On Fri, 6 Jan 2006 08:40:34 -0500, Gerhard Postpischil <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Perhaps I'm missing something here, and I don't remember 3590 hardware >details, but for my 3480 cartridges I've always used EXCP with CCW >opcode X'97' - Data Security Erase, chained to one Erase Gap. Works like >a charm. The 3590 hardware details are only available from IBM through a licence, so if you have the licence you can find the opcodes in the documentation; otherwise, don't feel bad about not remembering! Some utilities like CTSDEU, and our own TelTape for z/OS, add a little value to the Data Security Erase in one way or another. (and you don't have to write the program - that may be helpful to some people). There is also an off-host option. If there are many cartridges to erase, and you need to re-allocate or resell the media, there is a product called TelTape for Windows that can either erase or, even better, certify the media. Of course you need to have at least one 3590 drive attached to a Windows PC (not technically difficult to move, since they are all actually SCSI devices; your change control will vary). The product knows 3590 (and 9840/9940 etc.) sense codes, can operate multiple drives at maximum speed (14 MB/sec, each, for 3590), deals with compression and error recovery settings, gives each cartridge a pass/fail grade, and includes statistical as well as logging output. The process has been used with many thousands of 3590 cartridges, with results confirmed in Imation's lab. Of course there are nice pictures and colours used in the Windows, which we are told makes it the most user-friendly product of its type. If on the other hand you wish to destroy the media, not to re-use it, or for those cartridges that fail the certification process, Imation offers a Secure Media Destruction service. Regards, Mike Baldwin Cartagena Software Ltd. Makers of TelTape tools for tape media www.cartagena.com 1-888-USE-TAPE +1 905-887-0755 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
