Status lights (FC 6258)

The following is a front view of the tape drive:

Figure 1. Front view of tape drive

The status lights and their ISO symbols are on the device as follows:

Ready

Activity

Fault

The combinations of the lights and their definitions are shown in the following table.

Table 1. Definition of Status Light Combinations
Ready	Activity	Fault	Definition
Flashing	Off	Off	The Power-On Self Test (POST) is running or the test cartridge is running.
Off or On	Off or Flashing	On	The tape drive requires cleaning. See Cleaning the tape drive. If the Ready light is on, a tape cartridge is in the drive. If the light is off, a cartridge is not in the drive. If the Activity light flashes, a tape cartridge is in the drive and tape movement is occurring. If the light is off, no tape movement is occurring.
Off	Off	Off or On	One of the following conditions exists: The power is off (Fault light is off). The POST completed successfully, but no tape cartridge has been inserted. If the Fault light is on, cleaning is required. See Cleaning the tape drive.
On	Off or Flashing	Off or On	A data cartridge has been inserted. The device is ready to receive commands from the system (whether the Fault light is on or off). If the Fault light is on, cleaning is required. See Cleaning the tape drive. If the Activity light flashes, a tape cartridge is in the drive and tape movement is occurring. If the light is off, no tape movement is occurring.
On	Flashing	Off or On	The tape is in motion, and the device is running an operation or is cleaning.
Off	Off	Flashing	The device detected an internal fault that requires corrective action. Reset the error by turning the power off to the device, then turning it back on, or by holding down the Unload/Reset button for 8 seconds. If the Fault light still flashes after the reset, contact your service provider.

Note:

The device needs cleaning when the tape drive turns on the Fault status light (solid amber). The light turns on when the device exceeds a preset operating limit.
The recommended preventive-maintenance cleaning frequency is approximately 50 tape motion hours. Tape motion hours are defined as the time that the tape drive is moving tape.
When the Fault light turns on (solid amber), the device causes AIX^® to log an information error (TAPE_ERR6) in the AIX log, indicating that the tape drive needs to be cleaned.
Use only quality media and cleaning cartridges.
The device is designed to operate in normal office environments. Dirty environments or other poor environments might damage the tape drive. It is the customer's responsibility to provide the proper operating environment.
When the tape drive indicates that the drive needs to be cleaned, it is the customer's responsibility to clean the tape drive with the recommended cleaning cartridge.
If a tape cartridge that is not DDS-3, DDS-4, or DAT72 format is used, that cartridge will be immediately ejected as an incorrect cartridge type.