Exabyte 8505XL, 007-3086-001 manual Problems With Tape Drive Operation

Chapter 4: Troubleshooting

Problems With Tape Drive Operation

Most problems with tape drive operation occur with improper cartridge use. If you have been successfully operating your backup software and tape drive in the past, but are now experiencing problems reading and writing data, check the following:

•If you are writing data, make sure that the data cartridge is write enabled.

•Check the brand of data cartridge you are using. Silicon Graphics recommends using EXATAPE data cartridges (see “Selecting Data Cartridges” on page 19).

Note: When selecting extended-length tapes for XL tape drives, only use EXATAPE 160-m XL 8 mm data cartridges. Any other type of extended-length tape may be automatically ejected (see “Selecting Data Cartridges” on page 19).

•Make sure that you are inserting the data cartridge correctly.

•If the data cartridge has been in use for a long time or has been used frequently, try using a new data cartridge.

•Determine whether the tape drive needs cleaning (see “Determining When to Clean the Tape Drive” on page 23).

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