IBM 3592

The IBM 3592 is a series of tape drives and corresponding magnetic tape data storage media formats developed by IBM. The first drive, having the IBM product number 3592, was introduced under the nickname Jaguar. The next drive was the TS1120, also having the nickname Jaguar. As of June, 2011, the latest and current drive is the TS1140. The 3592 line of tape drives and media is not compatible with the IBM 3590 series of drives, which it superseded. This series can store up to 4 TB of data (uncompressed) on a cartridge and has a native data transfer rate of up to 250 MB/s.

Like the 3590 and 3480 before it, this tape format has half inch tape spooled onto 4-by-5-by-1 inch data cartridges containing a single reel. A take-up reel is embedded inside the tape drive. Because of their speed, reliability, durability and low media cost, the 3592 tape drives are still in high demand. A hallmark of the genre is interchangeability. Tapes recorded with one tape drive are generally readable on another drive, even if the tape drives were built by different manufacturers.

The TS1120, TS1130, and TS1140 drives all include built-in encryption processing, with platform software (for example, z/OS Security Server) managing encryption keys. Prior drives require server-based software to encrypt and decrypt tapes.

Drives

• IBM3592 aka IBM 3592-J1A ("Generation 1")
• TS1120 aka IBM 3592-E05 ("Generation 2")
• TS1130 aka IBM 3592-E06 ("Generation 3")
• TS1140 aka IBM 3592-E07 ("Generation 4")

Notes

• IBM's 3592 product page
• IBM's TS1120 product page
• IBM's TS1130 product page
• IBM's TS1140 product page
• IBM Redbook with information on 3592 models (See sections 2.5 and 2.6)

Re-usable Media

Unlike many other tape standards, the 3592 format allows an extensive re-use of cartridges already owned:

Older generation tapes can be reformatted to higher capacities with every new drive generation, according to the table below. Cartridges are expected to operate in read and write mode across at least three drive generations. The observed media replacement rate in large archives is therefore lower than with most other standards.

Technically, reformatting a cartridge means increasing its track density (only), as the linear bit density is limited by the tape coating. In the table below, a 'JA' type cartridge can be reformatted from 300GB initially to 640GB in the TS1130 drive. A later 'JB' type cartridge will carry 1TB since its better coating also permits a higher linear bit density. Generally speaking, linear density is limited by material, semiconductor and signal processing technologies, whereas track density is limited by the servo technology that prevents track runout.

Notes

• 3592 media datasheet

External links

• Fifty years of storage innovation
• Read/Write Compatibility Matrix
• PC Magazine's Magstar Reference