Chapter 8. Best Practices for Tape Drives and Tape Media
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Inspecting Tape Media
Caution:
Do not insert a damaged cartridge into the drive. A damaged
cartridge can interfere with the reliability of the drive and may
void the warranties of the drive and the cartridge.
Before inserting a tape cartridge into a drive, inspect the cartridge case, cartridge door,
and write-protect switch for breaks. Incorrect handling or an incorrect environment
can damage the tape cartridge or its magnetic tape. To avoid damage to your tape
cartridges and to ensure the continued high reliability of your drive, use the following
guidelines:
• Do not drop the cartridge. If the cartridge drops, slide the cartridge door back and
ensure that the leader pin is properly seated in the pin-retaining spring clips.
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.
• 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.
• Do not handle tape that is outside the cartridge. Handling the tape can damage the
tape’s surface or edges, which may interfere with read or write reliability. Pulling on
tape that is outside the cartridge can damage the tape and the brake mechanism in
the cartridge.
