Mounting tapes on VMS *AAARRRRRRGGGHHHHHH* - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

14 Jun 2002

...
 I've done just about everything I can think of to
mount TK50 tapes on my MicroVax (and also 
on my TK70 on the 4000), and I keep getting the "%MOUNT-I_OPRQST, Please mount 
device" error.

If I try mounting the tapes with the "/NOASSIST" option - I get the
"%MOUNT-F-VOLINV,  volume is not software enabled" error.
  /NOASSIST is what you want. Otherwise it is asking an
operator (human being) to go off and put the tape in
the appropriate device and let the system know
when it is in there. You could have done this and
then issued the appropriate REPLY command,
but on the whole /NOASSIST is much easier.
...

 I get VOLINV when (from memory) either the tape is not in properly (are the
appropriate lights lit?)
or I have an unlabelled, unitialised tape.

Try 
	$MOUNT/FOREIGN/NOASSIST device:
and see what it thinks the volume label is.
If you have a scratch tape, you could try:

	$ INIT device: MY_LABEL
	$ MOUNT/NOASSIST device: MY_LABEL
and see what happens.

Make sure it really is a scratch tape though, otherwise
the data that was on it will be permanently lost.

Antonio