Magtape Problems in OpenVMS Alpha V7.2

This Information Blitz (TD 2640-CR) outlines several bugs introduced in OpenVMS Alpha V7.2 related to magnetic tape support. Reported symptoms include incorrect operating densities, failures with the /MEDIA=[NO]COMPACTION qualifier, access violations during BACKUP continuation, improper write-back cache settings on TA90 drives, and fatal errors on Exabyte 8200 drives. Engineering is working on a fix; in the meantime, users are advised to avoid the /DENSITY qualifier, use locally attached drives to mitigate compaction issues, or confine tape operations to pre-V7.2 OpenVMS Alpha nodes or VAX nodes within a mixed-version cluster.