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32 Using Special Features in Libraries
Recommended Power-Up Sequence
After power-up, we recommend that the automation controller wait until it has
received at least one ASCII <ENQ> character from the tape drive before
attempting a command-response transaction. HP Ultrium tape drives use a
two-step power-up sequence and the drive sends <ENQ> to signal the
transition between the steps. The drive sends the first <ENQ> within 500
milliseconds of exiting the reset state after receiving power.
Consider sending a Get Drive Info command as the first command, either
packetized or primitive. This retrieves a variety of useful information
identifying the tape drive, including the version of the ACI protocol that the
drive supports.
During the second step of the power-up sequence, the tape drive will respond
with
BUSY
status to all ACI commands except Get Drive Info and Get Error
Info. The amount of time taken by this second step will vary widely depending
on three factors:
3
The presence or absence of a cartridge in the tape drive
3
The position of the media if a cartridge is present
3
The ability of the tape drive to access the cartridge memory if a cartridge
is present
We recommend that the automation controller polls using the Get Drive Status
command to monitor the completion of the power-up sequence. When the
tape drive returns
GOOD
status to a Get Drive Status command, it has
completed the power-up sequence.
If operating with a tape drive that supports ACI V4.1, we recommend that the
automation controller synchronizes the tape drive’s time stamping clock to its
own using the Set Time command once the tape drive has completed the
power-up sequence.
In some circumstances when responding to the first Get Drive Info command,
the tape drive will fill every byte in the Manufacturing Date Code and Serial
Number fields with FFh. The tape drive behaves this way when it receives the
Get Drive Info command during the second step of the power-up sequence
because it cannot access the EEPROM that stores this information at that time.
The automation controller can retrieve the correct value for these fields with a
second Get Drive Info command sent after the power-up sequence has
completed.
Once the power-up sequence completes, the automation controller can
configure the tape drive using the Set Drive Configuration command. Each