Tape Cartridge Care and Maintenance

Using Data Cartridges for the LTO-3A

Observe the following precautions to protect the data on your Ultrium tape cartridges:

Always:

• Remove the cartridge from the drive when not in use

 

and store it in its protective case.

 

• Avoid dropping the cartridge. This can damage

 

components inside the cartridge, possibly rendering

 

the tape unusable. If you drop a tape cartridge, open

 

the cartridge door and make sure that the leader pin

 

is in the correct position.

 

Re-tension a dropped cartridge before using.

 

• Keep the cartridge away from:

 

• Direct sunlight and heat sources, such as

 

radiators, heaters, or warm air ducts.

 

• Sources of electromagnetic fields, such as

 

telephones, computer monitors, dictation

 

equipment, mechanical or printing calculators,

 

motors, magnetic tools, and bulk erasers.

 

 

Do not:

• Expose the cartridge to dirt, dust or moisture.

 

• Touch the tape media within the cartridge.

 

• Bulk erase Ultrium tape cartridges. LTO tape

 

cartridges have prewritten servo patterns that

 

cannot be reformatted by the tape drive. A bulk

 

erase operation would make them unusable.

 

• Use tape cartridges outside the specified operating

 

conditions: 10o C to 40o C, 20% to 80% relative

 

humidity.

 

If a tape cartridge has been exposed to conditions

 

outside the specified range, recondition the tape

 

before using in the operating environment by

 

exposing it to the operating environment for a time

 

equal to or greater than the time it was outside the

 

operating environment, up to a maximum of 24

 

hours. Then re-tension the tape to stabilize the tape

 

pack for better performance.

 

 

Quantum A-Series Tape Drives User’s Guide

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Quantum A-Series manual Tape Cartridge Care and Maintenance, Always