Provide proper acclimation and environmental conditions
• Before you use a cartridge, let it acclimate to the normal operating environment for 1 hour. If you see
condensation on the cartridge, wait an additional hour.
• Ensure that all surfaces of a cartridge are dry before inserting it.
• Do not expose the cartridge to moisture or direct sunlight.
• Do not expose recorded or blank cartridges to stray magnetic fields of greater than 100 oersteds (for
example, terminals, motors, video equipment, X-ray equipment, or fields that exist near high-current
cables or power supplies). Such exposure can cause the loss of recorded data or make the blank
cartridge unusable.
• Maintain the following environmental conditions outlined in Table 7 on page 26.
Table 7. Environment specification
Product operation (equipment is powered on)
Dry-bulb temperature
Humidity range, non-
condensing
Maximum
dew point
temperature
4
Maximu
m wet-
bulb
tempera
ture
5
Maximu
m
elevatio
n
Allowab
le
2
Recom
mended
3
Maximu
m rate
of
change
Allowab
le
Recom
mended
Maximu
m rate
of
change
22°C (72°F) for
LTO 9
26°C
(79°F)
3050 m
(10,000
feet)
15 to
35°C
(59 to
95°F)
15 to
25°C
(59 to
77°F)
5°C/
hour
(9°F/
hour)
20% to
80% RH
20% to
50% RH
5% RH/
hour
with no
condens
ation
Note:
1. Product equipment is removed from the original shipping container and installed but not in use - for
example, during repair, maintenance, or upgrade.
2. Derate maximum dry-bulb temperature 1°C/300 m above 900 m (1.8°F/1,000 feet above 3,000
feet).
3. Derate maximum recommended dry-bulb temperature 1°C/300 m above 1,800 m (1.8°F/1,000 feet
above 6,000 feet).
4. Applies to LTO 9 drives
5. Applies to LTO drive generations 1 through 8.
Perform a thorough inspection
• Inspect the cartridge's packaging to determine potential rough handling.
• When inspecting a cartridge, open only the cartridge door. Do not open any other part of the cartridge
case. The upper and lower parts of the case are held together with screws; separating them destroys
the usefulness of the cartridge.
• Inspect the cartridge for damage before using or storing it.
• Inspect the rear of the cartridge (the part that you load first into the tape load compartment) and ensure
that there are no gaps in the seam of the cartridge case. If there are gaps in the seam, the leader pin
may be dislodged.
• Check that the leader pin is properly seated.
26 Dell PowerVault LTO Tape Drive: User's Guide
