Troubleshooting Tape Drive Problems
Here, in rough order of frequency, are the most common problems and some things you can do to solve them:
- Read/write errors
If you experience numerous read/write errors, noticeably slower performance, excessive initialization time, or tapes that eject themselves immediately after they are inserted, first suspect a dirty drive. Cleaning the drive as described in the preceding section usually cures such problems immediately. Retensioning tapes periodically also helps avoid this problem.
- Configuration problems or incompatibilities with backup software or drivers
If the backup software doesn’t recognize the drive, can’t load the driver, or does not contain a driver for the drive, first make sure that the host adapter recognizes the drive as present at boot time. For SCSI, ensure the operating system recognizes the SCSI host adapter and download and install later drivers from the host adapter manufacturer’s web site, if any are available. If you have recently installed a new version of your backup software, verify that it contains support for the tape drive, and download updated drivers for that drive if necessary. If your tape drive manufacturer provides downloadable firmware updates, download and install the latest recommended firmware for your drive.
- SCSI communication problems
If the controller does not recognize the tape drive or the controller or system hangs at boot, the most likely cause is physical damage to or a configuration problem with the ...
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