DOCSLIB.ORG

The IBM LTO Ultrium Tape Libraries Guide

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The IBM LTO Ultrium Tape Libraries Guide Front cover The IBM LTO Ultrium Tape Libraries Guide Understand Linear Tape-Open technology and its unique architecture Learn about the IBM Ultrium drives and libraries Updated for Ultrium LTO 2 products Charlotte Brooks Carsten Krax Tony Rynan Josef Weingand ibm.com/redbooks International Technical Support Organization The IBM LTO Ultrium Tape Libraries Guide June 2003 SG24-5946-01 Note: Before using this information and the product it supports, read the information in “Notices” on page xvii. Second Edition (June 2003) This edition applies to the IBM TotalStorage Ultrium Tape Drive 3580, IBM TotalStorage Ultrium Tape Autoloader 3581, IBM TotalStorage Ultrium Tape Library 3582, IBM TotalStorage Ultrium Scalable Tape Library 3583, and IBM TotalStorage UltraScalable Tape Library 3584. © Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2000, 2003. All rights reserved. Note to U.S. Government Users Restricted Rights: Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp. Contents Figures . .xi Tables . xv Notices . xvii Trademarks . xviii Preface . xix The team that wrote this redbook. xix Become a published author . xxi Comments welcome. xxii Summary of changes . xxiii June 2003, Second Edition . xxiii Chapter 1. Introduction to Linear Tape-Open (LTO) . 1 1.1 The LTO organization . 2 1.1.1 Open licensing and manufacture . 3 1.1.2 License packages . 4 1.1.3 Compliance verification . 5 1.2 LTO standards. 5 1.2.1 Ultrium tape formats . 5 1.2.2 LTO core technology. 6 Chapter 2. LTO technology . 9 2.1 Interleaved recording. 10 2.1.1 Servo tracks . 10 2.1.2 Data tracks . 13 2.1.3 Linear density . 16 2.2 Data compression . 16 2.3 Tape cartridge . 18 2.3.1 Metal particle medium . 20 2.3.2 Cartridge memory (LTO-CM) . 20 2.3.3 Barcode label . 22 2.3.4 Volume label format . 23 2.3.5 Write protect switch. 24 2.3.6 Cleaning the cartridge . 24 2.3.7 Cartridge life . 24 2.3.8 Cleaning cartridge . 25 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2000, 2003. All rights reserved. iii 2.3.9 Cartridge handling. 25 2.4 IBM LTO Ultrium common subassembly. 28 2.4.1 Drive head. 29 2.4.2 Data compression . 30 2.4.3 Interfaces . 31 2.4.4 Performance . 35 2.4.5 Partial Response Maximum Likelihood (PRML) . 36 2.4.6 IBM Ultrium 2: additional improvements . 37 2.4.7 IBM Ultrium 1 and 2 compatibility . 39 2.4.8 Operating the Ultrium drive . 39 2.4.9 Reliability. 41 2.4.10 Cleaning the drive . 43 2.5 The IBM LTO Ultrium family of tapes and libraries . 44 2.6 Multi-path architecture. 46 Chapter 3. Tape storage market direction. 49 3.1 Current tape products and technologies . 50 3.1.1 Helical versus longitudinal. 50 3.1.2 Tape reels (1/2-inch) . 52 3.1.3 QIC . 52 3.1.4 Digital Data Standard (4 mm) . 54 3.1.5 The 8 mm format. 56 3.1.6 Digital Linear Tape (DLT) . 58 3.1.7 SuperDLT (SDLT) . 62 3.1.8 IBM 3480. 63 3.1.9 IBM 3490. 63 3.1.10 IBM Magstar 3590. 64 3.1.11 STK 9840 . 65 3.1.12 STK 9940 . 66 3.1.13 LTO Ultrium. 66 3.1.14 Libraries . 67 3.2 Current SAN technologies. 68 3.2.1 SAN definition . 70 3.2.2 Fibre Channel architecture . 70 3.2.3 Topologies. 71 3.2.4 Tape solutions in a SAN environment. 71 Chapter 4. IBM TotalStorage Ultrium Tape Drive 3580. 79 4.1 Model description . 80 4.2 Feature codes . 81 4.3 SCSI attachment . 82 4.4 SCSI cabling . 82 4.4.1 Cables . 82 iv The IBM LTO Ultrium Tape Libraries Guide 4.4.2 Interposers . 83 4.4.3 SCSI length limitations . 83 4.5 Upgrades. 84 4.6 Environmental specifications. 84 4.6.1 Physical dimensions . 84 4.6.2 Operating environment . ..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • THE SOUND ENGINEERING MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 1972 S1.00 Built Better
