icons as well as drive and tape status icons.

Figure 1. Main menu icons

Menu Icons

A list of the menu icons and their descriptions is provided in Table 2.

Table 2. Menu icons and descriptions

Status Menu Icons
Setup Menu Icons
Icon
Description
 
 
STATUS Menu
 
 
Display Firmware Version
 
 
Display Inventory
 
 
Display Motion Counts
 
 
Display Retry Counts
 
 
Display Sensor Status
 
 
Errors
 
 
Serial Number
 
 
 
Service Tag
 
 
 
Fibre Status

Command Menu Icons

Icon
Description
 
 
COMMAND Menu
 
 
Import Media
 
 
Import Data Media
 
 
Import Cleaning Media
 
 
Export Media
 
 
Export Data Media
 
 
Export Cleaning Media
    Dismount Drive
 
 
Move Media
 
 
Bulk Load Media
 
 
Bulk Unload Media
 
 
Sequential Mode
 
 
Start Loop
 
 
Start Single
 
 
Stop
 
 
Resume
Icon
Description
 
 
SETUP Menu
 
 
Setup Wizard
 
 
Configure Slots
 
 
SCSI/Fibre
 
 
Drive SCSI ID
 
 
Set Inquiry
    Access Mode
    Fibre Setup
    Lib SCSI ID
 
 
Configure User Interface
 
 
Timeout
 
 
Password
 
 
Key Clicks
 
 
Configure RMU
 
 
Configure AutoClean
 
 
Configure Scanner
 
 
Default Library

Tools Menu Icons

Icon
Description
 
 
TOOLS Menu
 
 
Clean Drive
 
 
Load Firmware
 
 
Demo Test
 
 
Self Test
 
 
Drive Maintenance
 
 
Manufacturing Test
 
 
Position Picker
 
 
Output Logs
    Drive Power On/Off

Drive Status Icons

Figure 3 shows the icons that are displayed on the LCD indicating drive status. The icons are described in Table 3.

Figure 3. Drive status icons

Table 3. Drive status icons and descriptions

Icon
Description
1 or 2
A tape drive is present in drive slot 1 or 2.
Drive cleaning is required.
Tape activity. See Tape Activity Icons.
Drive error message. The character after the ! represents the error indicator on the drive LCD. See the drive manufacturer documentation for an explanation of the error. (This icon is not shown in Figure 3).
The tape drive is compressing data on tape.
The tape is write protected.

Tape Activity Icons

Table 4 shows the icons that are displayed on the LCD indicating tape activity.

Table 4. Tape activity icons and descriptions

Icon
Description
A tape drive is loading a cartridge.
A tape drive has a cartridge loaded.
A tape drive is rewinding a cartridge.
A tape drive is unloading a cartridge.
A tape drive has unloaded a cartridge.
A tape drive is reading data from a cartridge.
A tape drive is writing data to a cartridge.
A tape drive is erasing data from a cartridge.
A tape drive is locating data on a cartridge.

Online and Offline Modes

Your library can operate in an online or offline mode. Typically, the library is in the online mode. When you access the Command, Setup, or Tools menus from the Operator Panel, a message notifies you that the library will go into offline mode. You must verify that you want the library to operate in offline mode before proceeding. When the library is offline, the host has limited access to the library. The host can retrieve information from the library but cannot run any commands that change the state of the library, such as writing data or moving media. Entering the Main menu automatically returns the library to the online mode. The Operator Panel indicates which mode you are in. Figure 4 shows the offline mode, Figure 5 shows the online mode.

Figure 4. Offline mode

Figure 5. Online mode


Inserting and Removing Media

Your library has been designed to make media insertion a simple and accurate process. There are two ways to insert and remove media from the library.

  • Load the magazines with tapes and use the Bulk Load feature in the Command menu. For more information, see Bulk Load. To remove media, unload the tapes from the rear slots to the magazines by using the Bulk Unload feature in the Command menu. For more information, see Bulk Unload.
  • Use the Import/Export features in the Command menu to load tapes from the IE slot. For more information, see Import Media and Export Media.
NOTICE: It is not recommended that you manually insert/remove media to/from the rear slots directly. If you choose to insert/remove media directly to/from the rear slots and the picker is blocking the slots, use the Position Picker tool to move the picker. Do not move the picker manually or you may damage it.

NOTE: Media barcode labels can be viewed through the magazine window.

The magazines and rear storage slots are designed to prevent the cartridges from being inserted incorrectly. The magazines and rear storage slots also include cartridge locks that prevent media from falling out of the slots when the magazines are inverted or the library is transported. To remove the tapes from the rear slots and the magazine, lift up on the green lever to release the locking mechanism.

The rear storage slots contain sensors that detect the presence of cartridges and automatically update library inventory when cartridges are inserted or removed. Sensors also detect the presence/absence of the magazines and the inventory is updated when the magazines are inserted or removed.

NOTE: If you remove and then reinsert the magazines very rapidly, the sensors may not be able to detect the presence of the magazines. Ensure that you fully insert the magazines and do not remove and reinsert them very rapidly.

NOTICE: Do not directly insert media into the picker. If media is inserted into the picker incorrectly, it may damage the picker.


Removing Tapes

There are four instances that may require manual removal of a tape cartridge from the interior of your library. You can remove a tape manually from a drive, the rear slots, the front magazines, and the picker. You can position the picker to move it out of your way to be able to reach the back interior of your library. You can also position the picker when you want to remove a tape from the picker by following the procedure below.

