READ and FOLLOW before replacing drives

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If you need to determine whether to replace a drive, first read Overall concept. Afterward, follow the Basic Steps.

Overall concept

  1. Determine if the drive will boot into a "good" state.
    1. Stop the drive activity.
    2. If a cartridge is in the drive, eject it.
    3. Power cycle the drive.
    4. Remove the drive and reinstall it.
    5. Check for faulty cables or connections.
  2. Determine if the drive is the problem or something else.
    1. Clean the drive.
    2. Retry the failing operation with another cartridge or another drive.
    3. Check specific error codes to see if they point to the drive or something else.
    4. Run a drive test to determine if the drive is good or bad.
    5. If the drive is good, check for issues with other components in the system.

Basic Steps

A. Bring the drive to a known good state (Ready, Idle, and Empty)

This procedure is for users who need detailed guidance on troubleshooting steps. It does not replace product documentation but is a focused fault-isolation guide.

  1. Stop all host or library activity on the drive. Wait for the drive to be “ready and Idle”.
    • Close down all applications or jobs. (Some processes may take 90 min. to stop).
    • The library or application interface should show the drive is ready and idle.
    • If visible, the drive Ready/Activity LED will be lit but not flashing.
  2. If there is a cartridge in the drive, eject it. (Wait at least 10 minutes for this to complete).
    • Use the library or application interface or push the drive eject button.
    • When the cartridge is ejected, the drive should be ready, idle, and empty.
  3. If the cartridge doesn’t eject, or the drive will not come ready and Idle, power cycle the drive. Wait for the drive to be ready and idle (up to 90 minutes). If there is a cartridge, eject it.
    • Turn off power to the device or the drive, wait 15 seconds and then restore power.
    • The drive will go through its boot process.
    • If a cartridge is present, it will be rewound slowly, which could take up to 90 min.
    • After rewind, the drive should be ready and Idle with cartridge not ejected.
    • Eject the cartridge. After ejecting, the drive should be ready, idle, and empty.
    Note: A drive reset may be used as an alternative to a power cycle, but if the drive is hung or the reset does not recover the drive, then a power cycle must be done anyway. To reset the drive, use the library or application interface. If the drive eject button is visible, the drive may be reset by holding down the reset button for 10 seconds.
  4. If the drive is not showing an error code, but will not become ready and Idle, then remove it from the system, review the install procedures, and install it again.
  5. Check all cables for damage or bad connections and make sure all connection LEDs are lit.
If the drive does not become ready, idle and empty, then replace the drive. Otherwise continue with the next section.

B. Determine if the problem is the drive hardware or something else

  1. Clean the drive by loading a cleaner cartridge.
    • Check to see if the application or library indicates the drive needs cleaning.
    • If the drive SCD is visible and shows a solid “C” code, the drive needs to be cleaned.
    • Cleaning the drive is always a good action before you decide to replace it.
  2. Retry the operation with another cartridge or try the cartridge on another drive.
    • Track failing cartridges and replace them, if they are bad, instead of the drive.
  3. If there is a persistent error condition, check product documentation for the meaning of any code and correct the situation.
    • Take a drive dump and save product logs immediately after the error and determine the specific error code or save the information for service support to determine the issue.
    • The issue could be cooling, power, firmware, media, an encryption issue, a write protected cartridge, etc. Take corrective action for the specific error code before replacing the drive.
  4. If you suspect that drive is bad, run a drive test.
    • If there is IBM Tape Diagnostic Test Tool (ITDT) installed in the customer environment, use the ITDT tool (preferred method) to run the Drive Dias test. Otherwise, use the library Web GUI to run the drive test.
    • Be sure and use a known good cartridge for the drive test.
    • Alternatively, libraries and applications usually contain drive test functions.
    • If the drive front panel is available, the built-in tape drive diagnostics self-test #1 can be run.
    If the drive fails the test with a known good, cartridge replace the drive. Otherwise, continue with the next step.
  5. If the tape operations fail, but the tape drive is good, the issue may be something else in the system.
    • Check setup and troubleshooting documentation for other components in the system: disk drives, adapter cards, switches, etc.
    • Check software set up, configuration and troubleshooting documentation.
    • Load the latest recommended firmware and device drivers for the tape drive and other components in the system.

If you are not able to fix the problem, call service support and have the drive logs available.