HP StoreEver Ultrium Tape Drives - Manual (Page 38)

What happens if I don't remember the key?
If you are unable to supply the key when requested to do so, neither you nor HP Support will be
able to access the encrypted data.
This guarantees the security of your data, but also means that you must be careful in the management
of the encryption key used to generate the tape.
WARNING! You should keep a record or backup of your encryption keys and store them in a
secure place separate from the computer running the backup software.
Does encryption affect tape drive performance?
Hardware encryption can be used with or without compression and without speed or capacity
penalties.
Does the tape drive encrypt media in an earlier Ultrium format?
Encryption is supported only on HP LTO–6 Ultrium 6.25 TB media (C7976A or C7976W), HP
LTO–5 Ultrium 3 TB media (C7975A or C7975W) and HP LTO–4 Ultrium 1.6 TB media (C7974A
or C7974W).
Encrypted HP LTO Ultrium 6.25 TB, 3 TB and 1.6 TB tapes can be read on any compatible Ultrium
tape drive that supports hardware encryption.
•
HP LTO-6 Ultrium tape drives can read and write encrypted HP LTO–6 Ultrium 6.25 TB media
and Ultrium 3 TB media; they can read Ultrium 1.6 TB media.
•
HP LTO-5 Ultrium tape drives can read and write encrypted HP LTO–5 Ultrium 3 TB media
and Ultrium 1.6 TB media.
•
HP LTO-4 Ultrium tape drives can read and write encrypted HP LTO–4 Ultrium 1.6 TB media.
Hardware encryption is not supported on any earlier Ultrium media, such as HP LTO–3 Ultrium
800 GB and HP LTO–2 Ultrium 400 GB.
Where can I get more information?
For more information about AES encryption, encryption keys, and using hardware encryption with
your HP LTO Ultrium tape drive, see the White Papers on
http://h18006.www1.hp.com/storage/
tapewhitepapers.html .
For detailed instructions about enabling encryption please refer to the documentation supplied with
your backup application. This will also highlight any default states, for example when copying
tapes, that may need changing if using encrypted tapes.
Write protecting cartridges
WARNING! Always remove the cartridge from the tape drive before you change the write
protection.
If you want to protect the data on a cartridge from being altered or overwritten, you can write
protect the cartridge.
•
To write protect a cartridge, push the switch to the right to prevent any data recording on the
cartridge. Note the padlock on the tab that indicates that the cartridge is protected.
•
To write enable a cartridge, push the switch to the left to allow data recording on the cartridge.
The following figure illustrates the location of the write-protect tab.
38 Use the correct media