\begin{itemize}
\item A script that actually controls the autochanger according to commands
sent by Bacula. We furnish such a script that works with {\bf mtx} found in
- the {\bf depkgs} distribution. This script works only with single drive
- autochangers.
+ the {\bf depkgs} distribution.
\item That each Volume (tape) to be used must be defined in the Catalog and
have a Slot number assigned to it so that Bacula knows where the Volume is in
- the autochanger. This is generally done with the {\bf label} command. See
+ the autochanger. This is generally done with the {\bf label} command,
+ but can also done after the tape is labeled using the {\bf update slots}
+ command. See
below for more details. You must pre-label the tapes manually before
- using them.
+ using them.
\item Modifications to your Storage daemon's Device configuration resource to
identify that the device is a changer, as well as a few other parameters.
Support" section below.
Current Bacula autochanger support does not include cleaning, stackers, or
-silos. However, under certain conditions, you may be able to make Bacula
-work with stackers (gravity feed and such). Support for multi-drive
+silos. Stackers and silos are not supported because Bacula expects to
+be able to access the Slots randomly.
+However, if you are very careful to setup Bacula to access the Volumes
+in the autochanger sequentially, you may be able to make Bacula
+work with stackers (gravity feed and such).
+
+Support for multi-drive
autochangers requires the \ilink{Autochanger resource}{AutochangerRes}
introduced in version 1.37. This resource is also recommended for single
drive autochangers.
Bacula will not automatically use a Volume in your autochanger unless it is
labeled and the slot number is stored in the catalog and the Volume is marked
-as InChanger. For each Volume in your
+as InChanger. This is because it must know where each volume is (slot) to
+be able to load the volume.
+For each Volume in your
changer, you will, using the Console program, assign a slot. This information
is kept in {\bf Bacula's} catalog database along with the other data for the
volume. If no slot is given, or the slot is set to zero, Bacula will not
attempt to use the autochanger even if all the necessary configuration records
-are present. In addition, the console {\bf mount} command does not cause
-Bacula to operate the autochanger, it only tells Bacula to read any tape that
-may be in the drive.
+are present. When doing a {\bf mount} command on an autochanger, you must
+specify which slot you want mounted. If the drive is loaded with a tape
+from another slot, it will unload it and load the correct tape, but
+normally, no tape will be loaded because an {\bf unmount} command causes
+Bacula to unload the tape in the drive.
+
You can check if the Slot number and InChanger flag are set by doing a:
\begin{verbatim}
Bacula calls the autochanger script that you specify on the {\bf Changer
Device} statement. Normally this script will be the {\bf mtx-changer} script
-that we can provide, but it can in fact be any program. The only requirements
-are that the "commands" that Bacula uses are {\bf loaded}, {\bf load}, {\bf
+that we provide, but it can in fact be any program. The only requirement
+for the script is that it must understand the commands that
+Bacula uses, which are {\bf loaded}, {\bf load}, {\bf
unload}, {\bf list}, and {\bf slots}. In addition,
each of those commands must return the information in the precise format as
specified below:
\normalsize
Bacula checks the exit status of the program called, and if it is zero, the
-data is accepted. If the exit status is non-zero, Bacula ignores any
-information returned and treats the drive as if it is not an autochanger.
+data is accepted. If the exit status is non-zero, Bacula will print an
+error message and request the tape be manually mounted on the drive.
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