    THE SOUND ENGINEERING MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 1972 S1.00 Built better. Performs longer. Casts less. Wire windings are OUT, conductive plastic is IN for Series 300 is offered in 6 different stroke lengths and high performance audio controls. With its new Series features longer life of 10 million traverses minimum, 300 SLIDELINETM, Duncan Electronics replaces noisy, infinite resolution and linear, audio and constant im- rough and "grainy" wire elements with smooth, noise- pedance outputs for every audio need! f ree RESOLON® conductive plastic which actually improves with use! Dual channels can be contained in a standard single housing only 1M6" wide the most compact dual at- RESOLON elements and precious metal wipers used - tenuator available to the industry. Two dual units can in all Series 300 controls bring consistent low -noise be coupled and driven by a common knob to create operation and superior performance to linear motion 4 channels for master controls or quadrasonics. faders for broadcast and recording. And, the cost is less than many high grade wirewound controls of For complete specifications, call or write for our FREE the past! Duncan Seriesbrochure. 300 A sound ide FG. gS 4d czttz. gS sign and rï cticiti'aie Rita S' few Vastly improved performance. F Resolon element as the '_ professional grade Series 300. This re- sults in far lower noise, longer life (5 million strokes minimum), in- finite resolution ti and smoother "feel." DUNCAN ELECTRONIC f DONNE 2865 Fairview Road Costa Mesa, California 92626 Phone: (714) 5458261 TWX 910-595-1128 Circle 10 on Reader Service Card COMING NEXT MONTH THE SOUND ENGINEERING MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 1972 VOLUME 6.
    [Show full text]
  • Tape Drive Technology Comparison Sony AIT · Exabyte Mammoth · Quantum DLT by Roger Pozak Boulder, CO (303) 786-7970 Roger [email protected] Updated April 1999
    Tape Drive Technology Comparison Sony AIT · Exabyte Mammoth · Quantum DLT By Roger Pozak Boulder, CO (303) 786-7970 [email protected] Updated April 1999 1 Introduction Tape drives have become the preferred device for backing up hard disk data files, storing data and protecting against data loss. This white paper examines three leading mid-range tape drives technologies available today: Sony AIT, Exabyte Mammoth and Quantum DLT. These three technologies employ distinctly different recording formats and exhibit different performance characteristics. Therefore, choosing among and investing in one of these technologies calls for a complete understanding of their respective strengths and weaknesses. Evolution of Three Midrange Tape Drive Technologies Exabyte introduced the 8mm helical scan tape drive in 1985. The 8mm drive mechanical sub-assembly was designed and manufactured by Sony while Exabyte supplied the electronics, firmware, cosmetics and marketing expertise. Today, Exabyte’s Mammoth drive is designed and manufactured entirely by Exabyte. Sony, long a leading innovator in tape technology, produces the AIT (Advance Intelligent Tape) drives. The AIT drive is designed and manufactured entirely by Sony. Although the 8mm helical scan recording method is used, the AIT recording format is new and incompatible with 8mm drives from Exabyte. Quantum Corporation is the manufacturer of DLT (Digital Linear Tape) drives. Quantum purchased the DLT technology from Digital Equipment Corporation in 1994 and has successfully developed and marketed several generations of DLT drive technology including the current DLT- 7000 product. Helical Scan vs Linear Serpentine Recording Sony AIT and Exabyte Mammoth employ a helical scan recording style in which data tracks are written at an angle with respect to the edge of the tape.
