Managing Projects and Media > Archiving >

# Creating a Tape Archive

Before archiving to a tape device, make sure:

- The selected device is a fixed, block-size device.
- The tape device is declared in the CLIPMGTDEVICE KEWORD section of the software initialization configuration file.
- A tape is in the tape device. Some devices are unavailable for several minutes after a tape is inserted, so it is best to do this before opening the tape archive module.

To create a tape archive:

1. Open the Archive menu.
2. From the Archive Device box, select Tape as your archiving device.

   Options specific to the tape device appear.

   (a) Archive Device box(b) Device Name box

3. If necessary, select a tape device from the Device Name box.
   NoteTape devices are detected automatically when you first enter the Archive menu.
4. Click Format.

   The Format menu appears.

   (a) Tape Archive Name field(b) Capacity box

5. Enter the name for the archive entry and any additional comments in the Name and Comment fields.
6. Select the capacity of the tape from the Capacity box.

   The Capacity box displays tape sizes that correspond to tapes generally used by the selected device. If you cannot find the description of the tape, select Capacity: Other and use the adjacent field to enter the capacity of the tape in MB.

7. Select Default from the Block Size box to use the default value from the software initialization configuration file. Alternatively, specify an appropriate block size in the adjacent field.
8. Click Format and then Confirm to continue.

   A new archive is created on the tape, and is opened. Save the current project, clip libraries, EditDesks, reels, soft edits, or individual clips. See Saving to an Archive.

   NoteWrite down the archive name and creation date on the tape label. This will help you to select the appropriate OTOC if you need to restore the archive.