Acclimating a Data Cartridge

Stabilizing the data cartridge following transportation or storage overcomes the effects of thermal expansion or contraction.

Always allow the data cartridge time to acclimate to the operating environment. Store the data cartridge in the operating environment one hour for each hour it spent outside the operating environment, up to a maximum of eight hours.

Do not expose the data cartridge to sudden temperature changes while it is in use.

Cleaning

The reason for keeping data cartridge drives clean is that data cartridge technology uses contact recording, meaning that the magnetic head is in contact with the magnetic media when recording to, or reading from the media. Any separation between the magnetic head and media will cause a decrease in signal strength, making it more difficult to interpret data and possibly causing errors. Shown here, from left to right on the surface of the tape are a smoke particle, a fingerprint, a dust particle and a human hair.

To get the best performance from your data cartridge system, routine head and motor puck cleaning should be performed.

Cleaning the magnetic head and motor puck should be done after every eight cumulative hours of tape motion. (Example: if data is backed up on a daily basis, cleaning once a week is a good idea.)

Check with the drive manufacturer for recommended cleaning materials.

Retensioning

Data cartridges can be retensioned by running the tape one full length from the Beginning of Tape (BOT) to End of Tape (EOT) and/or EOT to BOT. This should be done each time a cartridge is loaded, or whenever it has been exposed to extreme variances in temperature. A data cartridge should also be retensioned whenever it has been used continually over the same short length of tape. The correct tension evenly maintained throughout the data cartridge tape pack is essential for the tape to achieve optimum head-to-tape contact and error-free information transfer.

Storage

Data cartridges should be run to either BOT or EOT prior to storage.

Always remove data cartridges whenever the drive is turned off.

When not in use, data cartridges should be stored in their protective covers.

If possible, data cartridges should be stored in the operating environment.

Do not store data cartridges in direct sunlight.

Operating, Storage and Transportation Environments

To ensure reliable data transfer, the following environments should be maintained:

	Temperature	Relative Humidity	Wet Bulb
Operating	41-113° F (5-45°C)	20-80%	79°F
Storage	-40-113°F (-40-45°C)	20-80%	79°F
Transporting	-40-113°F (-40-45°C)	20-80%	79°F

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