Interpreting the Autoloader Front Panel

Front Panel Display

Magazine Present Light

Tape Activity Light

Operator Attention Required Light

Select Button

Load Cartridge Button

HP SureStore DAT40x6 and Language Selection

Eject Button

Status Messages

Error Messages

Information Messages

HP SureStore DAT40x6 and Number Codes

Messages

Front Panel Controls and Indicators

Front Panel Display

The LCD display shows status information about the autoloader in each of its five regions. Note that this exact display can never occur; all sections are showing at the same time so that you can see where they are.

1. The ten-character dot matrix display provides information on the autoloader's operating status and potential error conditions. See Front Panel Messages for details of messages that can be displayed here.
2. The large numeral shows the number of the cartridge currently loaded in the drive or the cartridge that you have selected by pressing the Select button repeatedly.
3. "DC" is displayed when data compression is being used for writing. "WP" is displayed when the cartridge is write-protected.
4. The six numbered boxes on the right of the display are individually lit to show which magazine slots contain cartridges.
5. The display at the bottom of the display shows how much tape has been used in the current partition. The more lines shown, the more tape has been used. When all the lines show, the partition is full.

Magazine Present Light (top)

This green light indicates the state of the magazine:

• On indicates that a magazine is loaded.
  
• Flashing indicates that a magazine is in the process of being loaded, checked, or ejected.
  
• Off indicates that no magazine is in the autoloader.

Tape Activity Light (middle)

This green light indicates the activity of the autoloader's internal tape drive:

• On indicates that a cartridge is present in the drive.
  
• Fast flashing indicates that the data is being read or written.
  
• Slow flashing indicates that a cartridge is being loaded or unloaded.
  
• Off indicates that there is no cartridge in the drive.
  

Operator Attention Required Light (bottom)

This amber light indicates warning conditions:

• On indicates that a serious hardware error has occurred.
  
  • If you have just installed the drive, check the installation for loose connections and repeat the self-test.
  • Try the troubleshooting procedures or run TapeAssure to determine what the problem is.
  • If the fault condition persists, write down the message displayed on the front panel and call for service.
    
• Fast flashing (four times per second) indicates that a firmware upgrade is taking place.
  
• Medium flashing (twice per second) indicates one of the following conditions:
  • The tape cartridge is wearing out and should be replaced. The "Worn Media" message will be displayed in this case. Copy any data you wish to keep onto a new cartridge and discard the old cartridge
    or
  • The tape heads need cleaning. The "Clean Me" message will be displayed in this case. The HP SureStore DAT40x6 autoloader also displays the URL for our World Wide Web Support page. See Cleaning the Tape Heads for further information.
    
• Slow flashing indicates one of the following conditions:
  
  • The front panel door is open when it should not be. The "Close Door" message will be displayed in this case.
  • There is a cartridge in the tape drive, but no magazine is present. The "Stray Tape" message will be displayed in this case. Load an empty magazine to retrieve the cartridge.
  • A hard fault condition has occurred. The message displayed will give information about the type of error. Look up the message in Front Panel Messages to determine what to do.

Select Button

The Select button allows you to select any of the cartridges in the magazine for loading. If you press the button repeatedly, the number on the left of the front panel display cycles through the cartridges available in the magazine.

Load Cartridge Button

Press the Load Cartridge button to load the selected cartridge from the magazine into the drive and then put the autoloader into stacker mode. In stacker mode, the loaded cartridge is used first; when it is full, or the host computer sends an UNLOAD command, the autoloader replaces it with the cartridge from the next highest numbered slot in the magazine. See Autoloader Modes of Operation for more information on stacker mode.

HP SureStore DAT40x6 and Language Selection

HP SureStore DAT40x6 models allow you to localize the LCD display so that messages are displayed in the desired language.

1. Switch on the autoloader and hold down the Select button on the front panel for five seconds to access the Language? feature.
2. Press the Select button to scroll through the available languages. The selected language is displayed in the LCD display.
   If you select Numeric, messages will be displayed as numerical codes, which are defined below.
3. Press the Load button to store the selected language and exit the language selection utility.

To exit the language selection facility without selecting a language, press the Enter button. If the Select button is not pressed for two minutes, the drive will automatically exit the language selection facility without selecting a language.

Eject Button

Press the Eject button to start the unload process. The drive unloads any cartridge that is currently loaded, and the changer mechanism returns the cartridge to the magazine. The magazine is then ejected.

You can also use the Eject button to force an ejection in an emergency. See Forcing Ejection for more information on when and why you might do this.

Note: The host computer can disable the Eject button by issuing a SCSI PREVENT MEDIA REMOVAL command.

Front Panel Messages

Message Categories

The messages that can be displayed on the front panel can be divided into three categories:

• Normal autoloader operating status messages
• Error messages
• Information messages

These types are described below. All the messages are listed in alphabetical order below. The type of message is indicated by the letter S (Status), E (Error) or I (Informational) in the Type column.

Note: the HP SureStore DAT40x6 autoloader also displays the URL of our World Wide Web Support page with certain messages.

Status Messages

The status messages that appear on the front panel inform you of activity in five areas:

• The self-test
• Magazine activity -- if the magazine is being checked or ejected
• Cartridge activity -- if a cartridge is being loaded or unloaded, or if the heads are being cleaned
• Tape activity -- reading, writing, searching, rewinding and so on
• Firmware upgrading

Error Messages

The front panel display can display a range of error messages relating to the autoloader's operation. If a fault has been detected with the mechanism, or loss of data may result, the error message may be accompanied by the Operator Attention Required light being on or flashing. This is indicated in the OAR column in the alphabetical list of messages below. Where possible, actions you can take to recover from the error are also given.

Information Messages

Information messages are displayed when power is applied to the autoloader. They indicate its identity, SCSI ID and configuration. They also tell you when you have pressed the front panel buttons to confirm that the autoloader has recognized the action.

HP SureStore DAT40x6 and Number Codes

Messages

The following abbreviations are used in the message listing below:

The following list gives the messages that can be shown on the front panel display in alphabetical order. Some of these messages only appear on HP SureStore DAT40x6 autoloaders and some only appear on HP SureStore DAT24x6 autoloaders (these do not have a numerical code).

Note: The list is sorted in English alphabetical order. If you have localized your display, use your browser's Find utility to locate a message quickly.