Operating the L8 Autoloader

This section provides information on operating your StorEdge L8 autoloader.

Normal Operations

The StorEdge L8 autoloader Operator Panel consists of four LEDs, four buttons, and an LCD screen. The Operator Panel provides everything you need to monitor autoloader status and to control all of its functions.

The display defaults to the Home screen. The Home screen consists of the autoloader status on the top line and the current cartridge inventory on the second line. If the tape drive does not have a cartridge loaded, the top line displays Drive empty (see Figure 1 ).

NOTE: “SEQ” appears next to the front panel inventory when the autoloader is in Sequential mode. Nothing appears when the autoloader is in Random mode.

The cartridge inventory indicates all slots that contain a cartridge by displaying the slot number. Empty slots are indicated by a dash (-).

Figure 1 Home Screen, Drive Empty

An exclamation point (!) displayed in the inventory indicates that the autoloader has identified a cartridge in the indicated slot that is either an invalid cartridge type or has had a media-related error. These can be caused by faulty media, or dirty read/write heads in the tape drive. The Media Attention LED is also illuminated in this case. See LED Indicators for more information.

Exporting the indicated cartridge will clear the error condition. See Exporting Cartridges. If these symptoms occur on multiple known good cartridges, consider cleaning the tape drive. For more information, see Cleaning the Tape Drive. If a particular cartridge causes these symptoms repeatedly, that cartridge may be defective or invalid.

If the tape drive has a cartridge loaded, the top line displays Drive loaded. The cartridge currently loaded in the drive is indicated by an alternating black block and the slot number. This display can also indicate that the specified cartridge is being loaded, unloaded, imported, or exported. The autoloader status line indicates the current operation. An example of this display is shown below.

Figure 2 Home Screen, Drive Loaded

LED Indicators

The Operator Panel includes four LED indicators that provide a variety of information as detailed in the following table:

Table 1 LEDs

Operator Panel Control

The Operator Panel includes four buttons that provide access to all operations and information menus.

Table 2 Control Buttons

Understanding the Menu Structure

The following graphic depicts the autoloader menu structure.

Figure 3 Operator Panel Menu Structure

Powering on the Autoloader

To power-on the autoloader

• Use the eraser end of a pencil or something similar to press the left side of the power switch.

  The autoloader powers up.

Working with Data Cartridges

The following describes how to work with your data cartridges. For specific information about allowed autoloader data cartridges, see Technical Specifications.

Importing Cartridges

This option commands the autoloader to import a cartridge into a specific empty slot on the carousel.

CAUTION: Performing an import or export of media during a data backup may result in adverse results, which could include backup failure or other errors.

To import tapes into the autoloader

1. Make sure the write-protect switch is set as desired for each data cartridge (see Write-Protecting Cartridges).
2. From the Home Screen or main menu, press + or - until Command appears on the top line of the LCD screen.
3. Press ENTER to access the available options.
4. Press + or - until Import appears on the LCD screen. Press ENTER to select.
5. Press + or - until the desired slot number appears on the LCD screen and press ENTER.

   You are not given the option to import a cartridge to an occupied slot.

6. When Insert Cartridge Slot appears on the LCD screen and the mail slot opens, insert the desired data cartridge into the mail slot so that the write-protect switch is facing out from the autoloader.

   NOTE: If you are using the Operator Panel to clean the drive, import the cleaning cartridge only when the Operator Panel requests it. You may keep a cleaning cartridge in the autoloader if the backup software can manage the drive cleaning.

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 as needed for any additional cartridges.
8. Press CANCEL when you are done importing cartridges.
9. Verify that the LCD screen shows that the desired slots have cartridges installed.

Exporting Cartridges

This option moves a cartridge from a specific slot to the mail slot.

CAUTION: Performing an import or export of media during a data backup may result in adverse results, which could include backup failure or other errors.

To export one or more cartridges from the autoloader

1. From the Home Screen or main menu, press + or - until Commands appears on the top line of the LCD screen. Press ENTER.
2. Press + or - until Export appears on the LCD screen. Press ENTER.
3. Press + or - until the desired slot number appears on the LCD screen. Press ENTER.

   You are not given the option to export from an empty slot, and you cannot export directly from the drive.

4. When Remove Cartridge appears on the LCD screen and the cartridge is ejected through the mail slot, remove the exported cartridge from the autoloader, and press ENTER.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 as needed for any additional cartridges.
6. Press CANCEL when you are done exporting cartridges.
7. Make sure the LCD screen indicates that the desired slots contain cartridges.

Loading Cartridges

This option loads a cartridge from the autoloader slots into the tape drive.

