Frequently Asked Questions - HP J3278B - SureStore CD-ROM Server/Tower 7 NAS Server Administrator's Manual

HP SureStore Data Guardian Administrator's Guide - Managing Offsite Tape Backup and Restore
file:///D|/ADMIN_~1/eng/tape/faq.htm (1 of 2) [5/3/2000 3:33:58 PM]

Frequently Asked Questions

For further troubleshooting information, refer also to our Customer Support web site:
http://www.hp.com/support/dds_troubleshooting
How often should I clean the
tape drive heads?
What should I avoid when
positioning the tape drive?
How many times can I use a
DDS cartridge?
What types of tape cartridges
can I use with my drive?
For how long can I archive
tapes?
The drive has been developed to have a minimal
cleaning requirement. HP recommends cleaning
after approximately 100 hours of tape-pulling
activity, which is normally equivalent to once every
three months. You should also clean the heads if the
Media Caution signal is displayed. Use only HP
cleaning cartridges to clean the heads. Refer to
Cleaning the Tape Heads
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 the specifications for your tape drive model.
The recommended maximum number of passes over
any single part of the tape is 2000. In practical
terms, this is equivalent to about 100 backup
operations.
Always use DDS-4 (150m) tapes when you are
using the HP SureStore DAT40e drive to back up
the HP SureStore AutoBackup appliance. (Although
it can also use DDS-3 and DDS-2 tapes, these are
not advised for use with HP SureStore
AutoBackup.)
Tests have shown that DDS cartridges will preserve
the integrity of stored data for at least thirty years if
proper storage conditions are observed. See
Cartridges.
for details.
Storing