Page 1
AM-647, 648 & 649
Digital Audio Tape (DAT)
High Capacity Tape Drives
Installation Instructions
...
Page 2
CPU board; its identification number is printed on the SSD itself.) Software vendors may ask you for the SSD number if they are customizing software to run only on your computer. This document may contain references to products covered under the following U.S. Patent Number(s): 4,530,048 ALPHA MICROSYSTEMS 2722 Fairview Street P. O. Box 25059...
Table of Contents INTRODUCTION PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS Common Characteristics SCSI Bus Terminology AM-647 (Archive) DAT Drive Characteristics AM-648 (Exabyte) DAT Drive Characteristics AM-649 (HP) DAT Drive Characteristics Drive Mounting Kits TOOLS REQUIRED PREPARING THE DAT DRIVE FOR INSTALLATION Jumpers and Switch Settings...
Page ii AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives List of Figures Figure 1 - AM-647 Configuration—3.5” Wide Model Figure 2 - AM-647 Configuration—5.25” Wide Model Figure 3 - AM-648 (Exabyte) Configuration Figure 4 - AM-649-00 Configuration—HP Model C1536A Figure 5 - AM-649-01 Configuration—HP Model C1533A/C1599A...
Page 1 INTRODUCTION This document describes the installation of the AM-647, AM-648, and AM-649 Digital Audio Tape (DAT) SCSI High Capacity Tape Drives into an Alpha Micro computer system. If you are installing a DAT drive into an external subsystem, use the installation instructions shipped with the subsystem.
Page 2 AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives AM-647 (Archive) DAT Drive Characteristics • Two models: a 3.5” half-height drive, and a 5.25” half-height drive. • Both drives have the same operational characteristics. • Has a data capacity of approximately 2 gigabytes using 90 meter tapes •...
Refer to the following illustrations for configuration and jumper locations for your DAT drive. There are two physically different types of AM-647 DAT drives: a 3.5” wide, half-height drive in a 5.25” mounting bracket, and a full 5.25” wide, half-height drive. Although their physical sizes and the locations of jumpers and switches are different, the same configuration rules apply to both.
WILL SET SWITCH #5 TO THE "ON" OR ENABLED POSITION. Leave switches 6, 7, and 8 set as shown in the illustration. SWIITCH #4 IN THE "OFF" POSITION = SCSI-1 SWITCH #4 IN THE "ON" POSITION = SCSI-2 Figure 1 - AM-647 Configuration—3.5” Wide Model PDI-00649-00, A01...
WILL SET SWITCH #5 TO THE "ON" OR ENABLED POSITION. Leave switches 6, 7, and 8 set as shown in the illustration. SWIITCH #4 IN THE "OFF" POSITION = SCSI-1 SWITCH #4 IN THE "ON" POSITION = SCSI-2 Figure 2 - AM-647 Configuration—5.25” Wide Model PDI-00649-00, A01...
Page 6 AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives PIN-1 KEYED CONNECTOR DC POWER SCSI ID #0 SCSI ID #1 SCSI ID #2 SCSI ID #3 SCSI ID #4 SCSI ID #5 SCSI ID #6 The two outside pins (shown in gray) are used to select SCSI-1 or SCSI-2.
AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Page 7 The AM-649-00 4 gigabyte DAT drive (HP model C1536A) has no provision to disable its term power! Therefore, this drive should only be installed in the main system chassis and connected to the same power supply as the rest of the internal SCSI peripheral devices. This drive should never be connected to a different/subsystem power supply, as erratic system operation may result! HP 4mm DAT Drive - Model C1536A (4 GB)
Page 8 AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives The AM-649-01 may be labeled as either Model C1533A or C1599A. From an AMOS standpoint, these models are identical. AMOS software which returns the model number displays C1533A for either drive. When configuring the AM-649-01 drive, be sure to remove the TERM POWER jumper located next to the SCSI ID jumpers.
AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Page 9 HP 4mm DAT Option Switches AMOS Default Configuration SWITCH 1 SWITCH 2 MEANING --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Compression enabled at power-on, with host control Compression enabled at power-on, no host control Compression disabled at power-on, the host is allowed to control compression Compression disabled at power-on, no host control SWITCH 3...
Page 10 AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Figures 1 and 2 show the location of the AM-647 on-board terminators. Refer to Figure 7 for the location of the AM-648 on-board terminators. AM-648 ON-BOARD TERMINATORS Figure 7 - AM-648 (Exabyte) On-Board Terminators External SCSI Bus Termination The preferred way to terminate the SCSI bus in an AMOS computer is to install an external terminator.
AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Page 11 10- and 21-slot rack mount VME computers have no external SCSI connector. To install an external terminator, you need a special adapter cable, DWB-10200-01. The connector on this cable is compatible with the external terminator and also allows you to easily attach a portable CD-ROM drive or other SCSI device.
Page 12 AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Figures 8a and 8b show two different types of external SCSI connectors: 1. Figure 8a shows an external narrow SCSI connector and bail locks for holding the terminator in place. This configuration is used on most of Alpha Micro's currently available product. The terminator is installed by plugging it onto the connector, then latching the bail locks into the notches on the sides of terminator.
AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Page 13 • SCSI subsystems attached to the main system should not have any additional devices supplying termination power to the SCSI bus. Termination power for the bus should be supplied by one source only! The AM-649-01 (8GB) DAT drive has a jumper on the rear to disable term power, but the AM- 649-00 (4GB) DAT drive has its term power permanently enabled! Although Alpha Micro always recommends only one source of termination power to the bus, this particular exception...
Page 14 AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Front Bezel Removal and Modification Your DAT drive product installation kit includes instructions describing how to modify your front bezel. The modification requires you to make a half-height 5.25” cutout if you are installing a DAT drive only, or a full-height 5.25”...
AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Page 15 METAL SUPPORT BRACKET DWF-20260-00 DRIVE ACTIVITY LED SCSI DAT TAPE DRIVE DISKETTE DRIVE DRIVE ACTIVITY LEDs PLASTIC MOUNTING BASE DWF-20218-00 Faceplate varies per DAT model. Figure 9 - Drive Mounting Assembly 2. The DAT drive has several mounting screw-holes on its side rails, which align with corresponding holes in the plastic mounting base.
Page 16 AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives DWF-20218-00 SCSI DAT OR STREAMING TAPE DRIVE, or ANY 5-1/4" HALF-HEIGHT SCSI HARD DISK DRIVE AM-645 FULL-HEIGHT 8MM MAGNETIC TAPE DRIVE, or ANY 5-1/4" FULL-HEIGHT SCSI HARD DISK DRIVE ANY 5-1/4" HALF-HEIGHT FLOPPY DISKETTE DRIVE, or ANY 5-1/4"...
AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Page 17 DWF-20260-00 MOUNTING BRACKET DAT TAPE DRIVE MOUNTING HOLE DISKETTE DRIVE MOUNTING HOLES Figure 11 - Metal Top Support Bracket 7. Before you tighten the screw holding the DAT drive to the metal support bracket, make sure you are satisfied with the way the drive assembly is aligned with the cutout in your computer's front bezel.
Page 18 AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives FRONT BEZEL NYLON SHOULDER WASHERS (HDW-10004-07) METAL SUPPORT BRACKET DWF-20260-00 DAT TAPE DRIVE Figure 12 - Securing the Drive Assembly to the Front Bezel Power and Interface Cables The 50-pin SCSI cable is already installed in your computer. On some computers, the 50-pin SCSI interface cable has keyed connectors that insure a pin-1 to pin-1 connection with the DAT drive.
AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Page 19 DAT INSTALLATION—AM-1400 AND AM-1600 DESKTOP COMPUTERS 1. Remove the four Phillips head screws (two on each side) that hold the top cover in place. Remove the top cover and place it in an area where it won't get damaged. 2.
Page 20 AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives AM-648 DAT TAPE DRIVE AC/DC GROUND ISOLATOR DRIVE MOUNTING BRACKET PLASTIC HEX SCREW METAL WASHER Figure 14 - AM-1400/1600 Drive Mounting Assembly 5. After the drive is installed on the mounting bracket, place the assembly back into the chassis and re-attach the four screws that hold the mounting bracket in place.
AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Page 21 DAT INSTALLATION—AM-990 COMPUTERS The DAT drive is installed in the AM-990's main drive bay using plastic mounting rails. You need two rails to mount the drive. The rails (DWF-20652-00) are universal; they can be mounted on either the right or left side of the drive.
• DAT tape drives are not supported in S-100 bus computers, or in AM-1000/1200 computers without a Roadrunner upgrade. • AM-647 drives must be used with AMOS 1.4 or 2.2, or later. • AM-648 and AM-649 drives must be used with AMOS 1.4C or 2.2C, or later.
