POWER7 information

Cleaning the tape drive (FC 6120 and 6279)

You will need to clean your tape drive. Use the procedure in this topic to perform this task.

Clean the device whenever the Fault status light comes on or a system I/O error related to the device occurs.

Attention: Use only the recommended cleaning cartridge to clean the tape drive. Use of other than recommended cleaning cartridges can damage your drive and might void the warranty.

The tape drive will turn on the cleaning indication for several reasons:

The tape drive exceeds internal preset error thresholds in the drive.
A cleaning cartridge that has been used the maximum number of times is inserted in the drive. The cleaning indicator is turned on to indicate that the cleaning process was not done and the cleaning cartridge is no longer usable.
The tape drive exceeds the maximum recommended time between cleaning.

The maximum recommended time between preventive-maintenance cleaning is 75 tape motion hours. Tape motion hours are defined as the time that the tape drive is moving tape. If the tape drive reaches 75 tape motion hours since the tape drives was last cleaned the drive will turn on the cleaning required LED to indicate the drive needs cleaning. The tape drive will continue to operate but it is recommended the tape drive be cleaned at the next opportunity to insert a cleaning cartridge.

To clean the tape drive, complete the following steps:

Make sure that the power is on to the tape drive.
If a tape cartridge is in the tape drive, eject and remove the cartridge.
Note: Some cleaning cartridges have white dots on the window side that are designed to be used to log the use of the cartridge. Each time the cartridge is used, mark one of the dots on the cartridge with a pen or marker. When all of the dots have been marked, discard the cleaning cartridge.
Grasp the cleaning cartridge by the outer edges, with the window-side up and the write-protect switch facing you.
Slide the cartridge into the opening on the front of the drive until the loading mechanism pulls the cartridge into the drive and the drive door closes.

After the cleaning cartridge has been inserted, the remainder of the cleaning process is automatic. The tape drive does the following actions:

Loads the cleaning cartridge into the tape drive.
Cleans the drive by moving the cleaning tape forward for approximately 30 seconds.
Unloads the cleaning cartridge when the cleaning operation is complete.
Indicates a successful cleaning operation by turning off the Cleaning status light (if the Cleaning light was on prior to the cleaning process. Otherwise, the Cleaning light remains solid to indicate that the cleaning cartridge is no longer usable. Obtain a new cleaning cartridge and repeat the process.)
Note: If the cleaning operation completes but the Cleaning light remains on, repeat the cleaning procedure with a new cleaning cartridge. If the light still remain on, contact your authorized service representative.

To determine how many times a cleaning cartridge may be used, check the information printed on the cartridge. If you attempt to use a depleted cleaning cartridge, the drive automatically detects the error and ejects the cartridge. If the Cleaning status light was on prior to the cleaning process, it stays on; if the Cleaning light was off, the depleted cartridge causes the light to come on.

If a system error occurs, clean the drive and retry the operation. If the operation fails, replace the data cartridge, clean the drive again, then retry the operation.

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Last updated: Thu, July 10, 2014