5190/5194 Modular Tape Subsystem Manual

Introduction to the Modular Tape Subsystem

5190/5194 Modular Tape Subsystem Manual—426878-002

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Supported Releases

Table 1-1 lists the software releases that support 519x tape drives.

The front panels of 5190 and 5194 tape drive CRUs look alike. The only visible

difference is the part number label on the lower left side of the front panel.

If you have both types of tape drives, consider putting an identifying sticker on each

tape drive CRU to help identify it.

The 5190 and 5194 Cartridge Tape Drives

The cartridge tape drives are the heart of the modular tape subsystem. The tape

drives use cartridges compatible with the IBM 18-track 3480 and 36-track 3490 data

storage and recording formats.

The 5194 tape drive significantly increases the amount of data that can be written to

tape. The 5194 tape drive writes 36 tracks of data (as compared to 18 for the 5190

tape drive), doubling the amount of data per tape. The 5194 tape drive can also write

on extended or “thin tape” media (compatible with the IBM 3490E format), which again

doubles the amount of storable data, resulting in four times the amount of data on each

tape compared to a 5190 tape drive.

Each tape drive features a loading and unloading mechanism that accepts cartridges in

the same way a videocassette recorder does. A message panel and operator buttons

let you perform simple load and rewind functions.

Table 1-1. Releases Supporting 5190 and 5194 Tape Drives

Tape Drive Server Type Supporting Releases

5190 and 5194 NonStop Himalaya

S-series

G01.00 and later G-series when attached to a PMF

CRU or IOMF CRU

G06.01 and later G-series when attached to a 6761

F-PIC on a 6760 ServerNet D/A

G06.04 and later G-series when attached to a 6762

S-PIC on a 6760 ServerNet D/A

5194 NonStop Himalaya

K-series

D30.01+ and later D-series

5190 NonStop Himalaya

K-series

D20.00 and later D-series when the 5190 tape drive

is connected to a 3216 controller

D20.02 and later D-series when the 5190 tape drive

is connected to an MFC