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Erase-VBRTapeMedium

Short Description

Erases data from tape.

Applies to

Platform: VMware, Hyper-V

Product Edition: Standard, Enterprise, Enterprise Plus

Syntax

Erase-VBRTapeMedium -Medium <VBRTapeMedium[]> [-Long] [-Wait] [-WarningAction <ActionPreference>] [-WarningVariable <String>] [-WhatIf] [-Confirm] [<CommonParameters>]

Detailed Description

This cmdlet erases data from the selected tapes. The erased tapes are moved to the Free media pool.

The cmdlet provides two scenarios for erasing options:

  • Short: only the tape data header is cleared. The tape becomes available for overwriting. Short erase is a quick procedure.
  • Long: all data is cleared from tape. This procedure requires more time.

You cannot run erase for the following tapes:

  • Offline tapes
  • Tapes used by any jobs
  • Tapes with software or hardware protection.

Parameters

Parameter

Description

Required

Position

Accept
Pipeline
Input

Accept
Wildcard
Characters

Medium

Specifies the array of tapes. The cmdlet will erase these tapes.

Accepts VBRTapeMedium, GUID or string type.

True

Named

True (ByValue,
ByProperty
Name)

False

Long

Indicates that the cmdlet will perform the long (full) erase.

Default: short erase.

False

Named

False

False

Wait

Indicates that the command waits for the erase process(es) to complete before accepting more input.

False

Named

False

False

WhatIf

Specifies whether the cmdlet writes a message that describes the effects of running the cmdlet without actually performing any action.

False

Named

False

False

Confirm

Specifies whether the cmdlet displays a prompt that asks if the user is sure that they want to continue.

False

Named

False

False

<CommonParameters>

This cmdlet supports Microsoft PowerShell common parameters. For more information on common parameters, see the About CommonParameters section of Microsoft Docs.

Return Type

VBRBackupSession

Example 1

This command runs short erase on the tape named "00170010".

  1. Run Get-VBRTapeMedium to get the tape and save it to the $tape variable.
  2. Run Erase-VBRTapeMedium with this variable.

$tape = Get-VBRTapeMedium -Name "00170010"

Erase-VBRTapeMedium -Medium $tape

Example 2

This command runs long erase on the tape named "00170010".

  1. Run Get-VBRTapeMedium to get the tape and save it to the $tape variable.
  2. Run Erase-VBRTapeMedium with this variable. Use the Long parameter.

$tape = Get-VBRTapeMedium -Name "00170010"

Erase-VBRTapeMedium -Medium $tape -Long

Related Commands

Get-VBRTapeMedium