9.1GB tape formatted only to 4.1GB -> Optical Jukebox 600MX on Win2K

[CA912853]

I have an Optical Jukebox 600 MX working on a Windows 2000 Server system. I use a HP rewritable magneto-optical disk of 9.1 GB but when I formatted the disk (NTFS) the operating system only reports 4.1 GB. Am I missing something here?

[CA912853]

Oh, and also, the Format command from Windows Explorer crashes most of the times. However, after several crashes, in the end it managed to perform the format. Does anyone knows the reasons for these crashes?

[Eugeny Brychkov · Accepted solution]

Eddie,
do you use HP MO disks? Try checking library with LTT http://www.hp.com/cposupport/information_storage/support_doc/lpg50128.html . Generate support ticket and attach it to your next reply
Eugeny

[CA912853]

Hi Eugeny,

Yes, I use C7983A MO disks. Here is the sticket attached. Trying to use the HP L&TT tool I get a warning message telling me that I need to install Service Pack 3 for Win2K. Is this a real issue?

[Eugeny Brychkov]

Yes, good idea to be up-to-date with service pack. Library reports 4 internal drives, but only drive #4 is on the bus? Strange. Inserted disk has 4096 bytes*1095839 blocks per side=4488556544 bytes=4.28GB. Note - per side. And counting 1044 (growing!) defects which (may) have eaten some space. So I would say it's ok: 9.1GB disk with ~4.5GB per side.
Do not forget to update drive's firmware to 1.14
Eugeny

[CA912853]

1. I will update with latest service pack available.
2. Although the unit has 4 drives and 63 slots, I only have 1 disk inserted in drive 4 which is seen as logic drive F: within my system (the other three drives without disks are G:, H:, I:, respectivelly). Could this be a possible explanation why the "library reports 4 internal drives, but only drive #4 is on the bus"?
3. This might be a silly question but how can one use both sizes of the disk? Are you saying that only one size was formatted? OK, I looked at the disk and unlike a normal diskette, the disk can be switched on the other side and can be inserted again. I believe this is the answer.
4. I will update the firmware to version 1.14.
Thanks Eugeny for your time.
Eddie

[CA912853]

Ooops, I said "size" but I meant "side"...

[Eugeny Brychkov]

MO disks are not like floppies, they have 2 (two) sides. MO drive can read only one side at a time. To chenge sides you require backup software (omniback, arcserve etc) or you can operate library's robot manually from its front panel.
If you have many MO disks you can insert 3 more disks in drives 1-3, having 3 more volumes at a time (each ~4.5GB in size). I think drives 1-3 are not appeared in LTT because they have not assigned IDs or were disabled.
Manuals are here http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/DocumentIndex.jsp?contentType=SupportManual&docIndexId=3124&locale=en_US&prodSeriesId=33783&prodTypeId=12169
Eugeny
PS. please do not forget to assign points to ITRC members' replies

[CA912853]

I realized that was a very stupid question. Is there an utility that could be used to consolidate more than 1 drives into a single logical unit, provided up to 4 disks are used? I am thinking that customers should be given this option. That way they wouldn't have to worry too often about changing disks.

[Eugeny Brychkov]

First of all you should deal with right now is why another 3 drives do not appear in the output. Please go through user's manual and check all the installation steps. Finally you should be abble to see all 4 drives in support ticket. (In worst case you can restore defaults on the jukebox and see what will happen).
Then you can use front panel to insert disks into drives, and all these 4 disks will appear in disk administrator as ordinary hard disks. Then you can create NTFS of FAT partitions on each of these disks and use then independently (like G: H:, I:, K:) or you have possibility (I did not try it) to organize RAID5 creating dynamic volumes on the disks.
Good luck!
Eugeny