IBM 3590 manual Introduction

Chapter 1. Introduction

The IBM TotalStorage Enterprise Tape System 3590 provides high capacity, performance, reliability, and a wide range of host connectivity. The IBM 3590 has the following functions:

vThe 3590 creates tapes for archival files.

vThe 3590 backs up and restores systems in case of system or disk storage problems.

vThe 3590 stores high-speed, high-capacity sequential application data sets.

vThe 3590 stores temporary data sets.

vThe 3590 satisfies off-site data storage for disaster recovery.

vThe 3590 provides data interchange with other systems that use 3590 subsystems.

vThe 3590 meets data acquisition needs.

	The IBM TotalStorage Enterprise Tape System 3590 comes in different models
	and offers several attachment options to meet your needs. Each drive can
	have an automatic cartridge facility (ACF) with a 10-cartridge magazine. The
	drives have a small computer system interface (SCSI) attachment or Fibre
	Channel Attachment. Only the 3590 Model E is attachable to Fibre Channel.
	Each drive can connect to an IBM 3590 tape controller for Enterprise Systems
	CONnection (ESCON) or FIbre CONnections (FICON) attachment of a 3590.
	Large scale automation offerings, which include the IBM TotalStorage
	Enterprise Automated Tape Library (3494) and StorageTek™ Silo, support the
	3590.
	The 3590 Bxx tape drives read and write data on 128-track format on IBM
	3590 High Performance Cartridge Tape. This read, and write function results
	in a 10GB uncompressed data tape capacity. Model Exx tape drives read and
	write data on the 256-track format on IBM High Performance Cartridge Tape.
	This read, and write function results in a 20GB tape. The Extended High
	Performance Cartridge Tape increases the IBM TotalStorage 3590 E Model
	256-track serpentine format capacity to 40GB. It also increases the IBM
	TotalStorage 3590 B Model 128-track serpentine format capacity to 20GB.
	At 3 to 1 compression on the High Performance Cartridge Tape, the capacity
	increases to 60GB on E models and 30GB on B models. The Extended High
	Performance Cartridge Tape doubles the compressed capacities to 120GB on E
	models and 60GB on B models. E models have a 14MB per second device data
	rate, and B models have a 9MB per second transfer rate.
*	With data compression, the 3590 drives can more effectively utilize the full
*	capability of the Fibre Channel data rate. Data compression also enhances the

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