The drive has been developed to have a minimal cleaning requirement and
will warn you when it needs cleaning. You should only clean the heads
if the Use cleaning cartridge signal
is flashing. Use only Dell approved cleaning cartridges to clean the heads.
Refer to Cleaning for details.
What should I avoid when positioning
the tape drive?
For internal drives, the server must provide forced
cooling and be capable of drawing 6 cfm (0.17 cubic meters per minute
or 10.08 cubic meters per hour) of air through the tape drive. Avoid blocking
air vents. Ensure that empty bays have the appropriate blanking plates
installed so that airflow is maintained.
For external drives, do not place the drive in
a dirty environment, for example, on the floor, near a busy walkway, or
near a door. Avoid locations subject to sudden temperature changes, such
as near an outside door or window.
For specific environmental limits, refer to Specifications.
How many times can I use an LTO cartridge?
The recommended maximum number of passes over any single part of the
tape is 1,000,000. In practical terms, this is equivalent to about 2,000
backup operations.
What types of tape cartridges can I use
with my drive?
Only use LTO Ultrium format cartridges with your drive, as specified
in the LTO ULTRIUM standard. Do not use DLTIIItape or DLTIVtape
cartridges.
For how long can I archive tapes?
LTO cartridges will preserve the integrity of stored data for at least
30 years if proper storage conditions are observed. See Storing Cartridges.
