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

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 64