Seagate STT8000A Care and maintenance of the drive and cartridges, Caring for tape cartridges

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Drive operation and maintenance

Chapter 4

Care and maintenance of the drive and cartridges

Minimal maintenance is needed to ensure that your STT8000A minicartridge drive operates at peak condition. This section explains how to care for tape cartridges and how to clean the drive head.

Caring for tape cartridges

Although minicartridge tape cartridges are ruggedly built, they must be handled with care to preserve the data that they contain. The following points are guidelines for storing and using minicartridges.

∙Do not open the tape access door of the cartridge or touch the tape itself. One fingerprint can prevent the drive from reading the tape.

∙Keep the cartridge away from sources of electromagnetic fields, such as telephones, dictation equipment, mechanical or printing calculators, motors, and bulk erasers. Do not lay cartridges on the computer monitor or on the base unit of the computer.

∙Keep the cartridge away from direct sunlight and heat sources, such as radiators or warm air ducts.

∙Keep the cartridge free of moisture. Do not wet or submerge a cartridge in any liquid.

∙Do not expose the cartridge to temperature extremes. Allow the cartridge to assume room temperature slowly.

∙Retensioning the tape cartridge is always recommended for optimal performance, particularly after exposure of the cartridge to temperature changes or shock. Retensioning restores the proper tape tension to the media.

Caring for the drive

Follow these guidelines to help ensure that your drive provides long, reliable service:

∙Operate the drive in a clean, dust-free environment.

∙Never apply a lubricant to the drive.

∙Under normal operation, you should clean the drive heads and captstan once a month. See the following page for details.

STT8000A Product Manual

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Contents STT8000A Atapi Minicartridge Drive Product Manual Page FCC Notice Important Information About This Manual Table of Contents Atapi interface Tape format Glossary Acronyms and measurements Drive overview IntroductionSTT8000A internal drive without mounting brackets Features Minicartridge technology overview Typical system configurationsReferences Flash EepromSoftware Chapter Title Description About this manualOverview SpecificationsPhysical specifications STT8000A 3.5-Inch mount general dimensions Specification Measurement Power specificationsFeature Specification Performance specificationsEnvironmental requirements Specification Operational Non-operationalMean-Time-To-Repair ReliabilityMean-Time-Between Failures Tape capacities and formats Recommended tapesTUV & IEC-RHEINLAND Regulatory complianceHandling guidelines InstallationIntroduction Before you beginJumper block and jumper settings Setting jumpersAligning the drive in the computer Installing the driveMounting dimensions Mounting holes on internal drive without mounting brackets Pin Assignment Description Source ATA-2 Interface pin assignmentsREQ Chapter Installation Front panel LED Drive operation and maintenance Loading and unloading cartridges Using Travan cartridgesTravan cartridge write-protect switch-locked position Setting the write-protect switchLoading revised firmware via Seagate firmware cartridge Caring for the drive Care and maintenance of the drive and cartridgesCaring for tape cartridges Capstan Tape Head Troubleshooting Chapter ATA-2 Interface ATA-2 SignalsAtapi interface Abrt ATA registersBits Mnemonic Description Previous Cmd Int Reason Supported ATA CommandsFeature Number Set Feature Commands Atapi Identify Device A1h Atapi Packet Command A0h DSC Atapi interfaceErase command Bit Byte Inquiry commandLoad/Unload command Locate command Log Select command Log Sense command Following table presents the Error Counter Page layout Error Counter Page ReadFollowing table presents the Tape Capacity Page layout Tape Capacity Page CodeMode Select command Code Description Mode Sense commandMode Block Descriptor Mode Parameter HeaderMode Capabilities and Mechanical Status Mode Medium PartitionMode Tape Parameters Read command Following table describes the Read Position layout Read Position commandChapter Atapi Interface Request Sense command Following table describes the Request Sense layout Rewind command Space command Test Unit Ready command Write command Write Filemark command Write Buffer download microcode command Track positions Tape formatTape partitioning Frames Track numberingTrack format General track layout Blocks Tape reference servo patternRandomization Write equalizationChapter Tape format Theory of operations Block diagramChassis Capstan drive motor assemblyMechanics Cartridge load mechanismHead design Sensors and switchesControl circuits Travan minicartridge Media-Travan minicartridgesGlossary Appendix a Glossary Glossary Appendix a Glossary Acronyms and abbreviations Acronyms and measurementsLSI Measure Meaning Units of measurementAppendix B Acronyms and Measurements