5145 DAT 4MM Tape Drive Tabletop P/N 134225 / U34225

5145ACL DAT 4MM Tape Drive Tabletop ACL P/N 134226 / U34226

Tandem HP 5145 Tape Drive Details

The 5145 Digital Audio Tape (DAT) delivers the economies of DAT technology in a cartridge tape drive specially designed and built for Tandem by Tape Labs.

The exceptionally high capacity of the 5145, its low cost per megabyte, and its read/write speed make it an excellent choice for tape backup for entry-level Tandem HP NonStop Himalaya K-Series servers. Employing the newest DDS-3 recording techniques with on-board hardware data compression, the 5145 can store as many as 24 gigabytes of data on a single cartridge and read or write up to 2 megabytes of data per second. The DAT standards committee has set the DDS-3 data recording format to be backward read/write compatible with the previous DDS and DSS-2 recording formats. Thus a 5145 DDS-3 machine can process the tape media created on the previous 5145 DDS-2 systems. This feature enables the 5145 to be added to an operations environment that includes 5141 subsystems. Note, however, that the 5141 DDS-2 subsystems cannot process media created in the DDS-3 recording format.

The 5145 is easy to operate. It features a 32-character, interactive control panel and an internal self-test diagnostic routine that lets you quickly ascertain the status of the drive. The 5145 also includes flash EPROM memory that lets you easily update microcode or performance options.

The 5145 drive can be installed while your Tandem HP NonStop K-Series servers remain online, and it requires no application rewrites or additional software. With its superior operational characteristics and low cost, it is well suited for the Tandem environment, where performance and reliability are critical.

High-capacity cartridge tape storage

The 5145 drive is a third-generation DAT drive that employs DDS, DDS-2, and DDS-3 high-density recording techniques to provide maximum storage capacity per cartridge tape.

Using the new DDS-3 recording method, the 5145 media can store as many as 12 gigabytes of uncompressed data or 24 gigabytes of compressed data on a single cassette. (Each 5145 DDS-3 cartridge contains 125 meters of 4-millimeter tape.)

Because it can store such a large amount of data on a small amount of tape, the 5145 is able to back up the database of a typical entry-level Tandem HP NonStop Himalaya K-Series server on only one or two cassettes, drastically reducing the amount of operator involvement in tape backup procedures.

With the 5145, operators change tape cartridges far less frequently than with older cartridge or open-reel tape media: The amount of data stored on a single 5145 cartridge (12 gigabytes) would occupy 94 Tandem 5126 tape drive cartridges or 80 standard 2,400-foot reels of 0.5-inch, 9-track tape encoded at 6,250 bits per inch. With typical 2:1 data compression, a single DDS-3 data cartridge can store 24 gigabytes, or the equivalent of 160 half-inch, 9-track, 2,400-foot open reel tapes or 188 Tandem 5126 cartridges.

The 5145ACL offers the added functionality of a six-cartridge automatic cartridge loader (ACL). Thus up to 144 gigabytes of data can be written to tape with a single insertion of a six-cartridge data magazine. Operator intervention can be practically eliminated for most entry-level Tandem HP NonStop Himalaya K-Series servers.

Low Cost Per Megabyte

The 5145 offers the best price/performance of any tape subsystem designed for use with Tandem Himalaya servers. In many cases, only a single cartridge is required for the backup of an entire database (up to 24 gigabytes), so operations can schedule unattended nightly system backups. Significant savings can be achieved in equipment costs and in the cost of operators’ time.

In addition, the low price of the 5145 makes it feasible to run multiple 5145 drives, in parallel at a single site, for increased performance or storage capacity.

High Performance

The read/write performance of the 5145 lets you complete backup operations in less time than with other comparable media. The maximum burst data-transfer rate of the 5145, without using data compression, is 1,000 kilobytes per second, for a total of 3.6 gigabytes per hour. The effective burst data-transfer rate using data compression is 2 megabytes per second. The actual performance depends on the specific system type and application.

Manageability Features

The 5145 drive incorporates several features that help operators monitor and control backup operations. Among these are the following:

32-character, interactive control panel. The LCD control panel of the 5145 can display a variety of information for operators, including current operation, performance data, compression status, error codes, and a message indicating that routine maintenance is necessary. Using the control panel in conjunction with the mode button, operators can enable or disable data compression and initiate internal self-test diagnostics.

Internal self-test diagnostic routines. These routines enable the 5145 to diagnose problems with its drive or electronics while offline. Error codes are displayed on the control panel.

 Rapid Installation

Installing a 5145 drive is as simple as connecting a SCSI cable. Using Tandem’s standard SCSI cables, the 5145 connects to either an  MFC SCSI port or to the 3214 Dedicated controller that has an appropriate interface installed.