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From: ezf@bbn.com (Ed Frankenberry)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: formatting blank cartridge tapes using mediainit
Summary: "initialize media command failed"
Keywords: mediainit HP9144A
Message-ID: <55928@bbn.BBN.COM>
Date: 9 May 90 00:34:16 GMT
Sender: news@bbn.com
Reply-To: ezf@bbn.com (Ed Frankenberry)
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA
Lines: 29

This should be a simple question for someone who's tried it before
(our HP system administrator is away this week).  We're running HP-UX
7.0 on an HP9000/375 with a 9144(A?) 16-track cartridge tape drive.

I'm trying to format a blank 3M DC6150 tape cartridge on the 9144 (since
we're out of HP 88140LC tapes).  The blank tape comes wound the opposite
way from the HP cartridges, and the fault light comes on when the 9144
attempts to read it.  When I try to use "mediainit" it fails:

	mediainit -rv /dev/ct/0s0
	mediainit: initialization process starting
	mediainit: locking the volume
	mediainit: performing a describe command
	mediainit: initializing media
	mediainit: initialize media command failed - No such device or address

The special file entries for the device are:

crw-rw-rw-   3 root     other      4 0x070300 Apr 30 17:25 /dev/ct/0s0
brw-rw-rw-   1 root     other      0 0x070300 May  8 17:28 /dev/rct/0s0

(The 9144 drive is set for HP-IB address 3 and works fine with other
preformatted HP tapes).  The HP-UX 7.0 administrator's manual doesn't
contain much information on formatting tapes.  Does the 9144 device
driver support the initialization of blank cartridge tapes?

	Thanks for any advice,
	Ed Frankenberry
	+1 617.873.2764		e-mail: ezf@bbn.com or ...!harvard!bbn!ezf