Tape Library Cleaning

[halienator]

Hi,

I am using ARCserve 2000 and an OverlandLXB MiniLibrary. ARCserve gave me an Error stating the drive needs cleaning and disabled the drive. I installed a cleaning cartridge into the Overland but when I tell ARCserve to "Clean Tape Head", it tell me "This device does not have a cleaning slot installed". I performed a manual cleaning from the Overland device but ARCserve still does not see it as being clean.

How do I get ARCserve to recognize that the drive is cleaned and have it re-enable my drive?

Thank You,

Eric

 

[mawilson]

Does your system have an auto loader? I haven't used AS 2000, but in 9 you can go to device configuration and specify a slot in the library that holds the cleaning tape and tell it to clean the drive after x hours of drive use.

 

[davidmichel]

Stop and then restart the Tape Engine.

 

[halienator]

Yes my system has an auto loader. I have gone into device configuration but I do not see an option for assigning a specific slot as a cleaning slot. I removed slot 15 from my main backup group and created another group called "CLEANING" which I assigned slot 15 to but I still have had no luck. Restarting the tape engine does re-enable the tape drive, but a simple inventory will disconnect it again. Unfortunately, we do not have an extra copy of v.9 available, or I would go that route.

Any other thoughts?

 

[Cyklops]

You have to tell ARCserve that one of the slots will be designated for cleaning in the device configuration menu when you select 'properties' ( in there you can configure barcode readers and - software initiated - cleaning.
Assign one of the slots for cleaning and it will be treated this way ( the slot will have a yellow colored icon and is seen as cleaning tape ).
Personally I prefer that the cleaning is hardware initiated ( arcserve will clean after xx hours of usage, most hardware cleaning uilities clean only when needed ). Check the manual of the overland library if there is a setting for 'autoclean' ( most libraries have a predefined slot for this ). If autoclean is enabled ARCserve will not 'see' this one anymore.

hope I'm clear

regards

 

[halienator]

I have looked at the Overland settings and autoclean is enabled; however, I have been unsuccessful in obtaining an operating manual for our device. I send numerous requests to Overland but they have not been willing to return any of them ... ... Unfortuately, this is something I am going to have to deal with as the company has no intention of upgrading this device any time in the near future. Do you think if I install the cleaning tape in the correct slot that this slot will disappear from ARCserve? Or are you saying that it doesn't show up at all regardless if a cleaning tape is installed?

 

[Cyklops]

Download it from Overlands Web-site ( I think either the last or the first slot from the magazine will be used ). When auto-cleaning is enabled on the library then the slot will disappear form ARCserve, whether there is a cleaning tape present or not.

regards

 

[halienator]

Thanks a lot.

I actually ran across an old manual over the weekend. Depending on whether or not you have one or two drives installed, you can use slot 15 or both 15 & 14. This is true with any model. The cleaning slots are the last slots on the magazine. You can then go into the reserved slots settings and either reserve 1 or 2 slots. It is that simple.

Thanks again for all of your help with this.

Remember ... A computer's attention span is only as long as it's power cord ...