To load cartridges

1. From the Home Screen or main menu, press + or - until Commands appears on the top line of the LCD screen. Press ENTER to select.
2. Press + or - until Load Cartridge appears on the LCD screen.
3. Press ENTER to select.
4. Press + or - until the desired slot number appears on the LCD screen and press ENTER.

   The slot number you select indicates the cartridge to be loaded into the tape drive.

NOTE: Only slot numbers that contain cartridges are displayed.

5. While the cartridge is loading, status messages appear on the LCD screen. When the operation is complete, the Drive Stopped message appears.

Unloading Cartridges

This option unloads the cartridge from the tape drive into its original slot.

To unload cartridges

1. From the Home Screen or main menu, press + or - until Commands appears on the top line of the LCD screen.
2. Press ENTER to select.
3. Press + or - until Unload Cartridge appears on the LCD screen.
4. Press ENTER to unload the cartridge from the tape drive.
5. When the cartridge is unloading, status messages appear on the LCS screen. When the operation is complete, the Drive Empty message appears.

Write-Protecting Cartridges

All cartridges have a write-protect switch to prevent accidental erasure or overwriting of data. Before loading a cartridge into the autoloader, make sure the write-protect switch on the front of the cartridge is positioned as desired:

• Slide the switch to the right to write-protect the cartridge. A small orange pad-lock is visible indicating that the cartridge is write-protected.
• Slide the switch to the left to allow the autoloader to write data to the cartridge.

NOTE: When a write-protected cartridge is loaded into the drive, a WP appears on the bottom line of the LCD screen next to the inventory information. This message appears until the cartridge is unloaded from the drive.

Figure 4 Write-Protecting a LTO Cartridge

Maintaining Cartridges

To ensure the longest possible life for all of your cartridges, follow these guidelines:

• Do not drop or strike a cartridge. Excessive shock can damage the internal contents of the cartridge, or the cartridge case itself, making that cartridge unusable.
• Do not expose your cartridges to direct sunlight or sources of heat, including portable heaters and heating ducts.
• The operating temperature range for your cartridges is 10 to 35 degrees C. The storage temperature range is 16 to 32 degrees C in a dust-free environment in which relative humidity is always between 20% and 80% (non-condensing).
• If a cartridge has been exposed to temperatures outside the ranges specified above, stabilize the cartridge at room temperature for the same amount of time it was exposed to extreme temperatures or 24 hours, whichever is less.
• Do not place 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, rendering the cartridge unusable.
• Place identification labels only in the designated slot on the cartridge.

Cleaning the Tape Drive

When the Clean Drive LED is on, the autoloader's tape drive needs to be cleaned. Cleaning times can range from a few seconds to a few minutes during which time the Ready LED blinks. Use only authorized cleaning cartridges in the autoloader.

NOTE: If you are using the Operator Panel commands to clean the drive, import the cleaning cartridge only after you have selected the Clean Drive command. If you would like to keep a cleaning cartridge in the autoloader, the backup software must manage drive cleaning.

To clean the tape drive

1. From the Home Screen or main menu, press + or - until Commands appears on the top line of the LCD screen.
2. Press ENTER.
3. Press + or - until Clean Drive appears on the LCD screen.
4. Press ENTER.
5. If the carousel is full, the LCD screen displays No slot free for transfer. Press CANCEL repeatedly until the main menu or Home Screen is displayed. Export a cartridge to make room for the cleaning cartridge. See Exporting Cartridges for instructions then return to Step 1 to clean the tape drive.
6. Insert the cleaning cartridge into the autoloader mail slot. During the cleaning process, which can take several minutes, the LCD screen displays Drive Cleaning.

   CAUTION: If the cartridge is not a valid cleaning cartridge, the LCD screen will display Invalid Tape and the cartridge will be exported.

7. When tape drive cleaning is complete, the Clean Drive LED turns off (if previously on) and the autoloader unloads and exports the cleaning cartridge. Remove the cleaning cartridge, and press ENTER when the LCD screen prompts you to do so.

   NOTE: The Clean Drive or Media Attention LED is illuminated again when you insert another cartridge immediately after cleaning, see Table 1 in the Troubleshooting and Diagnostics section.

8. If you had to remove a data cartridge to import the cleaning cartridge, import the tape to its original slot. See Importing Cartridges for more information.

Re-Inventory of Cartridges

This option analyzes the slots and drives in the autoloader.

To update the inventory information

1. From the Home Screen or main menu, press + or - until Commands appears on the top line of the LCD screen.
2. Press ENTER to access the available options.
3. Press + or - until Re-inventory appears on the LCD screen.
4. Press ENTER.

The autoloader then checks the drive and each cartridge slot for the presence of a tape in order to update the inventory information.

NOTE: This command is only needed if the inventory in the autoloader is different than the inventory displayed on the front panel.