* Later model AM-649-01 drives (those labeled C1599A) require either AMOS 2.3A or AMOS 1.4C, PR 6/97. ** The AM-649 requires 647DVR.DVR from AMOS PR 3/96 or later. It will not work with earlier versions. 647DVR.DVR is backward-compatible; the latest versions support AM-647, AM-648, and AM-649 drives. PDI-00649-00, A01...
Page 24 AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives If you use AMOS 2.2C we recommend you update MTUSAV, MTURES, MTUDIR, and TAPSER to the latest possible versions. Though the new versions are not absolutely necessary to use your DAT drive, they incorporate enhancements, such as improvements in the ability to span tapes.
AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Page 25 Increase the number of jobs allocated by one. The next thing to do is add a new DEVTBL statement. DEVTBL tells AMOS which devices to look for on the computer. Every time you add a new device to the system, like your DAT drive, you must add a DEVTBL statement defining it.
You can warm boot from your DAT drive when your system contains one of the CPU boards listed below. However, your boot PROMs must meet the revision requirements in the applicable table: Boot PROMS for AM-647 DAT Drives CPU Board...
Page 31
AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Page 27 Other than using the current version of WRMGEN.LIT and the minimum required operating files, there are no other special software considerations when creating your warm boot file. The next page gives an example of a typical routine for generating a warm boot monitor. The program prompts are shown in plain text and the user input is in bold type.
Page 32
Page 28 AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Creating a Sample WRMGEN File LOG SYS: RETURN WRMGEN RETURN Warm Boot Monitor Generator X.X(XXX) RETURN Input monitor: AMOS32.MON RETURN System disk driver: SCZRR.DVR RETURN Number of logical units: 10 RETURN Bitmap size: 3969 RETURN Language definition table name: ;Pressing RETURN defaults to English...
AM-647 DAT DRIVE STATUS LEDS The front panel of the AM-647 DAT drive has two status LEDs. One LED indicates drive status, while the other LED indicates cassette status. These two indicators provide operational information for normal as well as error conditions.
AMBER STATUS LEDS TAPE EJECT Figure 18 - AM-647 DAT Drive Faceplate The amber Drive Status LED indicates the following conditions: • When ON (lit), the drive is reading or writing the tape. Never press the tape eject button while the amber LED is on! •...
AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Page 31 GREEN YELLOW ORANGE STATUS LEDS TAPE EJECT Figure 19 - AM-648 DAT Drive Faceplate • The green LED will always be lit whenever power is turned on. • The orange LED is lit when the DAT drive is processing data or commands. Never press the tape eject button while the orange LED is on! •...
Page 32 AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives USING YOUR DAT DRIVE The DAT drive is very simple to use: 1. To save data to the tape, the window on the tape cartridge must be in the write enable position. Figure 21 shows the tape window in both "write enable"...
AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Page 33 Figure 21 - Loading a DAT Tape Cartridge PDI-00649-00, A01...
Page 38
By default, AM-648 and AM-649 DAT drives write data in compressed mode. This compressed data cannot be read by the AM-647 DAT drive. However, by using the TMODE command with standard DDS/DDS-1 tapes, you can force the AM-648 and AM-649 drives to write in standard DDS (non- compressed) mode.
AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives Page 35 MAINTENANCE If excessive magnetic dust and debris collects on one or more of the heads, magnetic media may become unreadable and unwriteable. This situation may occur infrequently, or not at all, depending on the media used.
Page 36 AM-64x DAT High Capacity Tape Drives DDS, DDS-1, DDS-2, and Media Recognition Over the past few years many improvements have been made to DAT tape drives, allowing newer drive models to use a higher compression scheme and store more data on a single tape. To accommodate the new high compression scheme, the Digital Data Storage (DDS) tape had to be improved.
With AM-647 DAT drives the 60 and 90 meter tapes yield capacities of approximately 1.3 GB and 2.0 GB respectively. If you attempt to use shorter tapes with the AM-647, the drive is not able to calculate the end of tape position. If the data you are saving exceeds the tape’s capacity, data will be lost! With AM-648 and AM-649-00/-01 DAT drives, 60 and 90 meter tapes written in DDS-DC compressed mode yield capacities of approximately 2.6 GB and 4.0 GB respectively.
Need help?
Do you have a question about the AM-647 and is the answer not in the manual?
Questions and answers