IBM T400 Provide Proper Acclimation and Environmental Conditions, Perform a Thorough Inspection

Figure 14. Double-boxing tape cartridges for shipping

Provide Proper Acclimation and Environmental Conditions

vBefore you use a cartridge, let it acclimate to the normal operating environment for 1 hour. If you see condensation on the cartridge, wait an additional hour.

vEnsure that all surfaces of a cartridge are dry before inserting it.

vDo not expose the cartridge to moisture or direct sunlight.

vDo not expose recorded or blank cartridges to stray magnetic fields of greater than 100 oersteds (for example, terminals, motors, video equipment, X-ray equipment, or fields that exist near high-current cables or power supplies). Such exposure can cause the loss of recorded data or make the blank cartridge unusable.

vMaintain the conditions that are described in “Environmental and Shipping Specifications for Tape Cartridges” on page 62.

Perform a Thorough Inspection

After purchasing a cartridge and before using it, perform the following steps:

vInspect the cartridge’s packaging to determine potential rough handling.

vWhen inspecting a cartridge, open only the cartridge door. Do not open any other part of the cartridge case. The upper and lower parts of the case are held together with screws; separating them destroys the usefulness of the cartridge.

vInspect the cartridge for damage before using or storing it.

vInspect the rear of the cartridge (the part that you load first into the tape load

compartment) and ensure that there are no gaps in the seam of the cartridge

case (see in Figure 17 on page 56). If there are gaps in the seam (see Figure 15 on page 53), the leader pin may be dislodged. Go to “Repositioning or Reattaching a Leader Pin” on page 55.

52IBM TotalStorage LTO Ultrium 2 Tape Drive