You commonly perform many tasks when you work with media libraries and media. These tasks are examined in this section.
You use different techniques to insert media into automated and nonautomated libraries. For nonautomated libraries, you insert media manually into the drive. Then the media is mounted and placed in a media pool (if possible). Otherwise, you must mount the media you want to work with.
To insert media into a robotic library, follow these steps:
Access Removable Storage in Computer Management, then double-click Libraries in the console tree.
Right-click the library you want to work with, then click Inject. This starts the Media Inject Wizard, as shown in Figure 23-2. Click Next.
The wizard accesses the library and prepares it to accept new media. If the library is full, you'll see a note explaining that no slots are available and that you must eject media before you can insert media.
When prompted as shown in Figure 23-3, place the media into the inject/eject port. Make sure you use the correct slots. If the library doesn't have an inject/eject port, use the tape library door.
Note
Inserting or ejecting media through the tape library door means that media will be reinventoried. In addition, if the media isn't bar-coded, you must perform a full inventory as detailed in the section entitled "Configuring Library Inventory" later in this chapter.
If the inject/eject port doesn't close automatically, click Next. The media is then loaded into the library and added to the appropriate pool.
Specify whether you want to inject more media or complete the operation. If you want to add media, repeat step 5. Otherwise, click Next, and then click Finish.
As with inserting media into a library, you use different techniques to eject media from a library based on whether the library is nonautomated or automated. To eject media from a nonautomated library, access Removable Storage in Computer Management, then doubleclick Libraries in the console tree. Next right-click the library you want to work with, then click Eject.
Note
If the media is in use or busy, you might not be able to eject it. Check the work queue as detailed in the section entitled "Managing Work Queues, Requests, and Security" later in this chapter.
To eject media from an automated library, follow these steps:
Access Removable Storage in Computer Management, and then double-click Libraries.
Expand the library and the library's Drives folder by double-clicking them.
Right-click the media you want to eject, then click Eject. This starts the Media Eject Wizard. Click Next.
The wizard prepares the library to eject the media. If successful, you'll be able to select additional media that you want to eject. Otherwise, check the work queue and resolve any problems as detailed in the section entitled "Managing Work Queues, Requests, and Security" later in this chapter.
Click Next, and then click Finish to complete the operation.
When you work with libraries that have multiple tapes, you might need to mount and dismount media. To do this with a nonautomated library, access Removable Storage in Computer Management, and then double-click Libraries. Expand the library and the library's Drives folder by double-clicking them. You can now do one of the following:
Mount media To mount media, right-click the media you want to mount, then click Mount.
Dismount media To dismount media, right-click the media you want to dismount, then click Dismount.
Tip
Trying to dismount media in use can cause problems on the drive. Check the work queue as described in the section entitled "Managing Work Queues, Requests, and Security" later in this chapter.
To mount and dismount media in automated libraries, access Removable Storage in Computer Management, and then double-click Libraries. You can now do one of the following:
Mount media To mount media, expand the library and the library's Drives folder by double-clicking them. Right-click the media you want to mount, then click Mount.
Dismount media To dismount media, expand the library and the library's Drives folder by double-clicking them. Right-click the drive from which you want to dismount media, then click Dismount.
Tip
Trying to dismount media in use can cause problems with the library. Check the work queue as described in the section entitled "Managing Work Queues, Requests, and Security" later in this chapter.
Sometimes you'll want to disable media so that it cannot be used. You might want to do this to ensure that a bad tape isn't used or to prevent media from being used temporarily. You enable or disable media as follows:
Access Removable Storage in Computer Management, and then double-click Libraries.
Expand the library and the library's Drives folder by double-clicking them. Right-click the media you want to enable or disable, then click Properties.
In the General tab of the Properties dialog box, select or clear Enable Media.
You can disable drives temporarily as well. You might want to do this if you have a bad drive in a library with multiple drives or if you need to clean a dirty drive but must first perform other operations.
When a library has a single drive, you must enable or disable the entire library. See the section entitled "Enabling and Disabling Libraries" later in this chapter. When a library has multiple drives, you enable or disable a drive as follows:
Access Removable Storage in Computer Management, and then double-click Libraries.
Expand the library and the library's Drives folder by double-clicking them. Right-click the drive you want to enable or disable, then click Properties.
In the General tab of the Properties dialog box, select or clear Enable Drive.
You must periodically clean drives in both nonautomated and automated libraries. You clean drives in a nonautomated library by inserting a cleaner cartridge and then cleaning the drive manually. In Removable Storage, access the library and the Drives folder where the drive is listed. Right-click the drive, then click Mark As Clean. This makes a record of the cleaning.
You clean drives in an automated library by using a wizard. In Removable Storage, right-click the library you want to clean. Then select Cleaner Management. This starts the Cleaner Management Wizard. Click Next. The wizard prepares the library. Insert the cleaner cartridge when prompted.
Robotic libraries can have automated doors and ports that you can use to insert and eject media. If you must open the library doors, you can do so by right-clicking the library, selecting Door Access, and then opening the door when prompted. If you must access an inject/ eject port, follow the procedures in the sections entitled "Inserting Media into a Library" and "Ejecting Media from a Library" earlier in this chapter.
To specify how long the doors and port wait for media to be inserted, right-click the library you want to work with, then select Properties. In the Properties dialog box, select the Components tab. Set a new timeout for the library doors using the Time-Out field in the Doors area, then set the timeout for the port using the Time-Out field in the Ports area. Click OK.
Inventories are used with automated libraries to help you track the whereabouts of online and offline media. By default, libraries are configured to update the inventory only when the status of a slot changes between occupied and unoccupied, which happens when you mount, dismount, insert, or eject media. To change the default library inventory method, follow these steps:
Access Removable Storage, then double-click Libraries.
Right-click the library you want to set an inventory method for, and then click Properties.
In the General tab, in Inventory Method, select one of the following methods:
None—Select this method if you do not want to inventory media.
Fast—Select this method to inventory only storage slots that have changed status between being occupied and unoccupied. This is the default inventory method.
Full—Select this method to always perform complete inventories. For bar-coded media, this means reading the bar-code information. For other media, this means mounting the media, reading the media identifier, and then dismounting the media.
The chosen inventory method is performed each time a library door is accessed.
Inventories are performed on automated libraries whenever you access the library door. You can also start an inventory manually by right-clicking the library you want to inventory and selecting Inventory.
The media types used by libraries are displayed as media pools under the Free, Import, and Unrecognized media pools in Removable Storage. You can add and remove media types (and their associated media pools) by completing the following steps:
In Removable Storage, right-click the library you want to work with, then select Properties.
In the Properties dialog box, select the Media tab, then click Change to display the Change Media Types dialog box.
Available Types shows additional media types available for use. To add a new media type, select the entry you want to add in Available Types, then click Add.
Selected Types shows existing media types configured for use. To remove an existing media type, select the entry you want to remove in Selected Types, then click Remove.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 as necessary, then click OK when finished. The changes you make are reflected in the Free, Import, and Unrecognized media pools.
You disable libraries to make them unavailable for use. This ensures no one can use a library you need to repair, replace, or service. To enable or disable libraries, access Removable Storage in Computer Management, and then double-click Libraries. Right-click the library you want to enable or disable, then click Properties. In the General tab of the Properties dialog box, select or clear Enable Library as appropriate.