Environmental Considerations For 8 Mm Data Cartridges; Operating The 8Mm Tape Drive In Harsh Environments; Erasing 8 Mm Data Cartridge - IBM RS/6000 User Manual

Environmental Considerations for 8 mm Data Cartridges

This section describes operating and storage conditions for data cartridges, including
temperature, relative humidity, and maximum wet bulb data.
Attention: The manufacturer specifies a set of temperature and humidity ranges in
Temperature
Relative Humidity
(non-condensing)
Maximum Wet Bulb
Always let a cartridge acclimate to the operating environment before you use it.
Acclimation is necessary for any data cartridge that has been exposed to a different
humidity environment or to a temperature change of 11°C or 20°F or more. Place the
cartridge, with its container, in the operating environment for as long as it has been
away from the operating environment or for 24 hours, whichever is less.

Operating the 8mm Tape Drive in Harsh Environments

The 8mm Tape Drive is ideally suited to streaming operations rather than tape
movement operations involving multiple stops and starts as well as random searches.
You should use streaming movement whenever possible.
Do not use for archiving any tape that was previously used outside the ranges specified
in "Environmental Considerations for 8 mm Data Cartridges" for an extended period of
time. Exposure to the new environment deteriorates the magnetic and physical strength
of the tape. Do not store important data on a tape that was used outside the specified
ranges. For reliable archiving, transfer the data to a new tape.

Erasing 8 mm Data Cartridge

Most bulk eraser devices cannot erase 8 mm data cartridges. To erase an 8 mm data
cartridge with a bulk eraser device, the erasure rating must be at least 1500 oersted.
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User's Guide
which the 8 mm data cartridge can operate with ease. Only regular cleaning
procedures are required when operating the cartridge within this range. The
risk of possible data loss is increased if 8 mm tape cartridges are operated,
stored, or shipped outside the temperature or humidity ranges shown in the
following table.
Condition Operating Ranges
60°F-90°F (16°C-32°C)
20%-80%
73°F (23°C)
Storage
41°F-90°F (5°C-32°C)
20%-80%
79°F (26°C)
Shipping
-40°F-126°F
(-40°C-52°C)
20%-80%
79°F (26°C)