Q1 User Manual (preliminary) (doc No. 511015 Rev 01)

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Qualstar Q1 User Manual Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Copyright Notice Copyright© 2015 by Qualstar Corporation — All Rights Reserved Information contained in this document is copyrighted by Qualstar Corporation. It is intended for use by Qualstar's customers and prospective customers to evaluate, integrate, operate and maintain Qualstar products. Customers and prospective customers may reproduce this document as needed for these uses. Reproduction in whole or in part for any other use or by any other party is prohibited without prior written permission from Qualstar Corporation. Every effort has been made to keep the information contained in this document current and accurate as of the date of publication or revision. However, no guarantee is given or implied that the document is error-free or that it is accurate with regard to any specification. Qualstar reserves the right to modify the design or specification without notice. Qualstar and the Qualstar logo are registered trademarks of Qualstar Corporation. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Notices This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. European Union Directive 89/336/EEC and Standard EN55022 (Electromagnetic Compatibility) Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 i Warning This is a Class A product. In a domestic environment this product may cause radio interference in which case the user may be required to take adequate measures. European Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Qualstar encourages its customers to use current recycling practices in order to reduce the burden that waste electronic products place on the environment. In accordance with environmental directives that are being implemented in many countries (refer to the European Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment - WEEE) Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Qualstar products have been manufactured to be compliant with European Union Directive 2011/65/EU on the restriction of the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. RoHS Compliant means that based on information provided by our suppliers, the product does not contain in excess of the maximum concentration values allowable under EU Directive 2011/65/EU, unless the substance is in an application that is exempt under RoHS. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 ii DANGER High voltage ‐ Risk of electric shock  Do not remove power supply cover. No user‐serviceable parts are inside.  Refer servicing to qualified service personnel. WARNING Risk of damage to devices  Do not move unit while it is operating. CAUTION Static sensitive ‐ Risk of damage to devices  A discharge of static electricity damages static‐sensitive devices  Proper packaging and grounding techniques are necessary precautions to prevent damage. NOTE  Ventilation – Place the product so that its location does not interfere with proper ventilation.  Heat – Place the product so that its location is away from heat sources.  Power sources – Connect the product to a power source only of the type directed in the operating instructions or as marked on the product.  Power cord protection – Place the AC line cord so that it is not possible to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against it.  Object and liquid entry – Insure that objects do not fall and liquids are not spilled into the product’s enclosure.  Vibration and motion – Do not move the unit while it is in operation. Do not subject the unit to vibration while it is operating. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 iii Technical Support Information The best source for service-related information is your system reseller. Alternately, the Qualstar Technical Support Department can be reached Monday through Friday, between the hours of 6:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Pacific Time, at: Qualstar Corporation 31248 Oak Crest Drive, Suite 120, Westlake Village, CA 91361 Attn: Technical Support Fax: (805) 583-7749 Phone: (877) 444-1744 Monday – Friday 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PST After Hours Support is available for those customers that have purchased Premium Level Service and/or Onsite service contracts. After hours support: (805) 526-7480 or (805) 583-7748 E-Mail [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] Web: www.qualstar.com Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 iv Table of Contents 1. Qualstar Q1 ........................................................................................................................ 1-1 1.1 2. 3. Overview........................................................................................................................ 1-1 1.1.1 Flexible Operation; Standalone or Networked .................................................... 1-1 1.1.2 Monitoring: Remote Desktop and traditional monitor ....................................... 1-2 1.1.3 The LTFS Format .................................................................................................. 1-2 1.1.4 Qualstar Software ................................................................................................. 1-2 1.1.5 Qualstar Q1 ........................................................................................................... 1-4 1.2 Included In Your Package ............................................................................................ 1-7 1.3 Other items you will/may need: ................................................................................... 1-8 1.4 Stand-Alone Operation ................................................................................................. 1-8 1.4.1 Set-up and Power On ............................................................................................ 1-9 1.4.2 LTFS Configuration – assigning a drive letter ................................................. 1-13 1.4.3 Becoming familiar using LTFS tape, how long it takes to mount, etc. ............ 1-13 1.5 Network Operation ..................................................................................................... 1-14 1.6 Asset Management ..................................................................................................... 1-15 Qualstar Queue Application .......................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 Overview........................................................................................................................ 2-1 2.2 Queue Main Window .................................................................................................... 2-1 2.3 Actions Menu ................................................................................................................ 2-2 2.3.1 Clear Task List ...................................................................................................... 2-2 2.3.2 Clear Log Files ....................................................................................................... 2-3 2.3.3 Clear Watched Folder ........................................................................................... 2-3 2.3.4 Options Menu ........................................................................................................ 2-3 2.3.5 Path for Watch Folder ........................................................................................... 2-4 2.3.6 Queue Folders vs. Queue Files ............................................................................. 2-5 2.4 Scan Interval ................................................................................................................. 2-5 2.5 Task 1, 2 and 3 .............................................................................................................. 2-5 2.6 Delete Files/Folders After Processing ......................................................................... 2-6 Qualstar DMC Software .................................................................................................. 3-1 3.1 Overview........................................................................................................................ 3-1 3.2 Basic Operation ............................................................................................................ 3-1 3.3 To Start DMC ................................................................................................................ 3-2 3.4 Main Screen .................................................................................................................. 3-3 3.5 Initiating a Copy ........................................................................................................... 3-5 3.6 Destination Folder Name ............................................................................................. 3-6 3.7 Special Features in DMC for handling P2 and RED media ...................................... 3-7 3.8 Verification .................................................................................................................... 3-8 Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 v 3.9 Configuring DMC Software........................................................................................ 3-11 3.10 Care of LTO-6 Products in Extreme Conditions ................................................... 3-13 Appendix A A.1 Please follow these guidelines to ensure data integrity ................................ Appendix 1 A.1.1 How to Create a Drive Dump and find the LTFS log file ...................... Appendix 2 A.1.2 Additional useful tips and notes .............................................................. Appendix 3 A.1.3 Using an LTFS drive in Windows Explorer............................................ Appendix 4 A.1.4 Assigning a drive letter to a tape drive ................................................... Appendix 5 A.1.5 How to Eject a tape that is stuck in the drive ........................................ Appendix 7 A.1.6 Formatting Media..................................................................................... Appendix 7 A.1.7 Accessing Media Information ................................................................ Appendix 10 A.1.8 Checking and Recovering Media ........................................................... Appendix 11 A.1.9 Rolling Back Media ................................................................................ Appendix 13 A.1.10 File Name Characters ........................................................................ Appendix 15 A.1.11 Error Codes and Messages ................................................................. Appendix 16 A.1.12 Cleaning the Drive Head .................................................................... Appendix 23 Appendix B B.1 vi LTFS Tape Operations .............................................................. Appendix 1 Restoring a System Backup Image......................................... Appendix 1 Support ............................................................................................................. Appendix 7 Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 1. Qualstar Q1 1.1 Overview The Qualstar Q1 is an economical and easy to use solution to add LTO tape archive and backup to your facility or production. It takes advantage of the industry standard LTFS (linear tape file system) allowing you to use Windows Explorer to browse the contents of your tapes, and copy files between tape cartridges and other storage devices such as local hard disk, memory cards, and networked storage. The Q1 features software that will automatically discover new sources of data and copy or move them to tape or other locations that you specify. Simply plugging in your memory card can trigger a process to copy the content to hard disk, tape and network storage. Incorporating LTO-6 tape drives, transfer speeds exceed those of a single eSATA drive, reaching over 100 MB/sec when transferring large files from fast data sources. Qualstar also offers tape library solutions that can meet needs ranging from small organizations to the enterprise data center. Contact us for more information. 1.1.1 Flexible Operation; Standalone or Networked The Q1 can be used “stand-alone” to record data from directly attached sources such as memory cards or it may be network connected and have data sent to it for recording. Stand-alone operation The Qualstar Q1 can be used on its own, without any additional computer required….it is a stand-alone data recording system in its own right. • Frees up all your other systems for the tasks you bought them for: editing, compositing, etc. • Direct copy from locally attached sources to the Q1’s LTO tape frees your network from unnecessary data traffic and is the fastest way to archive all the data that is currently on external drives. • USB 2.0 and 3.0 connections are available for directly connecting external drives or camera card readers • Mac-formatted drives can be accessed with the optional MacDrive software installed Network operation For those organizations where the data to be archived is on network-attached storage or storage located on networked computers, the most efficient workflow is often to archive over the network. Qualstar has developed software to facilitate archive and Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-1 retrieval over the network. And the Q1 can also be made a SAN client for direct copy from SAN to tape. Connect a computer (desktop or laptop) directly to the Q1 with simple network cable for easy backup from single computer. 