HP Integrity NonStop H-Series - Manual (Page 22)

Operation
M8705A Tape Drive Installation and User’s Guide — 694638-001
4 -8
LTO Cartridge Media
Handling Cartridges
1. Do not open the cartridge door and touch the tape media.
2. Do not attempt to clean the tape path or tape guides inside the cartridge.
3. Do not leave cartridges in the drive. The tape loses tension in the power-off state,
which can lead to problems, particularly if the drive has been moved.
4. Do not leave cartridges in excessively dry or humid conditions.
5. Do not leave cartridges in direct sunlight or in places where magnetic fields are
present (for example, under telephones, next to monitors or near transformers).
6. Do not drop cartridges or handle them roughly.
7. Stick labels onto the label area only.
8. Do not bulk erase (or degauss) Ultrium format cartridges because this will render
them unusable.
Labeling Tape Cartridges
The ACL contains a bar code reader that reads the tape labels and stores the
inventory data in memory. The ACL then provides the inventory information to the
server, OCP, and RMI. Having a bar code label on each tape cartridge enables the bar
code reader to identify the cartridge quickly, thereby speeding up inventory time. Make
it a practice to use bar code labels on your tape cartridges.
Tip. The bar code scanner must scan each tape or the back of the storage slot until it reads
the bar code label for the cartridge or storage slot, or determines that the slot is empty. The bar
code scanner can identify a properly labeled cartridge on the first scan. It can identify an empty
slot on the second scan. It will try several more scans and then tap on the cartridge before
determining that an unlabeled cartridge is in the slot, which takes about four times as long as
identifying a properly labeled cartridge. Even if you do not need the bar code information, use
bar code labels to speed up inventory time.