Exabyte 1X7 LTO manual 107, Tape Drive Troubleshooting, Tape Drive Operation

TAPE DRIVE TROUBLESHOOTING

If you are unable to resolve the problem, use LibTool to obtain a diagnostic log from the autoloader immediately after the error is reported (see page 102). Alternatively, if your autoloader is equipped with the optional Ethernet port, you can use FTP to obtain a diagnostic log from the autoloader (see page 100). Exabyte Technical Support can examine the log to determine the nature of the reported error.

✔Firmware level. Make sure that your autoloader and tape drive contain the latest versions of firmware.

To check the autoloader’s code level, see page 79.

To check the tape drive’s code level, see page 85.

To determine whether you have the latest version of firmware, check the

Exabyte web site at www.exabyte.com/downloads.

TAPE DRIVE TROUBLESHOOTING

TAPE DRIVE OPERATION

Refer to the tape drive product manual for detailed tape drive troubleshooting information. If you have been successfully operating the application software and autoloader in the past, but are now experiencing problems reading and writing data, check the following:

✔Write-protect switch. If you are writing data, make sure that the cartridge is write-enabled (see page 63).

✔Cartridge type. Use the appropriate cartridges for your tape drive. See page 63 for information about selecting cartridges.

✔Cartridge age. If the cartridge has been in use for a long time or if it has been used frequently, try using a new cartridge.

✔Cleaning. Clean the tape drive as described on page 70.

TAPE DRIVE FAILS WITH SPORADIC ERRORS.

✔Terminator. Check the terminator used on the tape drive.

! Important	Both LTO-2 and LTO-3 tape drives require an Ultra 3 or
	LVD 160 terminator to function properly on the SCSI bus. An
	inadequate terminator will result in various, sporadic SCSI bus
	issues, including bus hangs and Read/Write failures.

Both LTO-2 and LTO-3 tape drives are Ultra 160 SCSI devices and require a minimum Ultra 160 non-RAID SCSI card, Ultra 160 rated cabling, and an Ultra 160 Active terminator. Cabling and termination rated higher (Ultra 320, for example) is also acceptable.

OCTOBER 2006 MAGNUM 1X7 LTO AUTOLOADER

107