1.1.2 Monitoring: Remote Desktop and traditional monitor Several monitoring options are available to configure the Qualstar Q1 and initiate and track archive progress. It is recommended that the initial unit setup is done with a traditional computer keyboard, mouse, and monitor directly connected to the Qualstar Q1. Over the network, remote desktop may be used after the Q1 is connected to the users network. 3rd party browser and client-based Asset Management software is another way to interact with the Q1. 1.1.3 The LTFS Format Because the Qualstar Q1 is designed, for use with LTFS, the universal file system for tape drives, access to your data on the tape is as easy as drag-and-drop or copy/paste. When you insert a tape, you see the files on the tape in the same directory structure you see when you connect an external drive. LTO tape is the fastest tape archive available to date: with transfer speeds over 100 MB/sec when copying directly to/from a fast external drive. And because LTFS is a standard, the tapes you create on a Qualstar Q1 will be accessible to all others following this standard. 1.1.4 Qualstar Software The Q1 includes software to improve your workflow, taking into consideration the needs of the data manager on-set and in the post production facility as well as the unique characteristics of tape. The LTFS format makes the internal tape drive “look” a lot like a hard drive however, it’s still a linear medium with slow seek times. It does not access data with the speed of a random access disk drive. Qualstar software is ONLY available for use on the Qualstar Q1 o Qualstar DMC (Data Move Copy) software Qualstar DMC software was designed for desktop redundant data backup and provides efficient, verified backup. Ideal for the backup of camera memory cards since it copies to multiple destinations in the same time it would take to copy to a single destination it’s also the best way to archive to two tapes simultaneously. (Requires 2nd external drive attachment) Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-2 Features include automated folder-naming, optional checksum verification, and prechecking that there is enough space on the destination drive before initiating the copy operation. o Qualstar Queue software Qualstar Queue software was designed specifically for use in a networked environment to manage multiple users simultaneously writing to the tape drive. The application will queue the writes in a folder before transfer to tape so that the files are written contiguously. This yields fast backup speeds during recording and faster data retrieval from tape during recovery. Qualstar Queue software can be configured to perform three tasks (which be defined by batch file) on any queued file. Organizations have used this feature to additionally automatically copy to an FTP site or perform transcoding before actual data transfer. o Players for major file types In addition Q1s come configured with video players preinstalled for the major file types so you can review footage easily on the Q1: REDCINE-X, P2 Viewer, XDCAM Browser, Canon XF Viewer and Scratch Player are supported. o System Backup and Recovery software Qualstar ships the Q1 system with the facility to recover from software corruption, should it occur. There is no need to re-install software from scratch. Using the included memory stick containing imaging/recovery software from a leading manufacturer you can restore to a “factory fresh” image in less than 15 minutes. See Appendix B for information on recovery. Note: As technology advances, we strive to stay ahead of the curve and are continually upgrading our hardware solutions. As such, your model may not correspond to a diagram or photo below but general connections should be similar. If you have any questions about your particular configuration, please call Qualstar. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-3 1.1.5 Qualstar Q1 LTO6 Tape Drive SD Card Slot MS Card Slot CF Card Slot Eject Button (Disabled with LTFS) Power On Button Figure 1-1 Front View with CF and SD Card Slots Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-4 External SAS Audio Green line-out USB 3.0 (Qty 4) Network 1Gb HDMI video DVI P/S 2 USB 2.0 (Qty 2) Power Wireless connectors Figure 1-2 Rear View showing Connectors Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-5 Network cable Monitor connected DVI USB keyboard and mouse connected to USB 2.0 ports Power Figure 1-3 Rear View with Connections Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-6 1.2 Included In Your Package 1B Serial Number Please take note of the serial# on the back of your Q1. It begins with 1B followed by 4 digits. We will ask you for the 1B serial# during all support calls and it will be required for all RMA’s (return authorizations for service). AC Power cable USB stick with Recovery Image This is a unique and valuable part of your Qualstar solution. Keep this in a safe place. At the time of shipping your system, we create a “Backup Image”. This is a file with file extension .tib that is saved on your L drive in the “System Backups” folder on the internal hard drive and also on this USB stick. Should the software on your Qualstar system become corrupt or should the internal hard drive ever fail, you can restore your software to the original factory defaults quickly using this USB stick. Instructions can be found in Appendix B. Manuals All relevant documentation is collected and put in the “Manuals and Utilities” folder on the desktop of the Qualstar Q1, available to you as soon as you power on the system. Please open this folder to review the available documentation. Wireless Adapter Use this to communicate wirelessly, it is NOT recommended to transfer files to tape over the wireless network (it’s very slow). For data transfers over the network from other computers always use wired network port. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-7 1.3 Other items you will/may need: LTO tapes Tapes are available from a number of sources including Qualstar. All windows-based Q1s currently use IBM tape drives. LTO Cleaning Tape Your tape drive will indicate when it is time to clean the heads by displaying a “C” on the single character display on the drive. You will need to have a cleaning tape on hand at this time. Tapes are available for purchase from Qualstar. Make sure that the manufacturer of your cleaning tape matches the manufacturer of the tape drive for proper operation and that it is correct for LTO-6. All Qualstar windows-based Q1s currently use IBM tape drives. Network cable If you are connecting to a wired network, you’ll need a Cat5e or Cat6 (preferred) network cable. Keyboard, video monitor and mouse For stand-alone operation you will need a video display monitor, keyboard, and mouse to set up and control. 1.4 Stand-Alone Operation You do not need another computer to utilize the Qualstar Q1. It may be used, on its own, as a stand-alone tape archive solution. This frees up other machines in your facility from having to be involved in the archive task. The Qualstar Q1 is especially suited to this task because of the high-speed interconnects offered. Card readers built-in: • Fast (USB 3.0 speed) CF and SD card reader High speed interconnects: • USB 3.0 ports • USB 2.0 ports (slower, but still useful in some cases) • Gigabit Ethernet Connect external drive or REDMAG, P2, SxS card readers to transfer data directly to LTO tape. For Mac-formatted drives we have tested MacDrive software and approved it for use on the Qualstar Q1. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-8 1.4.1 Set-up and Power On 1. Connect your monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Connect the AC power and turn the power supply switch on the rear of the unit to the “On” position. 2. Press the RED power button on the front of the unit to turn it on, and wait for the system to boot Windows. You will see the following icons on your desktop: 3. If you double-click the “Computer” icon you will see the drives displayed in Windows Explorer: Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-9 The C, D and L letters are partitions contained on the internal hard drive. We will explain the use of these drives in a moment. The “T” drive listed under “Devices with Removable Storage” is the LTO tape drive under LTFS management. Notice that the “T” drive shows no capacity bar graph which indicates that no tape media is inserted. When a piece of LTO tape media is inserted into the drive and loaded, the T drive letter icon will appear as shown below if you have inserted a tape that has been formatted and has data on it: See Appendix A for detailed notes on LTFS operation. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-10 The screen shot above shows that the LTFS tape is now recognized and 2.18 TB of free space is remaining on the tape cartridge. Note: Although LTO-6 tape is nominally 2.5 TB of data storage, the actual available user data space is 2.18TB due to the LTFS system. Following is a listing of the possible icons displayed in conjunction with LTFS MEDIUM ICON RIGHT-CLICK MENU OPTIONS The medium is not inserted. Properties is available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable. The medium is not ready. One of the following operations is running: load, format, check, rollback, or eject. Properties is available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable. The medium is inserted, but is not an LTO 6 medium. Eject and Properties are available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-11 MEDIUM ICON RIGHT-CLICK MENU OPTIONS The LTFS-formatted medium is mounted. All options are available. The write-protected LTFS-formatted medium is mounted. Eject and Properties are available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable. A write error occurred during the write operation. The LTFS-formatted medium is read-only and must be ejected and reinserted to write data. Eject and Properties are available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable. The LTO 5 medium is inserted, but not formatted for LTFS. Format, Eject, and Properties are available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable. The LTFS-formatted medium is inserted, but the data has inconsistencies. A check and recover operation is required to use the medium. All options are available. If the tape you insert has not been previously formatted for usage with LTFS, the tape icon associated with your ‘T:” drive will have a yellow warning sign and no capacity indicator bar will appear. To format a inserted LTO tape for LTFS usage right-click on the icon and select format to format the tape or, alternately you may double-click the “Format” icon on the desktop. CAUTION Formatting an LTO tape to the LTFS format will erase any previous data recorded to the tape! The computer will prompt you to confirm that you really wish to format the inserted tape. All data will be lost on the tape. If after initial tape insertion, the T icon has a tape with a large red X on it, the tape may not be LTO6 stock. A smaller red x in a circle means the tape is the correct format however the data on the tape may be corrupt. It is important before system shutdown/restart to always SAFELY EJECT the tape via the desktop before initiating shut down/restart of the Qualstar Q1. The process of ejecting the tape media forces the LTFS system to update the file index on tape and properly “close” the tape volume maintaining integrity of the LTFS file system. . To eject the tape double-click the “Eject tape” icon short cut on the desktop or right-click on the “T:” Tape Drive letter and select “eject”. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-12 If you fail to eject the tape from the tape drive before Q1 system is shutdown (or have unexpected power loss), you risk losing data on the tape as some data (including the file index) may not have been flushed from the buffers to tape (it may still be in memory). In this case, you may see the little red x on the tape icon once you restart the system. If you get the inconsistent notification you will need to run the “Check Tape” utility by right clicking and selecting check tape to get back to a consistent state. Trouble-shooting Tip: If you do not see the drive letter “T” when you open “Computer”, this means that LTFS is not running. See Appendix A1.4 for additional information. 1.4.2 LTFS Configuration – assigning a drive letter The Q1 comes preconfigured with the tape drive assigned under letter “T:”. To change the tape drive letter assignment run the IBM Configuration utility available from the Start menu (click the Windows icon at bottom left corner of screen): Start/All Programs/IBM/LTFS/LTFS Configuration We recommend you select drive letter “T” for the Tape drive to be consistent with our manual. In systems with two tape drives, we select “U” for the second drive. 