As with most software development cycles, the Windows NT® network server
operating system has been subject to a number of major and minor version
releases over time, resulting in a number of different versions of Windows NT now
being in common use.

This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document discusses the use of tape
drivers for the HP Surestore tape drive product range within the following
environments:

Windows NT 3.51
(which may be upgraded by the use of the Windows NT Service Pack 5).

Windows NT 4.0
(which may be upgraded by the use of the Windows NT Service Pack 4).

Both of these versions of Windows NT are shipped with an integral native driver
called "4mmDAT.sys". However, Hewlett-Packard recommends that its own tape
drivers should be used in all circumstance. These drivers are contained on the
relevant HP Surestore CD-ROM. A full range of drivers for Windows NT 3.51,
Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 (NT 5.0) covering all relevant HP Surestore
tape drives are included. For full details, see the NTReadme.txt file which is also
on the HP Surestore CD-ROM.

To check which drivers you are currently running, refer to the answer to the
question

"How do I know what drivers I am using at the moment, and what drivers

do I need for running tape backups?"

For further details on tape drivers in general, refer to the answer to the question

"How do tape drivers work within a Windows NT environment?"

It is clear that, irrespective of the operating system version or tape drive vendor,
problems are sometimes experienced when users attempt to set up Windows NT
systems to perform tape backups.

This "Windows NT Tape Backup Frequently Asked Questions" document attempts
to highlight and resolve issues relative to tape drive backup under the Windows
NT environment.

It is recommended that you read the whole of this FAQ document rather than just
specific questions.

Note - Symbios is now owned by LSI Logic.

Windows NT® is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.

Windows 2000

Hewlett-Packard also supplies certified drivers for use with the native backup
application that ships with the Windows 2000 operating system. These drivers are
contained on the relevant HP Surestore CD-ROM.

The latest information in support of this operating system can be found at

http://www.hp.com/go/connect

native backup applications

Microsoft ships a built-in backup application with Windows NT called NTBackup.

NTBackup supports the backing up of data on local drives and mapped network
drives, and allows full / incremental backup strategies & monitoring of the current
job. It does not support Autoloaders.

For further details, refer to the answer to the question

"How do I use the built-in

Tape Backup applet provided by Microsoft?"

Note - Ultrium high performance tape drives: As a general rule, native backup
applications (such as NTBackup and tar) do not provide the required data
streaming rate to get the full performance of your Ultrium drive. We recommend
using a backup application, which provides better memory management as well
as other useful features, such as TapeAlert. HP, Computer Associates, Veritas,
Legato and Yosemite all provide suitable products that have been tested with your
Ultrium drives. For the latest list of backup packages that support your Ultrium
drives, please contact your tape drive or library manufacturer.

first question

Go to the first question

"How do tape drivers work within a Windows NT

environment?"

file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/topher.COL-SPRINGS/Desktop/dltvs80%20manual/document/common/drivers_faqs/eng/nt_home.htm [11/29/2001 8:34:40 AM]

This manual is related to the following products:

Surestore DLT VS80 Tape Drive