Sony AIT tape drives need to be regularly cleaned using a cleaning tape to ensure reliable operation. RM has found that around 36% of faulty tape drives, which had been replaced by RM, could have been fixed by using a cleaning tape.

We recommend that the cleaning tape is used at least once a week and whenever the cleaning LED indicator illuminates on the front of the drive.

To use the cleaning tape:

1. Make sure the server is powered on and no backup software is running.
2. Insert the cleaning tape into the drive.
3. The cleaning process runs automatically.
4. Once cleaning is complete, the cleaning tape will be ejected.

In cases of severe dust contamination, the cleaning tape can be reinserted to clean the drive again. Run a backup once the clean is complete and verify that the backup was successful by performing a verify operation.

Cleaning tapes have a finite life span. Once the tape inside has moved completely over to the right-hand reel, the tape has finished and should be replaced. Replacement cleaning tapes can be purchased from RM. Please see below the two different cleaning tapes available from RM. Choose the correct cleaning tape based on the AIT tape drive you have.

Part number	Description	Number of cleans
17B-365	CARTRIDGE-AIT CLEANING TAPE AIT4 SDX4-CL	50 Cleans
108-074	CARTRIDGE-AIT CLEANING TAPE AIT1/2/3	55 Cleans

Labels are usually supplied with cleaning tapes to allow you to mark-off how many times the tape has been used.