HP StoreEver DAT Tape Drives - Manual (Page 49)

Table 6 Cleaning cartridge compatibility
Tape drive model Cleaning cartridge required
HP StorageWorks DAT 160 tape drives You must use a DAT 160 cleaning cartridge, part
number C8015A
All other HP StorageWorks DAT tape drives You must use a standard cleaning cartridge, part
number C5709A
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.
At the end of the cleaning cycle, the drive ejects the cartridge. The cleaning cycle takes
approximately 30-60 seconds.
HP StorageWorks DAT 72 and DAT 160 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.
HP StorageWorks DAT 40 drives: If the cleaning cartridge ejects in less than 20 seconds, it has
probably expired. In this case, discard the cleaning cartridge and repeat the operation with a
new one.
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.
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 example, 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 160 media for HP StorageWorks DAT 160, DAT 72
media for HP StorageWorks DAT 72, DDS-4 media for HP StorageWorks DAT 40).
• Use media for the recommended number of times (DAT 160, DAT 72 and DDS-4=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.
• Do not verify (DDS does read-after-write checking automatically).
• Do not overload the server during backups. Maximize the transfer rate (run overnight with no
other processes) and use incremental backups if convenient.
• Do not overuse your tape drive—it is designed for approximately three hours of tape pulling per
day, not constant usage—and clean the drive regularly. See “ Cleaning cartridges ” on page 48.
DAT SCSI Tape Drives 49