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Cleaning Tape Drives
Tape drives may require occasional cleaning. At least one cleaning slot must be configured to enable
automatic or manual cleaning of tape drives. Cleaning slots store cleaning cartridges used to clean
the tape drives.
If you want to use host-based cleaning, configure zero cleaning slots on the library and set up your
host application to manage the cleaning process.
For more information on configuring cleaning slots, refer to
Cleaning cartridges remove accumulated residue from the tape drive and the read/write head. The
cleaning cartridge with the highest number of cleanings on it is used to clean the tape drive. When the
cleaning cartridge runs out of cleanings, the Administrator is notified. If more cleaning cartridges are
present, the next cleaning cartridge is used. If no other cleaning cartridges are present, the
Administrator is prompted to export the expired cartridge and import a new one.
Importing Cleaning Media
The Import Media command previously described is used also to import cleaning media. To import
cleaning media you assign cleaning cartridges from the I/E slots to the Cleaning slots. You must have
cleaning slots configured before you can assign cleaning cartridges to the cleaning cartridge slots.
Any cartridges imported to the Cleaning slots are assumed to be cleaning cartridges. Each cleaning
cartridge, when imported, is moved to the first free cleaning slot.
Exporting Cleaning Media
The Export Media command previously described is used if you want to export a cleaning cartridge
from a cleaning slot to the I/E station.
Autoclean
If Autoclean is enabled and at least one cleaning slot is configured and stocked with a cleaning
cartridge, the library will initiate cleaning when needed. For more information on configuring cleaning
slots and enabling Autoclean, refer to
An automated cleaning is performed if requested by the tape drive, when a cartridge is moved out of
the drive. The response to the Move command will be delayed until the cleaning operation has been
performed.
Manual Clean
The FPI and RMI provide menu and command selections to perform manual drive cleaning
operations. Manual drive cleaning operations allow the selection of a drive to be cleaned, regardless
of the drive requesting cleaning or not.
Manual drive cleaning operations allow for the selection of an already defined cleaning cartridge from
the cleaning cartridge pool, and additionally allow for the selection of a cleaning cartridge from an I/E
area, regardless of automatic cleaning slots and cleaning cartridges having been defined or not,
regardless of having automatic cleaning enabled or not.
If an available cleaning cartridge is selected from the cleaning cartridge pool, it is loaded into the drive
and a drive clean operation is performed and the cartridge is returned to the cleaning cartridge pool.
If the manual cleaning request indicates the use of a cleaning cartridge from the I/E area, the user is
instructed from the FPI to:
Open the I/E door
Place the cleaning cartridge into an empty I/E station slot
Close the I/E door
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Configuring Cleaning
Configuring the
Library.
Slots.
Running the Library
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