M2 Monitor Software for Windows User's Guide for Version 1.0 1003966-000 Copyright Copyright 2000 by Exabyte Corporation. All rights reserved. This item and the information contained herein are the property of Exabyte Corporation. No part of this document may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, or otherwise, without the express written permission of Exabyte Corporation, 1685 38th Street, Boulder, Colorado 80301. Disclaimer Exabyte Corporation makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this document and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, Exabyte Corporation reserves the right to revise this publication without obligation to notify any person or organization of such revision or changes. Trademark Notices Exabyte, Exabyte Recognition System, Exapak, Exasoft, Exatape, and Strategex are U.S. registered trademarks of Exabyte Corporation. Eliant, M2, MammothTape, NetStorM, SmartClean, and SupportSuite are U.S. trademarks of Exabyte Corporation. All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners Revision History Revisions of this manual include the following: Revision Date Description 000 February 2000 Initial release for software version 1.0 Exabyte Corporation 1685 38th Street Boulder, Colorado 80301 (303) 417-4333 1003966-00 Contents Introduction v About this manual v Conventions used in this book v Keys and selections vi Getting Started 7 Required equipment and software 7 Contacting Exabyte Technical Support 8 Connecting the serial cable 9 Installing the software 9 Installing from diskette 9 Installing a downloaded file 11 Uninstalling the software 11 Starting and using M2 Monitor 12 Starting M2 Monitor 12 Using the mouse 12 Quitting M2 Monitor 13 Accessing online help 13 Using M2 Monitor menus 13 Using option buttons and list boxes 14 Locating files 15 Using M2 Monitor 16 The main M2 Monitor window 16 Load Code 17 Load Code - Serial Port 17 Load Code - SCSI Bus 19 Write Dump 21 Write Dump - Serial Port 21 Write Dump - SCSI Bus 22 Analyze Dump 24 SCSI Trace 25 M2 Monitor menu operations 26 File menu 26 Configuration Options 29 Configuration Option descriptions 32 Control menu 47 Setup menu 49 Troubleshooting - Serial Port Connection 51 Index 52 Introduction The Exabyter M2T Monitor program is a Microsoft? Windows? software application used for configuring, testing, and upgrading Exabyte Mammoth-2 (M2) tape drives. M2 Monitor runs under Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT version 4.0. The program uses RS- 232 communications to link a serial port on a personal computer to the tape drive or to an Exabyte library where the tape drive is running. Some functions are also available via a SCSI bus connection. The M2 Monitor program is designed to operate only with M2 tape drives. Using this version of the program with any other Exabyte tape drive, including Mammoth and Mammoth-LT, may cause the program or drive to fail or behave unpredictably. About this manual This manual provides instructions for installing and operating the M2 Monitor software. It is intended for anyone who wants to test or upgrade an Exabyte M2 tape drive using M2 Monitor. This manual assumes that you are familiar with tape drive operation. Note: This User's Guide is also available as M2 Monitor's online help . Conventions used in this book This book uses the following conventions to highlight special information: Note: Notes provide hints or suggestions about the topic or procedure being discussed. Important Read the information in Important notices to help you successfully complete a procedure or avoid additional steps. CAUTION Boxed text under to the heading "CAUTION" provides information you must know to avoid losing your data or damaging your tape drive. Keys and selections When you need to press a key, click a button, or make a selection to perform a step, the key or selection is highlighted in bold type. For example: "Select Reset from the File menu." "Click Browse to open a File Selection window." "Press F1 for help." If you need to press and hold a key while pressing another key, the keys are shown with a hyphen. For example: "Press Alt-F to display the items under the File menu." Getting Started This chapter provides the following information: ? A list of the equipment and software required for installing and using M2 Monitor under Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0 ? Instructions for connecting the tape drive to the computer running M2 Monitor ? Instructions for installing M2 Monitor ? Instructions for starting and exiting M2 Monitor ? Instructions for using the M2 Monitor Windows interface Required equipment and software Before you start, make sure that you have the following equipment and software: ? An IBM or compatible computer capable of running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0, with a 3.5-inch floppy drive, a hard drive with at least 5 MB of free space available, and either an RS-232 serial port or SCSI adapter (or both) that is supported by Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0. Notes: ? Disable all screen savers. ? When using a laptop computer, disable "power-saver" and "battery monitor" options, if possible, to avoid conflicts with serial port communications. ? When using a laptop computer, do not slow down the CPU when operating on battery power. ? Dump files are from 1 MB to 32 MB in size. If you plan to store dump files on your hard disk, you will need more than the minimum 5 MB of space available. ? A color VGA monitor (800 x 600 dpi or better). ? A mouse (recommended). A serial mouse must be on a different serial port than the tape drive. ? A serial cable to attach the tape drive to the computer serial port: Important Pins 2 and 3 on the serial cable must be straight through, not "nulled." ? If the tape drive is in an Exabyte library: use a 9-pin to 9-pin serial cable (available from Exabyte). If your serial port has a 25-pin connector, you will need a 9-pin to 25- pin adapter (available from most computer stores). ? If the tape drive is not in an Exabyte library: use a 9-pin to RJ-11 voltage level shifter (Exabyte part number 301001) and a RJ-11 to 3-pin cable (Exabyte part number 303722). ? Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0. ? If you do not already have it, obtain the most current version of the Exabyte M2 Monitor program. You can download the new version from Exabyte's web site at www. exabyte.com. You can also obtain the M2 Monitor software on a floppy disk from Exabyte. Contacting Exabyte Technical Support Exabyte Technical Support is available in the United States from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Phone: United States and Canada: 1-800-445-7736 or (303) 417-7792 Europe: +31-30-254-8890 Fax: (303) 417-7160 or +31-30-258-1582 (Europe) WWW: http://www.exabyte.com E-mail: support@exabyte.com Connecting the serial cable To take advantage of M2 Monitor's full functionality, you must use a serial connection between the computer and the tape drive. The only functions that can be used with either the serial interface or the SCSI interface are loading new code and creating a dump file. If you need to use the M2 Monitor to perform other operations (for example, analysis operations), connect a serial cable between the computer and the tape drive as follows: 1. Attach one end of the serial cable to the serial port on your computer. (If the computer serial port has a 25-pin connector, attach a 9-pin to 25-pin adapter.) 2. Attach the 9-pin connector on the other end of the serial cable to the Monitor port on the back of the tape drive. Important If the tape drive is not installed in an Exabyte library, use a 9-pin to RJ-11 connector voltage level shifter and an RJ-11 to 3-pin cable to connect the 9-pin serial cable to the 3-pin Monitor port. Installing the software Note: You may want to make a copy of your M2 Monitor installation diskette and store the copy in a safe place. Software installation is the same for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT. Installing from diskette 1. Start Windows. 2. Insert the M2 Monitor Disk 1 into the appropriate floppy drive. 3. From the Start menu, select Settings, then open the Control Panel folder. 4. From the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Programs. 5. On the Install/Uninstall tab, click the Install button. 