Erasing a tape

Use this option to erase all data from a tape. SCO ARCserve/Open also erases all references to the contents of this tape (if any) from the database. When and if you re-format this tape, its physical history (read and write passes, etc.) will be carried over.

There are two erase options from which you can choose: Quick Erase and Regular Erase.

A Quick Erase takes much less time than a regular erase because it only overwrites the current tape label. Although technically there is still data on the tape, it is effectively gone without the tape label. Quick erase is useful if you want to re-use SCO ARCserve/Open tapes, but you don't have time to wait for a full tape erase. Also, if you want to force Auto Pilot to use a tape, do a quick erase on it.
A Regular Erase completely removes all data from a tape. It takes much longer than a Quick Erase, but the tape is considered blank, as if it were just formatted. For security reasons, if you want to make sure that the data on a tape is gone completely, use regular erase.

Use this option with care. Once you perform an erase on a tape, the data it contained (if any) is gone permanently.

To erase a tape:

Insert the tape that you want to erase into a tape drive.
Select that tape drive.
Refer to ``Selecting a tape drive'' for information about selecting a tape drive.
Select Erase from the Tape Device Menu.
The Erase dialog box appears:
Select Quick Erase or Regular Erase.
Click OK to save the Erase dialog box and start erasing the tape.