IBM 40/80 GB DLT Specifications, About, Results, Tapes, Ends, Must, Installed, Adversely, Build

Part

2:

Appendixes

The

following

appendixes

contain

the

POST

sequence,

product

specifications,

problem-solving

information,

help and

service

information,

the

product

warranty,

and

notices.

Appendix

A.

Maintaining

your

tape

drive

This

section

contains

important

information

about

maintaining

your

tape

drive

and

caring

for

your

storage

media.

Tape

handling

and

storage

Most

tape

is

supplied

in

a

sealed

cartridge.

Tape

is

provided

this

way

so

that

the tape

will

remain

in

a

clean

environment.

Opening

the

cartridge allows dirt and airborne

particles

to

enter

and

then

become

a

source

of

contamination.

The

cartridge

must

only

be

opened

by

the

tape

drive

and

not

by

an

operator.

The

tape

is

also

held

under

proper

tension

inside

the

cartridge.

If

the

cartridge

is

dropped,

this

tension

is

relaxed.

Inserting

a

dropped

cartridge

into

a

tape

drive

can

often

cause

a

mis-load

that

results

in

a jam.

The

jam

ruins

the

tape

and

can

cause

physical

damage

if

the

cartridge

is

not

removed

properly.

When

the

tapes

are

stored,

they

must

be

reinstalled

into

their

protective

containers

and

stored

on

their

ends.

You

must

store

the

tapes

in

a

clean,

dry area with normal room temperature, and

away

from

magnetic

fields.

Environmental issues

The

operating

environment

might

adversely

affect

tape

drive

operation.

The

tape

drive

is

designed

to

operate

in

a

clean

environment.

When

tape

is

installed

in

a

tape

drive,

the

clearance

between

the

heads

and

the

tape

is

measured

in

microns.

Even

particles

of

smoke

are

larger

than

the

space

available

between

the

tape

and

the

heads.

Other

environmental

factors

that

adversely

affect

tape

drive

operation

are

dirt,

dust,

fibers,

and

airborne

particles.

Tape

drive

cleaning

Even

if

the

operating

environment

is

clean,

dirt

might

build

up

on

the

heads of

any

tape

drive.

Every

time

tape

motion

occurs,

some

of

the

media

surface

comes

off

on

the

heads.

Over

time,

this

material

builds

up

and

causing

the

tape

head

clearance

to

increase.

The

increased

tape

head

clearance

produces

reading

and

writing

errors.

Most

tape

drives

today

have

a built-in

cleaning

indicator

to

notify

you

when

the

tape

needs

cleaning.

Do

not

use

any

non-IBM

cleaning

cartridges

with

these

tape

drives. You

can

only

use

cleaning

cartridges

for

a

limited

number

of

times.

A

cleaning

cartridge

is

expired

after

it

has

been

used

for

the

maximum

number

of

times.

When

a

cleaning

cartridge

is

expired,

you

must

replace

it.

Never

reuse

an

expired

cleaning

cartridge.

If

you

continue

to

use

an

expired

cleaning

cartridge,

you

will

reintroduce

previously

removed

dirt

to

the

tape

drive

and

you

will

not

clean

the

drive. To

make

sure

that

you

know

 Copyright IBM Corp. 1999, 2000 2-1