Unloading Autoloader Magazines

[Dennis.W.Painter at certance.com]

* From the T10 Reflector (t10 at t10.org), posted by:
* Dennis.W.Painter at certance.com
*
A number of backup applications use the Load Unload command issued to LUN 1
to direct ejection of the magazine in our Autoloader.

I looked in the standards for language supporting the use of the Load
Unload command to direct ejection of a magazine from a tape autoloader. It
doesn't seem like anything in SSC or SMC specifically addresses this issue.

This becomes more of an issue in attached media changers, where one device
server processes SSC and SMC commands.  A possible solution would be adding
an optional bit to Load Unload to specify unloading the medium or the
magazine.

It seems to me that this should be specified in the standards and I wonder
if I missed something, and if not, if there would be support to formalize
the command to specify ejecting autoloader magazines.


Dennis Painter
Certance
dennis.painter at certance.com
714-641-2564



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