Single Tape Drive Cleaning

[Noel_Vergith]

I need to verify if I have either lost my mind, or am simply clueless... I have a pair of servers, one with a single tape drive. I have been putting the cleaning tape in periodically, which I thought/hope has been doing something.

I have been getting tape backup errors that do not make sense. After several weeks of successful backups I have been getting errors during several nightly backups - the backup fails after 90%+ completion. The failed backup files are never the same - and these backups have been successful previously. The only error message in Event Viewer that I have recieved is that the SCSI tape needs to be cleaned.

Since I do not have multiple tape slots, the Cleaning Job has never been an option. Can I get some insight from someone about what I have been doing, and if I have been doing it correctly?

A recent view of the tape drive properties for cleaning say I have not cleaned the drive since 2003... I am guessing that the issues of failed backups and tape cleaning may be interrelated at this point as I have gone over all settings and cannot find user errors on configs....Message was edited by:
Noel Vergith

[Ken_Putnam]

For a standalone drive, you do indeed just insert a cleaning tape, let it run, then remove.

Most Cleaning Tapes are good for 20 passes, and come with a label that has 20 check boxes on it. Check one box after each run, and toss when you check the 20th

If you have been overusing one old cleaning tape, get a new one and try several consecutive passes (checking a box for each pass) and see what happens

(Most drive manufactuters recommend that you not run cleaning job until the "Clean" light on the drive comes on, since the tapes are mildly abrasive, and over-cleaning can shorten the life of the Read/Write heads)

[681606391]

I have the same problem: only a single tape drive. But when i insert a cleaning tape in the drive, it ejects it after a few seconds, and nothing seems to happen.
I used four clening tapes: HP C5709A, Sony DGD15CL, Maxel HS-4/CL and Compaq Cleaning cartridge.
Has anybody any suggestions?

[Ken_Putnam]

Is it only "a few" seconds, or about 30-40? If the latter, that may very well be the length of the cleaning pass

[681606391]

It's about 13 seconds. Not that long ;-(

[Ken_Putnam]

Hmmmm That's a little short.

How many times has this Cleaning Tapep been used? Most are only good for 20 passes, and should be tossed out after that