1.4.3 Becoming familiar using LTFS tape, how long it takes to mount, etc. We recommend the first few times you use your system, you open the “Computer” window in Explorer as you insert the tape in the drive and watch the status icon as it mounts and listen to the sounds the LTO drive makes. You will not be able to access the tape until it is recognized by the system. The best way to know that the tape has mounted properly is to wait for the capacity bar under the” T:” letter to appear. You will see that initially, when you first insert the tape after the drive pulls it in, there will be no tape motion for the first few seconds, Shortly thereafter, you will hear the reel motors as the tape loads and an hourglass icon will appear over the drive letter (a green circle will flash on the drive front panel itself). When the hourglass goes away (and the green circle on the drive stops flashing), the capacity bar will appear under the drive letter icon in Explorer and the tape will be ready for access. As you become more experienced with listening to the tape drive sounds, you’ll be able to tell when it’s ready to be used just by the sounds. If there is already a large amount of data stored on the inserted tape, it may take additional time before the tape completes the load sequence, reading the index. Likewise, if you want to read or write data to the tape, it may take additional time for the tape to locate to the append position on the tape. Once located the data append operation will go quickly. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-13 Using Windows drag-and-drop operation on the desktop, you can see the time sequence in Windows: the copy dialog will show “Calculating” while it is positioning the tape – then the data will be transferred quickly and steadily afterwards. For stand-alone operation we recommend using Windows Explorer to transfer files to tape using drag-and-drop or by copy/paste operation. We recommend you always wait for the current copy operation to complete before initiating the next copy operation so that files do not get interspersed on tape (when two copy operations are processed in parallel, the files are interspersed on tape and restoring these files from tape will take much longer: tape doesn’t like to spin up, read a little, then advance, then read a little more. This is inefficient). The best practice, if you wish to copy a number of files to tape is to select them all at once in one operation and copy in one step. If you wish to copy to two tapes simultaneously, use the included Qualstar DMC software for creating efficient duplicate copies. Refer to section 3 for more information. Reference the specific DMC software manual in the “Manuals and Utilities” folder for more details. 1.5 Network Operation We recommend that you first set up and test your Qualstar Q1 in Stand-alone mode before attempting to connect to your corporate network. Once you have confirmed proper operation of the system, you can proceed to configuring on your network. Connect the Qualstar Q1 to your network via Gig-e. Make note of the “computer name” (by default, this is the 1B serial# of the Q1) and the IP address. By default we include two shared folders on the D drive of the Qualstar Q1: • Qualstar Watch • Qualstar Outgoing Any computer on the network (Mac or PC) can see these folders and mount them. On the Mac, use the Finder and select “Go..Connect to Server”. Make sure that in your Network settings you have enabled smb sharing. Enter smb:// to connect. On the PC, you can type \\ into a Windows Explorer window (path) to access the shared folders and/or mount as network drive. Using the LTFS system the LTO tape drive cannot be shared with other computers on the network directly so all copies to/from tape in a networked environment must be done using the internal hard drive (D drive) of the Q1 as a buffer drive (unless you wish to initiate the copy from the Q1 itself using remote desktop or from the Q1 desktop directly). This is what the Qualstar Queue software is designed to do. To copy to the tape from a SAN, make the Q1 a SAN client and copy directly from the SAN to the tape drive initiating the copy from the Q1 as client. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-14 If you wish to initiate an archive from a networked computer, first make sure that the Qualstar Queue application is running on the Q1. Refer to section 2 for more information. Then, copy files into the “Qualstar Watch” folder (the shared folder on the D:\ drive of the Q1). The Qualstar Queue application will queue these files and copy them to tape sequentially. If there is not enough room on the tape, the Queue application will pause and let you remove the tape and insert and format a new tape before resuming the Queue operation. Files will continue to be queued during this time but nothing will be copied until the Queue applications “play” button is hit again. To restore files from tape to a networked computer, we recommend that the admin pause the Queue application, insert the desired tape into the tape drive, copy the files to the “Qualstar Outgoing” folder and the re-insert the previous tape (that folks are using to archive to) into the drive and restart the Queue application. Meanwhile, the client can copy the files from “Qualstar Outgoing” to their local computer. Alternatively, the admin can “push” the file directly from the tape to a shared drive on the client system or to a NAS. Please call Qualstar if you want assistance in setting this up. 1.6 Asset Management As customers begin to archive data to tape, the first question they ask is how to keep track of what’s on each tape. Unlike video tape which could only hold an hour or so of video, an LTO tape can hold upwards of 50+ hours of video, so keeping track of what’s on what tape becomes more relevant. The good news is, there are several excellent software packages that make cataloging and search and retrieval easy. Qualstar has partnered with the leading vendors and can advise you on the package that best suits your needs and budget and can help you configure it for your particular workflow. When Asset Management software is installed on the Q1 (or client system), archive and retrieval can be initiated directly in the Asset Management software, foregoing the Windows Explorer or Queue applications. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-15 This page left blank intentionally. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Q1 1-16 2. Qualstar Queue Application 2.1 Overview The Qualstar Queue application is a windows program that comes pre-installed on the Qualstar Q1 unit, It is used to automate a series of tasks to be performed on files put into a the Qualstar Queue managed folder called the “watch folder”. The most typical use of Queue software on the Q1 is to automatically copy files to LTFS tape in the Q1 that are dropped into the watch folder from various users over the network. Any computer connected to the network can see the “Qualstar Watch” folder on the Q1 system since it is shared with everyone with read/write access. For Mac users, use the Finder’s “GoTo…Connect to server” menu selection and enter the IP address of the Q1. PC users, enter \\ in the Windows Explorer window to see the shared folders and copy to them. The Queue application must be running to monitor and execute tasks on files added to the watch folder. To start the program, double-click the Queue icon located on the Q1 desktop. 2.2 Queue Main Window Figure 2-1 Queue Main Window Details Upon starting the Queue program the main window will appear, the main window allows you to monitor activity on files added to the watch folder as well as set various options. The Queue main window has: • Actions Menu (Submenu) – use to set options, clear task list, etc. • Progress bar – shows progress as files are copied. • Task List button – brings up a window with list of tasks: files/folders that have been queued, completed, are currently running or are newly added. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Queue Application 2-1 • Start/Pause button – toggles pause/play, click to pause the execution of the next task; click again to resume processing. When the start/pause button appearance is as in Figure 2-1, the Queue is running tasks on files/folders that have been queued. Pushing this button will cause copy execution to Pause after the tasks for the current file/folder are complete. 2.3 Actions Menu Click on the ”Actions” Menu to execute Clear Task List, Clear Log files, Clear watched folder or to set access the Options menu. Figure 2-2 Queue Actions Menu 2.3.1 Clear Task List The task list shows the list of files/folders that have been dropped into the folder designated as the “watch folder” with their completion status. When a file/folder is first seen by the Queue application, it is added to the task list with status NEW. The Queue application continues to “watch” this file/folder grow. When it has stopped growing, it will be QUEUED. The Queue application goes through the queued items in order, performing the designated tasks for each file. When all tasks have been completed on a file, the item is marked COMPLETED. This list of files/folders continues to grow as more items are added and tasks completed. At some point, you may wish to clear the task list to start anew. After the task list has been cleared, the Queue application will add, as NEW, any files/folders currently located in the watch folder. So, you may want to clear the watched folder before you clear the task list. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Queue Application 2-2 2.3.2 Clear Log Files For debug/support purposes, the Queue application keeps a log. Qualstar may ask for a copy of this log to help to support you and/or may ask you to clear the log before running a few tests. On a regular basis, you can clear the log for housekeeping. 2.3.3 Clear Watched Folder You have the option to have the software automatically delete files from the watch folder once the tasks have completed on the file. But most people prefer to leave the files in the watched folder and then manually delete them. You can manually delete the files by selecting the “Clear watched folder” menu item. 2.3.4 Options Menu The Options menu item is where you set the tasks you’d like performed and designate the name/location of the watch folder. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Queue Application 2-3 Figure 2-3 Queue Options 2.3.5 Path for Watch Folder You may enter a path or click “Browse” to select the folder to be watched: The default setting on the Q1 for this folder is “Qualstar Watch“. The default destination path is the drive letter of the tape drive, “T:\”. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Queue Application 2-4 2.3.6 Queue Folders vs. Queue Files Queue has two options for how files are handled once copied to to the watch folder, it can queue entire folders or individual files. Which option you choose depends on your particular application. If you wish to keep all the contents of a specific folder together – and wait for the folder to stop growing before it is processed (e.g. in the case of a memory card that has a particular folder structure or a set of files in a folder that logically should be sequentially written to tape), then selecting “Queue Folders” is the best choice. If you select “Queue Files”, then as individual files appear in the Watch folder and stop growing, they will be processed, regardless of what folder they are in and before the entire folder has stopped growing. This is useful, for example, if you wish to begin transcoding a single file even before the rest of the folder contents have completed copied over. If you have many concurrent users dropping files and folders into the Queue watch folder at the same time and you’d like the contents of a folder to be processed all at once, before the next folder’s contents is processed, then queue folders. When one folder stops growing, it will be queued and processed, then the next folder, and so on. If you want individual files to be processed as soon as they stop growing, regardless of what folder they are in, then “Queue Files”. 2.4 Scan Interval This is how often the Queue application scans the watch folder for new files or to see if the newly queued files/folders have stopped growing and are ready for processing. The default scan interval setting in the Q1 is 10 seconds. 2.5 Task 1, 2 and 3 Each file can have up to 3 separate tasks run on it sequentially before the processing of that file is complete. Currently, there are two possible options for each of the three tasks are “Copy” or “Batch Process”. Copy - The Copy task will copy the file to the designated destination. Click the “Browse” button next to Task – Destination Path to select the desired destination for the copy operation. Batch Process - You may write your own batch file (cmd line script) to do any operation on the file in the watch folder. This gives the user the ultimate flexibility and makes the Queue application very powerful. Click on the “Browse” button next to Task – action to select the .bat file to run. More details on how arguments are passed to the batch file can be obtained from Qualstar. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Queue Application 2-5 2.6 Delete Files/Folders After Processing Select this check box if you wish to have the Queue application automatically delete files from the watched folder after they have completed processing. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar Queue Application 2-6 3. Qualstar DMC Software 3.1 Overview The Qualstar DMC (Data Move Copy) Software is a simple easy-to-use automated backup software designed to be used in conjunction with the Qualstar Q1 product. It has the following advantages over the standard windows copy routine: a) Copy multiple sources at the same time to multiple destinations in parallel b) Performs optional MD5 or CRC checksum of the copy c) Creates a checksum log d) Show copy progress visually and operation color-coded e) Advanced Error checking (e.g. a copy operation will not start if insufficient space is available on the destination drive for the entire copy to successfully complete) 3.2 Basic Operation Qualstar DMC software is designed to automate copying/backing up of digital media: - P2 cards - SD cards - CF cards - SxS cards - Hard drives It streamlines the process by: 1. Reading cards/media in parallel to maximize offload speeds 2. Automatically naming destination folders with a date and time stamp and concurrently writing to multiple destination drives – all in one pass (only one read for multiple writes) 3. Writing to drives and LTO6 tape simultaneously Sorting media based on metadata/filenames, e.g. a. RED stereo files sorted by rig name and eye (left/right) b. P2 files sorted based on metadata DMC software verifies (mathematically) that data was copied successfully: 1. Your choice of “single” or “double” read verify Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar DMC Software 3-1 a. “Single” verify – verifies that checksum of destination files matches checksum of source files b. “Double” verify – reads source a second time to verify that destination files match two reads of the source Option to save “checksum log” to destination location 2. a. Lists all files transferred with its associated checksum value DMC has a simple to use interface with drop-down configuration options that let you select: • Up to 6 source drives and 6 destination drives • Destination folder name • Verification options • Metadata selection options Speed of transfers: The speed of transferring data with DMC depends on: 1. Speed of the selected source drive – how fast is the source media/connection?, e.g. a. 2. 3. CF cards are slower to read from than SSD’s (solid state hard drives) but faster than SxS Speed of destination drive – how fast can data be written to destination a. Solid state destination drives are faster than mechanical spinning disks b. RAID is faster than independent disks Number of cards/drives being transferred simultaneously 3.3 To Start DMC Note: Some Q1s will auto-start DMC software when the Q1 is powered on. To manually start DMC software from the Windows desktop, double-click the “DMC” icon on the Q1 desktop. (You can also start the application from file explorer by double-clicking the DMC.exe in C:\Program Files\Qualstar\DMC folder. You can set up your system to auto-start DMC software when the computer turns on by dragging the DMC shortcut to the Windows Startup menu. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar DMC Software 3-2 3.4 Main Screen The DMC main screen will look similar to Figure 3-1. Your startup screen may appear differently depending on the number of Source and Destination Drives you have designated in the Actions/Options menu. Figure 3-1 DMC Main Screen The DMC main screen contains the Actions option button, The source drives listing, and the destination drives listing. In the source drives listing immediately to the left of each source listing there is a status indicator that uses five different colors to indicate status. For each status there is also an informational message displayed above the progress bar. The operation color-coding is as follows: Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar DMC Software 3-3 Blue = Ready, the source is detected and ready to receive media Yellow = Active. The unit is preparing and transferring data Green = Active Operation is in process Orange = Active. The unit is verifying data Red = Fault. An error is detected In the example in Figure 3-1, the software has been configured to monitor and copy from four sources to one destination. The destination is the LTO6 tape drive with 2242.70 GB free. The software shows used space both in GB (0.0GB used, in this case) and graphically with a green capacity bar that grows as the drives get full. No cards or drives are connected, currently, to the source slots/connectors so the software gives the message: “Please connect source”. The indicator is also blue indicating the sources are ready to receive media. If memory cards/drives were already in place at the time the DMC software was started, it would look like Figure 3-2: The message “source connected” along with a green status indicator would be the first message before the copy operation actually started. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar DMC Software 3-4 Figure 3-2 DMC Startup Screen (with cards/drives in place) 3.5 Initiating a Copy There are two ways to begin the copy operation: 1. If source card(s) or drive(s) are already connected when the DMC software is started up (as in example two, above) the copy operation will not automatically start. To start the copy operation from this state select the Actions menu Start Copy sub item from the Actions menu to initiate the copy process. 2. When you have sources selected and have the DMC software application open whenever you initially/first insert a card or connect a drive, the copy process will begin immediately, without any further action needed on your part. If you do not Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar DMC Software 3-5 wish for a copy to begin immediately when you insert a card, close the DMC software before inserting the card then re-open the software. Figure 3-3 Sample Screen (Copy from the USB drive is occurring) Figure 3-3 shows the data from the USB drive transferred to the destination tape drive. 3.6 Destination Folder Name The data from each card/drive will be stored on the destination drive in a date-timestamped folder automatically created by DMC, the time stamp assigned to the folder is based on when the copy was initiated. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar DMC Software 3-6 You can see in Figure 3-4 below: the folder with date modified 6/16/2015 1:09pm, on the destination tape drive A00297 (T:). Figure 3-4 Date-Time-Stamped Folder on the Destination Drive The USB drive contents went into the folder “2015-06-16_13-09-31_E”. As you can see, each card/drive’s contents were preserved in its own folder. The folder was automatically given a date-time-stamp name: These transfers were initiated at 13-09-31 (that’s 1:09 pm) on June 16th 2015. The software also appends the source drive letter at the end of the folder name. This is to make each folder name unique (in the above case, all transfers were initiated at the same exact time using the “Refresh Drives” command). This also serves to identify which folders were for drive or CF cards, since in this example, the CF card slots will always appear as drive letters F-H and the USB drive will always be E. 3.7 Special Features in DMC for handling P2 and RED media 1. When using DMC with P2 media DMC automatically displays P2 specific picons and also embeds P2 metadata in the folder name. As the video is copied off the card, the DMC software shows a picon for each video clip as it is transferred. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar DMC Software 3-7 All the video, audio, clip, icon, proxy, voice data associated with one video clip is copied together before the next video file is copied. This way, if a copy process is aborted mid-stream, at least all the files associated with a clip have been copied. This is superior to a method which would copy all video files, then all audio files, then all icon files, etc. 2. The folder name includes the value of a selected P2 metadata field. As an example, the P2 card’s destination folder is named “Camera A 2010-11-24 2114-45 N” Camera A was the value in the “Shooter” field in the video file (this can be set, in advance, in the camera, before the shoot. You can also use the P2 Viewer software loaded on Q1s to set metadata fields in clips). When using DMC with RED media the cards are sorted by rig name and left eye/right eye for stereo. For RED stereo shoots where the stereo clip naming convention is used the DMC software will sort card folders into rig/eye folders. So, for example, if you are shooting with two rigs, A and B and you’re shooting left and right eye to CF cards, your A-rig left camera will record clips with names like A001_L024_0608TG _001.R3D and the B-rig right camera will record clips with names like B001_R024_0608AB_001.R3D. As the DMC software reads these files off the CF card, it knows which rig and camera the card came from and can save the card’s contents to the appropriate folder. Arig/Left or B-rig/Right. This will make it easier for programs like Assimilate Scratch to link the left and right eye files when doing stereo grading. 3.8 Verification DMC software has the ability to optionally mathematically verify that the data from the source cards was successfully copied to the destination, bit-for-bit. It can even verify that if the data is read a second time from the source, the same values are read (to verify that the source media isn’t flakey). It does this using a mathematical checksum calculation. It calculates a checksum value for each file copied as it copies the file. After the entire card’s contents have been copied, it reads back the data from the destination drive, calculating a checksum as it reads the data back. (Simultaneously it can read the source, again, to verify the source media). If the checksum from the destination matches the checksum(s) from the source, for all files, the verification is successful. Of course, reading the data back off the destination drives to verify takes time. Depending on the speed of the destination drives as compared with the source drives, it can take just as long to verify the data has it did to initially copy. When the verification option is selected and a source finishes copying, verification begins. In Figure 3-5, the P2 card transfer is in the process of being verified (indicated by the orange status indicator and “Verifying” message)while the CF card and eSATA drive are still copying (indicated by the yellow status indicator and “Copying,,,,DO NOT remove card” message) . Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar DMC Software 3-8 Figure 3-5 Copying and Verifying Sample Screen When a source has completed the transfer and verify operation, it can safely be removed from the system (indicated by the green status indicator and “Transferred Verified-Safely remove” message). The DMC software will show when a card is ready to be removed. Since the DMC software is asynchronous and processes in parallel, one source can be copying while another is verifying and a third is ready to be removed, as in the example in Figure 3-6: Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar DMC Software 3-9 Figure 3-6 Verifying, Copying and Verified-Safely Remove Sample Screen Free/Used/Reserved space: DMC software is designed to perform full file transfers and will NOT execute a partial copy of a card. Before any data transfer is initiated to a destination it will check that there is enough storage space on the target drive and reserve space for the full transfer before it begins the actual copy. If a second card memory is inserted that is directed to the same destination while the first is in the process of being copied, it will not execute the copy of the second card if there is not enough storage space on the destination drive after the first copy is complete – even if, at the time of additional source insertion, there is still free space on the drive. This is an advanced feature but comes built into the way DMC software operates. This is why you see the categories “free/used/reserved” on the DMC screen. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar DMC Software 3-10 3.9 Configuring DMC Software To configure the DMC software, select “Options…” from the “Actions” menu: Figure 3-7 Actions Pull Down Menu The Options window lets you select: Sources – click under “Drive Letter” to add or change drive letters as sources Destinations – same as above, to configure destinations You can define up to 6 sources and 6 destinations. The entire contents of each source drive will be copied to a date-time stamped folder on each of the destination drives – unless you select “Enable select Copy”. If you check “Enable Select Copy”, then the software will prompt you for which folders from the source drive(s) you wish to copy. Click “Browse” to select a Destination folder. This is the top-level folder into which all the date-time stamp folders will be placed. Productions use this to organize footage by camera or by day or by location. You can select the root of the drive (no folder) to copy all sources to the root (the contents of each source drive will still go into its own date-time stamp folder) To compute a checksum (MD5 or CRC) for each file as it is copied, select this in the “compute checksum using” drop-down and select “copy checksum log” if you wish to have a copy of the checksums saved on each destination drive. You can calculate the checksum and save the checksum log even if you do not use these values to verify the copy, immediately (they can be used later). Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar DMC Software 3-11 Figure 3-8 Options Menu If you wish to verify your copy immediately, then select “ON single read” or “ON double read”. With “ON single read” selected, the DMC software, after completing the initial copy, will then read back each bit of data from all destinations (in parallel) and again, calculate a checksum value for each file (now based on the data on the destination drives). DMC software will compare these checksums with the original checksums Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar DMC Software 3-12 calculated from the source drives during the copy and if they match, then the file copied has verified. If not, the verify fails. With “ON double read”, simultaneously to reading the data on the destination drives, the source drives are read again, calculating a second checksum for each file on the source drives. A successful verification, in this case, occurs if all checksum values match. One would choose “double read” verification if one is concerned that the source media might be suspect – and it would detect if the same bit, read twice, gives two different values. The verify steps does take time since all the bits must be read back – it can take as long as the original copy step. So, it is up to the production to decide if this is warranted. With copies to LTO6 tape, the tape drive itself has verification built into the hardware (tape drive). As a bit is written, it is immediately read back (read head follows write head in the drive). If the bit cannot be read back (or is different), then the tape drive attempts to write and verify again – if after many attempts, it cannot correctly write and read back the data, it will give an error. So, the MD5/CRC software verification provided by DMC is not as important when transferring data to tape where the core data verification is already done by the LTO tape drive during the initial copy. We suggest, when copying to tape, to only copy from one source at a time so that files are not interspersed on the tape. When copying multiple sources in parallel, because tape is a linear media, files will be interspersed. The data is all recorded/transferred to tape (that’s not an issue), however reading the fragmented files back from the tape takes considerably longer this way. It’s best to copy multiple sources to the hard drive, first to consolidate the data, then copy the consolidated data to tape in one single threaded operation. 3.10 Care of LTO-6 Products in Extreme Conditions The Qualstar LTO6 Q1 products are designed to be portable and to be taken on-set for data backup to LTO6 tape. Although we make every effort to make the Q1 rugged, care must be taken when transporting and using the drives. Do not attempt to operate the drive when it is being moved, the device is designed to remain static when in operation. Our Q1 have been taken all over the world and operated in above and below normal temperature, but there are limits. The official specs for the tape drive give these guidelines: Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar DMC Software 3-13 Mode Air Inlet Temperature Relative Humidity (non-codensing) Altitude (max) Operating Mode 10°C to 40°C 20% to 80% 26°C wet bulb max. 3048 m Storage -10°C to 40°C 20% to 80% non-condensing 3048 m Recommended Operating Mode 20°C to 25°C 40% to 50% 3048 m -20°C to 25°C 10% to 90% non-condensing 12192 m Shipping With regards to dust and other particulate matter – it’s best to protect the device with a loose cloth covering that does not inhibit airflow but protects from excessive environmental conditions. In more dusty environments, you may need to clean the tape drive more often. A Cleaning Tape should always be available. Cleaning instructions are attached. Please don’t hesitate to contact Technical Support if you have any questions. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Qualstar DMC Software 3-14 Appendix A LTFS Tape Operations LTO TAPE DRIVE USAGE – MUST READ !!! IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO PREVENT DATA LOSS LTO tape with the LTFS file system is the most modern way to archive valuable data. When proper procedure is followed you will have a fast, reliable backup. Not following the guidelines could result in a corrupt file system (which can be repaired, but takes time) or, at worst, a total loss of all data on the tape. Although your tape, with LTFS, now functions like a USB flash drive (mounts like a drive, presents file hierarchy like a drive) – it’s NOT A HARD DRIVE so don’t expect it to perform like one. Tape is a LINEAR media, not random access. By definition this means there will be SEEK TIME (imagine fast forward and rewind on your old VCR). You will need to be patient with certain operations (when you insert or remove tape, for example, or wait for the tape to seek to empty space when initiating a copy or read after long idle time). A.1 Please follow these guidelines to ensure data integrity 1. DO NOT SHUT DOWN the computer with a tape in the drive. If there’s a tape in the computer, Windows will warn you by asking if you wish to Force Shut Down. CANCEL this. Eject tape, then Shut Down. Forcing a shut-down can corrupt the file system on the tape. To eject, right-click on the tape drive letter and select “eject” from the menu. With LTFS the physical eject button is disabled. 2. Before inserting a tape, look in “My Computer” for the Tape Drive (drive letter, e.g. T: if we’ve set it up for you) to make sure LTFS is running. If it is not there run the IBM LTFS Configuration utility to assign a drive letter first. 3. When inserting a tape, WAIT for all activity to complete and a solid green light before doing anything else, including ejecting the tape. 4. Tape is ready for use when Free Space and Total Size appear under the Drive letter in the My Computer window. 5. If Yellow ! appears by drive letter in “My Computer” window, the tape is in an inconsistent state. You will need to either repair the file system on the tape (by running “Check” tape utility) or Format the tape to begin anew. To run the Tape Check utility, right-click the drive letter and select “Properties” and click “Check”. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-1 “Format” WILL ERASE THE TAPE so only choose it if you do not need data on the tape. Right-click and select “Format” to format. 6. If ever the drive behaves in an unexpected way, it is important to immediately capture a dump file and send to us for analysis. Dump files are captured using the IBM ITDT utility that is installed on your system. • When inserting a new tape into the LTO drive, specify a serial number and tape name which is useful to you. • The first time you copy files to your LTO tape after it has sat idle your drive will fast forward to the next empty section of the tape. Because the tape is linear, if there is a great deal of data between the beginning of the tape and the next empty section, the tape may spin for a couple of minutes. Please be patient. • Similarly, when attempting to eject a tape it will rewind to the beginning. This process also may take a couple of minutes if the tape is full of data. Be patient. • To prevent unexpected shut downs, ALWAYS disable any software that forces shut down. For example, Windows Updates typically forces shut down after applying certain updates. • In the case of complete power loss, any information stored in memory will be lost and the index of your tape may become corrupt. There is a tape check disk utility which may recover this information, in which case data remains intact. This program can be found in My Computer>Right click tape drive>Properties>Check • If you are installing an LTO Tape drive into a system you MUST use screws which are 2.5mm or less in length. Anything longer than this can cause the tape drive to malfunction or not eject tapes. • You can use the tape drive WITHOUT LTFS if you wish to read/write tapes formatted with other archive software. First unmount LTFS (un-assign the drive letter for the tape drive). Then use archive software with the drive as you did before LTFS. To resume using LTFS, use” All Programs > IBM > LTFS>LTFS Configuration” to assign a drive letter to tape drive. A.1.1 How to Create a Drive Dump and find the LTFS log file To help troubleshoot a tape drive problem Qualstar support may ask you for the LTO tape drive dump and LTFS log file. To get the tape drive dump: 1. Eject the tape If your tape does not eject it is okay to leave it in. We recommend you eject the tape before proceeding only as a preventative measure. 2. Unmount LTFS Start/All Programs/IBM/LTFS/LTFS Configuration Under drive letter, select blank. Click OK 3. Generate drive dump: Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-2 Start/All Programs/ITDT Graphical Edition/ITDT Graphical Edition With "Diagnostic/Maintenance" icon selected, Click "Scan" under Control Center Click OK It should find your tape drive and list it under Device as ULTRIUM-HH6 Click "Dump" You'll see Result and the list of log files created. Now click on the "Log Files" icon. It shows Log File Location. Select "Open Log File" and it will show the files. Copy them out of that window. Paste into a folder (on your desktop, or anywhere and zip that up and send to Qualstar Technical Support) To get LTFS log file: Look in C:\Program Files\IBM\LTFS\log\LogFile.csv It’s the LogFile.csv file that we want to look at, so please e-mail that, as well. The tape drive has a limited buffer size where dump information is stored. Once this buffer is full, the beginning of the buffer begins to be overwritten and important dump information could be lost, so it’s best to generate the dump file as soon as you detect an issue. A.1.2 Additional useful tips and notes 1. * ? < > : " | / \ -- DO NOT use of these characters in filenames, directory names, or extended attributes with LTFS. Avoiding these characters will ensure your names will be compatible across Mac OS, Windows, Linux and LTFS file systems. 2. Deleting files from LTO tape – you can delete files from tape and they will no longer appear when you look at the tape but this will NOT free up the space on the tape. You can reclaim all the space on the tape by formatting it, but you cannot regain space by deleting individual files. 3. Pre-printed barcode labels, which are both human- and machine-readable, are available from a number of sources including Qualstar. 4. LTO cleaning tape – after a certain period of time (in months) the tape drive unit will show a LED character “C” that indicates you should put in a cleaning tape to clean the drive. So, you’ll want to get a cleaning tape, also. As soon as a cleaning tape is inserted, the drive will start running the cleaning process automatically. We recommend unmounting LTFS before inserting the cleaning tape (Start/All Programs/IBM/LTFS/LTFS Configuration – and un-assign the drive letter). 5. Although the tape drive is assigned a drive letter and appears as a drive in Windows, it cannot be shared out and mapped as a network drive from other workstations on the network. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-3 There are three ways to access the tape drive and tape in a Qualstar Q1 from workstations on your network: a. Do all tape transfers at the Q1 system itself, with screen, keyboard and mouse connected. You can share a folder on the networked workstations (we put shortcuts to these folders on the Q1 desktop). Then, if someone wants to get files off a tape onto their workstation, they insert the tape into the Q1 and immediately copy/paste or drag-and-drop files from the Tape (T drive locally) to the shared folder. These files copy directly to their computer from tape. 6. b. Write files to tape from Workstation using Qualstar Queue on the Q1 – in this scenario, you create a queue on the hard drive in the Q1 and share it out to workstations on the network. When a workstation drops a file into this queue, it is automatically copied to the tape (and deleted from the queue based on configuration setting). We have software that does this. If it is not installed on your Q1, contact Qualstar Technical Support. c. Use RemoteDesktop from the workstations on the network (Mac or PC) to get a window onto the Q1 desktop. Once here, you can do anything you could do locally including copying files to/from the tape (T drive) to shared folders on the workstations. Tape is becoming more and more like a hard drive, but it's still linear media: When working with tape, just remember: even though in many ways it acts like a hard drive now (speed of transfer once it gets going, file system) it’s still a linear media. a. If the file you want is halfway down the tape and the tape is at the beginning, then it will take time to seek to the file. b. You don’t want to use “Icon View” when looking at files on tape since this requires that all files be read and will bog things down. Use “List View”. c. You can open simple files like .jpg or .xml directly from the tape but you cannot play video directly off the tape (most video file formats have header and tail information that must be read for playback to occur – this is fine on random access media but not on tape which has to seek forward and back over large files. A.1.3 Using an LTFS drive in Windows Explorer This topic describes how to use the Linear Tape File System (LTFS) drive in Windows Explorer. Note: Before loading a cartridge into the LTFS drive, the drive displays as a standard LTO 6 drive icon. A default volume name "LTO Drive" can display in Windows Explorer in a high- load central processing unit event. Under normal operating Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-4 conditions, when a cartridge is loaded, the icon changes to indicate the status of the medium and possible user action as shown in Table 3-1. MEDIUM ICON RIGHT-CLICK MENU OPTIONS The medium is not inserted. Properties is available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable. The medium is not ready. One of the following operations is running: load, format, check, rollback, or eject. Properties is available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable. The medium is inserted, but is not an LTO 6 medium. Eject and Properties are available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable. The LTFS-formatted medium is mounted. All options are available. The write-protected LTFS-formatted medium is mounted. Eject and Properties are available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable. A write error occurred during the write operation. The LTFS-formatted medium is read-only and must be ejected and reinserted to write data. Eject and Properties are available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable. The LTO 6 medium is inserted, but not formatted for LTFS. Format, Eject, and Properties are available. The Check and Rollback buttons are unavailable. The LTFS-formatted medium is inserted, but the data has inconsistencies. A check and recover operation is required to use the medium. All options are available. Table 3-1 Medium Status In Windows Explorer, right-click the drive letter to open a drop-down menu, then select Format or Eject to perform either operation. Note: The LTFS format version has been updated from 1.0 to 2.0.0. Once a medium is formatted to the later version, it cannot be mounted on an older LTFS version or converted to an older format. To check for media errors or to roll back, click Properties, then Check or Roll back. To view a recent event log of error and warning messages, click Details on the Properties panel. The log includes the level (error or warning), date and time, ID, and description. The ID links to a message in the LTFS Information Center that provides an explanation and action to help solve the problem. A.1.4 Assigning a drive letter to a tape drive Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-5 Qualstar has already assigned the drive letter T to your tape drive, but should you have any issues where T:\ does not appear or you need to unmount and re-mount LTFS, you can use the Start menu and select All Programs > IBM > LTFS > LTFS Configuration to do this. Note: After installing LTFS Windows, you must assign a drive letter to an LTO 6 tape drive in order to use the program for the first time. Once a drive letter is assigned, no application other than LTFS Windows can access the drive. A drive letter is reserved by the system when it is assigned to a hard disk drive, CD, DVD, or network drive. When there are double paths for one host PC and one drive, two records are displayed for one drive in the Configuration panel. Either path can be selected. LTFS does not automatically change a path if the one you select encounters a problem. Figure 3-9 Configuration Panel The Configuration panel in Figure 3-9 displays when you open the Start menu and select All Programs > IBM > LTFS >LTFS Configuration. Windows Server 2008 R2 supports multiple sessions, so while one user has the Configuration panel open, another user can open another panel. Windows 7, however, does not support this feature. When the drive letter is assigned, LTFS is “mounted” and the blue button on the front of the physical drive is disabled. You cannot eject the drive with the blue button. This forces you to properly eject the tape using Windows Explorer (right-click Eject) or the Eject shortcut on your desktop. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-6 A.1.5 How to Eject a tape that is stuck in the drive If your system gets into an inconsistent state and you cannot Eject that tape using proper eject methods (right-click drive letter and select Eject), you will need to “Force Shutdown” your system. When you power back on, intermittently hit the DEL key as the POST message appears until you enter the BIOS Setup Utility. (POST stands for Power-On-Self-Test: white characters on black background that provide information about the computer as it starts up). Once the BIOS Setup Utility is on the screen, the tape drive gets power but LTFS has not mounted yet. You can now use the blue eject button to eject the tape. Exit the BIOS (Hit F10) and the system will boot up. If you do not see the T:\ drive, then assign the drive letter using the IBM Configuration Utility. (Start menu and select All Programs > IBM > LTFS > LTFS Configuration ) Note that if you do not safely eject the tape with the software Eject function, the tape may be corrupt (file index doesn’t match files on tape). You will see a red X on the tape drive icon when it is re-inserted into the drive. Run CheckTape to repair the tape (right-click the Tape drive icon, select Properties and click CheckTape). This operation takes time (up to 4 hours) since it has to read through the entire contents of the tape, so only run CheckTape if you will not be needing to use the Tape Drive for other immediate backup tasks. A.1.6 Formatting Media This topic describes how to format media for the IBM Linear Tape File System (LTFS) by using the Format Medium panel. About This Task Complete the following steps to format a medium for LTFS. Note: Qualstar also provides a desktop shortcut for “Format Tape”. Double-click and follow the rest of the instructions. Procedure 1. Open Windows Explorer, right-click the LTFS icon to display a drop-down menu, and then select Format. 2. Click Yes when the User Account Control window displays the message “Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer?” Note: This window only displays on Windows 7 with LTFS version 1.2.1 and earlier. 3. Click OK when the Format Medium panel displays. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-7 4. In the Tape Serial Number and Tape Volume Name fields, shown in Figure 3-10, enter the tape serial number and tape volume name. You also have the option of ejecting the medium after formatting by selecting the Eject the medium after formatting completes check box. Figure 3-10 Format Medium Panel Note: The tape serial number is required to use six alphanumeric characters. Only uppercase alphabetical characters are acceptable. For example, “ABC123” is acceptable, but “abc123” is not. To maintain portability between multiple platforms, the following characters cannot be used for volume names in LTFS: *?<>:“|/\ The volume label in Windows Explorer matches the setting entered in the Tape Serial Number and Tape Volume Name fields. Once a tape volume name is set, the name displays as the volume label. If only the tape serial number is set, the serial number displays as the volume label. If neither value is set, the volume label remains blank. 5. Click OK to begin formatting or Advanced options to display an Advanced Options window as shown in Figure 3-11. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-8 Figure 3-11 Advanced Options Panel The following formatting rules display: Size Filter (numeric value): Only files smaller than the size set in this field are copied to the index partition. The numeric values and byte size units, B (byte), KiB (kibibyte), MiB (mebibyte), and GiB (gibibyte), can be set from the drop-down menu. Refer to the topic Data storage values in the Related information section. Name Filter (For example, *.jpg *.png): Only files with names matching the names in this field are stored in the index partition. A space needs to be inserted between two or more names. Note: The name filter can be set only when the size filter is set. You have the option of selecting the Prevent policy update check box. If this check box is selected, LTFS does not allow a change in the selected formatting data placement policy when you are mounting a medium. The policy also applies when you are mounting a medium on Linux and OS X operating systems. 6. After entering the information, click OK to continue formatting. Refer to the progress indicator to track the operation. Attention: You cannot access the medium while formatting is in progress. If you attempt to access it through file system calls, an error message returns on the Windows desktop. When formatted, the medium is also mounted. You can now write to and read from the medium. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-9 A.1.7 Accessing Media Information This topic describes how to access Linear Tape File System (LTFS) media information by using the Properties panel. To access the Properties panel, right-click the tape drive icon after inserting a medium to display a drop-down menu, then click Properties. A Properties panel displays as shown in Figure 3-12. Figure 3-12 Properties Panel The Properties panel displays the following information: • Tape volume serial number • Tape volume name • Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) • Used and free space (in binary units) • Capacity (in binary units) The Properties panel displays the following button options: • Check • Rollback • Details To check for media errors or to roll back, click the Check or Rollback button. Click the Details button to display the Details window shown in Figure 3-13. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-10 Figure 3-13 Details The Details window displays the following information: o Configuration • LTFS version • Drive ID • Drive serial • Drive firmware o Recent event logs • Level (error or warning) • Date & time • ID (a number assigned to a specific system error or warning message with a link to the LTFS Information Center) • Description A.1.8 Checking and Recovering Media This topic describes how to check and recover Linear Tape File System (LTFS) media using the Check panel. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-11 About this task Directory and file data are stored in index files that specify their exact position and size. If the index file is inconsistent or does not match the data on the medium, LTFS cannot access it. LTFS, however, can recover extra data blocks from which metadata is excluded from the index file. The recovered data is stored in the ltfslostandfound directory located in the root directory. When the tape medium is mounted, the directory is viewable at the mount point. Procedure Complete the following steps to check media consistency and to recover a medium: 1. Open Windows Explorer, right-click the LTFS drive icon to display a drop-down menu, and then select Properties to display a Properties panel. Note: The LTFS drive icon that displays indicates the medium is in an inconsistent state. 2. Click Check to begin the check and recover operation. 3. Click Yes when the User Account Control window displays the message “Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer?”. Note: This window only displays on Windows 7 with LTFS version 1.2.1 or earlier. 4. Click OK when the Check panel displays to continue checking. Refer to the Checking Cartridge progress indicator to track the operation. Note: If the medium has inconsistencies, as much data as possible is recovered before the medium is automatically mounted. If an inconsistency cannot be recovered, a message displays directing you to the Rollback panel. 5. After viewing the date and results on the Check Medium Complete window, as shown in Figure 3-14, click Close. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-12 Figure 3-14 Check Medium Complete Note: To view a recent event log of error and warning messages, return to the Properties panel and click Details. The log includes the level (error or warning), date and time, ID, and description. The ID links to a message in the LTFS Information Center that provides an explanation and action to help solve the problem. A.1.9 Rolling Back Media This topic describes how to roll back IBM Linear Tape File System (LTFS) media using the Rollback panel. About this task The Rollback panel lists generations for all indexes on the index partition of the medium. When one of the points is specified, the index is rolled back to that point. Procedure Complete the following steps to roll back an LTFS medium: 1. Open Windows Explorer, right-click the LTFS drive icon to display a drop-down menu, and then select Properties to display a Properties panel. 