Fujitsu LTO-2 User Manual

User Guide

LTO-2 Half-Height
SAS Tape Drive

English

Legal and notice information

© Copyright 2009 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set
forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as
constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

Linear Tape-Open, LTO, LTO Logo, Ultrium and Ultrium Logo are trademarks of Quantum, HP and IBM in the US, other countries
or both.

Patented under one or more of U.S. Patents Nos. 5,003,307; 5,016,009; 5,463,390; 5,506,580; held by Hi/fn, Inc.

Microsoft and Windows are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

UNIX® is a registered trademark of The Open Group.

Parts © Copyright 2009 Fujitsu Technology Solutions

First edition, November 2009

Contents

About this guide ................................................................................... 7

Intended audience ...................................................................................................................... 7

Document conventions and symbols ............................................................................................... 7

1 Getting started .................................................................................. 9

Your LTO-2 tape drive .................................................................................................................. 9

How do I connect the drive to my server? ....................................................................................... 9

Drivers .................................................................................................................................... 10

Installing on Windows ........................................................................................................ 10

Installing on Red Hat Enterprise Linux .................................................................................... 10

2 Verify installation ............................................................................. 11

3 Operating your tape drive ................................................................. 13

Loading a cartridge .................................................................................................................. 13

Unloading a cartridge ............................................................................................................... 14

Removing power from the drive ................................................................................................... 14

4 Cautions concerning backup ............................................................. 15

Ejecting the data cartridge after backup ...................................................................................... 15

Data compression rate ............................................................................................................... 15

Backup performance/capacity ................................................................................................... 15

Points to note during system configuration .................................................................................... 15

5 Use the correct media ....................................................................... 17

Cartridges ............................................................................................................................... 17

Cleaning cartridges ............................................................................................................ 17

Data cartridges .................................................................................................................. 17

Cartridge life ........................................................................................................................... 17

Write protecting cartridges ......................................................................................................... 18

Cleaning the tape drive ............................................................................................................. 19

Handling cartridges .................................................................................................................. 19

Storage environment ................................................................................................................. 20

6 Troubleshooting ............................................................................... 21

General Procedure .................................................................................................................... 21

Understanding LED sequences .................................................................................................... 22

Problems with cartridges ............................................................................................................ 24

The cartridge is jammed ...................................................................................................... 25

The drive will not accept the cartridge (or ejects it immediately) ................................................ 26

LTO-2 Half-Height SAS Tape Drives 3

Index ................................................................................................. 27

4

Figures

Front view of tape drive ............................................................................................ 91

Connecting cables .................................................................................................. 102

Inserting a cartridge ................................................................................................ 133

Ejecting a cartridge ................................................................................................. 144

Write protecting a cartridge ..................................................................................... 185

Attaching a label to media ....................................................................................... 206

Front view of tape drive .......................................................................................... 227

LTO-2 Half-Height SAS Tape Drives 5

Tables

Document conventions ............................................................................................... 71

Clean, Tape, Drive and Ready LED sequences ............................................................ 232

6

About this guide

This guide provides information about:

• Installing the LTO-2 SAS half-height tape drive

• Using the LTO-2 SAS half-height tape drive

• Troubleshooting the LTO-2 SAS half-height tape drive

Intended audience

This guide is intended for users who install, operate and maintain the LTO-2 half-height tape drive.

Document conventions and symbols

Table 1 Document conventions

ElementConvention

Cross-reference links and e-mail addressesBlue text: Table 1 on page 7

• Keys that are pressed

Bold text

Monospace text

Monospace, italic text

Monospace, bold text

WARNING!

Indicates that failure to follow directions could result in bodily harm or death.

• Text typed into a GUI element, such as a box

• GUI elements that are clicked or selected, such as menu

and list items, buttons, tabs, and check boxes

Text emphasisItalic text

• File and directory names

• System output

• Code

• Commands, their arguments, and argument values

• Code variables

• Command variables

Emphasized monospace text

LTO-2 Half-Height SAS Tape Drives 7

CAUTION:

Indicates that failure to follow directions could result in damage to equipment or data.

IMPORTANT:

Provides clarifying information or specific instructions.

NOTE:

Provides additional information.

