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Format of the tape configuration file

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The tape configuration file format consists of fields such as vendor ID, product ID, and details of compression types for a tape drive. This file also consists of optional fields for enabling the autoload feature of a tape drive and changing the command timeout values of a tape drive.

The following table displays the format of the tape configuration file:

Item Size Description

vendor_id (string)

up to 8 bytes

The vendor ID as reported by the SCSI Inquiry command.

product_id(string)

up to 16 bytes

The product ID as reported by the SCSI Inquiry command.

id_match_size(number)

The number of bytes of the product ID to be used for matching to detect the tape drive to be identified, beginning with the first character of the product ID in the Inquiry data.

vendor_pretty (string)

up to 16 bytes

If this parameter is present, it is specified by the string displayed by the command, storage tape show -device-names; otherwise, INQ_VENDOR_ID is displayed.

product_pretty(string)

up to 16 bytes

If this parameter is present, it is specified by the string displayed by the command, storage tape show -device-names; otherwise, INQ_PRODUCT_ID is displayed.

Note

The vendor_pretty and product_pretty fields are optional, but if one of these fields has a value, the other must also have a value.

The following table explains the description, density code, and compression algorithm for the various compression types, such as l, m, h, and a:

Item Size Description

{l | m | h | a}_description=(string)

up to 24 bytes

The string to print for the nodeshell command, sysconfig -t, that describes characteristics of the particular density setting.

{l | m | h | a}_density=(hex codes)

The density code to be set in the SCSI mode page block descriptor corresponding to the desired density code for l, m, h, or a.

{l | m | h | a}_algorithm=(hex codes)

The compression algorithm to be set in the SCSI Compression Mode Page corresponding to the density code and the desired density characteristic.

The following table describes the optional fields available in the tape configuration file:

Field Description

autoload=(Boolean yes/no)

This field is set to yes if the tape drive has an automatic loading feature; that is, after tape cartridge is inserted, the tape drive becomes ready without the need to execute a SCSI load (start/stop unit) command. The default for this field is no.

cmd_timeout_0x

Individual timeout value. You must use this field only if you want to specify a different timeout value from the one being used as a default by the tape driver. The sample file lists the default SCSI command timeout values used by the tape drive. The timeout value can be expressed in minutes (m), seconds (s), or milliseconds (ms).

Note

You should not change this field.

You can download and view the tape configuration file from the NetApp Support Site.

Example of a tape configuration file format

The tape configuration file format for the HP LTO5 ULTRIUM tape drive is as follows:

vendor_id="HP"

product_id="Ultrium 5-SCSI"

id_match_size=9

vendor_pretty="Hewlett-Packard"

product_pretty="LTO-5"

l_description="LTO-3(ro)/4 4/800GB"

l_density=0x00

l_algorithm=0x00

m_description="LTO-3(ro)/4 8/1600GB cmp"

m_density=0x00

m_algorithm=0x01

h_description="LTO-5 1600GB"

h_density=0x58

h_algorithm=0x00

a_description="LTO-5 3200GB cmp"

a_density=0x58

a_algorithm=0x01

autoload="yes"