Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!hpfcdc!rjn
From: rjn@hpfcdc.HP.COM (Bob Niland)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: HP9144 cartridge tape drive doesn't stream with HP tape
Message-ID: <5570212@hpfcdc.HP.COM>
Date: 13 Jun 89 14:48:55 GMT
References: <234@rdahp.UUCP>
Organization: HP Ft. Collins, Co.
Lines: 35

re: "I was trying the -S 8 option .... so it can stream..."

> Upon trying it, I discovered it only worked for 3M
> HP-compatible tapes (DC 600HC), and did not work with HP tapes.

> This also shows up with mediainit.  I tried forcing a mediainit on a 600' HP
> tape, and it took well over 3 hours.  The same on a 3M 600' tape required
> about an hour.

> The mediainit on the HP tape did not help matters when I retried writing
> to the tape. 

I have never seen a re-certify (mediainit -r) take over an hour on an HP-
supplied tape.  The behaviour you describe suggests a defective tape.  The
extra two hours is due to excessive sparing of bad blocks.

Please contact your cartridge tape source (dealer or HP sales office) and
ask them how to proceed.  They will probably want whatever historical
information you have on those tapes.  For example, has the tape ever been
exposed to a high magnetic field.

Incidentally, HP buys most (if not all) of its DC600HC, DC615HC, DC600XTD
and DC615XTD tapes from 3M.  Although many vendors make DC600-style
cartridges, only 3M or a licensee is equipped to write the full-track "keys"
that define the blocks on an HCD-format tape.  3M only recently started
licensing, and I'm not sure if HP has purchased any tapes from a second
source.

The HP 88140LC, 88140SC media are pre-certified to HP specs.  Generic
DC6xxHC and DC6xxXTD tapes are not.  'mediainit -r' should actually take
less time on an "HP" tape than a 3M tape.

Regards,                                              Hewlett-Packard
Bob Niland        rjn%hpfcrjn@hplabs.HP.COM           3404 East Harmony Road
                  [hplabs|hpu...!hpfcse]!rjn          Ft Collins CO 80525-9599