Positioning the Picker

  1. From the Tools menu, highlight and press .
  2. Press and to select the target slot to move the picker to.
  3. Press to highlight Run () and then press .

Removing a Tape From a Drive

  1. Position the picker to the left, which is away from the drive, using the Operator Panel. Refer to Positioning the Picker.
  2. Open the front door and remove the two magazines.
  3. Press the eject button on the drive and remove the tape.
  4. If the tape cannot be removed, contact Dell Support.

Removing a Tape From a Back Slot

  1. Position the picker to the far right. Refer to Positioning the Picker.
  2. Power off the library.
  3. Open the front door and remove the two magazines.
  4. Reach into the back of the library and press up on the green lever to release a tape from the back slot.
  5. Gently pull the tape out toward you.

Removing a Tape From the Picker

  1. Position the picker to be accessible to you. Refer to Positioning the Picker.
  2. Power off the library.
  3. Open the front door and remove the two magazines.
  4. If the tape cartridge is toward you, grasp it and remove it gently. However, if the tape cartridge is away from you, gently push it into a rear slot with a long narrow object like a ruler.
NOTE: If a cartridge is partially in the drive and partially in the picker, contact Technical Support for removal instructions


Barcode Labels

For cartridges to be scanned, they must have an external label that is machine readable to identify the volume serial number. A barcode must use only uppercase letters A to Z and/or numeric values 0 to 9. The library currently supports Code 39 type barcode labels.

Three different types of barcode label modes are supported in the PowerVault 132T library:

Default:
The scanner will expect to read and will report to the host six characters. Optional one or two character media identifiers can be present but will not be reported by a host.
Media ID:
The scanner will expect to read and will report to the host seven or eight characters (six plus the media identifier) by a host.
Extended:
The scanner will read and report to the host between five and sixteen characters.

The barcode scanner will read and report all of the information that it scans and will display this information on the Operator Panel. The library will report the barcode information to the host according to the mode it is configured for and will display alert messages on the Operator Panel LCD if the scanned barcode does not match the barcode length and media identifier requirements of the mode.

For customers who wish to print the barcode labels, the individual media labels are supported if the labels meet the requirements below:

  • Number of digits: 6-16 (based on mode)
  • Background reflection: at least 25 percent
  • Print contrast: at least 75 percent
  • Ratio: at least 2.2
  • Module: 250 mm
  • Print tolerance: ± 57 mm
  • Length of the rest zones: 5.25 mm ± 0.25 mm.
  • No black marks can be present in the intermediate spaces or rest zones.
  • No white areas may be present on the bars.
  • Bars should read in a uniform direction. Non-uniform reading directions are feasible in principle, but have a detrimental effect on performance.
  • Quality Testing

Compliance with these specifications can be checked and documented with the Ergilaser 3000 High Density barcode measuring device that is manufactured by the Laetus Company.

Applying the Label

All barcode scanning labels should be applied to the front of the cartridge in the upper right corner of the tape cartridge recess (when oriented vertically). Make sure that the media identifier on the label matches the media type. The media identifier is the last two extra characters on the right side of the label. The label shown in Figure 6 is an example of an L1 media identifier for an LTO-1 media type. When using LTO-2 media the media identifier extension would be L2. For LTO-3 media the media identifier extension would be L3. The library uses the media identifier on the label to determine if the media is compatible with the tape drive. A drive mount will be prevented by the library if the media type, as determined by the media identifier, is incompatible with the target tape drive. As an example LTO-2 media improperly labeled with an L3 media identifier extension could not be loaded into the LTO-2 drive.

Depending on the media type, barcode labels are either stickers that are adhered to the front of the tape cartridge or cutouts that you slide into an indentation on the front of the cartridge. To aid in readability, apply the labels so that the numbers are at the top of the label.

  1. Peel off the label and place it on the cartridge.
  2. Verify that the label is oriented so that the numbers appear right-side up and above the barcode.

Figure 6 shows the label application on a piece of LTO-1 media.

Figure 6. Barcode label


Menu Navigation

To navigate between menus and within a particular menu item, tabbing and scrolling are used. Tabbing and scrolling are described in more detail below.

Main Menu Navigation

You can tab between the four icons in the Main menu by pressing the left and right arrow keys ( and ). Once you have highlighted the menu item you are interested in, press the Action key () to select it.

Submenu Navigation

There are two levels of submenu navigation. The first level allows you to move between the various submenu items. This type of tabbing works the same as the Main menu tabbing, using the left and right arrow keys ( and ) to move between items, and using the Action key () to select items.

Once you have selected an item in a submenu, there may be several options for that item. This is the second level of submenu navigation called scrolling. When scrolling within a submenu item is available, a set of arrows will be present on the right side of the LCD as shown below.

The presence of these arrows indicates that there are more items available to view or change. You use the up and down arrow keys on the keypad ( and ) to scroll up and down through the list or to change the value.

On some screens, there is more than one item to view or change. Each of the items will have its own set of scrolling arrows. Highlight the field, and then use the up and down arrow keys on the keypad ( and ) to scroll up and down through the list or to change the value. Use the left and right arrow keys ( and ) to move (tab) between items.

If you want to exit a submenu and go up a menu level, you use the back to previous icon, indicated by on the bottom left of the LCD. You need to press the left arrow key to select , and then press Action .

Normal Operations

Once your library and your choice of application software are installed and configured, you can automatically perform backup and restore operations through the application software. You do not need to intervene unless you need to replace cartridges.

Always follow these general operating guidelines:

  • Use only the recommended types of media cartridges.
  • Clean the drive whenever the icon appears on the LCD (signifying a cleaning request).

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