HP Surestore Tape Library Model 2/20 User Manual page 147

Table 27
Problem
Cause: Contamination by
head staining.
(Resulting from adhesion of
chemicals that are present in
the tape media to the head
surface)
Cause: Temperature and
humidity
Cause: Non-acclimated media
Cause: Wrong cleaning
cartridge
Cause: Wrong tape format
Cause: Abnormal build up of
head debris (Frequent load/
unload operations with
minimal tape reading or
writing can cause this
condition.)
Cause: Bad/defective/
contaminated media
Chapter 4
Troubleshooting Table
One or two passes with a cleaning tape should resolve
cleaning lights caused by normal head staining. If a cleaning
tape is unsuccessful in resolving a cleaning light after 3 or
more attempts, the cleaning tape may be contaminated, and
should NOT be used in another drive.
Tapes should be stored and used in the middle of the
temperature and humidity specifications range of 64-79 F, and
40-60 RH.
A tape should be acclimated for a minimum of 24 hours before
being used, particularly if it has been stored at a substantially
different temperature or level of humidity than the tape library.
Only use the cleaning cartridge specifically designated for
each drive type.
Attempting to load, read, or write tapes that were written in
other formats can cause cleaning lights.
Do not perform frequent load/unloads without also doing tape
operations. The front panel load/unload test should NOT be
run for more than 100 cycles since it does not perform actual
tape operations.
If a cleaning light is cleared using a cleaning tape, and then
immediately reappears when a particular cartridge is
reloaded, that cartridge should be suspected as being
contaminated.
If this occurs, re-clean the drive, loading a known good tape.
In rare cases, a tape cartridge can be worn out, have bad
calibration tracks, or have a bad tape directory recorded by
another drive.
Any cartridge that is suspected of being defective or
contaminated should NOT be reused in any drive.
Solution
Troubleshooting Common Problems 145