Tandberg Data B DLTSAGE INTEGRATION Quick setup guide

Integration Guide

ii October 2003 81-81201-01 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 Corporation, registered in the
U.S.A. and other countries. DLTtape, DLTSage, Value DLTtape, and Super DLTtape are trademarks of Quantum
Corporation.
Other company and product names used in this document are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service
marks of their respective owners.
Legal Disclaimers
The information contained in this document is the exclusive property of Quantum Corporation. Quantum retains
its copyright on the information contained herein in all cases and situations of usage, including derivative works.
The possessor agrees to safeguard this information and to maintain it in confidence and not re-publish it in whole
or in part without Quantum’s prior written consent.
Quantum reserves the right to make changes and improvements to its products, without incurring any obligation
to incorporate such changes or improvements in units previously sold or shipped.
Contact Information
Youcan requestyour Tandberg SalesRepresentative or order themdirectlyfrom Tandberg or Quantum.
Telephone numbers and street addresses change frequently; for the latest, up-to-date contact 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 October 2003 81-81201-01 Rev A01
Notes

81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 v
Ta b l e o f C o n t en t s
1Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Purpose and Scope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Online Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Related Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
2About DLTSage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Enabling Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
3Features 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 DLTSage Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
DLTSage xTalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
DLTSage iTalk and Pocket DLTSage iTalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
AMAM Attributes and Diagnostic Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1
Diagnostic Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1

Table of Contents
vi October 2003 81-81201-01 Rev A01
DLTSage Firmware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1
LOG SENSing Tape Drive Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-2
LOG SENSE Command Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-2
MODE SENSE Command Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3
Modifying the Media Load Count Threshold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .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
1Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
2About DLTSage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
3Features of DLTSage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Table 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
Table 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 iTalk Icons and Functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
AMAM Attributes and Diagnostic Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1
Table A-1. Firmware Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1
Table A-2. LOG SENSE Command Pages and Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2
Table A-3. Device Type Attributes (for MAM) Supported by the SDLTtape
Drive Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4
Table A-4. Host Type Attributes (for MAM) Supported by the SDLT Tape Drive Firmware . . . . .A-5

List of Tables
viii October 2003 81-81201-01 Rev A01
Notes

81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 ix
List of Figures
1Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
2About DLTSage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Figure 2-1. DLTSage Architecture Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
3Features of DLTSage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Figure 3-1. Sample TapeAlert Flag Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Figure 3-2. DLTSage xTalk Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Figure 3-3. DLTSage iTalk Main Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Figure 3-4. Pocket DLTSage iTalk Main Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11

List of Figures
x October 2003 81-81201-01 Rev A01
Notes

81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 1-1
CHAPTER 1
Chapter 1Introduction
1.1 Purpose and Scope
This publication provides information about DLTSage™, a suite of preventive maintenance diagnostic
software tools that enable users to more simply manage tape storage environments.
This publication also provides information about the TapeAlert 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 Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), Operating
System Vendors (OSVs), Original Equipment 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 resources.
•Chapter 2, “About DLTSage”—Introduces DLTSage, describes its architecture, and enabling
technologies.

Chapter 1: Introduction
1-2 October 2003 81-81201-01 Rev A01
•Chapter 3, “Features of DLTSage”—Provides information about the SDLT tape drive firmware,
TapeAlert flags and host responses, DLTSage xTalk, DLTSage iTalk, and Pocket DLTSage iTalk.
•Appendix A, “MAM Attributes and Diagnostic Information”—Provides information about
diagnostic levels, LOG SENSing tape drive conditions, and Medium Auxiliary Memory (MAM)
Attributes.
1.4 Resources
Refer to the books and online links in this section for additional information about how DLTSage
obtains information.
1.4.1 Online Resources
For information related 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 information about MAM Attributes, see
Information Technology - SCSI Primary Commands - 3 (SPC3), Section 7.3.
•www.dltsage.com—official 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 related to DLTSage and other Quantum products, refer to the following publications:
•SDLT 600 Fibre Channel Interface Guide (81-81202-01)
•SDLT 600 SCSI Interface Guide (81-81200-01)
•SDLT 220 and SDLT 320 SCSI Interface 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
CHAPTER 2
Chapter 2About DLTSage
2.1 Overview
DLTSage comprises both SDLT tape drive firmware and Quantum host software enhancements that
help you understand and manage how SDLT tape drives and SDLTtape media are used throughout the
enterprise.
DLTSage tape drive firmware capabilities provide:
•Automatic collection and continuous monitoring of more than 20 tape drive and media parameters.
•Automatic over-threshold detection and history collection.
•Automatic identification of tape drives and media that are at risk.
•Automatic identification of media that is nearing or has reached its end of life.
•Predictive cleaning 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 important tape drive parameters and information.
•Supports multiple operating systems and device interfaces.

