8 Managing and Operating CAPs

Note:

There are two CAP types: rotational CAPs (rotary) and Access Module CAPs. The term "CAP" refers to both types, unless otherwise noted.

Contents

• Guidelines for Using CAPs

• Lock or Unlock a CAP

• Open or Close a CAP Using the GUI

• Enter Tapes Through a CAP

• Eject Tapes Through a CAP

• Manage CAP Pools

• Assign a CAP Pool to a Partition

• Assign Ownership of a Shared CAP to a Partition

• Default CAP States

Guidelines for Using CAPs

• Insert cartridges with the correct orientation (hub gear facing down and label facing you). You can skip slots in the CAP magazine when loading cartridges.

• Verify all cartridges are properly labeled before placing them into a CAP. Do not enter unlabeled cartridges

• To enter cartridges more efficiently, load the CAP magazines before issuing the enter command.

• If only one CAP is required to do the job, do not use multiple CAPs. Opening multiple CAPs will increase the audit time.

Lock or Unlock a CAP

1. Click CAPs in the left navigation area of the GUI.

2. Click the CAPs tab.

3. Select a CAP from the list. From the Actions drop-down (or right-click menu), select Lock or Unlock.

Locked State

While in the locked state, the CAP's "Unlock" LED indicator will be off. The library disables all means of opening the CAP, allowing the robot to access the CAP. To lock a CAP using the GUI, it must be closed, online, and owned by a partition.

Unlocked State

While in the unlocked state, the CAP's "Unlock" LED will be on. A CAP in the unlocked state can be opened by an operator by pushing the CAP button. When unlocked, the robot cannot access the CAP cells. To unlock a CAP using the GUI, it must be closed, online, owned by a partition (or controlled by the GUI), and not currently in use by the robot.

See Also

• "Default CAP States"

• "Open or Close a CAP Using the GUI"

Open or Close a CAP Using the GUI

1. Click CAPs in the left navigation area of the GUI.

2. Click the CAPs tab.

3. Select a CAP from the list. From the Actions drop-down (or right-click menu), select Open or Close.

Open

Selecting Open is equivalent to pressing the CAP button on a closed and unlocked CAP.

Close

Selecting Close is equivalent to pressing the CAP button on an open CAP. Once closed, the library locks and audits the CAP cells.

See Also

• "Lock or Unlock a CAP"

• "Enter Tapes Through a CAP"

• "Eject Tapes Through a CAP"

• "Import/Export Tapes in System Cells"

Enter Tapes Through a CAP

Note:

If entering tapes through a shared CAP, you must assign ownership of the CAP (see "Assign Ownership of a Shared CAP to a Partition").

CAP magazines are removable. You can place tapes in any magazine cell and in any order (making sure the hub-side is down). See "Guidelines for Using CAPs".

After entering tapes through the CAP, the library audits the CAP. Based on commands from the host software or GUI, the library moves the tapes to storage cells, records the location, and sends the location to the host. When the CAP is empty, the library returns the CAP to its default state.

CAUTION:

To avoid equipment damage, do not force the CAP to open or close. Do not enter unlabeled tapes or place tapes upside-down.

Enter Tapes Using a Rotational CAP

1. If using a shared CAP, verify the CAP is owned by the partition you want to add the tapes to (see "Assign Ownership of a Shared CAP to a Partition").

2. If the CAP is in auto enter mode, proceed to the next step. If it is in manual mode, initiate the enter operation at the host (see the host documentation).

3. Press the CAP button .

   The button light turns ON and the door opens.

4. Place the tapes in the CAP. Verify the hub gear is face down and barcode is toward you.

5. Press the CAP button.

   The CAP closes and temporarily locks, and the CAP button light turns OFF.

Enter Tapes Using an Access Module

1. If using a shared CAP, verify the CAP is owned by the partition you want to add the tapes to (see "Assign Ownership of a Shared CAP to a Partition").

2. If the CAP is in auto enter mode, proceed to the next step. If it is in manual mode, initiate the enter operation at the host (see the host documentation).

