Ibm 3590 High Performance Tape Subsystem Models B1A And B11 - IBM i series Handbook

• Expanded Input/Output Station
• Support for Digital Linear Tape technology
Refer to this Web site for more detail on LTO technology:
http://www.storage.ibm.com/hardsoft/tape/lto/prod_data/ultrium.html

IBM 3590 High Performance Tape Subsystem Models B1A and B11

Error Correction Code (ECC) combined with servo tracks on each tape cartridge. A portion of
each tape cartridge is reserved for error history, which is updated after each use to aid early
identification of potential media problems.
The 3590 Model B11 provides one tape drive and includes an integrated control unit with two
SCSI ports. The 3590s shipped prior to 29 January 1999 support a 16-bit fast and wide
SCSI-2 interface on the SCSI ports. Systems shipped after this date have an Ultra SCSI
interface.
Attachment to the iSeries or AS/400e server is through one of these controllers:
• #6501 Tape/Disk Device Controller (requires #9410 Interposer for AS/400)
• #6534 Magnetic Media Controller (SPD)
• #2729 Magnetic Media Controller
• #2749 PCI Ultra Magnetic Media Controller
The 3590 has an instantaneous data transfer rate of 9 M/sec when attached using fast and
wide SCSI-2. Performance is further enhanced by a 4M buffer. When the 3590 is attached
using its Ultra SCSI interface to a #6501 or #6534, the instantaneous data transfer rate is
17 MB/sec. When attached using Ultra SCSI interface to a #2729 or #2749, the
The 3590 High Performance Tape Subsystem Model B11 is a
rack-mountable unit using high performance ½-inch tape cartridges
as the storage media. The figure on the left shows two 3590 Model
B11s side-by-side in a 9309 rack.
The new cartridge provides a capacity of 10 GB or with the extra
length cartridges 20 GB. With the enhanced LZ1 compaction
technique of the 3590, this capacity can be increased up to 30 or 60
GB per cartridge respectively.
The tape cartridges used by the 3590 are the same physical size as
those used in the 3480 and 3490E but cannot be interchanged
between the tape subsystems. Only the high performance and
extended length ½-inch tape cartridges are supported in the 3590.
For greater reliability and data integrity, the 3590 has improved
Externally Attached Automated Libraries
Externally Attached Automated Libraries
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