KAPLAN@RVAX.CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU (01/27/88)
RE:
>>> We have a TK70 tape which was 'init'd under RSTS/E on a PDP-11 (using a
>>> TK-50 drive). The tape now refuses to 'initialize' under VMS, failing with
>>> the message "Software write protect"......
>>> How do we recover from this one?
>>I suspect you can't recover this tape. The reason is that Digital says
>>the TK70 drive can *read* TK50 tapes but not write them; I suspect (can't
>>verify since we have no TK70s here) that if you inserted a TK50 tape into
>>a TK70 drive, the tape would be "software write protected".
>>As for you particular case, I'd guess that the RSTS system has made the
>>tape look like a TK50 to the TK70 drive so its treating it like a TK50
>>cartridge. The only solution I can think of would be to bulk-erase the
>>cartridge *HOWEVER, WARNING, READ THIS FIRST* I seem to remember that
>>TK50s (and probably TK70s) are formatted at the factory and so bulk
>>erasing would destroy the tape (maybe another reader can clear up this
>>point).
>Frank-
>I have run into this problem here at Battelle. An attempted INIT of
>a TK70 cartridge (TK52-K) that was previously initialized to be a
>"TK50" results in the above mentioned write protect problem. An attempt
>to write to the volume also results in a parity error.
>I had the same idea that you had about bulk erasing. Since TK52
>cartridges are very, very hard to come by, I decided to give it a try.
>Success!!! The cartridge seems to be initializing, writing, and reading
>fine.
<<< Kevin M. Hansher
<<< Battelle Columbus Division
Not only does this work very well, but it is the way that people who test
these carts for the vendor behave when they have the same problem!
(I'm changing from an INFO-VAX reader to an INFO-VAX contributor, and I
hope that this does not end up just being additional clutter to your mail)
Ray Kaplan
Kaplan@jvax.ccit.arizona.edu
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