3. Once the "Unlocked" indicator lights, push the Access Module CAP button .

   The "Wait" indicator blinks until the safety door is completely down. Depending on the level of activity in the library, this may take several minutes.

4. When the "Enter" indicator light is solid, lift the latch and open the door. Place the tapes in the CAP with the hub gear face down and barcode toward you.

5. Close and latch the Access Module access door.

6. Push the Access Module CAP button.

   The "Enter" light turns off and the "Wait" light starts blinking. The safety door moves up.

Moving all Tapes in a CAP to Storage Cells Using the Library GUI

During normal operation, the host application should move tapes out of the CAP and into storage cells. However, you can manually unload the CAP using the GUI when necessary.

1. Click CAPs in the left navigation area of the GUI.

2. Verify the CAP is closed and locked.

3. Select a CAP from the list, and then from the Actions drop-down (or right-click menu) select Unload CAP.

   The library will move the tapes to empty cells within the partition that currently owns the CAP.

4. You may need to update your host application with the location of the new tapes.

Eject Tapes Through a CAP

Once the library ejects all tapes and the robot verifies the CAP is empty, the library erases the location of the tapes from the library database. The CAP returns to its default state.

CAUTION:

To prevent equipment damage, do not force the CAP to open or close.

Eject Tapes Using a Rotational CAPs

1. If ejecting tapes through a shared CAP, assign ownership of the CAP (see "Assign Ownership of a Shared CAP to a Partition").

2. Initiate the eject operation. Specify the tapes to eject. The CAP button light turns ON.

3. Press the CAP button to open the CAP.

4. Remove all tapes from the CAP.

5. Push the CAP button to close the CAP.

   The CAP closes and locks, and the CAP button light turns OFF.

6. The robot continues filling the CAP until all selected tapes are ejected. Wait until the CAP door is unlocked, and then repeat step 2 through step 4.

Eject Tapes Using an Access Module

1. If ejecting tapes through a shared CAP, assign ownership of the CAP (see "Assign Ownership of a Shared CAP to a Partition").

2. Initiate the eject operation. Specify the tapes to eject.

3. Push the Access Module CAP button .

   The "Wait" indicator blinks until the safety door is in place, and then the "Enter" light is solid. Depending on the level of activity in the library, this process may take several minutes.

4. Lift the latch and open the door. Remove the tapes from the Access Module CAP. Close and latch the Access Module access door.

5. Push the Access Module CAP button. The "Enter" light turns off and the "Wait" light begins blinking. The safety door moves up. If more tapes need to be exported, the robot continues filling the necessary Access Modules.

6. The robot continues filling the Access Module until all selected tapes are ejected. Wait until the door is unlocked, and then repeat step 2 through step 4.

Manage CAP Pools

A CAP pool is a group of CAPs in the library that you assign to a partition. You can only create and configure CAP pools in a partitioned library (a non-partitioned library only contains a single default pool always assigned to the default partition).

To export and import tapes, you must assign a CAP pool to a partition (see "Assign a CAP Pool to a Partition") and assign ownership of a CAP within that pool (see "Assign Ownership of a Shared CAP to a Partition").

• Create a CAP Pool

• Assign CAPs to a Pool

• Delete a CAP Pool

See Also

• "Assign Ownership of a Shared CAP to a Partition"

• "Assign a CAP Pool to a Partition"

Create a CAP Pool

1. Click CAPs in the left navigation area of the GUI.

2. Click the CAP Pools tab.

3. Click Add .

   Note:

   If the Add icon is grayed-out, you need to enable partitioning with an activation file (see "Add or Remove Optional Library Features").

4. Enter a CAP pool name.

5. A new CAP pool has no CAPs assigned to it. See "Assign CAPs to a Pool" below.

Assign CAPs to a Pool

You can assign each CAP to only one CAP pool. The CAP must be empty and idle before you can change its pool assignment.

