Tz30 Tape Drive; Tape Cartridges - DEC MicroVAX 3100 Owner's Manual

3.1.2 TZ30 Tape Drive
The TZ30 is a cartridge tape drive that can store up to 95Mb (or characters)
per CompacTape or CompacTape II cartridge.
The TZ30 can read or write data from a tape that was written by a TK50.
The TZ30, however, can not read or write data from a tape that has been
written by a TK70.
The TZ30 is used primarily to backup storage devices, and to load software
onto your system. For example, the VMS operating system may be loaded
from the TZ30. The tape-distributed version of VMS is loaded from a
TK50-formatted tape.
On Model 10 systems, the TZ30 tape drive (if installed) is directly accessible
from the front panel of the system unit.
On Model 20 systems, to access the TZ30 tape drive, position the system
unit so that the front of it is facing you. Open the cover by pushing it in
the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 3-1 and then releasing it.
Use the same procedure to close the cover when you have finished using
the TZ30.
3.1.2.1 Tape Cartridges
The TZ30 uses a tape cartridge (labeled COMPACTape or COMPACTape
II) that contains the magnetic tape on a single reel. This single reel is an
important feature to understand, because it affects the use of the TZ30.
When you insert the tape cartridge into the drive and load it, the tape is
automatically threaded onto a take-up reel inside the drive. When the tape
has been fully wound onto the take-up reel, it takes approximately 100
seconds to rewind completely.
NOTE: The tape must be fully rewound before you can remove the cartridge
from the tape drive.
See Appendix F for information on the handling and storage of
COMPACTape and COMPACTape II cartridges.
Learning About Your System
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