About this guide8

1 Getting started

In this chapter:

• “Your LTO-2 tape drive” on page 9

• “How do I connect the drive to my server?” on page 9

Your LTO-2 tape drive

4. Drive LED1. Drive door

5. Ready LED2. Clean LED

6. Eject button3. Tape LED

Figure 1 Front view of tape drive

.

How do I connect the drive to my server?

The tape drive is installed into a 5¼-inch drive bay in your server and is attached to the host server's
internal SAS controller or SAS host bus adapter.

Connect a spare power cord from the server's internal power supply to the power connector on the
tape drive.

LTO-2 Half-Height SAS Tape Drives 9

1. SAS connector

2. Power connector

Figure 2 Connecting cables

.

CAUTION:

Never use a cable where power is supplied through the SAS connector because this may damage
the drive. Always use a spare power cord from the server's internal power supply.

Drivers

The driver can be obtained from the Fujitsu Tape Support CD, for updates please check http://

support.ts.fujitsu.com. Refer also to the documentation of your software application to ensure you are

using the recommended driver.

Installing on Windows

Install as instructed in the readme file in the drivers directory.

Installing on Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Install as instructed in the readme file in the drivers directory.

Getting started10

2 Verify installation

Once you have installed the drive hardware, check that drivers have been installed correctly and you
have the correct version of backup software, and verify that the tape drive is functioning properly
before you store your valuable data.

1. Switch on the drive and the server.

2. The tape drive will run its hardware self-test, which takes about 5 seconds. If self-test passes, the

green Ready LED flashes and then shows steady green. If the test fails, the Drive Error and Tape
Error LEDs flash, while the Ready and Clean LEDs are off. This continues until the drive is reset.
See “Understanding LED sequences” on page 22 for more information about front panel LEDs.

• If you installed drivers before connecting the tape drive (Windows only)

The tape drive should be detected automatically and the correct drivers used. If the Windows
Found New Hardware wizard runs, cancel it - you can use Device Manager to check that
the driver is installed.

• Installing drivers after connecting the tape drive (Windows only)

If you have not already installed drivers, the Windows Found New Hardware wizard will
run when you power on the server and tape drive. Install the driver according to the supplied
documentation in the driver's folder.

• Installing drivers (other operating systems)

Drivers are included with the operating system and should be loaded automatically.

NOTE:

Certain backup applications require you to use their own Tape driver.

3. Verify that the tape drive installation was successful.

4. For all operating systems ensure that you have downloaded any upgrades necessary for your

backup application.

LTO-2 Half-Height SAS Tape Drives 11

Verify installation12

3 Operating your tape drive

In this chapter:

• “Loading a cartridge” on page 13

• “Unloading a cartridge” on page 14

• “Removing power from the drive” on page 14

Loading a cartridge

1. Lift the drive door and insert the cartridge into the slot in the front of the drive with the white

arrow uppermost and facing the drive door.

Figure 3 Inserting a cartridge

.

2. Apply gentle pressure until the drive takes the cartridge and loads it. (See

“Inserting a cartridge” on page 13.)

3. The Ready LED flashes green while the drive performs its load sequence. When the cartridge is

loaded, the Ready LED shows steady green.

2. Label area1. Arrow indicates leading direction

4. Ready LED3. Drive door

LTO-2 Half-Height SAS Tape Drives 13

Unloading a cartridge

CAUTION:

Never try to remove a cartridge before it is fully ejected.

1. Press the Eject button on the front panel.

1. Eject button

Figure 4 Ejecting a cartridge

.

2. The drive will complete its current task, rewind the tape to the beginning, and eject the cartridge.

The rewind process may take up to 10 minutes. The Ready LED will flash to indicate that the
unload is still in progress.

Removing power from the drive

To ensure reliable operation, do not remove power from the drive during read, write, fast-search,
load and unload activities.

Operating your tape drive14

4 Cautions concerning backup

In this chapter:

• “Ejecting the data cartridge after backup” on page 15

• “Data compression rate” on page 15

• “Backup performance/capacity” on page 15

• “Points to note during system configuration” on page 15

Ejecting the data cartridge after backup

• Do not leave the data cartridge in this product.

