>
> Hi all,
>
> I am 'advised' to re-tension ( as in 'mt -f /dev/rmt retension' )
> my DLT IV (DLT 8000) tapes every six months, but I doubt whether
> this is really necessary. Any hints?

Whose advice?

I've never seen such a thing in Quantum documentation about the DLT.  My
understanding is that besides the fact that the tape tension over the
read head is controlled by the drive, not the tape, that the bit
patterns on the tape are read by the drive itself to know the tape
location so that tensioning isn't as critical.

> If I really have to do it, how do I do it through Networker?
> I know about cdi_load_unload -r, but how can I do it for all
> the tapes in a jukebox?

I don't know that you can.

$ mt retension
/dev/rmt/0n retension 1 failed: Inappropriate ioctl for device
$

> And a last question: How long can I savely archive data
> on an DLT IV tape before I have to refresh it by cloning it's
> contents to another media? How long can I operate one in the
> normal backup cycle. The vendor recomendation of 1.000.000
> head passes is not really practical.

Good question....


--
Darren Dunham                                           ddunham AT taos DOT com
Senior Technical Consultant         TAOS            http://www.taos.com/
Got some Dr Pepper?                           San Francisco, CA bay area
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