Spectra Logic 10000 manual Tape Drive Head Cleaning, Manual Drive Head Cleaning Operation

Chapter 6. Maintaining the Library

Tape Drive Head Cleaning

Head cleaning with a Sony SDX-TCL cleaning cartridge should be performed every 100 hours of drive use or less. Greater frequency is required in the following situations:

•When the library is installed in areas having high amounts of airborne particulates.

•When the drive fails to write or read data correctly.

•When the drive fails to eject a data cartridge.

Note: Dirty drive heads are not the only cause for read or write failures. Damaged media can also cause this type of failure.

Most installations require scheduled cleaning using SDX-TCL cleaning cartridges. Scheduled cleaning is definitely required in installations having high amounts of airborne particulates. Most software applications have features that allow scheduled automatic head cleaning of tape libraries.

Manual Drive Head Cleaning Operation

To manually clean your AIT tape drives, follow these steps:

Note: Use only Sony SDX-TCL cleaning cartridges.

1.Insert a cleaning tape into the front door of the library.

2.Select the drive that you would like to clean.

3.Press the Clean Drive button at the bottom of the Drive Info screen.

The library loads the tape and cleans the drive. When the cleaning cycle is finished, the library returns the cleaning tape to the door.

4.After cleaning the drive, remove the tape from the library and check off one of the boxes on the cleaning tape’s label (each check box represents one cycle for which the cleaning tape can be used).

Caution: Do not use the cleaning cartridge for more than the number of specified cleaning cycles indicated on the cartridge label.

5.Repeat Steps 1 through 4 for each drive in the library as necessary.

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