6. Follow the instructions as they appear on the screen. The setup program locates the file [drive]:\SETUP.EXE, where [drive] is the letter of your floppy disk drive, and installs the M2 Monitor software in the directory c:\m2monitor. If you need help, click on the Help button for information about installation selections. The setup program copies the necessary files to your computer hard drive and places the M2 Monitor icon in the program folder of your choice (for example, a folder named Exabyte). 7. When the setup is complete, remove the M2 Monitor floppy disk from the floppy drive and store it in a safe location in case you need to install the program again later. 8. If you have microcode (*.i) files for your tape drive, copy them to a directory on your hard drive. For example, place them in a subdirectory of the installation directory c:\M2Monitor\code. Installing a downloaded file 1. If you are installing the downloaded version of the software, double-click on the file [drive]:[path]\SETUPEX.EXE, where [drive] is the letter of the drive you are using and [path] is the path to the downloaded file. The file self-extracts and then installs the M2 Monitor software in the directory c:\m2monitor. If you need help, click on the Help button for information about installation selections. The setup program copies the necessary files to your computer hard drive and places the M2 Monitor icon in the program folder of your choice (for example, a folder named Exabyte). 2. If you have microcode (*.i) files for your tape drive, copy them to a directory on your hard drive. For example, place them in a subdirectory of the installation directory c:\M2Monitor\code. Uninstalling the software To uninstall the M2 Monitor software, select the Add/Remove Programs from the Control Panel. Select the M2 Monitor file name in the list of installed software and click on Remove. Starting and using M2 Monitor Starting M2 Monitor To start M2 Monitor, first start Windows, then navigate to the Exabyte folder from the Start menu and click on the M2 Monitor icon. The main M2 Monitor window appears: Note: By default, M2 Monitor always starts in SCSI Bus communication mode. In this mode, only the Load Code and Write Dump commands are active. All other commands and tape drive information is only available in the Serial Port communication mode. M2 Monitor uses the standard Windows user interface for text entry, option buttons, list boxes, file selection, and help. If you are familiar with these user interface elements, skip the remainder of this section and go directly to "Using M2 Monitor." Using the mouse You can use your mouse to make selections in M2 Monitor. Whenever you are instructed to make a selection, you can "click" on that selection by moving the mouse cursor to the selection and pressing the left mouse button. The instructions will indicate whether you need to click once ("click") or click twice ("double-click") to make the selection. Quitting M2 Monitor To quit M2 Monitor, use any of the following methods: ? Click on the Close button. ? Select Exit from the File menu. ? Double-click on the system menu box. (This is the mini-icon in the upper left corner of the window.) ? Click once on the system menu box and select Close. ? Click once on the X in the upper right corner of the screen. ? Press Alt-F4 or Alt-F x. Accessing online help You can access M2 Monitor online help as follows: ? Help button. The main M2 Monitor window includes a Help button. Select the Help button to display the M2 Monitor online help. ? Help menu. The Help menu is available at the top of the main M2 Monitor window. From the Help menu, select Contents to display the contents of the online help (similar to the table of contents in this manual). From there, you can access information about all aspects of the M2 Monitor program. Note: The Help menu is only available from the main M2 Monitor window. ? Press F1. Pressing F1 from anywhere within the program displays the contents of the online help. Using M2 Monitor menus A menu is a list of options from which you can choose an action or perform a task. The menus for M2 Monitor are presented at the top of the screen. To see the choices in a menu, use any of the following methods: ? Click on the menu name. ? Press the Alt key and the letter that is underlined in the menu you want to select. For example, press Alt-C to select the Control menu. ? Press and release Alt, then press the ? or ? keys to move to the menu you want to select. Press Enter, ?, or ? to display the menu choices. You can select choices from menus using any of the following methods: ? Click on your choice. ? Highlight the option and press Enter. Highlighting involves using the ? or ? keys to move the colored bar from choice to choice. When you reach the choice you want, press Enter to select it. ? Press a shortcut key. One letter is underlined in each menu choice. Press this letter to select your choice. Using option buttons and list boxes When you need to make choices on screens or in dialog boxes, the choices are typically presented with option buttons or list boxes. The following example shows option buttons for specifying to which COM port you attached the tape drive and list boxes for specifying the baud rate for serial communication: Option buttons represent mutually exclusive choices. You can select only one option at a time. To select or deselect an option button, use any of the following methods: ? Click on the button to place a black dot inside it. ? Press the Tab key until one of the options is selected. Then press the ? or ? keys to select the option button you want. A list box provides several choices for an option. To view the choices in a list box, click on the arrow next to the list box, or click on the choice shown in the list box. The list box turns into a menu: Select your choice from the menu as you would from any other Windows menu. Alternatively, if you do not have a mouse, you can move to a list box by pressing Tab. Then, press the ? or ? keys to change the selection. Locating files When you need to enter a file name in a window, you can type the path and name directly into the text field. If you do not know the name of the file, you can use the Browse button to open a File Selection window from which you can select the file. The default extension for the file name depends on what type of file you requested. For example, if you want to write a dump file, a screen similar to the following is displayed. Using M2 Monitor The main M2 Monitor window M2 Monitor allows you to load new microcode into the tape drive memory, view and record tape drive operations, control the operation of the tape drive, and configure M2 Monitor operation. The most frequently used operations are available as buttons on the main M2 Monitor window. These options can also be accessed from the menus. When you start M2 Monitor, the SCSI Bus communication option is selected by default. When in SCSI Bus mode, the only functions you can perform are Load Code and Write Dump. All other functions are disabled. In order to use the other functions, you must connect your PC to the tape drive using a serial cable, and then select the Serial Port communication option. After serial port communication has been established from your PC to the tape drive, all the other functions are enabled and available for you to use. Important If the tape drive is not connected to the host computer via a serial cable, Status indicates "Disconnected" and all of the remaining fields are blank. The main M2 Monitor window shows information about the tape drive. This information includes: ? Target: Indicates that M2 Monitor has recognized an M2 tape drive connected to the serial port. ? Status: Indicates whether M2 Monitor established a connection to the tape drive. If M2 Monitor cannot establish a connection to the tape drive, the Status line indicates "Disconnected" and the remaining fields are blank. ? Code Version: Indicates the version of firmware currently stored in the tape drive control memory, as well as the time and date on which the firmware was compiled. ? Configuration Version: Indicates the version of firmware currently stored in the tape drive EEPROM. ? Serial Number: Indicates the tape drive serial number. ? Boot Version: Indicates the current boot code stored in the boot PROM. ? Temperature: Indicates the current temperature of the tape path in ?C. This temperature reading is continuously updated. ? The animated Exabyte icon indicates whether the connection between the tape drive and M2 Monitor is active. ? A panel showing the information currently displayed on the tape drive LCD. The information in this panel is updated every two seconds and may not exactly match the tape drive LCD. Load Code Exabyte may periodically release new levels of microcode for the Exabyte M2 tape drive. When new releases are available, you can download the updated microcode files from the Exabyte Web site (www.exabyte.com). CAUTION If a reset, hardware failure, or power failure occurs during the execution of the Load Code command, the tape drive may not be able to operate. If this occurs, use M2 Monitor to reload the microcode over the serial port. Load Code - Serial Port The following instructions describe how to use M2 Monitor to load the code using the tape drive's diagnostic port (Serial Port connection). 