Quantum LTO-2 manual Drive Maintenance, Retensioning the Tape

Chapter 3 Operation

Drive Maintenance

Retensioning the Tape

If, during storage and/or transportation, a data cartridge has been exposed to conditions outside the above range, it must be conditioned before use in the operating environment. The conditioning process requires exposure to the operating environment for a time equal to, or greater than, the time away from the operating environment, up to a maximum of 24 hours.

•Keep the cartridge away from direct sunlight and heat sources, such as radiators, heaters, or warm air ducts.

•Keep the cartridge away from sources of electromagnetic fields, such as telephones, computer monitors, dictation equipment, mechanical or printing calculators, motors, magnetic tools, and bulk erasers.

•Avoid dropping the cartridges.

This can damage components inside the cartridge, possibly rendering the tape unusable. If a tape is dropped it is advisable to open the cartridge door and make sure that the leader pin is in the correct position. A dropped cartridge should be retensioned before use.

•Do not bulk erase Ultrium cartridges.

Bulk-erased cartridges cannot be reformatted by the tape drive and will be rendered unusable.

Drive Maintenance

The Ultrium drive requires little or no maintenance. However, the drive mechanism may need to be cleaned.

Cleaning the Tape Excessive tape debris or other material may accumulate on the tape heads

Driveif the drive is used with non-approved media or operated in a hot, dusty environment. In this case, the drive may experience excessive errors while reading or writing, and the amber Status LED remains on continuously during operation. This means that the drive heads need to be cleaned.

24 LTO-2 Half-Height Tape Drive User’s Guide