MSL6000 series - list of tapes from web interface

[Jeff Waechter]

Is it possible to identify exactly which tape is in a slot via the MSL6000 remote management interface? I can see whether or not a slot is occupied, but I cannot determine the bar code label of the tapes. Am I missing something obvious? I can move a cartridge by selecting a source slot and a destination mail slot, but I have no idea if that slot contains the appropriate tape.

[Torsten.]

If I remember right, the bar code is shown next to the media. Perhaps a firmware feature? What firmware are you running?

[Marino Meloni_1]

The bar code shown via the webinterface is not a true one, I think it is only for cosmetic effect.
You should use your backup application and run the inventory in order to have the list of tape related to the slot or position

[Jeff Waechter]

Our backup application is Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM). When offsite tapes are created overnight, they are moved to a "not-mountable" state (logically "unavailable") within TSM. This means that I cannot ask TSM which slots the tapes are in - TSM has logically checked out the tapes from the library.
We have 3 MSL6060's (180 slots) with a pass-thru device. When I go to extract the tapes next morning, it's too late to ask TSM where the tapes are. That's my problem - I would like to ask the library where the tapes are without having to click a dozen times on the LCD interface.
I occasionally need to walk a tape operator through a tape management activity over the phone. It's a pain to have him review the LCD panel to find the slot - And I don't want him removing the magazines because there may be other tape activity. Being able to see the exact slot number from the HP web interface would be the ideal solution.

[JASH_2]

Jeff,

Would the list of tapes and their locations not be displayed if you were to try to do a restore through TSM? I am just guessing, but with other backup/restore software the location of the tapes is necessarily known for this purpose.

Sorry if this is not the case, just an idea.

Regards,

JASH

[Jeff Waechter]

We use TSM to keep two copies of all data. We always keep one copy onsite, within the tape library. The other tapes go offsite daily (these are the tapes I am trying to identify.) Any attempt at a restore would (by design) always use the existing onsite tapes that never leave the library. These slots are known, and are not a problem. So no, a restore would not attempt to use the tapes that were about to go offsite (TSM has flagged them as offsite already, which is why I cannot identify their tape slot.)

[Torsten.]

I ask again: What firmware level?

[Jeff Waechter]

Library firmware: 0513
Tape firmware: F59W

[Mark Poeschl_2]

What kind of servers are you using? Many flavors of Unix have SCSI query utilities that will give you that information. For example in Tru64 it's"

# scu
scu> sbtl x y z
scu> show elem

(Substitute SCSI bus, target, LUN of the library for x, y, z.)

Kits for 'scu' for many flavors of Linux and Unix are available at:
http://home.comcast.net/~SCSIguy/SCSI_FAQ/RMiller_Tools/scu.html

[Jeff Waechter]

No Unix. W2K advanced server on an HP DL380.