device on the same bus.
• Verify that the host application and the device drivers are
installed with the most resent patches to support the tape
drive
• Issue a system reset from the front panel or remote
management
• Remove the back panel cover plate on the loader and
verify that the cables are properly connected to the drive.
• Reboot the loader by turning power off from the rear of the
loader, and then on.
• Reboot the host system when the loader has completed its
power on sequence..
• Contact your service representative.
Autoloader Performance
The autoloader is not efficiently
backing up data
• Check the network bandwidth from the host system. If you
are backing up data over a network, consider comparing to
a local-only backup.
• Make sure the autoloader and tape drive are on their own
SCSI bus and not daisy-chained to another tape drive or to
the hard drive being backed up.
• Verify that the host application and the device drivers are
installed with the most resent patches to support the tape
drive and the loader.
• Connect the autoloader to an LVD SCSI bus and make
sure there are no SE devices on the same bus, because
this causes the entire bus to negotiate down to SE speed.
• Clean the tape drive. See the section called “Using the
Cleaning Cartridge” in the “Maintenance” chapter.
• Try a new cartridge. A marginal cartridge can cause
performance problems due to bad spots on the tape,
requiring retries.
• Backing up compressed data lowers performance.
• Check the size of the files. Small file size can impact
performance.
Cleaning
Cannot load the cleaning
Cartridge
• Make sure there is no cartridge present in the drive before
you load a cleaning cartridge.
• Make sure the cleaning cartridge is not expired.
• Contact your service representative.
Write or read issues
Contaminated head
Avoid contamination by ensuring that the autoloader is
installed in a clean, contamination-free environment.
Cartridges should be stored vertically in their plastic cases.
Continue cleaning the tape drive as needed.
If a cleaning cartridge is not successful in resolving the
problem after 3 or more attempts, the cleaning cartridge may
be contaminated and should not be used in another drive.
Non-acclimated media
A cartridge should be acclimated for at least 24 hours before
being used, particularly if it has been stored at a
substantially different temperature or level of humidity than
the autoloader.
Cleaning cartridge is
Incompatible
Make sure you are using an allowed cleaning cartridges
Expired cleaning cartridge
Verify the number of cleanings per cleaning tape for your
media type
Bad/defective/contaminated
media
• If the write/read errors persist and the drive has been
cleaned, that cartridge should be suspected as being
defective, if it is not an invalid cleaning cartridge.
FastStor 1 Installation and User Guide
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