Re: Problem with Seagate/IBM DDS-3 tape drive.

From: RobH (nospam_at_nospam-echo-xray-papa-charlie-oscar-november.co.uk)
Date: 08/12/03 

Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2003 18:57:58 +0000 (UTC)

"Dr. David Kirkby" <drkirkby@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:bbdc5d83.0308120949.5833d5c9@posting.google.com...
> "Uli Link" <Ulrich--nO--(dot)-sPAM--Link@Epost.de> wrote in message
news:<bhapu1$v0p$07$1@news.t-online.com>...
> > >
> > > After a few more attempts at cleaning, and another used DDS-2 tape
(I
> > > only have new DDS-4's around which would be useless) the drive did
> > > spring into life and looks like it's now working.
> > >
> > Always check that you can read the tape on another DDS!
> > I had some DDS drives that wrote to tape but weren't able to read
anymore.
> > This was common shortly before the drive reached their end of life.
> > Not nice if you need the data on the tapes.
> >
> > If you check the readability of the tapes on a regular basis, DDS
are
> > reliable enough for most purposes.
> >
> > If you hear signs of shoeshining after inserting a tape written on
another
> > drive, it's often a sign that the drive needs it's tracking
adjusted. This
> > cannot be done by the user.
> >
> > ---
> > Uli
>
> Thanks a lot for that Uli. I do have a DDS-4 drive which I can check
> tapes with.
>
> I telephoned Seagate to try to determine the function of the LEDs, as
> I can't find an IBM manual for the drive. Seagate told me the lights
> on the drive (currently shown at
> http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~davek/dds3.jpg but I won't keep it there
> forever) are (from left to right).
>
> Power (inverted C above it)
> Tape in place. (looks like something pushed in a hole)
> Drive busy. (looks like a ligtening strike)
>
> The lights bascially have the function mentioned at
> 206.204.105.35/support/taper/manuals/dds/dds3pmb.pdf
>
> but the IBM internal drive has a power light, which does not exist on
> the Seagate internal drive.
>
> (The Seagate external version does have this power LED, although not
> on the actual drive). So it seems Seagate put an extra LED to the
> front of the drive for IBM. However, the technician did not have
> access to the IBM OEM data, so he was guessing somewhat, although his
> guesses seem consistant with what I am seeing.
>
> I'm going to try looking in manuals for newer IBM servers, in the hope
> that they (unlike the 7025 F50) might have come fitted with the IBM
> DDS-3 drive and so confirms the function of the LEDs.

Try http://tinyurl.com/jsua

>
> Why the hell IBM can't ask for lights to be marked 'power', 'tape',
> 'busy', rather than those stupid symbols, I don't know.

Because not everyone speaks/reads English?

> My HP drive
> has LEDs saying "Tape" and "Clean" which are a bit more helpful. I
> have a non-working DLT drive, which has about 8 LEDs on that, all
> clearly labelled.
> 

--
RobH
The future's dim, the future's mono.

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