Doing so makes the data cartridge wear faster, because the longer it is used, the faster it wears.
The tape recording surface of the data cartridge is exposed when inserted in this product and if
it is left in this state for a long time it will easily be affected by suspended particles of dust. Insert
the data cartridge just before the backup operation, and remove it immediately after the operation.

• Do not turn off the power with the data cartridge inserted.

If the power is turned off with the data cartridge inserted, it takes a while before this product can
be used after the next power-on.

Data compression rate

This product has a data compression function included in the hardware.

Although the data compression rate is approximately 200%, it varies depending on the data content.

Data that has already been compressed by software is not effected by this product.

Some backup software has a data compression function prior to transfer, however, do not compress
data by software if the hardware compression function is on.

Backup performance/capacity

The backup performance and backup capacity that can be used in one data cartridge varies depending
upon the following factors:

• The conditions (attrition, dust, etc.) of the recording surface of the data cartridge to be used

• The dust and dirt condition of the product's magnetic head

• The data compression rate

• The workload on the server

Points to note during system configuration

When repeatedly using a single data cartridge, all the data can be lost if the backup fails. Also, if a
backup data cartridge becomes damaged, the data cannot be recovered.

LTO-2 Half-Height SAS Tape Drives 15

Damage in the event of a failure can be minimized if two or more data cartridges are used for backup
operation. For example, use different data cartridges for each day of the week.

Cautions concerning backup16

5 Use the correct media

In this chapter:

• “Cartridges” on page 17

• “Cartridge life” on page 17

• “Write protecting cartridges” on page 18

• “Cleaning the tape drive” on page 19

• “Handling cartridges” on page 19

• “Storage environment” on page 20

Cartridges

Cleaning cartridges

Use the universal cleaning cartridge. It may be used for up to 50 cleans.

Data cartridges

LTO–2 tape drives use LTO–2 tape cartridges. These are single-reel cartridges that match your drive's
format and are optimized for high capacity, throughput and reliability. Compatible media can be
recognized by the Ultrium logo, which is the same as the logo on the front of your drive. Do not use
other format cartridges in your tape drive and do not use LTO–2 cartridges in other format tape drives.

For optimum performance always use a data cartridge that matches the specification of your tape
drive. A lower specification will have a lower transfer speed and may not support write activities; a
higher specification will not support read or write.

Cartridge life

To avoid a backup failure due to worn media, replace the media (data cartridge) before either of the
following occur:

• After one year of use

• After being used 1000 times

The lifespan of media varies depending on the environment (temperature, humidity, dust, etc.) and
operating conditions of this product.

IMPORTANT:

The data cartridge is a replaceable part. Worn media can cause problems such as magnetic tape
surface damage, dirty magnetic head, many media errors, and so on. See also
“Problems with cartridges” on page 24.

LTO-2 Half-Height SAS Tape Drives 17

Write protecting cartridges

WARNING!

Always remove the cartridge from the tape drive before you change the write protection.

If you want to protect the data on a cartridge from being altered or overwritten, you can write protect
the cartridge.

• To write protect a cartridge, push the switch to the right to prevent any data recording on the

cartridge. Note the padlock on the tab that indicates that the cartridge is protected.

• To write enable a cartridge, push the switch to the left to allow data recording on the cartridge.

Figure 5 on page 18 illustrates the location of the write-protect tab.

1. Write-protect tab

Figure 5 Write protecting a cartridge

.

CAUTION:

Write-protection will not protect your cartridges against magnets. Write-protection will not prevent
a cartridge being erased by bulk-erasure or degaussing. Do not bulk erase Ultrium format cartridges.
This will destroy pre-recorded servo information and make the cartridge unusable.

Use the correct media18

Cleaning the tape drive

LTO-2 tape drives do not require regular cleaning. An Ultrium universal cleaning cartridge should
only be used when the orange Clean LED is flashing.

You must use the Ultrium Universal Cleaning cartridge with LTO-2 tape drives, as other cleaning
cartridges will not load and run.

To clean the tape drive:

1. Insert the Ultrium Universal Cleaning cartridge.

2. The drive will carry out its cleaning cycle and eject the cartridge on completion (which can take

up to 5 minutes). During the cleaning cycle the orange Clean LED will be on solidly and the green
Ready LED will flash.