1. Make sure that the SCSI bus is idle. If possible, disconnect the tape drive from the SCSI bus before starting the code load process. 2. Using a serial cable, connect the tape drive to the computer running M2 Monitor and make sure that M2 Monitor has established connection with the tape drive. 3. Select Serial Port as the communication mode, if it is not already selected. The Status line in the main M2 Monitor window should indicate "Connected to Drive." 4. Make sure there is no data cartridge in the tape drive. CAUTION Remove any data cartridge from the tape drive before loading code. If a load fails for any reason (for example, a power failure), the servo mechanism may damage any tape left in the tape drive. The tape drive attempts to rewind and unload the tape before a code load, but may not have enough time to perform a long rewind. 5. Click the Load Code button or select Load Code from the File menu. The Serial Port Load Code window is displayed. 6. Type the path and file name of the microcode image file you want to use. The default file type for microcode files is *.i. If you do not know the name of the file, click Browse to display a list of available files. 7. Click Start to begin transferring the code to the tape drive's control memory or click Close to close the Load Code window. When you click Start, a confirmation box appears. Click Yes to continue. M2 Monitor begins transferring the microcode image into the tape drive's control memory. A bar above the buttons indicates the progress of the transfer. If you click Abort, the code load operation terminates and the tape drive's firmware is left unchanged. 8. When the code transfer is complete, the drive automatically reboots. When the reboot is complete, the Load Code window will close automatically. M2 Monitor will disconnect from the tape drive, then reconnect using the newly loaded microcode. 9. Verify that new code version is displayed on the Code Version line of the M2 Monitor window. Load Code - SCSI Bus The following instructions describe how to use M2 Monitor to load the code using the SCSI bus. Important M2 Monitor supports only LUN 0 for SCSI Load Code operations. 1. Make sure that no other application is communicating with the tape drive on the SCSI bus and that the SCSI bus is idle before starting the code load process. 2. From the Windows Control Panel, click on the Tape Devices icon and verify that the tape drive you want to load code into is listed. 3. Make sure there is no data cartridge in the tape drive. CAUTION Remove any data cartridge from the tape drive before loading code. If a load fails for any reason (for example, a power failure), the servo mechanism may damage any tape left in the tape drive. The tape drive attempts to rewind and unload the tape before a code load, but may not have enough time to perform a long rewind. 4. Select SCSI Bus as the communication mode. 5. Click the Load Code button or select Load Code from the File menu. The SCSI Load Code window is displayed. 6. Type the path and file name of the microcode image file you want to use. The default file type for microcode files is *.i. If you do not know the name of the file, click Browse to display a dialog box in which you can navigate to a directory where code files are stored and select one from the list of available files. 7. Select the M2 tape drive to receive the code file from the list of tape drives connected to your system. The two numbers in square brackets to the left of the device identification string represent the host adapter and target SCSI ID, respectively. If you do not see your tape drive listed, click Rescan Bus to update the list of devices attached to the SCSI bus. If the drive still is not listed, reboot your PC (with the drive powered on) and verify that the drive is identified during adapter initialization. 8. Click Start to transfer the code to the tape drive's control memory or click Close to close the Load Code window. When you click Start, a confirmation box appears. Click Yes to continue. 9. When the code transfer is complete, the drive automatically reboots. When the reboot is complete, the Load Code window will close automatically. M2 Monitor will disconnect from the tape drive, then reconnect using the newly loaded microcode. Important The code transfer over the SCSI bus is nearly instantaneous. However, an additional 30 to 45 seconds must elapse before the drive reboots. If the drive is reset during this delay period, the new code will not be loaded. If this occurs, you must repeat the code load operation using the serial port. Write Dump The Write Dump command saves a dump of the tape drive's microprocessor as a binary file on disk. This dump file includes information about tape drive operations that can be used for future diagnostic analysis. Write Dump - Serial Port The following instructions describe how to use M2 Monitor to save a dump file on the computer disk drive using the tape drive's diagnostic port (Serial Port Connection). 1. Make sure that M2 Monitor has established connection with the tape drive. 2. Select Serial Port as the communication mode, if it is not already selected. The Status line in the main M2 Monitor window should indicate "Connected to Drive." 3. Click the Write Dump button or select Write Dump File from the File menu. The serial port Write Dump window is displayed. 4. Type the path and a file name indicating the reason for creating the dump file. The default file type for a dump file is *.dmp. Click Browse to display a dialog box in which you can navigate to a suitable directory and then specify the file name. 5. If you plan to store the dump file on your hard drive, make sure you have sufficient space available. By default, M2 Monitor saves a Full dump. Select the type of information you want to save: Buffer - Saves the entire contents of the tape drive's data buffer; requires 16 or 32 MB of disk space. Note: If you are using the NBD version of M2 Monitor, the Buffer option is not available. Full - Saves the contents of the tape drive's processor memory, not including the data buffer; requires about 2 MB of disk space. EEPROM - Save the contents of the tape drive's EEPROM only; requires 8 KB of disk space. 6. Click Start to begin writing the dump file to disk. A bar above the buttons indicates the progress of the transfer. If you click Abort, the dump operation terminates and any data saved to disk is deleted. 7. After the Write Dump operation is complete, click the Close button. Write Dump - SCSI Bus The following instructions describe how to use M2 Monitor to save a dump file on the computer disk drive using the SCSI bus. Important M2 Monitor supports only LUN 0 for SCSI Write Dump operations. 1. Make sure that no other application is communicating with the tape drive on the SCSI bus before starting the write dump process. 2. Select SCSI Bus as the communication mode. 3. Click the Write Dump button or select Write Dump File from the File menu. The SCSI bus Write Dump window is displayed. 4. Type the path and a file name indicating the reason for creating the dump file. The default file type for a dump file is *.dmp. Click Browse to display a dialog box in which you can navigate to a suitable directory and then specify the file name. 5. Select the M2 tape drive from which the diagnostic dump will be read from the list of tape drives connected to your system. The two numbers in square brackets to the left of the device identification string represent the host adapter and target SCSI ID, respectively. If you do not your tape drive in the list, click Rescan Bus to update the list of devices attached to the SCSI bus. If the drive still is not listed, reboot your PC (with the drive powered on) and verify that the drive is identified during adapter initialization. 