Formatting a tape

Although SCO ARCserve/Open will automatically format blank tapes, you can use this option to manually format your tapes. Formatting writes a new label at the beginning of the tape, effectively destroying all existing data on the tape.

Low level formatting, as is required on most hard drives and some mini cartridge tape drives, is not required for drives that SCO ARCserve/Open supports.

Use this option with care. Once you format a tape, the data it contained (if any), and any job sessions associated with this tape, are gone permanently.

If you plan to use Auto Pilot, don't format the tapes. Use blank tapes and let SCO ARCserve/Open auto-format them for you.

To format a tape:

  1. Insert the tape that you want to format into a tape drive.

  2. Select that tape drive.

    Refer to ``Selecting a tape drive'' for information about selecting a tape drive.

  3. Select Format from the Tape Device Menu.

    The Format dialog box appears:

  4. Enter a name for this new tape and select a day on which you would like to take this tape out of service.

    You should choose an expiration date based on how you will use the tape. If you will be using the tape a few times a week, you should set the expiration date to a year from now, maybe less. If you will be using the tape only once a month, you can set the expiration date to two or three years from the current date.

    A tape's life is generally based on ``passes''. A pass is defined as the tape drive head ``passing'' over a given point on the tape. For example, a backup without verification constitutes one pass and a backup with verification constitutes two passes.

    Tape manufacturers rate their tape's useful lives from about 500 to 1500 passes. This doesn't mean that the tape is unusable after it reaches the maximum number, just that it is more susceptible to errors at this point.

    When a tape reaches its Expiration Date, you will still be able to use it, but when you make a backup, for example, the activity log will have a note that this tape is expired.

    The expiration date is just a way of tracking how long a tape has been in service so you can stop using it before it reaches the end of its useful life.

  5. Click OK to start formatting the tape.


Next topic: Erasing a tape
Previous topic: Maintaining your tapes

© 1997 The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc. All rights reserved.