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Introduction

These videos show how to remove tape cartridges that are stuck inside HP LTO full-height or half-height tape drives. Follow these procedures if you can't remove a tape cartridge by following the resolution steps provided by the library (the RAS Ticket/Diagnostic Ticket), drive, backup application, or the product's user documentation.

CAUTION: You should only perform these tasks with guidance from Quantum Technical Support. This procedure is complex, and performing it incorrectly could damage the robot or other library components.

Be sure to refer to the printed documentation of these procedures provided by Quantum Technical Support. This will be especially helpful if you cannot watch the videos while performing the procedures.

After removing a stuck tape, watch the "Inspecting LTO Tape Cartridges" video to help you determine whether you can re-import the recovered tape into the library.

Note: The drive sled examples in these videos are from the Scalar i40 and Scalar i80 tape libraries. These drive sleds allow access to the load motor drive shaft hex nut (half-height drives only), RD thumbwheel (full-height drives only), and front reel motor (half-height and full height drives.

CAUTION: If your library's drive sled allows access to these mechanisms, do not remove the drive from the sled. Doing so could potentially damage the drive and/or sled, and may void any warranty.

If your library's drive sled does NOT allow access to these mechanisms (such as the Scalar 100, M-Series, and Scalar 50/PX500 series), you will need to remove the drive brick from the sled to manually remove a tape. See your library's specific documentation for information on removing the drive brick from the sled.

Before You Start

Try the following before attempting to manually remove a stuck tape:

  1. Eject the cartridge using the backup software.
  2. Eject the cartridge using the Web interface, or using the libary's operator control panel.
  3. Force an eject by pressing the eject button on the front of the drive (press and hold for at least 10 seconds).
  4. Disconnect the host cable from the drive, then reseat and/or power-cycle the library (some libraries do not support removal of drives while the library is powered on).
  5. Repeat steps 2 and 3.
  6. Follow the procedures given in the guide for manually removing a stuck tape from an HP LTO tape drive (This guide is available on CSWeb). You can also use the link in the Documentation column below.

Links to Videos

Video Name Length Documentation
HP LTO HH: Manual Tape Removal 3:30 PDF
HP LTO FH: Manual Tape Removal 1:48  
Inspecting LTO Tape Cartridges 4:15  

Required Tools

Disclaimer

CAUTION: You should only perform these tasks with guidance from Quantum Technical Support. This procedure is complex, and performing it incorrectly could damage the robot or other library components. Be sure to refer to the printed documentation for these procedures provided by Quantum Technical Support.

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Authors & Owners

This video was created by Matthew Howell. This page was last updated on November 21, 2011 4:22 PM.