Operation and Maintenance
Performing
Autoloader and Tape Drive
AUTOLOADER LTO3 – User Reference Manual Rev. 1.01
TANDBERG DATA
Page 3 8 of 79
NOTE:
The tape drive can also report its cleaning requirements to the application software. Your
application may notify you when the tape drive needs cleaning. See your application
documentation for more information.
To clean the tape drive, select the 'Clean drive' option from 'Commands' menu on the operator panel.
When you use this option, the autoloader imports a cleaning cartridge through the cartridge access
port and inserts it into the tape drive.
When the cleaning is complete, the tape drive ejects the cleaning cartridge and the autoloader returns
it to the cartridge access port for removal.
Alternatively, you can store a cleaning cartridge in one of the cartridge slots. You use the 'Load' option
from the 'Commands' menu to move the slot containing the cleaning cartridge into position and load
the cartridge into the tape drive. When the cleaning is complete, the tape drive ejects the cleaning
cartridge and the autoloader returns it to the slot from which it originated. Although this alternative
allows you to always have the cleaning cartridge in the autoloader, it has following disadvantages:
n
You have to remember which slot your cleaning cartridge is in.
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The autoloader's data-storage capacity is reduced by one cartridge.
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Some software applications may not support reserving a slot for a cleaning cartridge.
Your backup software might offer additional possibilities for cleaning the tape drive. For details please
see the relevant section of the corresponding documentation.
Updating the Cartridge Inventory
After you import or export a data cartridge, you can update the cartridge inventory using the 'Re -
inventory' option under the 'Commands' menu. The autoloader checks for the presence of a cartridge
in each cartridge slot.
Resetting the Autoloader
A reset causes the autoloader to perform its power-on self-test (POST) and check for the presence of
the data cartridges. The autoloader can be reset in any of the following ways:
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Power-on reset. Powering the autoloader off (or unplugging it), then back on again resets the
autoloader and the tape drive.
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Bus device reset message. Issuing a bus device reset message from the SCSI application
program can reset either the autoloader or the tape drive.
n
SCSI bus reset. A RST (reset) pulse occurring on the SCSI bus for a minimum of 25
µ
s causes
the autoloader and tape drive to be reset. A SCSI bus reset immediately clears all devices on the
bus, resets their associated equipment, and terminates all pending I/O processes.
Resetting the tape drive does not cause a cartridge loaded in the drive to be ejected. If a cartridge is in
the tape drive during a reset, make sure that it is safe to overwrite the loaded cartridge before
performing a backup. If you perform a backup without checking the loaded cartridge, you may lose
important data from a previous backup.