Each Ultrium universal cleaning cartridge cleaning cartridge can be used up to 50 times with
Ultrium tape drives. If the cleaning cartridge is ejected immediately with the Tape LED on, it has
expired.

Handling cartridges

• Do not touch the tape media.

• Do not open the drive door and touch the tape media.

• Do not attempt to clean the tape path or tape guides inside the cartridge.

• Do not leave cartridges in the drive. The tape loses tension in the power-off state, which can lead

to problems, particularly if the drive has been moved.

• Do not leave cartridges in excessively dry or humid conditions.

• Do not leave cartridges in direct sunlight or in places where magnetic fields are present (for ex-

ample, under telephones, next to monitors or near transformers).

• Do not drop cartridges or handle them roughly.

• Stick labels onto the label area only.

• Do not bulk erase (or degauss) Ultrium format cartridges because this will render them unusable.

• Attach the label at the location shown in the following figure.

IMPORTANT:

Always use the supplied label.

LTO-2 Half-Height SAS Tape Drives 19

Figure 6 Attaching a label to media

.

label position1

Storage environment

To prevent condensation and for long life, the cartridge should only be stored as follows:

• Day-to-day storage (in plastic container): 16° C to 32° C (60° F to 90° F)

• Non-condensing relative humidity: 20% to 50% (archiving)

• Wet bulb temperature should not exceed 26° C (79° F)

Tapes intended for long-term storage should be stored in the plastic containers, at temperatures
between 5° C and 23° C (41° F and 73° F) and 20% to 60% relative humidity.

Use the correct media20

6 Troubleshooting

In this chapter:

• “General Procedure” on page 21

• “Understanding LED sequences” on page 22

• “Problems with cartridges” on page 24

General Procedure

If a problem occurs, the first step is to try to establish whether the problem lies with the cartridge, the
drive, the host computer and connections, or the way the system is being operated.

Has the system just been installed?

There could be an installation problem:

1. Check through the information in the relevant installation chapter of this guide.

2. Has the system booted? If not, check that all hard disks are correctly seated in the hard disk bay

and then check the cabling between the disks and the SAS controller.

3. Has the system booted but the operating system has not seen the tape drive? Check that the drive

has power, the Ready LED should be illuminated. If it is not, check that the power cord is connected
correctly to the tape drive. If the Ready LED is illuminated, check the cabling between the tape
drive and the SAS controller. Ensure that the HBA port to which the drive is connected is enabled.

4. Are appropriate Tape drivers as well as supported application software installed on the host?

5. Check the environmental conditions against the specified limits.

Are you using new cartridges or a different brand of cartridge? Have you been using the particular
cartridge for a very long time?

The problem could lie with the cartridge:

1. Check through the media chapter on “Use the correct media” on page 17.

2. Check that you are using an Ultrium cartridge. Compatible media can be recognized by the

Ultrium logo, which is the same as the logo on the front of your drive.

3. Use the correct media type:

4. Has the cartridge been write-protected, see “Write protecting cartridges” on page 18?

5. Clean the tape heads with the cleaning cartridge, see “Cleaning cartridges” on page 17. Make

sure you are using the Ultrium Universal cleaning cartridge.

6. If the Tape LED is flashing, the cartridge is probably faulty. Try using a different cartridge.

7. Try the operation again.

8. If the problem still occurs and you have not yet replaced the cartridge, try using a different

cartridge.

9. If the problem is still there, the problem probably lies with the drive or the host computer.

LTO-2 Half-Height SAS Tape Drives 21

Has the drive been moved recently? Have any cables been disconnected and reconnected? Has the
environment changed—unusually hot, cold, damp or dry? Has there been dust or dirt near the drive.
Have reasonable precautions against static been taken?

The problem could lie with the drive:

1. Check the cables and connectors.

2. Clean the tape heads with the cleaning cartridge.

3. If the problem persists, check the environmental conditions against the specified limits. Perhaps

move the drive to a more suitable site.

Has a new operating system been installed in the host computer? Has new backup software been
installed?

The problem could lie with the host or the software. Consult the computer's operating manuals, the
software manual, or seek help from a service engineer.

