Cleaning DAT tape drives

Clean the head on DAT tape drives after every 8 hours of tape movement when using IBM® tape cartridges. Other tape media might require cleaning more frequently.

System messages are posted when the tape unit determines that cleaning is required. The DAT72 and DAT160 tape units also have a cleaning status light that indicates that cleaning is required. It is important to respond to these cleaning indicators and clean the head using a recommended cleaning method.

Replace cleaning cartridges after 50 uses.