The tape volumes for the Oracle database are overwritten again at each backup or archive by BRBACKUP or BRARCHIVE. These tools never use the space remaining on the tapes after a backup has finished. New tapes have to be inserted each time you make a backup. For more information on the contents of a volume that has been written by BRBACKUP or BRARCHIVE, see Used Volumes.

BRBACKUP or BRARCHIVE can only use volumes that are correctly initialized. Initialized volumes have an SAP-specific tape label.

The backup volumes must be managed to make sure that they are protected from premature deletion, ensuring that you have access to the required volumes at all times. For more information, see Volume Expiration Period.