HP 3000 Manuals

HP 3000 Series 9X8LX Computer Systems Getting Started

Preparing Your Cassette 

When preparing your cassette for loading into the tape drive, you must
decide if the cassette should be a read-and-write tape or a read-only
tape.

To allow a cassette to be written on 

To allow a cassette to be written to as well as read from, slide the tab
on the rear edge of the cassette so that the recognition hole is closed.
This cassette is a read-and-write tape as shown in the following
illustration.

	       Click here to view figure.
          Figure 5-2.  Close the Recognition Hole to Write on a Cassette 

To protect data on a cassette 

To protect the data on a cassette from being altered or overwritten, you
can make a read-only cassette.  To do this, slide the tab on the rear
edge of the cassette so that the recognition hole is open.

To load a cassette 

To load your cassette into a digital data storage (DDS) tape drive:

   1.  Insert the tape cassette squarely into the slot in the front of
       the drive.  Make sure that the label is facing uppermost, then
       follow the arrowhead on the cassette case.  Only minimum force is
       necessary when doing this.  Do not restrain the cassette when
       pushing it into the drive because it could jam in the mechanism.
       The drive automatically ejects an incorrectly loaded cassette
       after 10 seconds.

	       Click here to view figure.
          Figure 5-3.  Inserting a Cassette 

   2.  Locate the cassette squarely in the slot (not at an angle).  Using
       single-finger pressure on the rear of the cassette allows the
       autoloading mechanism to take the cassette and load it into the
       drive.  The loading sequence to thread the tape takes about 25
       seconds.

   3.  Observe that the load sequence is finished when only the cassette
       light remains lighted.  The light is a steady green if the
       cassette is read and write, and is yellow if the cassette is read
       only.


CAUTION  Do not try to load another cassette when a cassette is already
         in the drive.  Check for a "cassette loaded" indication on your
         tape drive if you are not sure whether or not a cassette is
         loaded.


To unload a cassette 

To unload your cassette from the tape drive:

   1.  Press the unload button on the front panel.

	       Click here to view figure.
          Figure 5-4.  Unloading a Cassette 

       This starts a sequence that rewinds the tape to the beginning and
       ejects the cassette.  The sequence takes about 10 seconds.

       During the unload sequence, both front panel lights pulse green
       (yellow if the tape is read only).

   2.  Remove the cassette, label it appropriately, and store it in its
       plastic case.

To label a cassette 

In order for you to identify what kind of information is stored on the
cassette, it is important for you to have a label on it.  When you label
your cassette, follow these guidelines:

   *   Use only one label on each cassette.

   *   Use only standard labels recommended for cassettes.

   *   Stick the label only in the label area.  Do not stick anything
       else to the cassette.

MPE/iX 5.0 Documentation