VMS Backup and HP C1553A Autoloader

[Geoff Hess]

Our failed Digital TLZ7L autoloader has been replaced with an HP C1553A autoloader. (Could not find replacement TLZ7Ls with rollers that would not melt.) I can use VMS Backup to write to one tape cartridge, but Backup does not seem to be recognizing the second tape. The autoloader's rear option switches are set to a value of 1 (Auto-stack enabled, Auto-eject enabled). I think the autoloader is set up correctly, because after the error the LCD shows that cartridge 2 is loaded and displays Ready.

Backup writes to the first tape and eventually errors out with the following:

%BACKUP-F-LABELERR, error in tape label processing on MKA500:[]DUA302.;
-SYSTEM-W-ENDOFFILE, end of file

The following is the DCL. On the backup command 'Output_Device'is "MKA500" and "Current_input" is the result of parsing:
"$6$DUA200,$6$DUA301,$6$DUA302,WHS$ROOT"
==================================
$ Input_Delimiter = ","
$ INITIALIZE 'Output_Device': FULL01
.
.
$Backup_Loop:
$ IF (Current_Input .EQS. Input_Delimiter) THEN GOTO Cleanup
.
.
$ BACKUP/IMAGE/RECORD/MEDIA=COMPACTION/LOG/LIST='File_Spec'.BU_LIS -
'Current_Input':/IGNORE=INTERLOCK -
'Output_Device':'Saveset_Name'/SAVE/NOCRC/IGNORE=LABEL
.
.
$ GOTO Backup_Loop
$Cleanup:
$ DISMOUNT/NOUNLOAD 'Output_Device'
==================================
VMS version is OpenVMS V6.2 on VAX.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Geoff Hess]

Resolved.

The configuration switches on the underside of the drive were set incorrectly. They were set to the defaults: 3 OFF, the rest ON.

I looked back into the manual (HP DDS Drives User Manual (Part No. C1534-90911)), and it shows settings for DEC systems: 1 - 8 as ON, ON, OFF, ON, ON, OFF, ON, OFF.

This solved the problem.

p.s. For anyone interested, I also set the autoloader option switches on the rear panel to the value 1 (switches 4,3,2,1 off, off, off, on) to enable Auto-stack mode and Auto-eject.