Virtual TapeServer 8.0 Configuration Guide

Creating and Managing Virtual Media | 89
Also, if the meta_control_panel parameter is set to YES, the Meta Data Control Panel is
displayed at the bottom of the page. This control panel enables you to read and write
metadata. Metadata is stored with the virtual tape but is not part of the data itself. Metadata
is used by VTS to retain an audit trail of information, including the following:
• Tape label information, such as the volume label
• When the virtual tape was created, written to, updated, mounted, unmounted, or erased
• If and when the virtual tape was exported, imported, migrated, or restored
• How long the virtual tape has been retained
Note It is highly recommended that you do not write metadata unless instructed to do so by
Support.
To use the metadata control panel
1. Select a virtual tape from the Cartridge Name drop-down list.
2. Specify whether to read or write metadata from the virtual tape by selecting an option
from the Direction drop-down list.
3. From the Meta Data Option drop-down list, select the metadata to read or write.
4. If you are reading data, leave the Meta Data Date field blank. If you are writing data,
enter a time or date in the field. Enter the date in the following format: DDMonYY (for
example, 22Dec06). Enter the time using the 24-hour clock, such as 15:39 for 3:39PM.
5. Click the VTMeta button. If you are reading data, a date is displayed in the Meta Data
Date field. If you are writing data, the operation and specified time or date is written to
the virtual tape.
Automatically erasing or deleting a virtual tape using VTSPolicy
commands
The VTSPolicy command enables you to automatically erase or delete specific virtual tapes
directly from a NonStop server. You can initiate these operations by configuring the NonStop
server to send an EMS message to VTS. You can configure the NonStop server by defining a
file utility program (FUP) call or by creating a Tandem Advanced Command Language
(TACL) macro.
The syntax of the VTSPolicy command is as follows:
VTSPolicy Erase|Delete - virt_tape ... [s=hostname]
where virt_tape is the name of the virtual tape to erase or delete, and hostname is the name of
the VTS server that will process the command (the s parameter is optional). To specify
multiple virtual tapes to erase or delete, simply list them after the - and separate them using
spaces.
You can specify up to 79 characters in the command string. Note that this VTSPolicy
command is case-sensitive.
For example, to erase the virtual tapes named A00001, A00002, and A00003, issue this
command:
VTSPolicy Erase - A00001 A00002 A00003