6. If you plan to store the dump file on your hard drive, make sure you have sufficient space available (about 2 MB). Important Only a Full dump can be saved using the SCSI Bus communication option. If you need to save an EEPROM or Buffer dump, you must connect to the tape drive via the Serial Port communication option and use the Write Dump - Serial Port function. 7. Click Start to begin writing the dump file to disk. 8. After the Write Dump operation is complete, click the Close button. Analyze Dump The Analyze Dump command loads a previously stored dump file into the computer memory for examination. Important Only a Full dump file can be analyzed using the Analyze Dump option. Buffer and EEPROM dump files cannot be examined using this command. The following instructions describe how to use M2 Monitor to load the dump file into the computer memory for analysis. 1. Select Serial Port as the communication mode, if it is not already selected. Note: You must select Serial Port communication even of you do not have a drive connected to the serial port. This is because the mechanism used to process a dump file uses the serial port communication functions just as if a drive was connected (you "connect" to a dump file instead of a drive). 2. Click the Analyze Dump button or select Analyze Dump File from the File menu. The Analyze Dump window appears. 3. Type the path and file name of the dump file you want to analyze. The default file type for a dump file is *.dmp. If you do not know the name of the file, click Browse to display a list of available files. 4. After you specify the name of the dump file, M2 Monitor disconnects from the tape drive (if it was previously connected) and loads the file into PC memory. You can then view the tape drive Configuration Option settings and use the options under the Examine menu to review the SCSI trace information and the Error Log to locate SCSI commands that failed and any associated Fault Symptom Code (FSC) information. SCSI Trace The SCSI Trace command opens a window showing the contents of the tape drive's command buffer. Use the SCSI Trace command to examine the SCSI commands issued to the tape drive, the SCSI ID of the host computer issuing the command, and the Fault Symptom Code (if any) for each command. To open the SCSI Trace window, click the SCSI Trace button or select SCSI Trace from the Examine menu. The SCSI Trace window is displayed. When you first open the window, it is empty. ? To display the information stored in the command buffer, click the Read button. The Read button loads the contents of the tape drive's command buffer into the SCSI Trace window. The most recent command appears at the bottom of the list. The number of records displayed in the SCSI Trace window displays in the upper right corner of the window. Note: The tape drive's command buffer holds a maximum of 512 records. When the buffer is full, old records are removed on a FIFO (first in, first out) basis as new records are added. ? While the SCSI trace is being read from the tape drive command buffer, the Read button changes to Stop. Clicking Stop terminates the read operation. ? To clear the contents of the SCSI Trace window, click the Clear button. The SCSI Trace window provides information about SCSI operations performed by the tape drive. Command (CDB) The Command (CDB) portion of the window includes the name of the SCSI command (corresponding to the OP code in byte 0 of the CDB) and the first ten bytes of the command descriptor block (CDB). MB/s The MB/s column shows data transfer rate in MB per second for data transfer commands. Host The Host column shows the SCSI ID of the host computer issuing the command. Sts The Sts column shows the command status. FSC The FSC column shows the Fault Symptom Code (FSC), if any, resulting from the command. M2 Monitor menu operations The menu items displayed along the top of the main M2 Monitor window provide additional controls and operations. File menu The following operations are available from the File menu: Load Code - Updates the microcode used by the tape drive (see page 17). Write Code Load Tape - Creates a microcode update tape (see page 26). Write Dump File - Saves a dump of the tape drive's microprocessor as a file on disk (see page 21). Analyze Dump File - Displays a previously stored dump file (see page 24). Configuration Options - Changes the selected configuration option for the tape drive (see page 32). Reset - Resets the serial communications channel and attempts to reconnect to the tape drive. Exit - Exits M2 Monitor. Write Code Load Tape The Write Code Load Tape command on the File menu allows you to create a microcode update tape by writing the code image stored in the tape drive's RAM buffer to tape. This microcode update tape can then be used to update the microcode for other Exabyte M2 tape drives. Use the following steps to create a microcode update tape: 1. Unload any data cartridge currently in the tape drive. 2. Make sure that the tape drive is idle (no SCSI bus activity). If possible, disconnect the tape drive from the SCSI bus before you start writing the tape. 3. Using a serial cable, connect the tape drive to the computer running M2 Monitor and make sure that M2 Monitor has established connection with the tape drive. 4. Select Serial Port as the communication mode, if it is not already selected. The Status line in the main M2 Monitor window should indicate "Connected to Drive." 5. Select Write Code Load Tape from the File menu. The Write Code Load window is displayed. 4. Select the type of information you want to include on the tape: ? Firmware - The firmware currently stored in the tape drive control memories. ? EE Configuration Options - The vendor unique options from a *.i file. This file contains the custom configuration options that are set at the factory. If you are making a microcode update tape that includes vendor unique configuration information from a *.i file on disk, enter the name of the file in response to the prompt. If you do not know the name of the file, click the Browse button to display a list of available files. 5. If you are using the M2 drive in an autoloader, you can (optionally) set the Number of tapes field to a number greater than 1. M2 Monitor will then process the Write Code Load Tape the specified number of times, relying on the autoloader to swap the tape at the end of each operation. This feature can be used to write more than one code load tape without requiring an operator to load each tape manually. Note: The autoloader must be set to operate in Sequential mode. 6. Click Start to begin the transfer operation. The information panel below the bar displays messages and prompts during the transfer. 7. When the program prompts you for a data cartridge, insert an AME data cartridge in the tape drive. A 22m tape is sufficient. Important Make sure that the data cartridge is write-enabled. Any data previously recorded on the tape will be overwritten and destroyed. 