2/20 Tape library-how often to clean??

[CA818832]

How often should I clean my tape drives? LTO, presently cleaning once a week, approx. 24 hours of use on each drive per week.

Thanks

[CA628575]

Both LTO and DLT drives do not (!) require periodic cleaning. These drives should only be cleaned if the drive itself indicated a cleaning request.

Periodic cleaning can actually shorten the life of your drive.

This has caused confusion, as DDS drives are different and do require periodic cleaning for proper functioning.

[Rothery Harris]

Jan is quite correct. Ultrium and DLT are clean on demand only. Unfortunately backup applications usually have a setting where the drive is cleaned periodically. I suggest you set this to off or a lengthy period. The new universal Ultrium cleaning cartridge (C7978A) uses an 'intelligent' cleaning algorithm. This cartridge does not perform a cleaning cylcle unless it is required. You do need to check your library firmware revision before using it.

Rothery Harris

[CA788093]

What about Travan decks?

[Rothery Harris]

Travan tape drive require no cleaning. Do not attempt to clean the head manually as it will be damaged.

Rothery