Chapter 14 Working With Cartridges and BarcodesHandling Cartridges ProperlyScalar i500 User’s Guide 525Handling Cartridges ProperlyTo ensure the longest possible life for your cartridges, follow theseguidelines:• Select a visible location to post procedures that describe propermedia handling.• Ensure that anyone who handles cartridges has been properly trainedon all procedures.• Do not drop or strike cartridges. Excessive shock could damage theinternal contents of cartridges or the casings themselves, renderingthe cartridges unusable.• Do not expose cartridges to direct sunlight or sources of heat,including portable heaters and heating ducts.• Store cartridges in a location that is as free from dust as possible. Dustcan damage or degrade performance of tape media.• For external long-term vaulted storage, store cartridges in a verticalorientation.• If cartridges must be stacked horizontally for moving and handling,do not stack cartridges more than five high.• The operating temperature range for Linear Tape Open (LTO)cartridges is 50ºF to 113ºF (10ºC to 45ºC). The operating relativehumidity range is 10% to 80% (non-condensing). The storagetemperature range is 60.8ºF to 89.6ºF (16º to 32ºC). Temperaturesabove 125.6ºF (52ºC) can cause permanent damage.• If cartridges have been exposed to temperatures outside the rangesspecified above, stabilize the cartridges at room temperature for thesame amount of time they were exposed to extreme temperatures or24 hours, whichever is less.• Do not place cartridges near sources of electromagnetic energy orstrong magnetic fields, such as computer monitors, electric motors,speakers, or x-ray equipment. Exposure to electromagnetic energy ormagnetic fields can destroy data and the embedded servo codewritten on the media by the cartridge manufacturer, rendering thecartridges unusable.• Place barcode labels only in the designated slots on the cartridges.
