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Maximize The Reliability Of Your StorageExpress™ System Tapes And Tape Drives
The StorageExpress™ system is designed to deliver reliable protection for network data. This system is comprised of several elements: hardware, software, media, scheduled maintenance, and a media rotation/retirement scheme. Each element is vital to the integrity of the system. This technical brief will focus on the proper selection, care and maintenance for the media and tape drives.
There are three basic rules to follow to achieve the greatest level of reliability in media and tape drives:
- Use high quality data tapes and cleaning cartridges.
- Clean tape drives regularly and often, always marking the date on the cartridge label.
- Plan to retire data tapes well in advance of the manufactures recommended duty cycle.
Media Selection
The quality and condition of media used in a data protection system will impact the performance and the length of service for that device. For this reason it is imperative to use high quality data grade tapes.
Follow these guidelines to ensure the media used in the StorageExpress system will deliver reliable service:
- Use only data-quality tapes
These tapes prolong the life of the StorageExpress™ system tape drives.
- Do Not Use Video-Grade Or Audio-Grade Tapes
These tapes are not manufactured to the tight specifications of data-grade tapes.
Intel endorses the manufacturers tape recommendations in the chart below:
| Manufacturer* |
Model |
Supported Media |
| EXABYTE |
8505xl, 8500c |
Exabyte tapes displaying the EXATAPE logo |
| Hewlett Packard |
DDS2 DAT model C1533a |
Tapes displaying the DDS2 logo |
| Hewlett Packard |
DDS2 DAT Autochanger model C1553a |
Tapes displaying the DDS2 logo |
| Quantum |
DLT 4000 |
Tape displaying the DLT logo |
Cleaning tape drives
The recommended cleaning schedule for the tape drives in the StorageExpress system is as follows:
- Exabyte 8mm Tape Drives -- Every 30 hours of drive use
- Hewlett Packard DDS2 DAT Tape Drives -- Every 12 hours of use
- Quantum DLT Tape Drives -- Only when the Use Cleaning Tape light comes on
Failing to clean a tape drive will result in particle build up on the read/write heads. This buildup will cause some level of *media errors* to be produced during normal use, and if left unattended will finally render the tape drive unusable, requiring service.
Central Console software on the StorageExpress system automatically alerts you to clean the tape drives after 30 hours of drive use. The following cleaning tapes are supported:
- Exabyte* 8mm Tape Drives -- Exabyte Premium 8mm Cleaning Cartridges
- Hewlett Packard* DDS2 DAT Tape Drives -- Any cleaning tape with the DDS2 logo
- Quantum* DLT Tape Drives -- Any cleaning tape with the DLT logo
To clean a single tape drive:
- Insert a cleaning cartridge in a drive and close the drive door. After a few moments of drive activity, the tape will either be ejected, or the operate handle light will come on, depending on the model of drive.
- Remove the cleaning cartridge and record the date on the label.
To clean an autochanger:
- Put a cleaning cartridge into slot 1 of an empty magazine.
- Insert the magazine into the autochanger. The autochanger will automatically mount the cartridge and clean the tape drive read/write heads.
- After the autochanger unloads the cleaning tape back into the magazine, push the eject button to eject the magazine and remove the cleaning tape.
Note: If you leave a cleaning tape in the autochanger, the StorageExpress system will not read any tapes in the magazine after the cleaning tape. However, you can put a cleaning tape in slot 6 of the autochanger and reserve the slot for cleaning. For information, see *Cleaning Autochanger* in the StorageExpress System Reference Guide.
WARNING: Abrasive tapes can destroy the read/write heads. Using non-recommended cleaning cartridges can result in much degraded head life. Some types of abrasive tapes, typical of video grade tape and cleaning cartridges, can deposit material on the read/write heads, rendering them immediately useless. To avoid this problem, quality data grade tapes and cleaning cartridges should always be used in StorageExpress™ System tape drives.
Maintaining data tape sets
To ensure reliable storage of networked data, follow these guidelines:
- Store Tapes Vertically
Do not lay a tape flat or put any weight on it.
- Maintain Proper Storage Temperature
Keep the storage temperature between 5 degrees C and 40 degrees C (41 degrees F and 104 degrees F).
- Maintain Proper Storage Humidity
Keep the relative humidity at or below 45%.
- Keep Tapes Away From Emf (Electro-Magnetic Fields)
Store tapes away from magnets or any high voltage source (such as a video monitor).
- Plan The Life Cycle Of Each Tape
To increase the reliability of your backups, stop using a tape when it is beyond its useful life. The manufacturers' ratings of useful life are:
- Exabyte 8mm tape life -- 1500 passes
- HP DAT DDS & DDS2 tape life -- 2000 passes
- Quantum DLT tape life -- 500000 passes
A complete backup of one server volume uses about 5 passes. (A pass occurs any time the tape passes through its tape path under tension. For example, reading a tape uses one pass, as does loading, ejecting, or writing to a tape.)
In closing, remember to follow the three basic rules to achieve the greatest level of reliability in tapes and tape drives:
- Use high quality data tapes and cleaning cartridges.
- Clean tape drives regularly and often, always marking the date on the cartridge label.
- Plan to retire data tapes well in advance of the manufactures recommended duty cycle.
This applies to:
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