Tape_Expiration=date-time Specifies the expiration date of the backup (.rbf) file. Note that when RMU Backup reads a tape, it looks at the expiration date in the file header of the first file on the tape and assumes the date it finds in that file header is the expiration date for the entire tape. Therefore, if you are backing up an .rbf file to tape, specifying the Tape_Expiration qualifier only has meaning if the .rbf is the first file on the tape. You can guarantee that the .rbf file will be the first file on the tape by specifying the Rewind qualifier and overwriting any existing files on the tape. When the first file on the tape contains an expiration date in the file header, you cannot overwrite the tape before the expiration date unless you have the OpenVMS SYSPRV or BYPASS privilege. Similarly, when you attempt to restore a .rbf file from tape, you cannot perform the restore operation after the expiration date recorded in the first file on the tape unless you have the OpenVMS SYSPRV or BYPASS privilege By default, no expiration date is written to the .rbf file header. In this case, if the .rbf file is the first file on the tape, the tape can be overwritten immediately. If the .rbf file is not the first file on the tape, the ability to overwrite the tape is determined by the expiration date in the file header of the first file on the tape. You cannot explicitly set a tape expiration date for an entire volume. The volume expiration date is always determined by the expiration date of the first file on the tape. The Tape_Expiration qualifier cannot be used with a backup file written to disk. See the Oracle Rdb Guide to Database Maintenance for information on tape label processing.