How to Format or Erase a tape (Backup Exec 10d)

[Skinjob]

How can I wipe a tape?
If I try to use the the Long Erase, Quick Erase or Format option via Device and Media Operations the options are always greyed out.

[Claudio_Veronez]

Usually U don't erase or format a tepe, just send another backup overwritte it

u just have to set the expiration date of the backup and will be done, as soon the backup expires the tape will go to the "scratch" poll for backup.



I hope it works for U.


see ya..


: wq!

[CraigV]

Hi,

Actually you do format/erase a tape if you want to force that option. If your tape hasn't been allocated to scratch, doesn't have append to tape set correctly, or is overwrite protected, you can do that.

Skinjob: what is your setup like? Hardware, version of BEWS etc.

There should be no reason for those options to be greyed out.
You can also move that tape into the scratch set which is a lot easier than anything else to make it scratch.

Laters!

[Skinjob]

Hi

Some of this is going over my head as I am very much a novice/beginner with Backup Exec.
What exactly does moving a tape to Scratch do?
Once in Scratch does it enable me to wipe the tape and do I then need to move it back to the media set or elesewhere?

[CraigV]

Hi Skinjob,

A scratch set has a setting of 0 basically...if you can see it like that. This means that if a tape is in there, it has 0 data, or data that can be overwritten.
When a tape is in a Scratch set, it's available. So by moving your tape to that scratch set, you're making it available. If it has data on, its going to get overwritten if it's picked by the system.
Once in Scratch, there is no need to wipe the tape, as the system will do this automatically for you.

Laters!

[CraigV]

Come right here?

[Skinjob]

Hi

I worked it out eventually.
I found where I can 'Quick Erase' each tape and having done each days tape 2 went to Media Set 1 as expected and the settings show the tapes can be Overwritten and Appended. The other 4 tapes went to Scratch Media with their settings still showing restrictions but once moved back to Media Set 1 the restrictions were taken off.

Thanx for all the help.