8. When the code transfer is complete, the tape drive automatically ejects the tape. A message appears on the screen indicating whether the operation was successful. Label the microcode update tape with the firmware version and type. Write-protect the tape. Important A tape drive will not recognize the tape as a code load tape unless it is write protected. Configuration Options Selecting Configuration Options on the File menu allows you to modify the tape drive's customer selectable. See " The configuration options return to the settings established in this procedure the next time the tape drive is power cycled. Configuration Option descriptions" starting on page 32 for descriptions of each option. Before modifying any configuration option settings, you can save a list of the current settings in an ASCII text file by clicking the Save As button. When you click Save As, a Save Configuration Options window opens. Select a path and enter a name for the file. The default extension for the file name is .txt. Selecting a configuration option and clicking Modify displays a dialog box containing the possible settings for that option and a brief description of each setting. Double-clicking an option in the text display is a shortcut for selecting the option and clicking Modify. Depending on the options selected, the configuration options dialog box can take one of three forms: ? Mutually exclusive settings - You can choose one of the possible settings for the option. For example, you can select either buffered or unbuffered mode for write data operations. ? Multiple selections for a single option - You can set parameters for the option. For example, under the Disconnect Control option, you can modify the settings for three parameters: Modify Data Pointers, Disconnect Immediate, and Disconnect. ? Numeric or text input - You can enter a value for the selected option. Numeric entries can be either hexadecimal, using the format 0xnnnnnn, or decimal; decimal entries are automatically converted to hexadecimal. For example, you can enter a value of 0x0 to 0x3C000 for the logical block size. The only restriction for text input is number of characters. The maximum number of characters allowed for each text option is displayed as the Value Range. To change a configuration option: 1. Select the desired option from the Configuration Options list. CAUTION Changing the configuration options on your tape drive can significantly alter the operation of your tape drive. Before changing any option, you should use the Save As button to save a record of your current settings in an ASCII text file. 2. Click Modify. 3. Change the settings for the option as desired, then click OK to store the changes or click Restore to return the settings to their original values. A  symbol appears in the Configuration Options window next to each modified configuration option. 4. After changing all of the desired configuration options, click OK in the Configuration Options window to write the changes into the tape drive's nonvolatile memory. or Click Cancel to leave the settings stored in the tape drive's nonvolatile memory unchanged. 5. Reset the tape drive by powering it off, then on again. The new option settings go into effect after a power-on reset and remain in effect until they are overridden with a MODE SELECT command. The configuration options return to the settings established in this procedure the next time the tape drive is power cycled. Configuration Option descriptions The following sections describe each of the configuration options and the possible settings. CAUTION Changing the configuration options on your tape drive can significantly alter the operation of your tape drive. Before changing any option, you should use the Save As button to save a record of your current settings in an ASCII text file. Buffered Mode Sets the buffer mode for write data operations. For streaming write operations, this option must be set to Buffered. Buffered - A WRITE command will complete with Good status when the data is written into the buffer; that is, command status is returned before the data is written to the tape. Unbuffered - A WRITE command will complete with Good status when the data is successfully written to the tape. Data Compression Enable Controls whether the tape drive compresses data during write operations. ON (default) - The tape drive automatically compresses data during write operations. The tape drive monitors the compression ratio and switches between compressed and uncompressed when necessary. OFF - The tape drive does not compress data. Diagnostics: Tape History Log Specifies how the tape drive writes the Tape History Log. NORMAL - The Tape History Log is written when a tape is unloaded, if the tape is not write- protected. DISABLE - Prevents the tape drive from reading or writing a Tape History Log. Formatting the tape allocates space for a possible Tape History Log (from another drive). Disconnect Control Specifies whether the tape drive can disconnect from the initiator during a data transfer phase. Modify Data Pointers option - Specifies whether the tape drive uses the Modify Data Pointers message to recover from a parity error. ? OFF (default) - The tape drive does not use the Modify Data Pointers message to recover from a parity error. ? ON - The tape drive can use the Modify Data Pointers message to recover from a parity error. Disconnect Immediate option - Specifies whether the tape drive disconnects from the initiator immediately after receiving the CDB. ? ON (default) - The tape drive only disconnects from the initiator immediately after the CDB phase if the initiator selects the tape drive, sends an Identify message with disconnect privilege on, and then sends the CDB. If any other sequence occurs or if ATN is raised during the CDB phase, the tape drive does not disconnect immediately after receiving the CDB. ? OFF - The tape drive can disconnect after the receiving the CDB. Disconnect options - Specifies how the Data Transfer Disconnect Control (DTDC) byte in the Disconnect-Reconnect Page of MODE SELECT command operates. ? NORMAL (default) - Disconnects are not controlled by the DTDC byte. ? NODISCON - Once data transfer of a command has started, the tape drive should not disconnect until all of the data has been transferred. ? NOONBUS - Illegal if DTDC is implemented. If DTDC is not implemented, this option prevents all disconnects once data transfer has started. ? STAYONBUS - Once data transfer of a command has started, the tape drive should not disconnect until all of the data has been transferred. Gap Threshold Specifies the maximum number of consecutive gap blocks the tape drive writes to tape while waiting for data to be available for writing. When the maximum number is reached, the drive will stop and wait for more data. The motion threshold is used to restart the drive after it has stopped. A larger gap threshold may lessen the number of backhitches but can also increase the wasted tape area. Valid values for the Gap Threshold byte are 00h to FFh. The default value is 00h, which represents 7/8 of a track (14 gap blocks). Any value greater than 07h is treated as 07h. Logical Block Size Specifies the power-on default fixed block size. The tape drive can be configured for any legal logical block size. The specified Logical Block Size is the size used when the Fixed bit is set in a READ, WRITE, or VERIFY command. Setting the Logical Block Size to 0 specifies variable-length block size (fixed-length blocks cannot be used). The default is 400h (1,024 bytes). Maximum Burst Length Specifies the amount of data, in 512-byte increments, that the tape drive can transfer before it must disconnect. The tape drive supports all values for this field. The default is 0, which means there is no limit. Mode Select/Sense: Default Density Configures how the tape drive reports the density code in response to a MODE SENSE command. OFF (default) - The tape drive never reports 00h for the density code. Instead, the tape drive reports the actual tape format. If the tape format is unknown, MODE SENSE returns the default density code. ON - The tape drive always reports the 00h instead of the default density code. Motion Threshold Specifies the motion threshold for the tape drive. The motion threshold is the number of bytes that must be present in the buffer before a write operation causes tape motion or the number of bytes available in the buffer before a read operation causes tape motion. The value can also be interpreted as a binary fraction of 256 for the percentage of buffer space available for data. 0x80 (default) - Tape motion starts when the buffer is half-full for write operations and half- empty for read operations. 0x20 to 0xD0 - Valid range for the motion threshold. The value is set to the desired percentage ? 256 (for example 25% ? 