Dell PowerVault 160T LTO2 (Tape Library) - Manual (Page 28)

Working With Cartridges and Barcodes: Dell PowerVault 160T Tape Library User's Guide
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Working With Cartridges and Barcodes: Dell™
PowerVault™ 160T Tape Library User's Guide
Cartridge Handling Practice
Write-Protecting Cartridges
Installing Barcode Labels
Using Cleaning Cartridges
Managing Media
The Library Management Console unifies and simplifies cartridge loading and unloading, importing and exporting, moving and
inventory. The library expands to 1344 LTO media slots, and can accommodate Fibre LTO-1 or Fibre LTO-2 cartridges. Every
partition in the library must contain at least one cleaning cartridge.
Cartridge Handling Practice
To ensure the longest possible life for all of your cartridges, follow these guidelines:
Select a visible location to post procedures that describe proper media handling.
Ensure that anyone who handles cartridges has been properly trained in all procedures.
Do not drop or strike a cartridge. Excessive shock can damage the internal contents of the cartridge or the cartridge
case itself, making that cartridge unusable.
Do not expose cartridges to direct sunlight or sources of heat, including portable heaters and heating ducts.
Do not stack cartridges more than five high.
The operating temperature range for LTO cartridges is 10º to 35ºC. The storage temperature range is 16º to 32ºC in a
dust-free environment with a relative humidity range between 20% and 80% (non-condensing).
If a cartridge has been exposed to temperatures outside the ranges specified above, stabilize the cartridge at room
temperature for the same amount of time it was exposed to extreme temperatures or 24 hours, whichever is less.
Do not place cartridges near sources of electromagnetic energy or strong magnetic fields, such as computer monitors,
electric motors, speakers, or x-ray equipment. Exposure to electromagnetic energy or magnetic fields can destroy data
and the embedded servo code written on the media by the cartridge manufacturer, rendering the cartridge unusable.
Place identification labels only in the designated slot on the cartridge.
If you ship a cartridge, ship it in its original packing or something stronger than that.
Do not insert a damaged cartridge into a drive.
Do not touch the tape or tape leader.
Do not degauss a cartridge that you intend to reuse.
Write-Protecting Cartridges
All cartridges have a write-protect switch to prevent accidental erasure or overwriting of data. Before loading a cartridge into
the library, make sure the write-protect switch on the front of the cartridge is positioned correctly. Slide the switch to the
right to write-protect the cartridge.
For LTO cartridges, a small, orange padlock is visible when the cartridge is write-protected. See Figure 1 for the
location of the switch.
Slide the switch to the left to allow the library to write to the tape.
The write-protect switch displays a black void when the cartridge permits overwriting and erasure.
Figure 1. Write-Protect Switch on an LTO-1 Cartridge