    [Show full text]
  • Secure Data Storage – White Paper Storage Technologies 2008
    1 Secure Data Storage – White Paper Storage Technologies 2008 Secure Data Storage - An overview of storage technology - Long time archiving from extensive data supplies requires more then only big storage capacity to be economical. Different requirements need different solutions! A technology comparison repays. Author: Dr. Klaus Engelhardt Dr. K. Engelhardt 2 Secure Data Storage – White Paper Storage Technologies 2008 Secure Data Storage - An overview of storage technology - Author: Dr. Klaus Engelhardt Audit-compliant storage of large amounts of data is a key task in the modern business world. It is a mistake to see this task merely as a matter of storage technology. Instead, companies must take account of essential strategic and economic parameters as well as legal regulations. Often one single technology alone is not sufficient to cover all needs. Thus storage management is seldom a question of one solution verses another, but a combination of solutions to achieve the best possible result. This can frequently be seen in the overly narrow emphasis in many projects on hard disk-based solutions, an approach that is heavily promoted in advertising, and one that imprudently neglects the considerable application benefits of optical storage media (as well as those of tape-based solutions). This overly simplistic perspective has caused many professional users, particularly in the field of long-term archiving, to encounter unnecessary technical difficulties and economic consequences. Even a simple energy efficiency analysis would provide many users with helpful insights. Within the ongoing energy debate there is a simple truth: it is one thing to talk about ‘green IT’, but finding and implementing a solution is a completely different matter.
    [Show full text]
  • Videotape and Home Movie Day
    Videotape and Home Movie Day Incorporating video into a Home Movie Day event presents a host with technological and curatorial challenges. You’ll need to bring even more equipment including numerous decks, cables galore, and something to show tapes on, either a video projector or a large enough monitor. Since videotapes can go on for hours, you’ll need to set time limits in advance so no one person takes up more time than other attendees. But with a little planning you can easily be showing families’ histories recorded on tape alongside those on good ol’ small gauge film. Equipment Needs There is a daunting number of consumer-level videotape and optical video formats. But just as you can't expect to have a projector for every film format, you shouldn't expect to support every video format. In our experience, the most popular formats are VHS and Video8. DVD is also common format for people bringing in already-transferred home movies. You’ll need to balance your expectations of what video formats your particular audience will be bringing in with how much effort it will be to bring in a particular format. Other video formats to consider include, but are not limited to, Hi8, Digital8, Betamax, DV, SHS, and VHS-C. And don’t forget the difference between PAL, NTSC, and SECAM. Also, don’t forget to have enough cords and adapters to connect video decks to the monitor/projector. Depending on how many decks you are bringing to your HMD event, you might want to consider getting a video switcher.
    [Show full text]
  • Hazleton Area School District
    DATE: 10/06/2011 HAZLETON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT BID CATALOG 070 (2012-2013) AV SUPPLIES & EQUIPMENT --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STOCK ITEM/ QTY UNIT OF UNIT TOTAL DESCRIPTION MEASURE PRICE PRICE --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ADAP001 _________ EACH 5.00 __________ XLR ADAPTER 3 PRONG XLR FEMALE TO 1/4" MALE PHONE JACK ADAP025 _________ EACH 12.52 __________ VHS-C ADAPTER- VHS-C AUTO LOAD CASSETTE ADAPTER FOR VIEWING VHS-C CASSETTES ON FULL SIZE VHS VCR, MOTORIZED UNIT, BATTERIES INCLUDED ADAP026 _________ EACH 290.00 __________ FISHEYE ADAPTER FOR DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS WITH 35MM LENS FRONT DIAMETER, CENTURY OPTICS PART # DSFEWA37, ULTRA FISHEYE .3X. ADORAMA ITEM # CYDSFEWA37 ADAP333 _________ EACH 25.13 __________ SONY PORTABLE AC ADAPTER CHARGER (AC-LS1) AMPH001 _________ EACH 50.00 __________ VOICE AMP 190 WITH STANARD MICROPHONE PLUS WIRELESS MICROPHONE 200 YD RANGE 50 WATT POWER PORTABLE, LANTERN TYPE, BATTERY INCLUDED AMPL100 _________ EACH 50.00 __________ 100 WATTS X 2 CD PHONO TAPE 1 VIDEO AM FM INPUTS 4 SPEAKER PORTS SIMULATED SURROUND SOUND, 40 PROGRAMS, AM/FM PROGRAMS, HEADPHONES, JACK, FULL FUNCTION REMOTE CONTROL CC SYSTEM AUDI002 _________ EACH 20.00 __________ AUDIO TAPE 60 MINUTES CASSETTE, NORMAL BIAS, LOW NOISE AUDI003 _________ EACH 25.00 __________ AUDIO SNAKE BOX 49.2FT 16 GAUGE STEEL BOX CHANNEL ID NUMBERS, "WRITE-ON" SPACE, HELIX MULTIPAIR 24 AWG Q-AUDIO CABLE, 8MIC INPUTS (XLR) 4 MONITOR
    [Show full text]
  • LTO SAS, SCSI and Fibre Channel Tape Drives
    Copyright © Copyright 2010 Tandberg Data Corporation. All rights reserved. This item and the information contained herein are the property of Tandberg Data Corporation. No part of this document may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, or otherwise, without the express written permission of Tandberg Data Corporation, 2108 55th Street, Boulder, Colorado 80301. DISCLAIMER: Tandberg Data Corporation makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this document and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, Tandberg Data Corporation reserves the right to revise this publication without obligation of Tandberg Data Corporation to notify any person or organization of such revision or changes. TRADEMARK NOTICES: Tandberg Data Corporation trademarks: Tandberg Data, Exabyte, the Exabyte Logo, EZ17, M2, SmartClean, VXA, and VXAtape are registered trademarks; MammothTape is a trademark; SupportSuite is a service mark. Other trademarks: Linear Tape-Open, LTO, the LTO Logo, Ultrium and the Ultrium Logo are trademarks of HP, IBM, and Quantum in the US and other countries. All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Note: The most current information about this product is available at Tandberg Data’s web site (http:// www.tandbergdata.com).
    [Show full text]
  • Download and Execution, Along with Metadata That Dr
    Table of Contents Preface 5 Purpose and Membership 7 Ecma's role in International Standardization 9 Organization of Ecma International* 10 General Assembly 13 Ordinary members 14 Associate members 16 SME members 17 SPC members 18 Not-for-Profit members 19 Technical Committees 21 Index of Ecma Standards 57 Ecma Standards and corresponding International and European Standards 61 Technical Reports 81 List of Representatives 84 Ecma By-laws 139 Ecma Rules 146 Code of Conduct in Patent Matters 151 Withdrawn Ecma Standards and Technical Reports 153 History of Ecma International 165 Past Presidents / Secretary General 166 * Often called Ecma, or ECMA (in the past), short for Ecma International. - 3 - Preface Information Technology, Telecommunications and Consumer Electronics are key factors in today's economic and social environment. Effective interchange both of commercial, technical, and administrative data, text and images and of audiovisual information is essential for the growth of economy in the world markets. Through the increasing digitalization of information technology, telecommunications and consumer electronics are getting more and more integrated. Open Systems and Distributed Networks based on worldwide recognized standards will not only provide effective interchange of information but also help to remove technical barriers to trade. In particular harmonized standards are recognized as a prerequisite for the establishment of the European economic area. From 1961 until 1994, ECMA (European Computer Manufacturers Association), then Ecma International (Ecma, for short) has actively contributed to worldwide standardization in information technology, communications and consumer electronics (ICT and CE). More than 380 Ecma Standards and 90 Technical Reports of high quality have been published.