Understanding LED sequences

Figure 7 Front view of tape drive

.

Troubleshooting22

4. Drive LED1. Drive door

5. Ready LED2. Clean LED

6. Eject button3. Tape LED

The meaning of different patterns of LEDs is as follows:

Table 2 Clean, Tape, Drive and Ready LED sequences

Drive may not have power,
may be faulty or may have

All LEDs OFF.

been power cycled or reset
during a firmware upgrade.

Action requiredCauseLED Sequence

Make sure the drive is switched on. The power
on/off switch on an external drive
incorporates a green LED.

Check the power cord connection and replace
the cable if necessary. On external drives,
you can use the power cord from your monitor
or another device to check that the connection
is working.

If the power supply is present and all LEDs
remain off, power cycle or reset the drive . If
it still fails, call for service.

Ready and Clean OFF. Drive
and Tape FLASH.

Ready is ON.

Ready FLASHES.

Ready FLASHES- steady ON­FLASHES.

Ready FLASHES fast.

The drive has failed to execute
power-on self test (POST).

The drive is ready for opera­tion.

The drive is carrying out a nor­mal activity (read, write).

The drive is in OBDR mode.
This mode is not supported by
Fujitsu.

The drive is downloading firm­ware.

Power cycle or reset the drive.
If the error condition reappears, call for

service.

None. This is normal.

None.
If the drive is upgrading firmware, do not reset

or power cycle it.

To leave OBDR mode, power cycle the tape
drive.

None.
Do not reset or power cycle the drive.

Ready is OFF, others are
ON.

Clean FLASHES.

Firmware is being repro­grammed.

The drive requires cleaning.

None.
Do not reset or power cycle the drive.

Load the Ultrium cleaning cartridge. See
“Cleaning cartridges” on page 17 for
supported cartridges and instructions.

If the Clean LED is still flashing when you load
a new or known good data cartridge after
cleaning, call for service.

LTO-2 Half-Height SAS Tape Drives 23

Ready FLASHES and Clean
is ON.

Tape FLASHES.

The tape is ejected
immediately and Tape
FLASHES, or Drive FLASHES
on unloading tape.

Cleaning is in progress.

The drive believes the current
tape or the tape just ejected is
faulty.

The tape cartridge memory
(CM) may be faulty.

Action requiredCauseLED Sequence

None. The cleaning cartridge will eject on
completion.

The cleaning cycle can take up to 5 minutes
to complete.

Unload the tape cartridge. Make sure that you
are using the correct format cartridge; an
Ultrium data cartridge or Ultrium Universal
Cleaning Cartridge. (See “Use the correct

media” on page 17.)

Reload the cartridge. If the Tape LED still
flashes or starts flashing during the next
backup, load a new or known good cartridge.

If the Tape LED is now off, discard the
'suspect' tape cartridge. If it is still on, call for
service.

Write protect the cartridge by sliding the
switch on the tape cartridge, see “Write

protecting cartridges” on page 18. The tape

can be loaded and the data read. Once the
data is recovered, the cartridge must be
discarded.

The drive mechanism has detec-

Drive FLASHES.

Drive, Tape and Ready
FLASH.

Drive and Ready ON with
Tape and Clean OFF.
Alternates repeatedly.

ted an error.

There is a firmware download
problem.

The drive has a firmware error.

Problems with cartridges

If you experience any problems using cartridges, check:

• The cartridge case is intact and that it contains no splits, cracks or damage.

• The cartridge has been stored at the correct temperature and humidity. This prevents condensation.

See the insert included with the tape cartridge for storage conditions.

• The write-protect switch is fully operational. It should move from side to side with a positive click.

Load a new cartridge. If the error persists,
power cycle or reset the drive.

If the Drive LED remains on, call for service.

Insert a cartridge to clear the LED sequence.
If the condition persists, call for service.

Power cycle or reset the drive.
Upgrade the firmware. If the condition

persists, call for service.

Troubleshooting24

The cartridge is jammed

If the cartridge is jammed or the backup application is unable to eject it, you can force eject the
cartridge.

