Use the Host Validation function to test the complete data path between your computer and your LTO drive, then submit the results directly to Symply Support without leaving the app.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview

Host Validation tests the complete data path between your computer and the tape drive. It writes data to the loaded cartridge at different block sizes and compression settings, reads it back, and measures throughput — confirming that your computer, host bus adapter (HBA), cabling, and drive can all transfer data reliably and at the expected speed.

Unlike Run Test, which focuses on the drive’s internal hardware diagnostics and self-tests, Host Validation is specifically designed to catch problems in the connection between your system and the drive. It performs multiple write-read-verify cycles with varying parameters to exercise the data path under different conditions, and reports detailed throughput results (data rate, elapsed time, and total data transferred) for each pass.

The test typically takes 30–40 minutes. The drive will be fully occupied during this time. When it finishes, SymplyATOM2 displays a performance summary and saves a results file that you can upload directly to a new or existing Symply Support ticket, or reveal in Finder.

Symply Support may ask you to run Host Validation when troubleshooting transfer speed problems, data errors during LTFS operations, or suspected cabling or HBA issues — situations where the drive itself may be healthy but something in the connection chain is not performing correctly.

All data on the tape will be permanently erasedHost Validation writes test data across the entire tape. Any existing content — including LTFS-formatted data — will be destroyed before the test begins. Only use a tape you are prepared to erase, or a blank scratch tape supplied by Symply Support. The tape can be reformatted with LTFS for normal use after testing completes.

Step 1 — Select your drive and load a tape

1
Click the drive you want to test in the Drives panel on the left. The drive’s details will appear in the main area.
2
If a tape is not already loaded, insert a tape cartridge and click Load Tape in the Tape section. The status bar at the top of the main area must show Tape Present before Host Validation will be available.
SymplyATOM2 main window showing Drive1 selected with Host Validation visible in the Tests section
Drive1 is selected and the Tests section is visible. Host Validation is listed with its approximate 30–40 minute duration.
SymplyATOM2 with Tape Present status showing the drive is ready for operation
Once the tape is loaded, the status changes to Tape Present — Ready for operation and the Host Validation button becomes available.

Step 2 — Open Host Validation and review the warning

Scroll down to the Tests section and click Host Validation. Alternatively, click the Validate icon in the toolbar at the top of the window. A confirmation sheet will appear showing the drive details and a clear warning that all data on the tape will be permanently erased.

Host Validation confirmation dialog showing drive details and data erasure warning with acknowledgement checkbox unchecked and Start button greyed out
The Host Validation sheet shows the drive model, serial number, firmware, and current tape status. The red warning must be read before the acknowledgement checkbox can be ticked. The Start Host Validation button remains disabled until you confirm.

Take note of the following information shown in the sheet:

  • Drive — confirms the drive model, serial number, and firmware version the test will run against.
  • Status: Tape Present — confirms a tape is loaded and ready.
  • Test Duration: 30–40 minutes — do not eject the tape or quit the app while the test is running.
  • This tape is LTFS-formatted (partitioned) — if shown with an Auto-detected badge, the tape contains an LTFS partition that will be removed before testing begins. A second confirmation will appear in the next step.

Step 3 — Acknowledge data erasure and start the test

1
Tick the checkbox labelled “I understand that all data on this tape will be permanently erased.” The Start Host Validation button will become active.
2
Click Start Host Validation.
Host Validation confirmation dialog with acknowledgement checkbox ticked and Start Host Validation button now active
After ticking the acknowledgement checkbox, the Start Host Validation button becomes active.

If the tape is LTFS-formatted, a second confirmation dialog will appear before the test begins:

Secondary confirmation dialog asking to confirm LTFS partition wipe before starting Host Validation
For LTFS-formatted tapes a “Wipe LTFS Data and Run Test?” prompt appears before Host Validation begins. Click Wipe and Start to proceed, or Cancel to abort.

Click Wipe and Start to remove the LTFS partition and begin the test. The tape can be reformatted with LTFS after testing completes.