    [Show full text]
  • ATTO Celerity FC Product Compatibility Matrix
    ATTO Celerity FC Product Compatibility Matrix Celerity FC Connectivity Celerity FC Connectivity Compatibility Compatibility (con't) PCI Compatible Products Fibre Channel Switches/Hubs Removable & Tape/MO/LTO/DVD/CD Audio/Video Cards ATTO Fibre Center 3400 hub Accom Brocade Silkworm 2800 Storage AJA Video Kona Brocade Silkworm 32xx ATTO Fibre Bridge (any tape, MO, LTO, DVD or CD) Aurora Igniter Brocade Silkworm 38xx ATTO Diamond Virtual Tape (VT) storage array Avid Unity Brocade Silkworm 39xx ATL M1500 BlackMagic DeckLink Cisco MDS 9000 Series ATL P-series Blue Fish 444 Gadzoox Cappelix 3000 Dell Power Vault Digidesign Gadzoox Gibraltar GL Ecrix VXA-1 Digital Voodoo Gadzoox Slingshot 4218 Exabyte 17D Autoloader Matrox High Velocity Bullet 600 Exabyte EXB-210 (Mammoth Tape Library) Media 100 McDATA Exabyte EZ17 Autoloader Pinnacle CineWave QLogic GigWorks MKII Exabyte IBM LTO drive Pinnacle Targa QLogic SANbox Exabyte M2 (FC) QLogic SANbox 2 Exabyte X80 SAN Valley Aspen Exabyte X200 FPC ADR-50 Onstream Tape Drive Vixel 9100 Vixel Rapport 4000 HP Ultrium LTO Vixel Rapport 8100 Iomega Zip/Jaz/Jaz2 JVC DVD Library Fibre Channel Adapters Fibre Channel Storage Arrays Overland Autoloader ATTO Celerity FC ATTO Diamond RAID Storage Array Overland Neo Library ATTO ExpressPCI FC 33xx Apple Xserve RAID Pioneer DVD Library ATTO ExpressPCI FC 2600 ADTX Plasmon DVD Jukebox (m500-520-6-4) ATTO ExpressPCI FCSW AMI Plasmon M32-520-2 MO Drive Tower Adaptec AFC-9110G Ciprico Plextor PX-40TSI UltraPlex 40x Adaptec AHA-F940 EMC CLARiiON Plextor PX-40TSUWI UltraPlex
    [Show full text]
  • The Best Replacement for Dds Continues to Be Dds
    COMPETITIVE PAPER | JANUARY 2003 THE BEST REPLACEMENT FOR DDS CONTINUES TO BE DDS 1650 Sunflower Avenue Costa Mesa, CA 92626 1-800-626-6637 | rss.seagate.com THE BEST REPLACEMENT FOR DDS CONTINUES TO BE DDS “The low-end tape drive market will continue to be the highest volume market through 2006. Despite new product offerings, DDS tape technology will continue to be the most prevalent tape technology in the low-end segment in the near term.” Source: Industry analyst firm IDC in it’s Worldwide Tape Drive Forecast and Analysis, 2001–2006 report (document #: 28304) Digital Data Storage (DDS) is the tape technology of choice for a growing business’ data protection needs. Products based on this technology, DDS tape drives, also known as DAT (Digital Audio Tape) CY2001 Installed Base By Technology drives, have the largest installed base. In CY2001, High-End Travan 2% Gartner/Dataquest reported that DDS products DLT/LTO 15% 18% represented over 51% of the installed base.1 And, the demand for DDS tape drives continues to be brisk. 8mm 5% 2 Drive shipments CY2001 were 53% of the market SLR and through CQ2’02 demand hardly changed.3 9% DDS The forecast through 2005 is for DDS tape drives to Source: Gartner/Dataquest May 2002 51% sell in greater quantities than drives based on other technologies.4 Yet, tape drive buyers are being flooded with negative statements on DDS by companies offering products based on alternative technologies that are proprietary and have yet to achieve OEM adoption. For example, Sony’s web site recently stated the following: “Outgrown DDS? For DDS replacement or migration, step-up to new AIT-based tape solutions.” In an Exabyte press release dated April 8, 2002, the company stated that it “…believes VXA products are the ideal replacement for DDS technology because they are recognized for their proven reliability and provide capacities that exceed DDS requirements”.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Stability Study and Life Expectancies of Magnetic Media for Use with Ibm 3590 and Quantum Digital Linear Tape Systems
