                         EXABYTE EXATAPE TAPE DRIVER
                             FOR NOVELL SERVERS
																																	VERSION 1.03d							


1.0 EXABYTE EXATAPE CUSTOM DEVICE MODULE

Exabyte Software Development has created a Netware device driver called EXATAPE.CDM to enable end-users of Exabyte tape products to use the 8mm product line with Novell servers and the default backup utility from Novell, SBACKUP or SBCON.  This module has been certified by Novell for NetWare 5.

EXATAPE is a CDM (Custom Device Module) driver and was developed in accordance with NWPA (NetWare Peripheral Architecture) requirements.  As such it requires an associated HAM (Host Adapter Module) driver provided by the Host Bus Adapter maufacturer in order to provide functionality for Exabyte tape drives in a NetWare environment with a version of NWPA.NLM loaded.


2.0 INSTALLATION OF EXATAPE ON NOVELL SYSTEMS

On all versions of the NetWare operating system a driver can be loaded manually from the server prompt by typing "LOAD [path][driver name]."  For NetWare 3.x and 4.x the path where the file is located is assumed to be the SYS:\SYSTEM directory, unless otherwise specified.  In NetWare 5 the path is assumed to be C:\NWSERVER.

The driver can also be installed to load at Server boot.  This procedure varies by NetWare version.

2.1 Installing EXATAPE on NetWare 4.x/5 server

Unzip the downloaded ZIP file and extract the contents to a floppy diskette.  At the server prompt type "LOAD INSTALL" (NetWare 4.x) or "NWCONFIG" (NetWare 5).
 
1.) From the INSTALLATION OPTIONS menu select "Driver Options".  
2.) From the DRIVER OPTIONS menu select "Configure Disk and Storage device drivers"  
3.) From the ADDITIONAL DRIVER ACTIONS menu select "Select an 
additional driver".  
4.) Press the INS key to choose the option "Install an unlisted driver <INS>".
5.) Select the path for the file by pressing the appropriate key, in this case <Enter>.     
6.) The floppy disk will be read and then list the EXATAPE.CDM driver.    7.) Press enter to select the listed driver.  You will be asked if you want to copy EXATAPE.CDM; press enter and you will be asked to specify a server boot path with the default being C:\NWSERVER.  If yours is different, enter it.  Press enter and the file is copied along with its DDI file, loaded, and the STARTUP.NCF is modified with the command to LOAD EXATAPE.CDM.  

2.2 Installing EXATAPE on a NetWare 3.x server

Unzip the downloaded ZIP file and extract the contents to a floppy diskette.  Copy the software module EXATAPE.CDM and the description file EXATAPE.DDI on the floppy diskette into the C:\NWSERVER directory of the server the tape drive will be used with.  Next edit the STARTUP.NCF file by typing "EDIT STARTUP.NCF" at the DOS prompt, C:\NWSERVER>.  Add the statement "LOAD EXATAPE.CDM."  Close and save the file, then boot the server and the driver will automatically load.


3.0 REVISION

Version 1.03d of EXATAPE.CDM fixes issues involved with loading the diver when there is "No Tape in the Tape Drive."  The earlier released version 1.03 would not load if there was no tape in the drive and then freeze the queue of the server, necessitating a server reboot.  Additionally, if no tape was originally in the drive when SBACKUP was launched and the tape drive selected, and then a tape was loaded into the drive, SBACKUP would lose contact with the tape drive, again requiring a reboot.







 
