11 Validating Media

• Media Validation Requirements

• Defining the Media Validation Pool

• Starting or Resuming Media Validation

• Stopping a Validation

• Updating Host Information After Modifying the MV Pool

Media Validation Requirements

• Minimum SL8500 FRS_8.31 and SLC 6.25 (for T10000 cartridges)

• Minimum SL8500 FRS_8.67 and SLC 6.71 (for LTO cartridges)

• A designated pool of LTO 6/7/8 drives in ADI mode or T10000C/D drives at TTI level 5.40+

• High-memory HBT card

• Minimum STA 2.0 to automate media validation for T10000 cartridges (optional)

Defining the Media Validation Pool

To validate the integrity of cartridges using the media validation (MV) feature, you must define a pool of valid drives. You can perform media validation with the following drive types:

• LTO 6, 7, or 8 in ADI mode (requires minimum FRS_8.67 and SLC 6.71)

• T10000C or T10000D at TTI level 5.40+ (requires minimum FRS_8.31 and SLC 6.25)

The pool is not considered a partition, does not contain cartridges, and hosts cannot access the drives in the pool.

Note:

The library automatically cleans MV drives regardless of the auto clean status for the library. You should ensure there are cleaning cartridges in the library.

1. For a library complex, you can log in to any library within the complex to modify the MV pool. Verify all libraries in the complex are online.

2. Verify that hosts are not using the drives you want to add to the pool. Adding a drive to the MV pool will trigger an automatic reconfiguration in all ELS hosts attached to the library

3. In SLC, select Tools > Media Validation. Click the Slot Selection tab.

4. Click Refresh to display the latest configuration.

5. Place a maximum of 10 drives into the pool. Highlight the drive slots, and then click Add or Remove.

   Note:

   When adding drives to the MV pool, the library (or affected partition) will go offline.

6. Click Apply.

7. If using a partitioned library reassign any drive slots removed from the pool to a partition (see "Partitioning the Library").

8. Reconfigure host applications (see "Updating Host Information After Modifying the MV Pool").

Media Validation Drive Pool Icons

SLC Drive Icon	Meaning
	Empty drive slot
	Slot contains either an invalid drive type or a correct drive type in an invalid state
	Correct drive type (T10000C/D or LTO 6/7/8 in ADI) in a valid state
	Partition number of drive slot
	Drive slot is in media validation pool

Starting or Resuming Media Validation

You can only validate one cartridge at a time per each SLC session. To automate the process for T10000 cartridges, use StorageTek Tape Analytics 2.0 or above (see the STA documentation).

1. Log in to the library. For a library complex, log in to the library that contains the drive that you will use for validation.

2. In SLC, select Tools > Media Validation. Click the Media Validation tab.

3. Select a drive. If there are no drives listed, see "Defining the Media Validation Pool".

   Note:

   You may not be able to select a drive if the drive is in an invalid state, the drive type is invalid, the IBM LTO drive is not in ADI mode, or you are not logged into the library containing the drive.

4. Select a cartridge from the list or enter a VOLSER in the cartridge label field.

5. Select a validation type (see Validation Types for a description).

   Note:

   If media validation is interrupted, select the Complete Resume or Complete Plus Resume to resume where the validation left off. You cannot resume an LTO validation, Basic Verify, Standard Verify, or Rebuild MIR.

6. Click Start. Validation begins if the cartridge loads successfully.

   Once validation completes, the library returns the tape to its source location (if available, otherwise the library moves the tape to a system slot for host recovery).

Validation Types

Type of Validation	T10000 Description	LTO Description	Approximate Duration per Cartridge
Basic Verify	Simple mount/dismount of the cartridge to determine if MIR is unreadable or out of sync.	Simple mount/dismount of the cartridge. Reads the CM on the mount.	2 minutes
Standard Verify	Starts at beginning of tape (BOT). Reads1000 records from BOT. Reads wrap that contains EOD, then into the EOD. Reads outermost wraps on top and bottom bands to verify edges.	Starts at beginning of tape (BOT). Reads 2 wraps, then stops the validation.	30 minutes
Complete Verify or Complete Resume	Starts at beginning of tape (BOT) or resumes where it left off. Reads data at tape speed.	Starts at beginning of tape (BOT) and verifies to EOD. Resume not available.	T10000C: 6 hours T10000D: 9 hours max LTO: 5 to 8 hours
Complete PlusFoot 1  or Complete Plus Resume	Starts at beginning of tape (BOT) or resumes where it left off. Checks DIV CRC to determine if it exists.	Not Available	T10000C: 6 hours for compression ratios less than 2.5:1. T10000D: 9 hours for compression ratios less than 3:1
Rebuild MIR	Starts at invalid position in the MIR. Reads data at tape speed	Not Available	T10000C: 5 hours T10000D: 9 hours

^Footnote 1 Plus StorageTek Data Integrity Validation — encryption key management system required.

Stopping a Validation

If a host requests a cartridge currently being validated, the validation stops. You can also stop the validation using SLC.

1. Log in as the user who initiated the validation.

2. In SLC, select Tools > Media Validation.

3. Select the Media Validation tab.

4. Click Stop.

   Once validation stops, the library returns the tape to its source location (if available, otherwise the library moves the tape to a system slot for host recovery).

Updating Host Information After Modifying the MV Pool

• For ACSLS, you must initiate re-configuration after modifying the MV pool. Use the config drives <panel_id> utility. For more information, see the ACSLS Administrator's Guide.

• For ELS, no action is required after modifying the MV pool. ELS hosts automatically reconfigure. However, the reconfiguration can cause a disruption in mount/dismount requests when trying to set a lock on the control data set (see the host management documentation).

Effect on HLI Hosts of Modifying the MV Pool

After adding drives to the MV pool, the library (or affected partition) will go offline. The affected hosts receive "Configuration Changed", "LSM Ready", and then "Not Ready" messages from the library. ELS automatically removes drives moved to the MV pool from its configuration. ACSLS automatically updates drives moved to the MV pool to an offline state, but ACSLS requires you to initiate re-configuration.

After removing drives from the MV pool, the library and partitions remain online. For a non-partitioned library, the drive slots are available to hosts immediately. ELS hosts begin re-configuration, but ACSLS hosts require you to initiate re-configuration. For a partitioned library, you must allocate the drive slot removed from the MV pool to a partition (see "Partitioning the Library").