TZ877 Series Magazine Tape Subsystem Owner's Manual

This Owner's Manual for the TZ877 Series Magazine Tape Subsystem, published by Digital Equipment Corporation in November 1993, provides comprehensive instructions for its operation, configuration, and maintenance. Designed for system managers and computer operators, the TZ877 is an electromechanical device enabling automatic, sequential tape operations for data storage.

Key aspects covered include:

• Device Capabilities: The TZ877 features a TZ87 tape drive and a 7-cartridge loader with a SCSI-2 interface, storing over 10 GB native (up to 140 GB compressed total) with transfer rates up to 3 MB/s. It supports CompacTape III cartridges and is compatible with older formats (TK50/70, TK85/86).
• Operation & Control: Detailed guidance on power-on procedures, managing different operating modes (Automatic, Manual, OCP Disabled, Service), and utilizing the Operator Control Panel (OCP) for cartridge selection, loading, unloading, density selection, and monitoring status indicators.
• Maintenance & Troubleshooting: Instructions for resolving common errors like magazine and loader faults, avoiding backup failures, and performing routine head cleaning using a dedicated CleaningTape III cartridge.
• System Integration: Extensive appendices provide commands and guidelines for integrating and operating the TZ877 with VMS and ULTRIX operating systems, including optimizing for capacity and performance, developing unattended backup scripts, and using various tape management utilities (e.g., BACKUP, MOUNT, tar, dump, mt).
• Support: Information on Digital Equipment Corporation's service offerings.