Apple Workgroup Server 8550 - Manual (Page 83)

Cleaning the tape-drive heads
The most common reason for the display of a caution signal on the front
panel is that the tape-drive heads are dirty. Although your tape drive has a
built-in roller for cleaning the heads during normal operation, you still
need to perform a separate cleaning step as part of preventive maintenance.
Your system comes with a cleaning cassette that you should use to clean the
tape-drive heads after every 25 hours of running time.
The Apple cleaning cassette P/N 654-0002 is approved for use with the
Workgroup Server DDS-2 DAT drive. This cleaning tape is the “dry” type.
Don’t use the “wet,” alcohol-style cleaning tapes. Note that, in general,
cleaning tapes that work with DDS-2 drives also work with DDS drives,
but DDS cleaning tapes should not be used with DDS-2 drives.
When you insert the cleaning cassette into the drive, the drive automatically
loads it and cleans the heads. When the cleaning process is completed, the
drive automatically ejects the cassette. Keep a record of how many times
you use the cleaning cassette. After 25 uses, replace it.
The interval at which you clean the tape drive depends on how often you
use it. In general, if you back up daily, you should clean the drive weekly. If
you back up weekly, you should clean the tape drive once a month.
For more information about using the cleaning cassette, refer to the instruc-
tions that came with it. For additional cleaning cassettes, see your Apple-
authorized service provider.
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