Troubleshooting: Formatting a tape

Issue

How do I format my tape?

Details

To perform database backups, you need a tape drive that is supported by SQL Server. Consult the Microsoft documentation for a list of supported tape drives.

When backing up to tape, use a standard backup strategy. For instance, for a one-week backup, a minimum of seven tapes would normally be required, one for each day of the week. A one-month backup can be built using a minimum of 10 tapes. Multiple copies of the daily tape backups are recommended to guard against the unintended use of defective tapes. No matter how many tapes are used during a backup cycle, keep all the incremental tapes, between the oldest and the most current, as well as at least the last full backup, so that all necessary transactions logs can be replayed after the last restore is completed.

Solution

1. Put the tape in the drive.

2. At the command prompt, type ntback.

3. In the backup window, switch to the Restore tab.

4. Right-click the media and select Format.