HP StoreEver DAT Tape Drives - Manual (Page 54)

Cleaning cartridge required Tape drive model
You must use a standard cleaning cartridge, part number C5709A
All other HP StorageWorks DAT
tape drives
Do not use swabs or other means of cleaning the heads. The cleaning cartridge uses a special tape
to clean the tape heads. A cleaning cartridge can only be used 50 times or as instructed on the
cartridge packaging. Always place a check mark in a box each time you use the cartridge to clean
the drive. Replace the cleaning cartridge when all the boxes are checked. New cleaning cartridges
are available from HP.
1. Insert a cleaning cartridge into the drive. The tape drive automatically loads the cartridge and
cleans the heads. The Clean LED remains flashing and the Ready LED starts to flash.
At the end of the cleaning cycle, the Clean LED turns off and the drive ejects the cartridge. The
cleaning cycle takes approximately 30-60 seconds.
2. Remove the cleaning cartridge from the drive.
The drive's TapeAlert feature will send a message to your backup application when the tape
heads need cleaning or a cleaning cartridge has expired.
Expired cleaning cartridges
HP StorageWorks DAT 320 drives: If an expired cleaning cartridge is placed into the drive, the Clean
LED remains flashing, and the Ready LED and Tape LED start to flash. The expired cleaning tape ejects
automatically. (The Ready LED turns off, the Clean and Tape LEDs continue to flash. Discard the
cleaning cartridge). Recovery from this condition is to insert a good cleaning cartridge. (The Tape
LED will turn off immediately.)
HP StorageWorks DAT 160 and DAT 72 drives: If the cleaning cartridge is not ejected, it has probably
expired. In this case, press the Eject button, discard the cleaning cartridge and repeat the operation
with a new one.
Handling cartridges
• Do not touch the tape media.
• Do not attempt to clean the tape path or tape guides inside the cartridge.
• Do not leave cartridges in excessively dry or humid conditions.
• Do not leave cartridges in direct sunlight or in places where magnetic fields are present (for ex-
ample, under telephones, next to monitors or near transformers).
• Do not drop cartridges or handle them roughly.
• Do not stick more than one label onto the cartridge label area; extra labels can cause the cartridges
to jam in the drive. Stick labels onto the label area only.
• See the insert included with the tape cartridge for storage conditions.
Getting the most out of cartridges and drives
• Use mostly the matching media type (DAT 320 media for HP StorageWorks DAT 320, DAT 160
media for HP StorageWorks DAT 160).
• Use media for the recommended number of times (DAT 320, DAT 160=100 full backups). Overuse
of the tape will cause it to degrade and possibly shed tape debris in the drive. Too many new
tapes can also cause wear of the drive as they are rougher than used ones.
Use the correct media 54