HP StoreEver MSL2024, MSL4048, MSL8048, and MSL8096 Tape Libraries User and Service Guide (AK378-96059, December 2012)

• Do not drop a cartridge. Excessive shock can damage the internal contents of the cartridge
or the cartridge case itself, making the cartridge unusable.
• Do not expose data cartridges to direct sunlight or sources of heat, including portable heaters
and heating ducts.
• The operating temperature range for data cartridges is 10 to 35º C. The storage temperature
range is -40 to +60º C in a dust-free environment in which relative humidity is always between
20 percent and 80 percent (non-condensing).
• If the data cartridge has been exposed to temperatures outside the specified ranges, stabilize
the cartridge at room temperature for the same length of time it was exposed to extreme
temperatures or 24 hours, whichever is less.
• Do not place data cartridges near sources of electromagnetic energy or strong magnetic fields
such as computer monitors, electric motors, speakers, or X-ray equipment. Exposure to
electromagnetic energy or magnetic fields can destroy data and the embedded servo code
written on the media by the cartridge manufacturer, which can render the cartridge unusable.
• Place identification labels only in the designated area on the cartridge.
Labeling tape cartridges
The device contains a bar code reader that reads the tape labels and stores the inventory data in
memory. The device then provides the inventory information to the host application, OCP, and
RMI. Having a bar code label on each tape cartridge enables the bar code reader to identify the
cartridge quickly, thereby speeding up inventory time. Make it a practice to use bar code labels
on your tape cartridges.
TIP: The bar code scanner must scan each tape or the back of the storage slot until it reads the
bar code label for the cartridge or storage slot, or determines that the slot is empty. The bar code
scanner can identify a properly labeled cartridge on the first scan. It can identify an empty slot on
the second scan. It will try several more scans and then tap on the cartridge before determining
that an unlabeled cartridge is in the slot, which takes about four times as long as identifying a
properly labeled cartridge. The inventory time for an MSL8048 or MSL8096 filled with unlabeled
cartridges is about 30 minutes. Even if you do not need the bar code information, use bar code
labels to speed up inventory time.
A proper bar code label includes the Media ID in the last two characters of the bar code. If an
LTO-4, LTO-5, or LTO-6 tape drive is installed in the tape library or is in the removed state, the
tape library will not load a cartridge without an Media ID or an unlabeled cartridge into an LTO-3
or earlier generation tape drive.
Though not recommended, checking Ignore Barcode Media ID in the RMI Configuration: System
screen will keep the library from interpreting bar code Media IDs.
Your host software may need to keep track of the following information via the associated bar
code:
• Date of format or initialization
• Tape's media pool
• Data residing on the tape
• Age of the backup
• Errors encountered while using the tape (to determine if the tape is faulty)
58 Tape cartridges and magazines