Use the Change Drive Mode screen to change the mode of tape drives. There are
two tape drive modes:
- Online - Tape drive is available for use. This is the normal operating
mode for the tape drive.
- Offline - Tape drive is offline to the host application and is not available for cartridge load and unload (move) operations initiated by the host application, but it remains available for webclient.1 or operator panel initiated move commands. NOTE: If a cartridge is already in the tape drive when you take the tape drive offline, then the host can still read and write data on the tape.
Some operations, such as maintenance activities, require that a tape drive
be offline. You can take a drive offline rather than the entire partition to
minimize disruption of library operations.
The Activity column on the screen indicates whether the tape drive is active
or idle. The screen also lists the tape drive's partition, location, and current
mode.
You might need to modify settings in your host application as a result of changing
the tape drive mode.
To change the mode of a tape drive:
- Toggle the Online/Offline button to the desired mode.
- Select Apply. If you changed the mode of a control path tape drive to
offline, a caution message appears asking you to confirm the mode change.
Select Apply to confirm the mode change.
Note: At any time, select Cancel to exit the Change
Drive Mode screen.