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IS
DDS DIFFERENT THAN DAT? |
DDS evolved
from DAT (Digital Audio Tape) and uses the same recording principle
as home video recorders. However, instead of recording analogue
video signals, it records digital data. Both use the same type
of tape, but computer grade DDS tape must meet strict ANSI standards.
This means it has a much lower BER (Bit Error Rate) than most
DAT tape and is therefore more reliable. Unlike audio DAT tape,
DDS is certified "error free".
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WHY
IS MY TAPE DRIVE NOT DETECTED ON MY WINDOWS NT 4.0 SYSTEM? |
| If
you have Service Pack 4 or 6, you'll need to install the Windows.
NT drivers located on our website. Service Pack 6A already contains
the correct NT drivers. Service Pack 5 will not support tape drives,
so users should upgrade to Service Pack 6a. Obtain the latest
drivers and firmware for your SCSI card. If you are using an Adaptec
card, run an ASPI check, and update the ASPI layer for your card
if necessary. Finally, check for proper SCSI termination and ID
settings. |
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CAN
I USE A 125 MM TAPE IN MY DRIVE THAT USES 120 M TAPES? |
| No.
DDS2 drives will automatically eject DDS3 tapes. Drives and Media
are only backwards compatible. See below for a listing of media
and drive compatibility. |
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I
AM HAVING READ & WRITE POROBLEMS WITH THE TAPE DRIVE? |
| The
most common cause of this is dirty heads or bad media. Try a cleaning
cartridge and then use new media as the old media may be contaminated.
Retensioning the tape may also improve performance. The Heads
should be cleaned with a Cleaning Tape at least every 24 hours
of tape drive usage. Heads must be cleaned regularly to ensure
reliable performance. If
long periods go by without cleaning, foreign material will build
up on the heads and a cleaning tape may no longer be effective.
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HOW
DO I EJECT A STUCK TAPE? |
First, make
sure the correct type of tape is being used. Try issuing a SCSI
bus reset or power the drive OFF and back ON to override this
condition. Disconnect the data cable from the drive to determine
if the cable or connection may be the problem. If this does
not work and if it is absolutely mandatory that the tape cassette
be removed prior to returning the drive for repair, an emergency
cassette removal procedure can be performed. See manual or contact
technical support for further assistance.
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WHY
CAN I DO A SUCCESSFUL BACKUP ON SOME DAYS, WHILE OTHER DAYS, THE
BACKUP FAILS? |
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Replace
the tapes that fail with known good tapes. The particular tapes
that are not successfully backing up are most likely defective. |
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CAN
I NOT REACH FULL CAPACITY ON MY DDS TAPES? |
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Your tape drive is a streaming device. If the data buffer
in the drive becomes empty during the backup process the tape
will continue moving thus leaving areas on the tape with no data
and reducing the tapes capacity - This can be caused by poor system
performance or by backing up over a slow or busy network. Incorrect
SCSI configuration can also cause data bottlenecks, for best performance
it is recommended to configure the tape drive with a dedicated
SCSI controller. Dirty drive heads and or poor media condition
can cause write errors, the data will then be written again, this
also reduces tape capacity - Be sure your drive heads are clean
and the media is in good condition. If you are using data compression,
remember that some files do not compress very well, ie: MPEG,
JPEG, PDF etc. If your drive has built in hardware compression
enabled be sure that you do not have the backup applications software
compression enabled also. |
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WHEN
& HOW SHOULD I CLEAN MY DDS TAPE DRIVE? |
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Your DDS tape drive's LED display will indicate when
the tape drive needs to be cleaned. The "TAPE" Indicator
will remain on, and the "STATUS" indicator should flash
once every half-second. In order to clean the tape, please use
an approved DDS cleaning cartridge. The drive should indicate
that cleaning is needed, as explained above, by flashing it's
Status Indicator. At the time the drive indicates it needs a cleaning,
please insert the tape into the drive. A single cleaning process
will take between 7 - 11 seconds.
Note: If the process takes less than 7 seconds, the tape
drive wasn't properly cleaned. At this point, please insert the
tape to reattempt the cleaning process. If the same results occur,
please try a new cleaning tape, as the older one might be at its
end of life. You can verify this on most cleaning tapes by looking
to see if the tape is at the end, and the left spindle is empty.
The cleaning tape does not contain an abrasive which would wear
the drive's reading head, so this won't harm the drive. |
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WHAT
DOES DDS STAND FOR? |
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DDS
is the abbreviation for Digital Data Storage. DDS drives are also
called 4 mm tape drives or DAT streamers. |
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HOW
MANY TIMES CAN A CLEANING CARTRIDGE BE USED? |
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It
should not be used more than 30 times. |
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MY
DRIVE CAN'T READ MY DDS TAPE? |
| Please
check the following:
Poor quality media, worn media or dirty tape drive heads. Insert
a cleaning tape, then use brand new media as old media may contaminate
the heads again. If long periods go by without the use of a cleaning
tape, foreign material will build up on the heads and a cleaning
tape may no longer be effective. In this case the drive will need
to be returned to an Authorized Sony Service Center for cleaning.
Tape was written in a different drive. One of the drives may be
incorrectly aligned - Try a back up and restore using the one
drive, tape, backup application and operating system. Incorrect
SCSI configuration can also cause these types of problems, for
best performance it is recommended to configure the tape drive
with a dedicated SCSI controller. |
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