256 = 64). Operator: Button Operation Configures the operation of the tape drive's unload button. WAIT_DONE (default) - Pressing the unload button starts the eject process after the current command completes. Any queued command is discarded. Any data in the write buffer is flushed. The tape is rewound and the data cartridge is ejected. ABORT_OPERATION - Pressing the unload button aborts the current command and any queued commands. Any data in the write buffer is flushed. The tape is rewound and ejected. Operator: Cleaning Mode Specifies how the tape drive alerts the user that the tape drive needs cleaning. LIGHTS (default) - The "time to clean" LED lights when the drive requires cleaning. NOTIFY - The "time to clean" LED lights and Check Condition status is returned when the drive requires cleaning. The Check Condition occurs when a new data cartridge is loaded or after a reset. Check Condition status is also returned when the cleaning is completed. HALF-NOTIFY - Check Condition status is returned when the tape drive requires cleaning; the "time to clean" LED does not light. The Check Condition occurs when a new data cartridge is loaded or after a reset. NONE - The tape drive does not issue any alerts when the tape drive needs cleaning or after a cleaning is completed. Operator: LCD Language Specifies the language used to display words on the optional tape drive LCD. Product Identification Specifies the 16-character Product Identification field of a SCSI Inquiry command (bytes 16- 31). Reporting Modes Specifies the reporting modes used by the tape drive, as defined in SCSI-2. This includes reporting of setmark conditions and early warning on read operations. Setmark option - Specifies whether the tape drive returns Check Condition status when it encounters a setmark on the tape during read, verify, space block, or space filemark operations. ? OFF - Do not report setmarks. This allows skipping over setmarks when reading or spacing on filemarks or blocks. ? ON (default) - Report setmarks while reading or spacing on filemarks or blocks. Early Warning option - Specifies whether reporting of the early-warning condition (LEOT) during a read operation is enabled or disabled. ? OFF (default) - Do not report early warning condition on read operations. ? ON - Report early warning condition on read operations after completing the current READ command. Request Sense: Clearing Sense Data Specifies how the tape drive handles sense data when it receives a REQUEST SENSE command. NOCLEAR (default) - Do not clear the sense data after a REQUEST SENSE command is received. Do not clear Unit Attention on the first REQUEST SENSE. CLEARUA - Clear a pending Unit Attention when a REQUEST SENSE command is received. This option reports the Unit Attention and removes it from the host if no other sense data is active for host. CLEAR - Report sense data in response to a REQUEST SENSE command, then clear the sense data. This is SCSI-2 compliant. Request Sense: EOM Bit at LBOP Specifies whether the tape drive reports end of media (EOM) when at the logical beginning of a partition (LBOP). OFF - Do not set the EOM bit at LBOP unless LBOP was encountered during a backspace operation. ON (default) - Set the EOM bit whenever at LBOP. SCSI: Command Queuing Specifies whether the tape drive queues one tape motion SCSI command for each host. This does not include Tag Queued commands. The drive does not reorder commands received. If a command is queued, it will be executed on a FIFO (first in, first out) basis. Information commands are not queued and execute immediately, regardless of the tape drive state. NORMAL (default) - The tape drive queues one tape motion command until the current "immediate" operation is complete. Then it processes the queued command. The tape drive will not accept a tape motion command while a non-immediate tape motion command is in operation. (Note that this is not SCSI queuing.) BUSY- The tape drive returns Busy status to tape motion commands when it is busy. Commands are not queued. The initiator can try the command again. NOTREADY - The tape drive returns Check Condition status to tape motion commands if the tape drive is busy and sets the sense key to 2h (Not Ready) with a FSC of C6h (cause not known) or C7h (not ready but is in the process of becoming ready). Commands are not queued. SCSI: Parity Error Handling Specifies how the tape drive recovers from parity errors on the SCSI bus during data transfers. FAIL_RW (default) - If a parity error occurs during a READ or WRITE command, the tape drive always returns Check Condition status indicating that a parity error occurred. If the parity error occurs on an information command, the tape drive attempts a Restore Data Pointers operation, if legal. If the tape drive cannot restore the data pointers, it returns Check Condition status. This option provides compatibility with drivers written for EXB-8500 tape drives. RESTORE - If a parity error occurs during data transfer, the drive attempts a Restore Data Pointers operation. If the tape drive cannot restore the data pointers, it returns Check Condition status. SCSI: Synchronous Negotiation Specifies how the tape drive responds to Synchronous Data Transfer Request messages. RECEIVE (default) - The tape drive will respond to Synchronous Data Transfer Request messages, but will not initiate synchronous data transfers. After a reset, all synchronous modes are reset to asynchronous. INITIATE - The tape drive responds normally to synchronous negotiations. It initiates synchronous negotiations with every initiator when it is first selected after a reset. WIDE - The tape drive negotiates wide data transfer, then responds normally to synchronous negotiations. It initiates synchronous negotiations with every initiator when it is first selected after a reset. SmartClean Mode Specifies how the tape drive uses an AME with SmartCleanT data cartridge. CLEAN_NORMAL (default) - SmartClean will be done at normal cleaning intervals, or during read and write retry operations whenever soft error rates exceed set thresholds for a specific length of time. CLEAN_RECOV_DISABLE - SmartClean will be done only at normal cleaning intervals. CLEAN_LEOP_TEST - Same as CLEAN_NORMAL, but also will be done whenever a Logical End of Partition (LEOP) is encountered in any partition during a write operation. Write Delay Time Specifies the write delay time in units of 100 ms. The write delay time is the maximum length of time that data remains in the buffer before the tape drive writes it to tape. When the delay time is exceeded, the data in the buffer is written to tape. 0 (default) - No maximum exists for the amount of time that data can remain in the buffer. (A partially full buffer is not flushed to tape until the tape drive receives a tape motion command. The data is only flushed when the initiator causes it to flush or when the tape is unloaded. Write data can remain in the buffer indefinitely.) 1 to 0xFFFF (in units of 100 msec) - If the value specified for the motion threshold has not been exceeded, data will remain in the buffer for 100 msec times the value specified for this field. Examine menu The following options are available from the Examine menu: SCSI Trace - Provides access to the SCSI Trace window (see page 25). Inquiry - Displays the Inquiry data returned by the tape drive (see page 39). Request Sense - Displays the Request Sense data returned by the tape drive (see page 40). Log Sense - Displays the Log Sense data returned by the tape drive (see page 42). Mode Sense - Displays the Mode Sense data returned by the tape drive (see page 44). Error Log - Displays error information currently stored in the tape drive's error log (see page 46). The Inquiry, Request Sense, Log Sense, and Mode Sense options display information obtained by simulating the corresponding SCSI command over the serial cable. Refer to the Exabyte Mammoth-2 Tape Drive SCSI Reference for a complete description of the information provided by these options. Inquiry Selecting the Inquiry option on the Examine menu displays the Standard Inquiry Data that the tape drive would return in response to a SCSI INQUIRY (12h) command. Format Display - Specifies how the Standard Inquiry Data is displayed. ? Hex Dump - Displays the unformatted hexadecimal values for the Inquiry Data. ? Formatted - Decodes the hexadecimal values for the Inquiry Data and formats the information to make it easier to read and interpret. Inquiry Page - Allows you to select which Inquiry Page you want to display. ? Standard - Displays Standard Inquiry Data (non-page mode). This page provides details about the device, including various capability and compliance items, Vendor and Product Identification strings, and the Unit Serial Number. ? Supported Vital Product - Displays the Supported Vital Product Page (Page Code=00h). This page provides a list of Inquiry Pages supported by the drive. ? Unit Serial Number - Displays the Unit Serial Number Page (Page Code=80h). This page provides the Unit Serial Number. Save As - Saves the displayed Inquiry Data as an ASCII text file. Type a path and file name for the file. The default file name is inquiry.txt. Close - Closes the Inquiry window. Request Sense Selecting the Request Sense option on the Examine menu displays the Extended Sense Bytes that the tape drive would return in response to a SCSI REQUEST SENSE (03h) command. Format Display - Specifies how the Extended Sense Bytes are displayed. ? Hex Dump - Displays the unformatted hexadecimal values for the Extended Sense Bytes. ? Formatted - Decodes the hexadecimal values for the Extended Sense Bytes and formats the information to make it easier to read and interpret. Host/Initiator ID - This pull-down list allows you to specify the initiator for which you want the Request Sense information. After you specify the SCSI ID, click the Read button to retrieve the Extended Sense Bytes returned by the tape drive for that initiator. ? 