Chapter 2: About DLTSage
2-2 October 2003 81-81201-01 Rev A01
2.2 Architecture
The DLTSage architecture is built on standards that interface cleanly into customers’ storage
environments. Figure 2-1 shows this achitecture.
Figure 2-1. DLTSage Architecture Overview
NOTE:To download DLTSage xTalk, DLTSage iTalk or Pocket DLTSage iTalk,
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)

DLTSage Integration Guide
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 library of current or impending problems with
the tape drive or media.
•DLTSage xTalk—provides host-based diagnostics for all operating environments through SCSI or
Fibre Channel. It is a host-based tool for Windows, Solaris, Unix, and Linux operating systems.
•DLTSage iTalk and Pocket DLTSage iTalk—communicate with all elements of customer
environments with SDLT tape drive systems to obtain status information and issue commands via
the infrared (IR) connection. The pocket version of DLTSage iTalk obtains tape drive information
and sends commands using an IR connection. DLTSage iTalk uses the infrared (IR) port that is
available exclusively on SDLT tape drives.
•Medium Auxiliary Memory (MAM) Attributes—stores MAM attributes on the data cartridge. The
attributes are accessed using the READ and WRITE ATTRIBUTE SCSI commands.
NOTE:These topics are discussed in detail in Chapter 3, “Features of DLTSage”
and in Appendix A, “MAM Attributes and Diagnostic Information”.

Chapter 2: About DLTSage
2-4 October 2003 81-81201-01 Rev A01
Notes

81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 3-1
CHAPTER 3
Chapter 3Features of DLTSage
3.1 Overview
The DLTSage firmware sets TapeAlert flags that the DLTSage host software, the ISV software, and the
library controller can read independently. When a TapeAlert flag is set, it indicates that the DLTSage
firmware has determined a specific condition related to the data cartridge 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 before unloading the data
cartridge.
This chapter provides detailed information about the SDLT 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 continuously 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 (MR) channel, and
each optical band.
The amount of data collected and the level of granularity allow DLTSage tape drive firmware to
differentiate between tape drive and media-related problems. If a critical operating parameter exceeds
a DLTSage threshold, the data structure—corresponding to the track, segment, MR channel, or optical
band—is marked to indicate system performance degradation.

Chapter 3: Features of DLTSage
3-2 October 2003 81-81201-01 Rev A01
3.2.2 TapeAlert Flags
TapeAlert flags report to the host or library that DLTSage has detected an issue where operation is
affected 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 preventing 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.
TapeAlert 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 either the data cartridge or the tape drive.
Severity levels of TapeAlert flags are:
•Informational—provides an early warning of media nearing end of life.
•Warning—indicates that performance or capacity of the system has been degraded but no data has
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 problem lies within the tape
drive, contact your field service provider.
You can query information about SDLT TapeAlert flags by retrieving the LOG SENSE
TapeAlert Page (2Eh)

DLTSage Integration Guide
81-81201-01 Rev A01 October 2003 3-3
Tape Drive and Media Related Problems
Table 3-1 lists hypothetical scenarios and DLTSage firmware responses.
Media Thresholds
DLTSage monitors the number of times a data cartridge has been loaded, as well as the number of
times the directory revision has changed. If either of these numbers are above a pre-set threshold,
DLTSage 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 thresholds, refer to your tape drive’s Product Manual.
Table 3-1. Firmware Responses to Tape Drive and Media Problems
Problem Probable Cause TapeAlert Flag Flag Type Recommended Application Client
Message
Tape drive read / write
performance is at risk (and
cannot be attributed to the
media).
The tape drive thinks it
may have a head clog or
needs cleaning. 14h Clean now Critical
The tape drive needs cleaning:
1. If the operation has stopped, eject the tape
and clean the drive.
2. If the operation has not stopped, wait for it
to finish and then clean the drive.
Check the tape drive users manual for device
specific cleaning instructions.
Significant historyof problems
with the media (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 tape drive is having
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 reduction in the performance of the
tape.
The tape drive is having
severe trouble writing. 02h Write warning Warning The tape drive is having problems writing
data. No data has been lost, but there has
been a reduction in the capacity of the tape.
Significant historyof problems
with the tape drive (and cannot
be attributed to the media).
Predicted failure of tape
drive hardware. 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
Threshold Exceeded TapeAlert Flag
Nearing Media Life 13h Nearing media life
Reached Media Life 07h Media life
End of Media Lifea
a. DLTSage firmware does not prevent the use of media that has reached its
end of life.
04h Media

Chapter 3: Features of DLTSage
3-4 October 2003 81-81201-01 Rev 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 temperature
The 24th TapeAlert flag indicates that the tape drive is
reaching its shutdown temperature. If the current
temperature lowers to 5 ºC below the maximum allowed
temperature, DLTSage clears the 24th TapeAlert flag.
Table 3-4. Supported TapeAlert Flags
Operating Parameters TapeAlert Flag Flag Type Description
Load Counta
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 Warning Write Warning
04h Media Critical Media exceeds recommended usage parameters. Retire media
immediately.
Read Error Rate
01h Read warning Warning Read Warning
04h Media Critical Media exceeds recommended usage parameters. Retire media
immediately.
Tracking Servo Write
02h Write warning Warning Write Warning
04h Media Critical Media exceeds recommended usage parameters. Retire media
immediately.