Transferring control of a tape drive from Linux to i5/OS

This topic discusses how to transfer control of a tape drive from Linux^® to i5/OS™.

To hand control of the tape drive back to i5/OS, unlock it on the Linux side and then make it available on the i5/OS side. This procedure is simply the reverse of the process you used to pass control of the tape drive to Linux.

Note that if you shut down the integrated Linux server, or the Linux server fails before you unlock the tape drive, it unlocks automatically. However, it is still in an unavailable state in i5/OS.

To transfer control of a tape drive from Linux to i5/OS, use one of the following methods:

Transfer control of a tape drive with Linux commands

To transfer control of an iSeries™ tape drive back to i5/OS from Linux with Linux commands, complete the following steps:

To unlock the tape drive from Linux, start a Linux terminal session and log in as root.
At the command prompt enter the ixsdev command and press Enter. The syntax is:
```
ixsdev [-list] | [[-lock | -unlock] device name]
```
To unlock TAP02 from Linux you would enter the following command:
```
ixsdev -unlock TAP02
```
You could also use the Linux name:
```
ixsdev -unlock /dev/st1
```
Note: In Linux, commands are case sensitive. Make sure you use the same case as in our examples, for example, use TAP02 not tap02.

Transfer control of a tape drive with iSeries Navigator

To transfer control of an iSeries tape drive back to i5/OS with the iSeries Navigator, complete the following steps:

From an iSeries Navigator window, expand the i5/OS partition you are working with.
Click Configuration and Service > Hardware > Tape Devices.
Click Stand-Alone Devices and then right-click the tape device you want to transfer control of to i5/OS. Select Make Available.
If the tape device is also a tape library, click Tape Libraries and then right-click the tape library you want to transfer control of to i5/OS. Select Make Available.

Transfer control of a tape drive with CL commands

To transfer control of an iSeries tape drive back to i5/OS with CL commands, complete the following steps:

On an i5/OS command line, use the following command to vary on the tape device:
```
WRKCFGSTS *DEV *TAP
```
On the Work with Configuration Status display, find the tape device you want to transfer control of to i5/OS. Type 1 next to the device and press Enter.
If the tape device is also configured as a tape library, enter the following command:
```
WRKCFGSTS *DEV *TAPMLB
```
On the Work with Configuration Status display, find the tape library you want to transfer control of to i5/OS. Type 1 next to the library and press Enter.

You can now use the tape drive from i5/OS.