User Guide

A-6 Ampex 1308911-02
Model No.
Running Head
Glossary Glossary and Acronyms
Filemark A physical indicator on the tape that delimits file sections. Logically,
a filemark can be read or written the same as a data block. However, a
filemark does not actually occupy space on the tape itself in the DD-2
format, but is instead implemented as a special block marker.
File Section A set of zero or more consecutive data blocks preceded by a filemark
or BOP and followed by a filemark or EOD. Each file section is
uniquely identified by a File Section Number within a partition.
File Section Number (FSN)
A uniquely defined collection of data blocks or data bytes which are
sequentially numbered starting from zero at the beginning of partition.
For DD-2 formatting, a file is recorded as one or more file sections. A
file section is recorded on tape as one or more physical blocks
followed by a filemark. Each completed file section begins and ends
on a physical block boundary and is physically distinct from other file
sections.
Flush See Synchronize.
Format An operation that writes control and identification information onto a
tape, preparing it for data transfer. A tape’s format determines the size
and number of partitions it contains. A tape must be formatted before
a user application can write data to it. DD-2 tapes support several types
of formatting: Full (or preformat), Partial (or format group A only),
and Initialized.
Format Group A Only
See Partial Formatting.
Full Formatting A type of tape formatting that completely formats an entire tape. Also
called Preformatting. See Format.
Full-function Interface
See DD-2 Interface.
Gigabyte (GB) 2
30
(1024*1024*1024 or 1,073,741,824) bytes.
Initialization the process of writing the first VFI on a tape so that it can be used. As
a type of formatting, refers to a tape with no format information other
that the initialization. Such a tape contains only a single group A
partition. See Format.
Insert To put a cartridge into a DST tape drive. After inserting the cartridge,
the drive threads the tape, reads the volume format information, and
initializes all tape-specific state information.