topic Cant open HPE LTFS formatted tape with IBM LTFS configuration in HPE StoreEver Tape Storage

Cant open HPE LTFS formatted tape with IBM LTFS configuration

ACS_IT — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 09:26:03 GMT

We had a HP LTO 7 ecternal tape drive that was formatted with HPE LTFS. It got damaged and unrepairable. Now we got a DELL LTO 7 external tape drive that uses IBM LTFS Configuration. But when I insert the old backup tapes I cant read the old data.

Is there a way, without formatting the tapes to the new LTFS format, to get the data off the tapes?

Re: Cant open HPE LTFS formatted tape with IBM LTFS configuration

HKPune — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 13:48:38 GMT

what are you getting while you are triying to mount the tape?

Few things which you should consider initially. which generation tapes are you inserting? what is the ltfs version used to format the drive and the version now using?

I don't think it is the version that causing issue as well because the LTFS is a open format and should work with earlier versions as well.

There is another possibility which is you may archived tapes with a bad head of your earlier hp drive.

on what os are you working? are you using any backup application, gui or command lines?

Re: Cant open HPE LTFS formatted tape with IBM LTFS configuration

ACS_IT — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 15:23:19 GMT

Thanks HKPune

We were using HPE LTFS Configuration from HPE StoreOpen software with our HP LTO 7 Tape drive and used a python snippet to copy files over to tape from disk. When that tape drive packed up we got a new DELL LTO 7 tape drive. But that tape drive is not compatible with the HPE LTFS Configuration. It only works with the IBM LTFS Configuration from IBM Spectrum Archive Single Drive Edition. Whenever I insert a tape previously backed up with HP tape drive into the DELL tape drive, the mounted drive under explorer shows a exclamation mark and says "Tape partition information could not be found when loading a tape". It worked on the HP tape drive previously. I tried more than one tape to test this.

I am working on windows 10, using python snippet to back up data.