1. Attempt a drive unload/eject operation from the backup software.

Many backup applications will issue a Prevent Media Removal (PMR) command to the drive robot
in an attempt to prevent human interference during a backup job. If this occurs, the software that
issued the PMR must be used to load and unload tapes.

2. Shut down backup software and, if in a Windows environment, stop removable storage services.

3. Press the Eject button on the front of the tape drive.

Sometimes it is necessary to use the Eject button instead of software to unload a tape because
software can lose communication with the product or a rogue application can prevent the software
from unloading the tape.

IMPORTANT:

This can take several minutes in many cases. Ensure that drive activity has stopped before
continuing on (waiting 10 minutes is a good rule of thumb). It is important that you allow
sufficient time for the drive to complete rewinding the cartridge. If you interrupt it, you may
damage the media or the tape drive.

4. Power down the drive.

5. Disconnect the data cable.

6. After at least 15 seconds, power the drive back up and wait till the drive is idle/ready.

CAUTION:

Use care when disconnecting data cables to ensure that connectors are not reversed, pins
are not bent, and so on.

IMPORTANT:

Powering up with a cartridge in the drive can take several minutes. It is important that you
allow sufficient time for the drive to complete rewinding the cartridge. If you interrupt it, you
may damage the media or the tape drive.

7. Ensure that drive activity has stopped (waiting 10 minutes after power up is a good rule of thumb).

Push the Eject button.

This step attempts to overcome unload issues due to the drive being in an abnormal state or
because Prevent Media Removal has been incorrectly left on after being set by a rogue application.

LTO-2 Half-Height SAS Tape Drives 25

8. Initiate a force eject or emergency unload operation by pressing and holding the Eject button

for 15 seconds. This step causes the drive to try everything possible to unload the tape.

CAUTION:

You may lose data if you force eject a cartridge that is in the middle of a backup. The tape
may also become unreadable because an EOD (End of Data) mark may not be properly
written.

9. If the cartridge is still jammed, the tape drive has failed. Please contact Fujitsu Customer Support.

The drive will not accept the cartridge (or ejects it immediately)

The cartridge may have been damaged, for example dropped, or the drive may have a fault. If it is
a cleaning cartridge, it has probably expired and should be discarded immediately. For data
cartridges:

1. Check that the drive has power (the power cord is properly connected and the Ready LED is on).

2. Check that you are using the correct media. Use only Ultrium media.

3. Make sure that you have loaded the cartridge with the correct orientation (see

“Inserting a cartridge” on page 13).

4. Check for damage to your media and discard it, if it is damaged.

5. Use a new or known, good piece of media and see if it loads. If it does, the original cartridge

is faulty and should be discarded.

Troubleshooting26

Index

A

audience, 7

B

backup performance, 15
backup software problems, 22
buttons

Unload, 14

C

cabling, 9
capacity, 15
cartridge

ejecting after backup, 15
cartridge life, 17
cartridges

data,

cleaning, 17, 19

handling, 19

inserting, 13

jammed, 25

loading, 13

not accepted, 26

power off, 14

problems, 21, 24

removing, 14

storage environment, 20

write protecting, 18
cautions

backup, 15
cleaning cartridges, 17, 19
conventions

document, 7

text symbols, 7

drivers

Red Hat Enterprise Linux, 10
Windows, 10

F

front panel

drives, 13

front view, 9

H

handling cartridges, 19
host

problems, 22

I

inserting cartridges, 13
installation

problems, 21
verifying, 11

J

jammed cartridge, 25

L

LEDs, 22

at power on, 11
loading cartridges, 13
LTO–2 tape drive

front view, 9

LEDs, 22

loading, 13

powering off, 14

D

data cartridges, 17
data compression, 15
document

conventions, 7

drive

operating, 13

M

media, 17

O

operation

drives, 13

LTO-2 Half-Height SAS Tape Drives 27

P

performance, 15
power off, 14

R

Red Hat Enterprise Linux

drivers, 10

S

symbols in text, 7

T

tape drive

connecting, 9
text symbols, 7
troubleshooting

cartridge ejected, 26

jammed cartridge, 25

LEDs, 22

U

Unload button, 14

V

verify installation, 11

W

Windows

drivers, 10
write protect, 18

28