Sony DTF-2 Drive Zaps All Competitors.If tape drives were cars, Sony's new DFT-2 tape drive would be something like a gasoline tanker with Ferrari performance. Designed for a more limited user base than DLT (Digital Linear Tape) A magnetic tape technology originally developed by Digital for its VAX line. The technology was later sold to Quantum, which makes it available to other manufacturers. DLT uses half-inch, single-hub cartridges similar to IBM's 3480/3490/3590 line. , LTO (Linear Tape Open) A family of open magnetic tape standards developed by HP, IBM and Quantum (formerly the Certance subsidiary of Seagate) that are licensed to third-party vendors. LTO cartridges contain a memory that stores historical usage data. , or even AIT drives, the DFT-2 drive features native 24MB/sec performance (about four times the current native rate for top-of-the-line drives) and a native capacity of 200MB (twice the capacity of still unreleased Super DLT and Ultrium drives). The DTF-2 may be a compelling contender where capacity and performance are crucial. DTF (Digital Tape Format) A high-performance magnetic tape technology from Sony that was based on the helical scan transport and cartridge shell of Sony's highly successful 1/2" Digital Betacam. refers to Sony's technology name--Digital Tape Format. The drive will be available in UltraWide SCSI SCSI in full Small Computer System Interface Once common standard for connecting peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, etc.) to small and medium-sized computers. SCSI has given way to faster standards, such as Firewire and USB. (model GY-8240UWD UWD Urbach-Wiethe Disease , available in February 2000) and native Fibre Channel (model GY-8240FC, available August 2000) versions. Compressed capacities are expected to exceed 500GB, according to the company. In addition to the SCSI or Fibre Interfaces, the drives will feature one Ethernet port and two RS232 ports for device monitoring and for connection to robotic controllers. A flash device will be built into the top of the cartridge and will store tape contents and directory information. This information, combined with the drive's 1.4GB/sec search speed, will enable rapid location and retrieval of data anywhere on the tape. The drive can read DTF-1 cartridges at the full 24MB/sec speed (double the native speed of the DTF-1). Additionally, the drive can accommodate a smaller-sized cartridge that resembles a VHS (Video Home System) A half-inch, analog videocassette recorder (VCR) format introduced by JVC in 1976 to compete with Sony's Betamax, introduced a year earlier. video cartridge with a 60GB native and estimated 155GB compressed capacity. The Fibre Channel version will provide a burst transfer rate as high as 100MB/sec--2.5 times the 40MB/sec burst rate of the Ultra Wide version. Both drives will have the same 24MB/sec native transfer rates. Although the device may be something of overkill overkill Vox populi An excess of anything for a home office, such organizations as video production or broadcast companies, medical imaging, and companies active in e-commerce who need high capacity and rapid access will probably find this drive a compelling alternative to most other tape device offerings. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion