Appending to or Overwriting a Volume

By default (noinit), Backup Server writes successive dumps to the same tape volume, making efficient use of high-capacity tape media. Data is added following the last end-of-tape mark. New dumps can be appended only to the last volume of a multivolume dump.

Before writing to the tape, Backup Server verifies that the first file has not yet expired. If the tape contains non-SAP data, Backup Server rejects it to avoid destroying potentially valuable information.

Use the init option to reinitialize a volume. If you specify init, Backup Server overwrites any existing contents, even if the tape contains non-SAP data, the first file has not yet expired, or the tape has ANSI access restrictions.

This figure illustrates how to dump three databases to a single volume using:

  • init to initialize the tape for the first dump

  • noinit (the default) to append subsequent dumps

  • unload to rewind and unload the tape after the last dump


    This figure shows where the goes when dumping several databases to the same volume on tape.
Parent topic: dump database