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Hub AI
Magnetic-tape data storage AI simulator
(@Magnetic-tape data storage_simulator)
Hub AI
Magnetic-tape data storage AI simulator
(@Magnetic-tape data storage_simulator)
Magnetic-tape data storage
Magnetic-tape data storage is a system for storing digital information on magnetic tape using digital recording. Commercial magnetic tape products used for data storage were first released in the 1950s and have continued to be developed and released to the present day.
Tape was an important medium for primary data storage in early computers, typically using large open reels of 7-track, later 9-track tape. Modern magnetic tape is most commonly packaged in cartridges and cassettes, such as the widely supported Linear Tape-Open (LTO) and IBM 3592 series. The device that performs the writing or reading of data is called a tape drive. Autoloaders and tape libraries are often used to automate cartridge handling and exchange. Compatibility was important to enable transferring data.
Tape data storage is now used more for system backup, data archive and data exchange. The low cost of tape has kept it viable for long-term storage and archive.
The earliest commercially available computers predate the existence of disk storage. Primary storage for these systems was done using tape. The IBM 701, released in 1952, had the option of a 7-track tape drive, holding over a million characters (bytes) per reel. Drum storage was also available, but it was much lower capacity, holding around 9 thousand bytes, and it was not interchangeable. Years later and until disks became more affordable, mainframes could still be used with only tape storage, by running TOS/360 and its successors.
Looking beyond primary storage, writing data to tape on one computer and then reading it on another has long been a form of data interchange, predating modern data networks and the internet. This form of data transfer has been called Sneakernet. The high-bandwidth, high-latency nature of this is captured by an old, widely repeated quote:
Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway.
— Andrew S. Tanenbaum & others, Sneakernet#Non-fiction
Tape has long been used for making copies of data as part of an orderly backup process. While many other technologies are also used for backups, tape continues to be used for this, particularly at the largest scale.
Magnetic-tape data storage
Magnetic-tape data storage is a system for storing digital information on magnetic tape using digital recording. Commercial magnetic tape products used for data storage were first released in the 1950s and have continued to be developed and released to the present day.
Tape was an important medium for primary data storage in early computers, typically using large open reels of 7-track, later 9-track tape. Modern magnetic tape is most commonly packaged in cartridges and cassettes, such as the widely supported Linear Tape-Open (LTO) and IBM 3592 series. The device that performs the writing or reading of data is called a tape drive. Autoloaders and tape libraries are often used to automate cartridge handling and exchange. Compatibility was important to enable transferring data.
Tape data storage is now used more for system backup, data archive and data exchange. The low cost of tape has kept it viable for long-term storage and archive.
The earliest commercially available computers predate the existence of disk storage. Primary storage for these systems was done using tape. The IBM 701, released in 1952, had the option of a 7-track tape drive, holding over a million characters (bytes) per reel. Drum storage was also available, but it was much lower capacity, holding around 9 thousand bytes, and it was not interchangeable. Years later and until disks became more affordable, mainframes could still be used with only tape storage, by running TOS/360 and its successors.
Looking beyond primary storage, writing data to tape on one computer and then reading it on another has long been a form of data interchange, predating modern data networks and the internet. This form of data transfer has been called Sneakernet. The high-bandwidth, high-latency nature of this is captured by an old, widely repeated quote:
Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway.
— Andrew S. Tanenbaum & others, Sneakernet#Non-fiction
Tape has long been used for making copies of data as part of an orderly backup process. While many other technologies are also used for backups, tape continues to be used for this, particularly at the largest scale.