2. Click Rollback to begin the rollback operation. 3. Click Yes when the User Account Control window displays the message “Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer?”. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-13 Note: This window only displays on Windows 7 with LTFS version 1.2.1 or earlier. 4. Click OK when the Rollback Cartridge dialog box displays to continue or click Cancel to quit the operation. Note: Even if you click Cancel, it can take some time to mount the medium again. Refer to the Canceling Rollback progress indicator to track the operation. If continuing, refer to the Retrieving Rollback Generations progress indicator to track the operation. When the operation is complete, the Rollback Cartridge window displays the following information. • Generations: A list of all generations contained on the medium Note: Generation numbers are created incrementally starting at 1. The generation number 1 indicates that the index is created when the medium is formatted. A new index is automatically created whenever data in the main memory cache is flushed to the medium. • Date & Time: A list of the date and time an index is created Note: Data for the most recent generation can be completely removed from the medium by selecting the Erase rollback generations more recent than the selected rollback generation check box. Removing this data can help optimize storage capacity because the erased area is used again by LTFS. Data newer than this generation cannot be recovered. When this option is not selected, any existing generation can be recovered even following a rollback operation. This option is equivalent to the -j or --erase-history command on Linux® and OS X operating systems. 5. Select one generation to roll back to, then click OK. Refer to the Rollback Cartridge progress indicator to track the operation. A Rollback Medium window, as shown in Figure 3-15 , then displays with the selected generation highlighted. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-14 Figure 3-15 Rollback Medium 6. You have the option of selecting the Erase all rollback generations with a date and time later than the selected rollback generation check box. Click OK to complete the procedure. Note: To view a recent event log of error and warning messages, return to the Properties panel and click Details. The log includes the level (error or warning), date and time, ID, and description. The ID links to a message in the LTFS Information Center that provides an explanation and action to help solve the problem. A.1.10 File Name Characters This topic provides a list of characters that should not or cannot be used for file, directory, or extended attribute names in the Linear Tape File System (LTFS). LTFS supports valid characters in W3C Extensible Markup Language (XML) 1.0 standard, except for the / (slash) and : (colon), for file and directory names. To maintain portability between multiple platforms, the following characters should not be used in LTFS on Linux and OS X systems: *?<>"|\ These characters cannot be used on Windows because of additional restrictions for characters used as file names. Reserved device names The following device names are reserved by Windows and should not be used as file names: Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-15 CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, LPT9 Note: On Linux and OS X operating systems, however, reserved device names can be used as file names. This means that an LTFS-formatted medium used on Linux and OS X can have a Windows-reserved file name. File names that are created on Linux and OS X are translated when a user inserts a medium on Windows. For example, if the user creates a file (CON) on Linux and OS X, and then inserts the medium on Windows, the user now views it as CON~1. Note: If the user copies CON~1 to another folder on Windows, the destination file is now named CON~1. The folder does not store the original name (CON). If the user subsequently inserts the medium on Linux and OS X, the copied file displays as CON~1. File/directory name case sensitivity LTFS Windows currently supports only a case-insensitive file and directory naming convention. LTFS, however, stores the case. For example, when the user creates AbC.txt, the file is stored as AbC.txt on the medium. LTFS Linux and OS X support a case-sensitive file system. An LTFS-formatted medium on Linux and OS X can have files/directories with only case-sensitive differences. For example, ABC.txt and abc.txt can both be on the same directory. If, however, the user then inserts the medium on Windows, the file or directory names are translated. For example, if ABC.txt and abc.txt are created on Linux and the medium is inserted on Windows, the files are viewed as ABC.txt and abc~1.txt, respectively. Note: If the user copies abc~1.txt to another folder on Windows, the destination file stores abc~1.txt, not the original name (abc.txt). The copied file displays as abc~1.txt even if the user reinserts the medium on Linux and OS X. A.1.11 Error Codes and Messages If the drive detects a permanent error, it will display the error code on the SCD and flash the amber fault light (green status light will be off). • Make note of the SCD error code prior to removing a cartridge or clearing the SCD error code. • If an error occurred with a cartridge in the drive, push the Unload button to eject the cartridge. • To clear the SCD error code and power cycle the drive, press the Unload button for ten seconds. A drive dump will be created. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-16 CAUTION 0 If the drive detects a permanent error and displays an error code other than , it automatically performs a drive dump. If you force a drive dump, the existing dump will be overwritten and data will be lost. After you force a drive dump, do not tum off the power to the d rive or you might lose the dump data. ERROR CODE 0 CAUSE AND ACTION No error occurred and no action is required. This code displays when diagnostics have finished running and no error occurred. Note: The SCD is blank during normal operation of the tape drive. 1 Temperature problem. The tape drive detected that the recommended operating temperature was exceeded. Perform one or more of the following actions: Make sure that the cooling fan is rotating and is quiet. Remove any blockage that prevents air from flowing freely through the tape drive. Make sure that the operating temperature and airflow is within the specified range. Clear the error code by turning off and turning on the tape drive power or placing the drive in Maintenance mode. If the operating temperature and airflow are within the specified range, and the problem persists, replace the drive. 2 Power problem. The tape drive detected that the externally supplied power is outside the specified voltage limits (the tape drive is not operating). Complete the following steps: 1. Make sure that the power connector is properly seated. 2. Make sure that the proper dc voltages are being applied within the tolerances allowed. 3. If the proper voltages are not being applied, service the power supply. 4. If the proper voltages are being applied, tum off and turn on the tape drive power to see if the problem repeats. 5. Replace the tape drive if the problem persists. The error code clears when you place the tape drive in Maintenance mode. 3 Firmware problem. The tape drive determined that a firmware error occurred. Complete the following steps: 1. Collect a drive dump from one of the following: Note: Do not force a new dump; the tape drive has already created one. Server host interface by using a device driver utility or system tool (for instructions about reading a drive dump from tape, visit the IBM Web site for the IBM Tape Diagnostic Tool (ITDT) at http://www01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ssg1S4000662 2. Power the tape drive power off and on, then retry the operation that produced the error. 3. If the problem persists, download new firmware and retry the operation. 4. If the problem persists, send the drive dump that you collected in step 1 to Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-17 ERROR CODE CAUSE AND ACTION Qualstar Technical Support. The error code clears when you place the tape drive in Maintenance mode. 4 Firmware or hardware problem. The tape drive determined that a firmware or tape drive hardware failure occurred. Complete the following steps: 1. Collect a drive dump from one of the following: Note: Do not force a new dump; the tape drive has already created one. Server host interface by using a device driver utility or system tool (for instructions about reading a drive dump from tape, visit the IBM Web site for the IBM Tape Diagnostic Tool (ITDT) at http://www01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ssg1S4000662 2. Power the tape drive power off and on, then retry the operation that produced the error. The error code dears when you place the tape drive in Maintenance mode. 3. If the problem persists, download new firmware and retry the operation; if new firmware is not available, replace the drive. 5 Tape drive hardware problem. The drive determined that a tape path or read or write error occurred. To prevent damage to the drive or tape, the tape drive will not allow you to insert a cartridge if the current cartridge was successfully ejected. The error code might clear when you cycle power to the tape drive or place it in Maintenance mode. If the problem persists, replace the drive. Note: Copy the drive dump to flash memory before returning the drive. 6 Tape drive or media error. The tape drive determined that an error occurred, but it cannot isolate the error to faulty hardware or to the tape cartridge. Make sure that the tape cartridge is the correct media type: Ultrium 1 and Ultrium 2 tape cartridges are not supported in Ultrium 6 tape drives. Drive will not accept an expired cleaning cartridge. Drive will not accept a WORM (Write Once Read Many) cartridge when running diagnostic tests in Maintenance mode. Drive will not w rite over existing datasets on a WORM cartridge. Make sure that you are appending datasets on WORM media rather than attempting to write over existing datasets. If the tape cartridge is the correct media type, perform one of the following actions: For Problems with Writing Data: If the problem occurred while the tape drive was writing data to the tape, retry the operation with a different cartridge: lf the operation succeeds, the original cartridge was defective. Copy the data from the defective cartridge and discard it according to the security policy for your organization. If the operation fails and another tape drive is available, insert the cartridge into the other unit and retry the operation. - Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 If the operation fails, discard the defective cartridge according to the security policy for your organization. LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-18 ERROR CODE CAUSE AND ACTION - If the operation succeeds, insert a scratch data cartridge into the first unit and run Function Code 1: Run drive diagnostics. If the diagnostics fail, replace the tape drive. If the diagnostics succeed, the error was temporary. If the operation fails and another tape drive is not available, insert a scratch (blank) data cartridge into the unit and run Function Code 1: Run drive diagnostics. - If the diagnostics fail, replace the tape drive. If the diagnostics succeed, discard the cartridge according to the security policy of your organization. If the problem occurs with multiple tape cartridges, run Function Code 1: Run drive diagnostics. If the diagnostics fail, replace the tape drive. If the diagnostics succeed, run Function Code H: Test head. - If the diagnostic fails, replace the tape drive. If the diagnostic succeeds, replace the cartridges that caused the problem. The error code clears when you remove the tape cartridge or place the tape drive in Maintenance mode. For Problems with Reading Data: If the problem occurred while the tape drive was reading data from the tape, perform one of the following procedures: If another tape drive is available, insert the cartridge into the other unit and retry the operation: - If the operation fails, discard the defective cartridge according to the security policy for your - If the operation succeeds, insert a scratch data cartridge into the first unit and run Function Code 1: Run drive diagnostics. If the diagnostic fails, replace the tape drive. If the diagnostic succeeds, the error was temporary. If another tape drive is not available, insert a scratch data cartridge into the unit and run Function Code 1: Run drive diagnostics. - If the diagnostic fails, replace the tape drive. If the diagnostic succeeds, discard the cartridge according to the security policy for your organization. If the problem occurs with multiple tape cartridges, run Function Code 1: Run drive diagnostics. lf the diagnostic fails, replace the tape drive. lf the diagnostic succeeds, run Function Code H: Test head. - Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 If the diagnostic fails, replace the tape drive. LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-19 ERROR CODE CAUSE AND ACTION - If the diagnostic