Write-protecting cartridges

If you want to protect the data on a cartridge from being altered or overwritten, you can write- protect the cartridge.

Always remove the cartridge from the tape drive before you change the write protection.

•To write-protect a cartridge, slide the red tab by the label area on the rear face of the cartridge to close the hole. Note the padlock on the tab that indicates that the cartridge is protected.

•To write-enable a cartridge, slide the red tab back so that the hole is open before loading it into the drive. Figure 11 illustrates the location of the write-protect tab.

Write-protection will not prevent a cartridge being erased by bulk-erasure or degaussing. Do not bulk erase Ultrium format cartridges. This will destroy pre-recorded servo information and make the cartridge unusable.

Cleaning cartridges

You must use Ultrium cleaning cartridges with HP StorageWorks Ultrium tape drives, as other cleaning cartridges will not load and run. We recommend the HP Ultrium universal cleaning cartridge (see table 3). Unlike some earlier Generation 1 Ultrium cleaning cartridges, the orange-colored Ultrium universal cleaning cartridge is designed to work with any Ultrium- compliant drive. Do not use other format cartridges in your tape drive and do not use Ultrium cartridges in other format tape drives.

Type of cartridge	Recommended cartridge	Other options
Cleaning	HP Ultrium universal cleaning	HP Ultrium 1 cartridge C7979A (Blue).
	cartridge C7978A (Orange)	Do not use other Ultrium 1 (IBM/Seagate)
		cartridges.

table 3: cleaning cartridge compatibility

To clean the tape drive

HP StorageWorks Ultrium tape drives do not require regular cleaning. An Ultrium universal cleaning cartridge is supplied with each tape drive and should only be used when the orange Clean (Ultrium 960 and 460) or Use Cleaning Cartridge (Ultrium 230) LED is flashing.

1Insert the Ultrium universal cleaning cartridge.

2The drive will carry out its cleaning cycle and eject the cartridge on completion (which can take up to 5 minutes). During the cleaning cycle the orange Clean (Ultrium 960 and 460) or Use Cleaning Cartridge (Ultrium 230) LED will be on solidly and the green Ready LED will flash.

Each HP Ultrium universal cleaning cartridge cleaning cartridge can be used up to 50 times with Ultrium 960 and Ultrium 460 tape drives, and up to 15 times with Ultrium 230 tape drives. (HP Ultrium 1 cleaning cartridges can only be used up to 15 times with any tape drive.) If the cleaning cartridge is ejected immediately with the Tape Error LED on, it has expired.

Caring for cartridges

It is important that you look after your HP media and adhere to the recommended guidelines. See “Looking after cartridges” on page 46.