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StorageExpress(TM) System: Cleaning and Maintaining the Tape Drives
MAXIMIZE THE RELIABILITY OF YOUR STORAGEEXPRESS(TM) SYSTEM TAPES AND TAPE DRIVES
The StorageExpress system is designed to deliver reliable protection for
network data. This system is comprised of several elements: hardware,
software, media, scheduled maintenance, and a media rotation/retirement
scheme. Each element is vital to the integrity of the system. This
technical brief will focus on the proper selection, care and maintenance
for the media and tape drives.
There are three basic rules to follow to achieve the greatest level of
reliability in media and tape drives:
1) Use high quality data tapes and cleaning cartridges.
2) Clean tape drives regularly and often, always marking the date on the
cartridge label.
3) Plan to retire data tapes well in advance of the manufactures
recommended duty cycle.
Media Selection
The quality and condition of media used in a data protection system will
impact the performance and the length of service for that device. For
this reason it is imperative to use high quality data grade tapes.
Follow these guidelines to ensure the media used in the StorageExpress
system will deliver reliable service:
* USE ONLY DATA-QUALITY TAPES. These tapes prolong the life of the
StorageExpress system tape drives.
* In DAT DDS-2 drives, make sure you're using tapes manufactured to the
"Media Recognition System" standard. Look for "Media Recognition
System" printed on the tape case and the face of the tape.
* DO NOT USE VIDEO-GRADE OR AUDIO-GRADE TAPES. These tapes are not
manufactured to the tight specifications of data-grade tapes.
Intel endorses the manufacturers tape recommendations in the chart
below:
Drive ManufacturerDrive Type Recommended MediaShelf Life
EXABYTE 8MM EXATAPE* 30 years
Hewlett Packard 4MM & Autochang 30 years
Cleaning tape drives
The tape drives in the StorageExpress system need regular cleaning to
work reliably. You should clean tape drives after the first of the
following:
* 30 days
* 30 hours of drive use
* 30 gigabytes of data are written to tape
Failing to clean a tape drive will result in particle build up on the
read/write heads. This buildup will cause some level of *media errors*
to be produced during normal use, and if left unattended will finally
render the tape drive unusable, requiring service.
The StorageExpress system automatically alerts you to clean the tape
drives after 30 hours of drive use. Use an approved cleaning tape. For
8mm drives, use an Exabyte cleaning tape. For DAT drives, use a
cleaning cassette marked with the Media Recognition System logo.
To clean a single tape drive:
1. Insert a cleaning cartridge in a drive and close the drive door.
After about 15 seconds, the door opens automatically.
2. Remove the cleaning cartridge and record the date on the label.
To clean an autochanger:
1.Put a cleaning cartridge into slot 1 of an empty magazine.
2. Insert the magazine into the autochanger. The autochanger will
automatically mount the cartridge and clean the tape drive read/write
heads.
3. After the autochanger unloads the cleaning tape back into the
magazine, push the eject button to eject the magazine and remove the
cleaning tape.
Note: If you leave a cleaning tape in the autochanger, the
StorageExpress system will not read any tapes in the magazine after the
cleaning tape. However, you can put a cleaning tape in slot 6 of the
autochanger and reserve the slot for cleaning. For information, see
*Cleaning Autochanger* in the StorageExpress System Reference Guide.
WARNING Abrasive tapes can destroy the read/write heads. Using
non-recommended cleaning cartridges can result in much degraded head
life. Some types of abrasive tapes, typical of video grade tape and
cleaning cartridges, can deposit material on the read/write heads,
rendering them immediately useless. To avoid this problem, quality data
grade tapes and cleaning cartridges should always be used in
StoreExpress System tape drives.
Maintaining data tape sets
To ensure reliable storage of networked data, follow these guidelines:
* STORE TAPES VERTICALLY. Do not lay a tape flat or put any weight on
it.
* MAINTAIN PROPER STORAGE TEMPERATURE. Keep the storage temperature
between 5 degrees C and 40 degrees C (41 degrees F and 104 degrees F).
* MAINTAIN PROPER STORAGE HUMIDITY. Keep the relative humidity at or
below 45%.
* KEEP TAPES AWAY FROM EMF (ELECTRO-MAGNETIC FIELDS). Store tapes away
from magnets or any high voltage source (such as a video monitor).
* PLAN THE LIFE CYCLE OF EACH TAPE. To increase the reliability of your
backups, stop using a tape when it is beyond its useful life. The
manufacturers' ratings of useful life are:
* Exabyte 8mm tape life = 1500 passes
* HP DAT DDS-1 and DDS-2 tape life = 2000 passes
A complete backup of one server volume uses about 5 passes. (A pass
occurs any time the tape passes through its tape path under tension. For
example, reading a tape uses one pass, as does loading, ejecting, or
writing to a tape.)
In closing, remember to follow the three basic rules to achieve the
greatest level of reliability in tapes and tape drives:
1) Use high quality data tapes and cleaning cartridges.
2) Clean tape drives regularly and often, always marking the date on the
cartridge label.
3) Plan to retire data tapes well in advance of the manufactures
recommended duty cycle.
Trademark information