Maxell DAT 160 80GB User manual

Media Care Guide
Protect Your Asset
Proper Media Care How to care for, handle, inspect and
ship your Maxell media cartridges.
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Media Care Guide
Table of Contents
www.maxell.com
Why Media
Care Is
Important
Maxell media cartridges are
engineered to be reliable,
robust and durable. They are
manufactured to withstand
up to a million head passes,
and have an archive life of
up to 30 years.
Follow the guidelines in
this booklet to get the most
from your tape.
The safety of your data
relies on proper care and
handling.
Get To Know
Your Cartridge
• Cartridge features
Media Care
Overview
• Protecting your cartridge
• If you drop your cartridge
• Proper storage conditions
• Labeling your cartridge
Visual
Inspection
• When to perform a
visual inspection
• Performing a visual
inspection
• Spotting a damaged
cartridge
Shipping
Cartridges
• How to pack and ship
cartridges
Quick Guide:
Do’s and Don’ts
• A quick and easy guide
to caring for your
media
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Media Care Guide
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Get To Know Your Cartridge

Media Care Guide
Get To Know Your Cartridge
www.maxell.com
1
Get To Know
Your Cartridge
Tape Leader Pin
Metal pin connects with grabber arm
to pull media from cartridge.
Reel Lock
Prevents media reel in the cartridge
from spinning when the cartridge
is not loaded in a drive.This
ensures that proper media tension is
maintained.
Cartridge Hub
Mechanical interconnect between the
cartridge and the drive reel motor.
Cartridge Door
Provides access to the tape leader.
Serial Number
May be needed for identication
purposes if you call for service.
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Ultrium LTO Cartridge Features Write Protect Switch
Prevents overwrite or erasure
of data. You can change the
position of the write protect
switch at any time.
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Slide indicator right
to close lock.
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Media Care Guide
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Get To Know Your Cartridge
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Super DLTtape
DLTtape
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Tape Leader Buckle
Buckles with drive leader to
pull media from cartridge.
DLTtape cartridges (Mylar loop)
Super DLTtape cartridges
(plastic buckle with metal pin)
Reel Lock
Prevents media reel in the cartridge
from spinning when the cartridge
is not loaded in a drive.This ensures
that proper media tension is
maintained.
Cartridge Hub
Mechanical interconnect between the
cartridge and the drive reel motor.
Cartridge Door
Provides access to the tape leader.
Serial Number
May be needed for identication
purposes if you call for service.
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2
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DLTtape and Super DLTtape Cartridge Features Write Protect Switch
Prevents overwrite or erasure
of data. You can change the
position of the write protect
switch at any time.
DLTtape and
Super DLTtape
Write protected – slide switch down
toward label area. Orange indicator
should be displayed.
Get To Know
Your Cartridge
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Media Care Guide
Get To Know Your Cartridge
www.maxell.com
Dual Reel Tape
Media goes back and forth between
supply and take-up hubs within
cartridge.
Cartridge Door
Provides access to the tape leader. The
door should be closed.
Write Protect Tab
Prevents overwrite or erasure of data.
You can change the position of the
write protect switch at any time.
Serial Number
May be needed for identication
purposes if you call for service.
DAT and DDS Cartridge Features
1.2
Get To Know
Your Cartridge
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Slide indicator
right to close lock.
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Media Care Guide
1Media Care Overview www.maxell.com
• Protect cartridges from shock, vibration, moisture and
magnetic elds.
• Keep cartridges in protective cases and store vertically
when not in use.
• Ensure that no loose labels in the storage container stick
to the bottom of the cartridge, covering the hub.
• Never touch the tape or tape leader. Dust and oils from
skin can contaminate the tape and aect performance.
• Avoid direct sunlight – it can deform cartridge and/or
ruin media.
• Allow cartridge 24 hours to adjust to the present operat-
ing temperature and humidity before use.
Protecting Your Cartridge
2
Media Care
Overview • The usage or durability of your media is inuenced by
its care and handling as described in this document.
• Many of the newer drives monitor the usage of the
media and will alert you as to when to replace a
cartridge. Refer to your drive documentation for
available alerts or software utilities.
• The table below shows the usage specication
for each media type. The actual amount can vary
depending on drive wear, environmental factors and
media handling.
Media Usage/Durability
• Inspect case for any signs of cracks or protruding
material.
• Open cartridge door to check for damage.
See Section 4 – Visual Inspection.
• If damage is present
Do not insert cartridge in tape drive.
Discard and/or contact the manufacturer.
• If cartridge appears usable
Transfer data to a new cartridge and discard the
old one.
If You Drop Your Cartridge
Proper Storage Conditions
Non-archival
Storage
• Between 60°F and 90°F (16°C and 32°C)
• Between 20% and 80% relative humidity
• Between 41°F and 131°F (5°C and 55°C)
• Between 10% and 80% relative humidity
Media Use Proper ConditionsMedia Type
DLTtape
Super DLTtape
LTO Ultrium
DAT/DDS
Archive Storage
(for one or more years)
• Between 73°F±9°F (23°C±5°C)
• Between 40% and 60% relative humidity
Non-archival
Storage
Archive Storage
(for one or more years)
• Between 41°F – 90°F (5°C – 32°C)
• Between 20% and 80% relative humidity
Full Tape Uses
Specication
Media Type
DLT
Super DLT, DLT-S
LTO Ultrium
DAT/DDS Up to 100
Up to 200
Up to 260
Up to 260
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Media Care Guide
Get To Know Your Cartridge
www.maxell.com
• Never use non-standard adhesive labels or Post-it
type notes.
• Use barcode labels designed specically for your
cartridge.
• To avoid drive/cartridge damage, make sure only
one label is stuck to the designated label area of the
cartridge. Multiple labels may cause jamming.
• Do not write directly on the cartridge.
• Write in pen, not pencil. Pencil can contaminate
the tape path. Never use a grease pencil to write
on the label.
Labeling Your Cartridge
2.1
Media Care
Overview
Proper Labeling
DLTtape &
Super DLTtape
Slide label ONLY into molded track
on the back of the cartridge
Stick label ONLY in the indented
area on the back of the cartridge
LTO Ultrium
Media Type Label Location
Stick one label in the indented
area on the back and/or top of
the cartridge
DAT/DDS
2.1

Media Care Guide
1Visual Inspection www.maxell.com
When To Perform a Visual Inspection
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Visual
Inspection
• Best practices: Each time a tape is loaded or changed.
• When a tape cartridge is dropped or subjected to a hard physical shock.
• When a shipment of tapes show any signs of shipping damage.
• If the drive becomes inoperable after loading a tape.
• If a drive error occurs, inspect the current and previous cartridge used
.in that drive.
How To Perform a Visual Inspection
• Go through all inspection steps in Group 1, 2 and 3 (see following pages).
• If issues are found in Group 1 only and no issues found in Groups 2 or 3
then use cartridge with caution.
• Monitor software log for media degradation.
• Consider copying the data onto a new cartridge and retiring the old
cartridge.
• If any issues are found in Group 2 or 3, then retire the media and use a
dierent cartridge.
Protective Case Inspection (All Media Types)
Case
Inspect the protective case
for cracks, chips, distortion,
or other signs of damage.
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