    ARKIVAL TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION ENVIRONMENTAL STABILITY STUDY AND LIFE EXPECTANCIES OF MAGNETIC MEDIA FOR USE WITH IBM 3590 AND QUANTUM DIGITAL LINEAR TAPE SYSTEMS Ronald D. Weiss Arkival Technology Corporation 427 Amherst St. Nashua, NH 03063 Phone: (603) 881-3322 www.ARKIVAL.com 1 ARKIVAL TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION ENVIRONMENTAL STABILITY STUDY AND LIFE EXPECTANCIES OF MAGNETIC MEDIA FOR USE WITH IBM 3590 AND QUANTUM DIGITAL LINEAR TAPE SYSTEMS National Archives and Records Administration #NAMA-01-F-0061 FINAL REPORT PERIOD of WORK: October 2001- June 2002 Federal Supply Service Contract Number: GS 35F 0611L Arkival Technology Corporation 427 Amherst St. Nashua, NH 03063 Phone: (603) 881-3322 www.ARKIVAL.com 2 TABLE of CONTENTS Executive Summary………………………………………………………… 5 1.0 STUDY OVERVIEW…………………………………………………… 7 1.1 Technical Areas of Study 1.2 Study Duration 1.3 Tape Drive Recording Features 1.4 Test Environments 1.5 Data Collection and Analysis 2.0 TECHNICAL STUDIES 2.1 Magnetic & Microstructure Analyses of the Recording Media….. 9 2.1.1 Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) Analysis 2.1.2 Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) Analysis 2.2 VSM/Aging Study…………………………………………………. 14 2.3 Binder Hydrolysis ………………………………………………... 17 2.4 Physical Properties ……………………………………………….. 24 2.4.1 Resistivity 2.4.2 Friction 2.5 RF Amplitude response …………………………………………….28 2.6 Error Study ……………………………………………………….. 31 2.6.1 Catastrophic Tape and Drive Failures 2.7 Life Expectancies (LE) …………………………………………… 38 2.7.1 Magnetic Saturation LE 2.7.2 Error Rate (B*ER) LE Conclusions
    [Show full text]
  • Tape Drive Mounting Hole Dimensions
    3URGXFW6SHFLILFDWLRQ 3URGXFW6SHFLILFDWLRQ 3URGXFW6SHFLILFDWLRQ 7DSH'ULYH7DSH'ULYH '/79 $ DLT-V4 Product Specification, 81-81349-02 A01, November 2005, Made in USA. Quantum Corporation provides this publication “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Quantum Corporation may revise this publication from time to time without notice. COPYRIGHT STATEMENT Copyright 2005 by Quantum Corporation. All rights reserved. Your right to copy this document is limited by copyright law. Making copies or adaptations without prior written authorization of Quantum Corporation is prohibited by law and constitutes a punishable violation of the law. TRADEMARK STATEMENT Quantum, the Quantum logo, DLT, DLTtape, the DLTtape logo, and Super DLTtape logo are all registered trademarks of Quantum Corporation. DLTIce, DLTSage, and Super DLTtape are all trademarks of Quantum Corporation. Other company and product names used in this document are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of their respective owners. Contents Preface ix Chapter 1 Physical Specifications 1 Physical Description ........................................................................................................ 2 Physical Dimensions and Weights ......................................................................... 2 Internal Tape Drive Mounting Hole Dimensions........................................................ 4 Chapter 2 Functional Specifications
    [Show full text]
  • Digital Linear Tape (DLT) Technology and Product Family Overview
    Digital Linear Tape (DLT) Technology and Product Family Overview Demetrios Lignos Quantum Corporation 333 South Street Shrewsbury, MA 01545-4112 +1-508-770-3495 [email protected] Introduction The demand that began a couple of years ago for increased data storage capacity continues [1]. Peripheral Strategies (a Santa Barbara, California, Storage Market Re- search Firm) projects the amount of data stored on the average enterprise network will grow by 50 percent to 100 percent per year. Furthermore, Peripheral Strategies says that a typical mid-range workstation system containing 30GB to 50GB of stor- age today will grow at the rate of 50% per year. Dan Friedlander, a Boulder, Colo- rado-based consultant specializing in PC-LAN backup, says “The average NetWare LAN is about 8GB, but there are many that have 30GB to 300GB.....” The substantial growth of storage requirements has created various tape tech- nologies that seek to satisfy the needs of today’s and, especially, the next generation’s systems and applications. There are five leading tape technologies in the market to- day: QIC (Quarter Inch Cartridge), IBM 3480/90, 8mm, DAT (Digital Audio Tape) and DLT (Digital Linear Tape). Product performance specifications and user needs have combined to classify these technologies into low-end, mid-range, and high-end systems applications. Although the manufacturers may try to position their products differently, product specifications and market requirements have determined that QIC and DAT are primarily low-end systems products while 8mm and DLT are compet- ing for mid-range systems applications and the high-end systems space, where IBM compatibility is not required.
    [Show full text]