Well, I must pipe in here with a "me too".   We're using Quantum/ATL SDLT
220s.   With the newer library the firmware was upgraded to V70 but we
were told by Quantum that we don't want to be exchanging tapes between this
and our older library with V45.  The V70 drives are suppose to be able
to read V45 tapes.   It was not reccommended to write to the older tapes
though.  Indeed, we've found tapes written with V45 and bulk erased have
caused problems in the V70 drives.  Some will not even load in the V70
drives (but will load in the V45 drives).   Like you, we continue to find
to this day, some tapes that have problems with the V70 drives.  I was
told there is V80 firmware out that will address some of these issues; it
was not recommended for our library though.

Let us know if Quantum or STK have any suggestions.

Robert Maiello
Thomson Healthcare


On Fri, 28 May 2004 11:12:13 -0400, Jeff Wade <jefwad AT SAFECO DOT COM> wrote:

>Tim - we have been running SDLT code for going on 3 years now and this
>problem has followed us on all our STK L40 libraries with 220 and 320 SDLT
>drives.  Basically take a new tape, mount and label this new tape with
>microcode older then the current v70 and run a test backup.  Then upgrade
>the microcode to v70 and try to label the tape or run backups to it.  It
>will error out like bad media.  Degaussing often does not even clean the
>tape up to a state where Networker and the SDLT drive is happy again the
>tape.  STK has confirmed this to be a problem.  So, we keep stacking up
>random tapes that cause problems across the country.  Problem doesn't seem
>to be as problematic in our STK L700's with SDLT though.
>
>Jeff
>
>
>
>On Thu, 27 May 2004 19:48:57 -0500, Tim Mooney
><mooney AT DOGBERT.CC.NDSU.NODAK DOT EDU> wrote:
>
>>In regard to: [Networker] Quantum SDLT Microcode backwards
>compatibility...:
>>
>>> We have the problem where STK and the Quantum SDLT 220/320 drives have a
>>> backwards compatibility issue with their microcode.
>>> We have found and STK finally admitted that when we upgrade to newer
>>> firmware levels, any tape that was *originally labeled for the first time
>>> with an older microcode* then the present code level, will experience
>>> difficulties when re-used within the library.
>>
>>What kind of difficulties, exactly?  We have an STK library with SDLT
>>drives, and I can't say I've noticed any problems, but we may not (yet)
>>be at the firmware levels where it makes a difference.
>>
>>You've definitely piqued my curiosity.
>>
>>Tim
>>--
>>Tim Mooney                              mooney AT dogbert.cc.ndsu.NoDak DOT 
>>edu
>>Information Technology Services         (701) 231-1076 (Voice)
>>Room 242-J6, IACC Building              (701) 231-8541 (Fax)
>>North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105-5164
>>
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