0 through 15 - Selects the SCSI ID of the initiator. If the tape drive is configured for narrow SCSI, only SCSI IDs 0 through 7 are valid. If the tape drive is configured for wide SCSI, IDs 0 through 15 are valid. ? 16 through 21 - Displays specific Exabyte-unique Request Sense information for the tape drive. Note: IDs 16 through 21 do not correspond to the ID of any initiator. ? All - Displays the Request Sense information for all of the IDs (0 - 21). Save As - Saves the displayed Extended Sense Byte information as an ASCII text file. Type a path and file name for the file. The default file name is request.txt. Close - Closes the Request Sense window. Log Sense Selecting the Log Sense option on the Examine menu displays statistical information about various tape drive parameter values that the tape drive would return in response to a SCSI LOG SENSE (4Dh) command. The type of information displayed depends on which Log Sense page you select. Format Display - Specifies how the Extended Sense Bytes are displayed. ? Hex Dump - Displays the unformatted hexadecimal values for selected Log Sense page. ? Formatted - Decodes the hexadecimal values for the selected Log Sense page and formats the information to make it easier to read and interpret. Log Sense Page - Allows you to select which Log Sense Page you want to display. ? Write Error Counters - Displays the Write Error Counters Page (Page Code=02h). This page provides statistics about Total Rewrites, Total Errors Corrected, Total Times Errors Processed, Total Bytes Processed, and Total Unrecoverable Errors. ? Read Error Counters - Displays the Read Error Counters Page (Page Code=03h). This page provides statistics about Total Rereads, Total Errors Corrected, Total Times Errors Processed, Total Bytes Processed, and Total Unrecoverable Errors. ? Tape Alert - Displays the Tape Alert Page (Page Code=2Eh). This page provides a display of flags that indicate potential problems with the tape drive and/or tape. All the flags are displayed with their current setting of either ON (indicated by a 0x01 value) or OFF (indicated by a 0x00 value). ? Tape History Log - Displays the Tape History Log (Page Code= 35h). This page provides statistics about the data cartridge currently loaded in the tape drive. When a tape is loaded, these values are refreshed from the values found in the tape's Tape History Log entries. These numbers apply to the whole tape and are not specific to the current partition. If the cartridge is write protected, the THL values on the tape and on this page are not updated. ? Data Compression - Displays the Data Compression Page (Page Code=39h). This page provides statistics on the number of kilobytes of data transferred to data compressor and the number of kilobytes of data transferred to tape. ? Drive Usage - Displays the Drive Usage Information Page (Page Code=3Ch). This page provides lifetime statistics for the tape drive. If a counter reaches its maximum value, it remains at that value and does not roll to 0. ? Drive Temperature - Displays the Drive Temperature Page (Page Code=3Eh). This page provides the most recent temperature reading taken by the drive's internal sensor in degrees Celsius. Save As - Saves the displayed LOG SENSE information as an ASCII text file. Type a path and file name for the file. The default file name is logsen.txt. Close - Closes the Log Sense window. Mode Sense Selecting the Mode Sense option on the Examine menu displays information that the tape drive would return in response to a SCSI MODE SENSE (1Ah) command. The type of information displayed depends on which Mode Sense page you select. Format Display - Specifies how the Extended Sense Bytes are displayed. ? Hex Dump - Displays the unformatted hexadecimal values for selected Mode Sense page. ? Formatted - Decodes the hexadecimal values for the selected Mode Sense page and formats the information to make it easier to read and interpret. Mode Sense Page - Allows you to select which Mode Sense page you want to display. ? Read/Write Error Recovery - Displays the Read/Write Error Recovery Page (Page Code=01h). This page shows the error recovery parameters used during read-write operations. ? Disconnect/Reconnect - Displays the Disconnect/Reconnect Page (Page Code=02h). This page shows parameters for how the tape drive handles disconnects and reconnects during data transfers. ? Control Mode - Displays the Control Mode Page (Page Code=0Ah). This page specifies whether the tape drive returns Check Condition status when one of its write and read error counters reaches a specified threshold. These thresholds are set using the SCSI LOG SELECT command. ? Data Compression - Displays the Data Compression Page (Page Code=0Fh). This page shows information about the tape drive's data compression and decompression function. Data compression and decompression are controlled using the SCSI MODE SELECT command. ? Device Configuration - Displays the Device Configuration Page (Page Code=10h). This page shows information about the configurable options for the tape drive, including media format, active partition, and the Read/Write Buffer Full Ratios. ? Medium Partition - Displays the Medium Partition Page (Page Code=11h). This page shows information about the data partitions on the currently inserted data cartridge. ? Tape Alert - Displays the Tape Alert Page (Page Code=1Ch). This page provides information about how informational exception conditions are handled by the drive. ? Vendor Unique 1 - Displays the Vendor Unique Parameters Page 1 (Page Code=20h). ? Vendor Unique 2 - Displays the Vendor Unique Parameters Page 2 (Page Code=21h). Save As - Saves the displayed Mode Sense page as an ASCII text file. Type a path and file name for the file. The default file name is modesenpagecode.txt, where pagecode is the MODE SENSE page code. Close - Closes the Mode Sense window. Error Log Selecting the Error Log option on the Examine menu displays the error log that is maintained in the tape drive's EEPROM. Format Display - Specifies how the error log is displayed. ? Hex Dump - Displays the unformatted hexadecimal entries in the error log. ? Formatted - Decodes the hexadecimal entries in the error log and formats the information to make it easier to read and interpret. The formatted error log provides the following information about the last ten unique errors reported by the tape drive: ? Time Powered - The total time (years, days, hours, minutes, and seconds) that the tape drive had been powered on when the error occurred. ? FSC - The Fault Symptom Code associated with the error. ? PEC (Primary Error Code) and SEC (Secondary Error Code) - Exabyte-unique error codes that further identify the type and cause of the error. ? TapeID - The ID marker on the tape that was loaded in the tape drive at the time the error occurred. This ID consists of the serial number and load cycle number of the tape drive that first wrote to the inserted data cartridge. ? Reps - The number of times that the listed error occurred during the current 24-hour period. The tape drive does not keep a record of each repetition of an error occurring within this 24-hour period. Instead, it increments the Reps counter each time the same error occurs. ? Temp - The temperature of the tape path in ?C at the time of the error. ? Details - Further expands the formatted error log entries to provide a brief description of the FSC code. Save As - Saves the displayed error log information as an ASCII text file. Type a path and file name for the file. The default file name is errorlog.txt. Close - Closes the Error Log window. Note: Depending on how long the tape drive has been in operation, it is possible that not all of the entries in the Error Log are valid. For example, the last entry in the preceding screen shot is not valid. Control menu The Control menu provides access to the Servo Commands window, from which you can issue basic motion commands to the tape drive for emergency tape extraction, troubleshooting hardware, and testing. CAUTION These servo commands allow basic tape motion to be observed and are not intended to be used when the tape drive is connected to the SCSI bus. After using these commands, you must perform a power-on reset to continue normal SCSI operation. ? Command buttons - Issue servo commands to the tape drive. ? Command Status - Indicates the status of the servo command just issued. ? Close - Closes the Servo Commands window. The following buttons are available in the Servo Commands window: Reset Servo Resets the servo processor. For this command to work, the servo processor must be able to receive and process the command. This command does not reset the control processor, and will likely confuse the control processor if you attempt to continue normal operation after the servo reset. Load Tape Path Loads tape into the tape path. Unload Tape Path Causes the tape drive to unload the tape without rewinding it first. This is useful if you suspect that your tape drive is damaged and might cause tape damage during a rewind operation. CAUTION Under normal operating conditions, rewind the tape before unloading it to avoid the possibility of damaging the data area of the tape. Track Advances the tape forward at normal speed using the tape drive's native tape format tracking (read) mode. Forward 1X Advances the tape at normal speed. Backward 1X Moves the tape in the reverse direction at normal read speed. Rewind Rewinds the tape to the physical beginning of tape (PBOT). Unload Cartridge Unloads the data cartridge from the tape drive. Important The tape must already be unloaded from the tape path. Stop Stops the tape motion. Forward 10X Advances the tape forward at ten times normal speed. Backward 10X Rewinds the tape at ten times normal speed. Setup menu The Setup menu provides options for configuring M2 Monitor. These options allow you to set the baud rate for communications between the computer and the tape drive and to specify default directories for the various types of files used or created by M2 Monitor. COM Port Selecting COM Port from the Setup menu opens a window from which you can select the COM port and baud rate for the serial communications between the tape drive and M2 Monitor. Windows supports baud rate settings from 9600 to 115200. The default baud rate is 9600 if the tape drive is installed in a library or 19200 if the tape drive is installed in an Exabyte enclosure. If desired, you can also specify that the current COM port and baud rate display in the M2 Monitor title bar. Directories Selecting Directories from the Setup menu opens a window from which you can specify the default directory for microcode (Code Load) files, Dump files, and Log files. The default directory is used if you do not specify a path when requesting one of these files. Logging Selecting Logging from the Setup menu opens a window from which you can specify the path and file name for log files The default file name is used if you do not specify a name for a log file. Log files can be used by Exabyte Technical Support to debug problems encountered while using M2 Monitor. If you select Enable Log File, M2 Monitor creates an ASCII text file that contains a log of all the commands sent to the tape drive and information about how the tape drive responded to those commands. Troubleshooting - Serial Port Connection Problems starting M2 Monitor The Status line indicates "Disconnected" when you start M2 Monitor. Make sure that the connection between the computer serial port and the tape drive Monitor port is secure. Problems using M2 Monitor ? If you are have problems communicating with the tape drive, select Reset from the File menu to reset the serial communications. If you still cannot connect to the drive, try exiting and restarting the M2 Monitor program. ? Sometimes the serial channel becomes jammed and selecting Reset from the File menu does not clear the error. Quit the M2 Monitor program and restart it. If the drive still does not connect to M2 Monitor, try resetting the drive. ? If the animated Exabyte icon shows no activity or if the Status continuously displays "Disconnecting" or "Attempting to Connect," M2 Monitor may not be able to establish communications with the tape drive. Check that all power and monitor cables are secure. Also verify that you are only running one instance of M2 Monitor. ? If you are communicating with the tape drive but you are getting unexpected results, try a slower baud rate. To select a different baud rate, select COM Port from the Setup menu. In the Setup COM Port window, select a lower baud rate and OK to set the new baud rate. ? Computers with 486 or Pentium processors can usually operate at 38K, 57K, or 115K baud. If you have one of these computers, select a high baud rate for the COM port. This significantly reduces the time required to transfer a dump file from the tape drive to the computer. Using a faster baud rate also decreases the time required to load new microcode into the tape drive. If you experience problems, reset the baud rate to a level that provides error-free performance. Index A Analyze Dump command description, 24 using, 24 B baud rate displaying, 49 selecting for COM port, 49 supported, 49 C code load See microcode update tape, 17 COM Port baud rates supported by the tape drive, 49 description, 49 selecting baud rate, 49 command buffer, viewing with SCSI trace command, 25 Configuration Options Buffered Mode, 32 Button Operation, 35 Cleaning Mode, 35 Data Compression Control, 32 Diagnostics, Tape History Log, 33 Disconnect Control, 33 Gap Threshold, 34 LCD Language, 35 Logical Block Size, 34 Maximum Burst Length, 34 Mode Select/Sense - Default Density, 34 Motion Threshold, 34 overview, 29 Product Identification, 35 Reporting Modes, 35 Request Sense - Clearing Sense Data, 36 Request Sense - EOM bit at LBOP, 36 SCSI - Command Queuing, 37 SCSI - Parity Error Handling, 37 SCSI - Synchronous Negotiation, 38 SmartClean mode, 38 using to modify vendor unique options, 31 Write Delay Time, 38 configuring M2 Monitor, 49 connecting the serial cable, 9 D dump file analyzing, 24 using the Write Dump command to create, 21 E Examine menu Error Log, 46 Inquiry, 39 Log Sense, 42 Mode Sense, 44 Request Sense, 40 I installing M2 Monitor, 9 L LCD language, changing, 35 Load Code command description, 17 See also microcode update tape, 17 updating tape drive microcode, 17 using SCSI communications, 19 using serial port communications, 17 log files creating, 50 specifying the default directory, 49 M M2 Monitor configuring, 49 installation requirements, 7 installing, 9 main window, 16 overview, v quitting, 13 required equipment and software, 7 starting, 12 uninstalling, 11 microcode file copying existing, 18 obtaining new, 17 specifying the default directory, 49 using the Load Code command to update, 17 vendor unique options, 27 microcode update tape creating using Write Code Load Tape command, 26 See also, microcode file, 26 O overview of M2 Monitor, v S SCSI Trace command description, 25 using to view command buffer, 25 serial communications cable requirements, 8 connecting the serial cable, 9 Servo Commands Backward 10X, 48 Backward 1X, 48 description, 47 Forward 10X, 48 Forward 1X, 48 Load Tape Path, 48 Reset Servo, 48 Rewind, 48 Stop, 48 Track, 48 Unload Cartridge, 48 Unload Tape, 48 using, 48 T troubleshooting, 51 U uninstalling M2 Monitor, 11 using Windows locating files, 15 M2 Monitor menus, 13 online help, 13 option buttons and list boxes, 14 quitting Mammoth Monitor, 13 using the mouse, 12 V vendor unique options including on code load tape, 27 microcode file, 27 modifying using the Configuration Options command, 31 W Write Code Load Tape, using to create a microcode update tape, 27 Write Dump command description, 21 using SCSI communications, 22 using serial port communications, 21 using to create a dump file, 21 8 Exabyte M2 Monitor Software for Windows User's Guide lv User's Guide v User's Guide 9 User's Guide 53