Increasing tape drive head performance with sectional cleaning using a cartridge memory

A method for increasing tape drive head performance, the method comprising:

• transporting a cleaning tape of a cleaner cartridge by applying a mechanical tension to the cleaning tape at a first tension level until a first end of a current cleaning section of the cleaning tape is facing a cleaning fluid application arrangement of the cleaner cartridge during a wet cleaning operation;
• transporting the cleaning tape of the cleaner cartridge by applying the mechanical tension to the cleaning tape at a second tension level until a second end of the current cleaning section of the cleaning tape is facing the cleaning fluid application arrangement of the cleaner cartridge to moisten a length of the current cleaning section with a cleaning fluid from the first end to the second end;
• transporting the current cleaning section of the cleaning tape moistened with the cleaning fluid along a head of a tape drive to clean read/write elements of the head using the length of the current cleaning section during a cleaning cycle of the wet cleaning operation;
• storing cleaning section usage information in a cartridge memory indicating that a particular cleaning section of the cleaning tape has already been used for head cleaning to prevent reuse of that particular cleaning section;
• and
• determining a next cleaning section to be used in a further wet cleaning operation based on the cleaning section usage information stored in the cartridge memory.