L700 (CTL700) Installation and User's Guide (G06.28+, H06.04+, J06.03+)

Managing Tape Drives
L700 (CTL700) Installation and User’s Guide—527338-008
9-17
Programming and Configuration Considerations
Programming and Configuration
Considerations
Choosing Block Size
56 kilobytes is the largest data record that can be created when writing to tape.
However, if you want to create block sizes that can be read by most NonStop
systems, tape drives and control units should not create data records larger than
32,767 bytes (32 kilobytes minus 1 byte).
For a detailed discussion of these limits as they relate to the BACKUP and
RESTORE utilities, see Using the BLOCKSIZE Option
on page 9-9.
Using a Tape Drive for a Tape Boot or Tape Load
A tape boot or tape load should only be performed at the advice of service
providers.
For more information, refer to the NonStop S-Series Operations Guide.
Caution. Tape boot is a destructive function that destroys the files on the system disk. It
destroys all information in the system configuration database including all configuration
information about tapes, adapters, and more. The system image does not contain this
information. If it is lost, many additional steps are required to restore the system to working
order.