succeeds, replace the cartridges that caused the problem. The error code clears when you remove the tape cartridge or place the tape drive in Maintenance mode. 7 Media error. The tape drive determined an error occurred because of a faulty tape cartridge or an invalid tape cartridge. Make sure that the tape cartridge is the correct media type: Ultrium 1 and Ultrium 2 tape cartridges are not supported in Ultrium 6 tape drives. Drive will not accept an expired cleaning cartridge. Drive will not accept a WORM (Write Once Read Many) cartridge when running diagnostic tests in Maintenance mode. Drive will not accept an FMR (Field Microcode Replacement) tape unless the drive is performing Function code 8: Unmake FMR tape. Drive will not write over existing datasets on a WORM cartridge. Make sure that you are appending datasets on WORM media rather than attempting to write over existing datasets. If the tape cartridge is the correct media type, try another tape cartridge. If the problem occurs with multiple tape cartridges, use the following procedure: 1. If possible, run the tape cartridge in a different tape drive. If the operation in the other unit fails and or displays replace the media. If the operation succeeds, run Function code E: Test cartridge & media. Attention: When you run the Test Cartridge & Media diagnostic, data on the suspect tape is overwritten. Use only a scratch data cartridge to run the test. 6 7 If the diagnostic fails, replace the media. If the diagnostic succeeds, clean the drive head and run Function Code 1: Run drive diagnostics. - If the drive diagnostic fails, replace the drive. If the drive diagnostic succeeds, perform the operation that produced the initial media error. The error code clears when you remove the tape cartridge or place the tape drive in Maintenance mode. 8 Interface problem. The tape drive determined that a failure occurred in the tape drive hardware or in the host bus. If Host Interface Test”: 8 was displayed while running “Function code 6: 1. Verify that the correct interface wrap tool (part number 95P6566) was attached during the test. The test will fail if the correct interface wrap tool is not attached. 2. If the correct interface wrap tool was attached during the test, replace the drive. The error code clears when you place the tape drive in Maintenance mode. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-20 ERROR CODE CAUSE AND ACTION 9 Tape drive or RS-422 error. The tape drive determined that a failure occurred in the tape drive hardware or in the RS-422 connection. See “Function code 7: Run RS422 wrap test” to isolate the problem to the drive. The error code clears when you place the tape drive in Maintenance mode. A Degraded operation. The tape drive determined that a problem occurred which degraded the operation of the tape drive, but it did not restrict continued use. If the problem persists, determine whether the problem is with the drive or the media. Note: The drive is usable, though the SCD continues to indicate an error and the status light flashes amber. The error code might clear when you cycle power to the tape drive or place it in Maintenance mode. To determine if the problem is with the drive hardware, or the tape media, perform the following procedures: 1. If possible, run the tape cartridge in a different drive. If the operation in the other drive fails and 6 or 7 displays replace the media. If the operation succeeds run the Test Cartridge & Media diagnostic. 2. If the Test Cartridge & Media diagnostic fails, replace the media. If it runs successfully, clean the failing drive and run the drive diagnostics. Once you begin this test, the diagnostic begins the loop sequence. Time the first loop by pressing the Unload button once to stop the diagnostic after the completion of the first loop, then record the time it takes for the test to complete. Compare the recorded time with the “Approximate Run Time” above. If the test runs successfully but the execution time is significantly longer than the “Approximate Run Time”, run “Function code F: Write performance test”. lf the Write performance test fails, replace the media and exit Maintenance mode. lf the drive diagnostics run successfully perform the operation that produced the initial drive error. 3. If the problem persists, replace the drive. If it is not possible to run the tape cartridge in a different drive, perform the following procedures: 1. Clean the failing drive and run the drive diagnostics. Once you begin this test, the diagnostic begins the loop sequence. Time the first loop by pressing the Unload button once to stop the diagnostic after the completion of the first loop, then record the time it takes for the test to complete. Compare the recorded time with the “Approximate Run Time” above. If the test runs successfully but the execution time is significantly longer than the “Approximate Run Time”, run “Function code F:Write performance test”. lf the Write performance test fails, replace the media and exit Maintenance mode. If the drive diagnostics run successfully, run the Test Cartridge & media diagnostic. 2. If the Test Cartridge & Media diagnostic fails, replace the media. If it runs successfully, perform the operation that produced the initial drive error. 3. If the problem persists, replace the drive. C The tape drive needs to be cleaned . Clean the tape drive. The error code clears when you clean the tape drive or place it in Maintenance mode. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-21 ERROR CODE CAUSE AND ACTION Encryption error. Displayed when the drive detects an error associated with an encryption operation. If the problem occurred while the tape drive was writing data to, or reading data from, tape: 1. Check the host application to make sure that the host application is providing the correct encryption key. See the Tape Device Drivers Encryption Support documentation and the LTO Ultrium Tape Drive SCSI Reference documentation for the Sense Data returned for an encryption operation. Retry the encryption operation after the host application problems have been resolved. 2. Check the operation of the tape drive by resetting the drive and running POST. See the error code displayed on the SCD if the drive reset and POST fails. Retry the encryption operation if the drive reset and POST complete without errors. 3. Check the media. Make sure that the correct media is being used. Data encryption is supported with LTO Ultrium 4, 5 and 6 data cartridges only. Retry the encryption operation with the tape cartridge in another encryption enabled drive. Replace the media if the problem repeats with the same tape cartridge in multiple drives. If the problem occurred while the tape drive was running POST or diagnostics, replace the drive. The error code clears with the first attempted write/read after the encryption key is changed, or when the drive is placed in Maintenance mode. p Write operation to a write protected cartridge has been attempted (this includes any attempt to overwrite a WORM protected tape). Make sure that the tape cartridge is the correct media type. Writes to Ultrium 2 and Ultrium 3 tape cartridges are not supported in Ultrium 6 tape drives. If the tape cartridge is the correct media type, check the write-protect switch on the cartridge. The drive will not write to a writeprotected cartridge. The error code clears when you remove the tape cartridge or place the tape drive in Maintenance mode. Table 3-2 Error Codes on the SCD Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-22 A.1.12 Cleaning the Drive Head C Clean the drive head whenever is displayed on the single-character display and the status light is flashing amber once per second. You do not need to clean the drive head on a periodic basis. C Note: In Maintenance mode, a flashing with the solid amber status light, means to insert a cartridge, not clean the drive head. To clean the head, insert the cleaning cartridge into the tape load compartment. The drive performs the cleaning automatically in less than two minutes and then ejects the cartridge. The drive will perform a short load and unload test while ejecting the drive. Wait for the drive to finish before removing the cartridge. Note: The drive will automatically eject an expired cleaning cartridge. A LTO Ultrium Cleaning Cartridge is valid for an average of 50 uses. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-23 This page left blank intentionally. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 LTFS Tape Operations Appendix A-24 Appendix B Restoring a System Backup Image In the event of a hard disk failure, operating system corruption, or hardware/software changes that irreversibly disrupt system function, often the best solution is to restore your system to a previously made backup image. Qualstar creates a backup image of the state the system is in at the time of shipping for every customer. This Ship Image is then stored in two locations; on the Library L partition of the system drive and on the bootable USB stick. This process will walk you through loading the imaging software from a bootable USB stick and restoring your system to a working state. CAUTION This action will overwrite and delete all data that is currently on the OS partition! If possible - be sure to backup any important data before continuing! If the system is powered on, power off the system. Insert the bootable recovery USB stick into a USB 2.0 port, if available. (NOT A USB 3.0 PORT!) (We have found that using a USB 3.0 port may cause issues) Power on the system and press F11 repeatedly (about once per second) to trigger the boot device selection menu. Select the USB option for the USB 3.0 device. (NOT UEFI) (We have found that using UEFI may cause issues) Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Restoring a System Backup Image Appendix B-1 Once the ATIHD splash screen loads press Enter to select the True Image application. On the left hand menu bar choose Recovery. To select a backup image, click the Browse for backup… button. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Restoring a System Backup Image Appendix B-2 A window will appear, choose Removable Drive to select a backup image located on the USB stick. By default - Qualstar stores backup images in the System Backups DO NOT DELETE folder in two locations: 1. Library L: Drive 2. USB Boot Stick Navigate to the folder that contains the backup image. If you have a backup image located in a different place, choose that image here. Select a backup and press OK to continue. The file system of the USB stick requires that it splits large files into multiple parts. In this photo one backup image was split into three parts. Select any of the parts and the software will find the remaining parts. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Restoring a System Backup Image Appendix B-3 Click the Disk Recovery button to begin the recovery wizard. This page confirms that you are using the correct image, press Next to continue. Select the option Recover whole disk and partitions, press Next to continue. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Restoring a System Backup Image Appendix B-4 Choose all partitions by checking the checkboxes to the left, press Next to continue. Assign the destination for each partition by clicking New Location. Match the boot partition to the boot partition on the destination drive. When the Wizard prompts for FAT 32 (Unlabeled), choose FAT 32 (Unlabeled) in the partition destination window. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Restoring a System Backup Image Appendix B-5 Match the OS partition to the OS partition on the destination drive. When the Wizard prompts for NTFS (System 7-64), choose NTFS (System 7-64) in the partition destination window. CAUTION: This action will overwrite and delete all data that is currently on the OS partition! If possible - be sure to backup any important data before continuing! Click Proceed at the confirmation page to begin restoring the backup image. The process will take 5-15 minutes. You may check the option to automatically restart the system when the recovery process completes. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Restoring a System Backup Image Appendix B-6 When the process completes, press OK and close the True Image windows by clicking the X in the upper right corner. This will restart the system. This completes the Backup Image Recovery process. Table 3-3 The Backup Image Recovery process B.1 Support This manual should provide you with enough information to get started using your Qualstar Q1. More detailed information is available in the “Manuals and Utilities” folder on the desktop of the Q1. Should you have any additional questions, please call Qualstar support at 877-4441744 or e-mail [email protected]. We are continually trying to improve our documentation. If you have any suggestions for manual improvements or product improvements, please let us know. Our best features come from user input. We look forward to being of service to you now and into the future. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Restoring a System Backup Image Appendix B-7 This page left blank intentionally. Preliminary 511015 Rev. 1 Restoring a System Backup Image Appendix B-8