14
Getting Started
When you insert a cartridge, the drive’s cartridge transport mechanism grips and
loads the cartridge, much like a VCR does. The drive then takes a few seconds to
wind the tape to the main directory.
Caution! ADR 50 GB cartridges are longer than ADR 30 GB cartridges,
preventing the cartridge door from closing completely. Do not attempt to pull
an ADR 50 GB cartridge out of the drive!
Removing a Cartridge from the Drive
1.
Press the eject button on the left side of your OnStream Digital Tape Drive’s
front panel as shown in Figure 12. The cartridge door opens and ejects the
cartridge.
It may take a few seconds to eject an OnStream ADR cartridge. Your OnStream
Digital Drive must finish the current file copy operation and update the cartridge
directory before ejecting the cartridge.
2.
Remove the cartridge immediately.
After a few seconds the cartridge door closes automatically. Do not press on the
door while it is open.
How to use OnStream ADR Cartridges
Tape Rotation Makes Sense
When defining the best tape rotation strategy for your needs, the key thing to
consider is how often your data changes. The following are some explanations of
typical tape rotation strategies.
6-Tape Rotation
For data that changes more frequently, you may want to use a 6-tape rotation
strategy. The simplest way to manage a 6-tape strategy is to use five tapes
Monday through Friday and label the sixth tape “Off-Site”. Then, every Monday
make a total backup onto the Monday tape. The rest of the week you make
incremental backups to the corresponding tape. At the end of the week, make
another total backup using the Off-Site tape. And of course, remember to store
the Off-Site tape in a secure location when you are not using it for backup.
10-Tape Rotation
The 10-tape rotation strategy works best if you need to keep track of weeks or
months of data. It is basically an extension of the 6-tape rotation strategy except
that you label the 6th tape “Off-Site Week 1”, the 7th tape “Off-Site Week 2”, the
8th tape “Off-Site Week 3” and the 9th tape “Off-Site Week 4.” Label the 10th
tape “Off-Site Monthly” and you are set. By using a different off-site tape each
week, and yet another at the end of the month, you can build a complete history
of data, just in case you need it.
Adding additional monthly tapes, one for each quarter of the year or for each
month, further enhances the data security of your tape rotation schedule.
SCSIGSGuide.book Page 14 Tuesday, January 19, 1999 1:02 PM