IMPORTANT:

Any partitions assigned to the modified pool will temporarily go OFFLINE when you modify the CAPs in the pool.

1. Click CAPs in the left navigation area of the GUI.

2. Click the CAPs tab.

3. Verify that the CAP you want to assign is empty.

   Note:

   To empty a CAP, ideally hosts should move the tapes out of the CAP. However, you can select the CAP, and then from the Actions drop-down (or right-click menu) select Unload CAP. To manually move the individual tapes, see "Move or Mount a Tape Cartridge".

4. Click Assign CAPs to Pools .

5. Select a CAP pool from the drop-down list.

Delete a CAP Pool

You can only delete a CAP pool if it is not assigned to a partition and contains no CAPs.

1. Assign all CAPs in the pool to another pool (see "Assign CAPs to a Pool" above).

2. Remove the CAP pool partitioning assignment (see "Edit the Partition Attributes").

3. Click CAPs in the left navigation area of the GUI.

4. Click the CAP Pools tab.

5. Select the CAP pool in the list, and then click Delete .

Assign a CAP Pool to a Partition

You can assign a CAP pool to a partition when creating or modifying the partition (see "Add a Partition" or "Edit the Partition Attributes"). Each partition can have only one CAP pool assigned to it. However, you can assign a CAP pool to multiple partitions. The number of partitions assigned to the CAP pool determines if the CAPs in the pool are dedicated or shared:

• Dedicated CAP — If the CAP pool is assigned to only one partition, the CAPs within the pool are "dedicated" and the partition automatically assumes ownership of all CAPs within the pool.

• Shared CAP — If a CAP pool is assigned to multiple partitions, the CAPs within the pool are "shared". In order for a partition to use a shared CAP for import/export operations, the partition must "own" the CAP (see "Assign Ownership of a Shared CAP to a Partition"). Once the import/export operation completes, the partition must then release ownership of the CAP so that other partitions can use it.

Note:

Avoid assigning a shared CAP pool to a SCSI partition. For more information, refer to the SL4000 SCSI Reference Guide.

Assign Ownership of a Shared CAP to a Partition

If you assign a CAP pool to more than one partition, a partition must "own" a CAP within the pool before the partition can import or export tapes. If you assign the CAP pool to only one partition, that partition automatically owns all CAPs within the pool and you do not need to follow the procedures below.

1. Click CAPs in the left navigation area of the GUI.

2. Click the CAPs tab.

3. Select a CAP from the list. From the Actions drop-down (or right-click menu), select Set CAP Owner.

4. Select a partition from the drop-down list.

See Also

• "Assign a CAP Pool to a Partition"

• "Manage CAP Pools"

• "Default CAP States"

Default CAP States

A CAP can either be locked or unlocked (see "Lock or Unlock a CAP"). The default state of a CAP (meaning the CAP state immediately after library initialization) depends on the CAP pool status and whether the partition that owns the CAP is SCSI enabled.

Table 8-1 Default CAP State Based on CAP Pool and Partition Status

CAP Pool Status	CAP Status	Partition is SCSI enabled	Partition is not SCSI enabled
Library only has single default pool (no partitioning activation file installed and library has single default partition)	All CAPs are "Dedicated" (the default partition automatically owns all CAPs in the library)	All CAPs are unlocked	All CAPs are locked
CAP pool not assigned to a partition	CAPs in pool are "Free" and locked	N/A	N/A
CAP pool assigned to a single partition	CAPs in pool are "Dedicated" (the partition owns all CAPs in the pool)	CAPs in pool are unlocked	CAPs in pool are locked
CAP pool assigned to more than one partition	CAPs in pool are "Shared" and remain locked until a partition explicitly takes ownership of a CAP in the pool	If owned by a partition, the CAP will be unlocked	If owned by a partition CAP will be locked.

See Also

• "Lock or Unlock a CAP"

• "Open or Close a CAP Using the GUI"

• "Assign a CAP Pool to a Partition"

• "Assign Ownership of a Shared CAP to a Partition"