Step 4 — Wait for the test to complete

SymplyATOM2 will begin running multiple write-read-verify passes across the tape at varying block sizes and compression settings. During this time the drive entry in the sidebar will show Running test… and all other drive actions will be temporarily disabled. The status bar at the bottom of the window shows live progress, including the current data transfer size and throughput rate.

SymplyATOM2 main window with Host Validation in progress — drive shows Running test status, all controls disabled, and live throughput data in the status bar
While Host Validation is running, all tape and drive controls are disabled and the status bar shows live transfer metrics. Only the Support toolbar button remains active.
Do not interrupt the testDo not eject the tape, disconnect the drive, or quit SymplyATOM2 while the test is running. Interrupting the test will require it to be restarted from the beginning and may leave the tape in an unformatted state.

Step 5 — Review the performance summary

When the test finishes, a result sheet will appear with a detailed performance summary for the drive and data path.

Host Validation Complete result sheet showing drive serial, uncompressed and compressed average rates, peak rate, total data transferred, total time, and three action buttons
The Host Validation Complete sheet shows the drive serial and a full throughput summary. From here you can open the results folder, submit directly to Symply Support, or dismiss.

The summary includes the following measurements:

MetricWhat it means
Uncompressed avgAverage throughput measured during passes with hardware compression disabled. Reflects the raw sustained transfer rate of your data path.
Compressed avgAverage throughput measured during passes with hardware compression enabled. Typically higher than the uncompressed figure.
Peak rateThe highest instantaneous transfer rate observed during any pass.
Total dataThe total amount of data written and verified across all passes.
Total timeThe elapsed time for the complete test.
Share these results with SupportYou do not need to interpret these figures yourself — just click Submit to Support and let Symply Support compare them against the expected specification for your drive and HBA. Low throughput or a large gap between uncompressed and compressed averages can indicate a cabling, HBA, or driver issue.

From the result sheet you have three options:

  • Show Results in Finder — Opens the folder containing the results file on your Mac (Windows: opens in File Explorer). Useful if you want to attach the file manually to an email or ticket.
  • Submit to Support — Opens the Submit Support Request window to upload the results and create or update a Symply support ticket. This is the recommended option.
  • Done — Closes the sheet without submitting. You can submit later using the Support toolbar button.

Step 6 — Submit to Support

Clicking Submit to Support opens the Submit Support Request window. This builds a compressed diagnostic bundle, uploads it securely to SymplyNEBULA, and either creates a new support ticket or adds a note to an existing one.

What's included in the bundle

ItemIncludedNotes
Full System Information report (.spx)AlwaysmacOS system profile — hardware, OS, connected devices
Network state snapshotsAlwaysSysdiagnose-style triage data
Support context & manifest filesAlwaysApp version, drive details, current drive state
Current SymplyATOM2 session logSelected by defaultApplication log from the current session
Latest Host Validation outputSelected by defaultThe performance results file from the test completed in Steps 1–5. Shows how recently it was captured.
Retrieve Log, Run Test, Full WriteOptionalOnly available if those operations have been run. Greyed out otherwise — run the relevant operation first to include.
Firmware Upgrade outputOptionalOnly included if a firmware upgrade was performed within the last 24 hours.
Crash reportsOptionalInclude if SymplyATOM2 has crashed or behaved unexpectedly.

An estimated bundle size is shown before you submit, so you know what will be uploaded.

Option A — Create a new support ticket

Select Create new ticket if you have not already contacted Symply Support about this issue.

Submit Support Request sheet showing Create new ticket tab with email, subject, description fields and bundle contents checklist — Latest Host Validation output is selected by default
The Create new ticket tab. The Latest Host Validation output is automatically selected in the bundle contents. Fill in your email address, a brief subject, and a description before clicking Upload and Submit.
  1. Confirm or enter the email address associated with your Symply account.
  2. Enter a short Subject summarising the issue (e.g. LTO-8 — Host Validation results, slow transfer speeds).
  3. In the Description field, describe the symptoms you observed before running the test — for example, slow archive speeds, data errors in LTFS, or a specific error message.
  4. Review the Bundle contents checklist and tick any additional items you want to include.
  5. Click Upload and Submit.
Write a good descriptionThe more detail you provide — what you were doing, what error appeared, whether the issue is intermittent — the faster Symply Support can diagnose the problem. A Current app context summary at the bottom of the form shows the drive state at submission time.

Option B — Add diagnostics to an existing ticket

Select Annotate existing ticket if Symply Support has already opened a case and asked you to run Host Validation and submit the results.

Submit Support Request sheet showing Annotate existing ticket tab with a verified ticket ID and Latest Host Validation output selected
Enter your email address and ticket ID, then click Verify to confirm ownership. Once verified, the ticket subject is shown in green. The Latest Host Validation output is automatically selected.
  1. Enter the email address used when the original ticket was raised.
  2. Enter the Ticket ID number from your existing support case (found in the subject line of any Symply Support email, e.g. #6485).
  3. Click Verify. SymplyATOM2 will confirm the ticket exists and belongs to your email address.
  4. Once verified, add a Description noting that you are submitting the Host Validation results as requested.
  5. Review the Bundle contents and click Upload and Submit.
Ticket ownership checkThe Ticket ID must have been raised using the same email address you enter. If verification fails, double-check both the ticket number and the email address. Contact support@gosymply.com if you are unsure which email was used.

Step 7 — Submission confirmed

After clicking Upload and Submit, SymplyATOM2 compresses the bundle, uploads it securely to SymplyNEBULA, and attaches it to your ticket. When complete, a green confirmation message shows the ticket number.

Submit Support Request sheet scrolled to show Current app context and green confirmation banner: Support submission complete, Ticket #6485 created/updated
The green banner confirms the ticket number. Use the action buttons to reveal the uploaded bundle, copy a direct link, or open the ticket in your browser.

The following actions are available after a successful submission:

  • Reveal Bundle — Opens the folder containing the uploaded bundle file on your Mac.
  • Copy Link — Copies a direct link to the uploaded bundle to your clipboard.
  • Open in Symply Support — Opens your support ticket in a browser so you can track progress or add a reply.
  • Done — Closes the window. Symply Support will contact you via email when there is an update.

Frequently asked questions

How is Host Validation different from Run Test?

Run Test exercises the drive’s internal hardware using the drive’s own built-in diagnostics, and returns a simple pass or fail result. Host Validation tests the entire connection chain — your computer, HBA, cable, and drive working together — and returns detailed throughput measurements. Use Host Validation when Symply Support suspects a speed or connectivity problem rather than a drive hardware fault.

Does Host Validation permanently destroy my data?

Yes. Host Validation writes a known data pattern across the entire tape. All existing content is overwritten and cannot be recovered. Only run the test on a tape you are prepared to erase, or on a blank scratch tape supplied by Symply Support.

Can I reformat the tape for LTFS after the test?

Yes. Once Host Validation has completed you can use the Format function in SymplyATOM2 to re-initialise the tape with an LTFS partition.

My throughput figures look low — what should I do?

Submit the results to Symply Support using Submit to Support from the result sheet. Do not attempt to re-run the test or change any settings before submitting — the results from the first run are exactly what Support needs to diagnose the issue.

What if the Upload and Submit button stays greyed out?

For a new ticket, make sure the Subject field is not empty. For an existing ticket, make sure you have clicked Verify and received a green confirmation before attempting to submit.

Do I need an internet connection?

Yes. The bundle upload and ticket creation both require an active internet connection. If you are offline, use Show Results in Finder to locate the results file and attach it manually to a support email.

Where are Host Validation results stored locally?

On macOS: ~/Library/Logs/SymplyATOM2/HostValidation/
On Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\SymplyATOM2\HostValidation\
Each test creates a subfolder named with the drive serial number and timestamp.

If you have any questions please submit a [support ticket]