User`s guide

Routine maintenance 18-9
Cleaning the tape drive
Standard 1.0 System Administration Guide January 1998
Cleaning the tape drive
Introduction
As occurs with any high-capacity removable media such as
tapes or floppy drives, debris collects on the tape heads each
time a tape drive is used. If too much debris collects, the tape
drive is unable to write or read data correctly, and the tape head
must be cleaned.
Frequency
Most tape drive manufacturers recommend cleaning the tape
heads after a brand-new tape has been used for the first time,
and after every eight hours of tape drive operation. If media
(parity) errors occur when reading or writing tapes, it is an
indication of either a faulty tape or dirty tape heads.
Procedure
For information and procedures required for cleaning your tape
drive, refer to the Meridian Mail Installation and Maintenance
Guide (NTP 555-70x1-250) appropriate for your system.