Format your tapes before putting them into use
Although ARCserveIT will automatically format blank media once a job is initiated, you can use this function to manually format your media. Formatting writes a new label at the beginning of the media, effectively destroying all existing data.
Low level formatting, as is required on most hard drives and some mini cartridge tape drives, is not required for drives that ARCserveIT supports.
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Warning: Use this option with care. Once you format selected media, the data it contained (if any) is lost permanently. If you plan to use ARCserveIT's GFS feature, don't format the media. Let ARCserveIT auto-format them for you.
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Steps for formatting a changer's media
Follow the steps below to format media associated with a changer:
1. Select the device or one of its associated slots from the Device Manager window.
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If you select the Changer icon (or one of its related slot icons) ARCserveIT displays the format dialog box containing the changer related information. Otherwise, the Format dialog box displayed will be associated with a single media.
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2. Select the Format icon.
The Format dialog box associated with a changer is displayed. A blue bar denote the currently selected media. (All media information entered will be associated with that media).
Populated slots selected for formatting will be displayed using a light blue box. All other slots are displayed using a dark blue ball.
Listed below in the New Media area is the media name and the field for selecting that media's expiration date.
You can assign the new media to an existing Media Pool using the drop-down menu, or override the serial assigned by ARCserveIT
3. Select the slot containing the media that you would like format.
A slot must be populated in order to be selected. Once selected the media slot will be displayed using a light blue box. You can select multiple slots by using the Shift key in combination with the mouse.
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When selecting multiple slots, make certain that the slot you want is highlighted with the blue bar before entering the name, expiration, or any other information.
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4. Enter a name for the new media and select a day on which you would like to take it out of service.
You should choose an expiration date based on how you will use the tape. If you will be using the tape a few times a week, you should set the expiration date to a year from now, maybe less. If you will be using the tape only once a month, you can set the expiration date to two or three years from the current date. The less you use a tape, the longer it should last.
When a tape reaches the date specified in the Expiration Date field, you will still be able to use it, but when you make a backup, for example, the Activity Log will have a note that this tape has expired.
The expiration date is simply a way of tracking how long a tape has been in service so you can stop using it before it reaches the end of its useful life.
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If you are using GFS Rotation, and a tape is expired, ARCserveIT will remove the tape from the "loop" and prompt you to insert a blank one. GFS Rotation operations will stop until you insert the blank tape.
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5. If you prefer, you can assign the media to a particular media pool, or force a particular serial number to be associated with the selected media.
This step is optional.
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Although it is possible to set your own serial number when formatting media, it is preferable to have the ARCserveIT database assign the number.
In addition, you can only assign media to a pool if it is not currently a member of another media pool.
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You will be prompted to confirm that you want to format the selected media. Answer with the appropriate response. If you select to format the media, ARCserveIT will respond informing you about the result of the format process.