Compaq /Tandem 5157/5158/5159 DLT Tape Drive Family

The 5157/5158/5159 family of DLT subsystems delivers the high performance and high capacity of half-inch DLT7000 technology in a cartridge tape drive. Capacity per cartridge is up to 70 gigabytes with 2:1 data compression. This family includes the following:

• The 5157 manual load and 5157 automated cartridge loader (ACL), available as a customer replaceable unit (CRU) designed for use in the 7186, 7187, or 7188 Compaq NonStop™ Himalaya S-series style cabinets. The 10-cartridge ACL provides up to 700 gigabytes of storage in a single ACL equipped tape drive.
• The 5158ACL, a tape subsystem with a 10-cartridge ACL, installed in a desktop cabinet.
• The 5159, a DLT7000 configured for use with a 9710ACS automated tape library system.

Three 5157ACL and four 5157 manual loading DLT7000 tape drives installed in a 7187 dual height cabinet.

With advanced linear recording technology, a highly accurate tape guide system, and an adaptive control mechanism, the 5157/5158/5159 DLT7000 tape drives are ideally suited to Compaq NonStop™ Himalaya servers. These subsystems feature a dual-channel read-write head, high-efficiency data compression, data compaction that supports variable block sizes, and an adaptive cache buffer that automatically accommodates slower host data rates for minimized tape repositioning.

High-performance data storage

These subsystems provide a true production-system level of tape storage performance for Compaq NonStop™ Himalaya servers. The high performance is possible through the use of DLT technology and Digital Lempel-Ziv (DLZ) high-efficiency data compression. A maximum burst data-transfer speed of up to 7 megabytes per second is possible, depending on compression rate, system type, and configuration.

High capacity: Up to 70 gigabytes per cartridge

Utilizing a standard CompacTape IV DLT cartridge, storage capacities of 35 gigabytes native or 70 gigabytes at 2:1 compression are available on a single data cartridge. Online backup of up to 700 gigabytes is possible with the 10-cartridge ACL.

Media interchangeability

These subsystems can exchange data with other DLT systems via all currently available DLT media. Data can be interchanged on the DLT tape IV, DLT tape III, or DLT tape IIIXT DLT cartridges. These DLT7000 subsystems are the third generation of tape products that can read and write all previous formats back to the DLT260 drive, DLT600 drive, DLT2000 drive, and DLT4000 drive.

• The DLT7000 drive complies with the ANSI standard for SCSI-2. The tape media format follows ECMA approved and ANSI proposed standards.
• The DLT tape IV tape cartridge can be used in the DLT7000 drive. With this tape cartridge, you can store up to 35 gigabytes of native formatted data.
• The DLT tape III and the DLT tape IIIXT tape can be used in the DLT7000 drive.

Users can select tape densities for compatibility. They can select tape density on the drive front panel or by using the SCSI MODE SELECT command. The DLT7000 drive can write and read 2.6-, 6.0-, 10.0-, 15.0-, or 20.0-gigabyte tape formats for 100 percent interchange compatibility with earlier drives. On a write from beginning of tape, the DLT7000 drive reformats the cartridge recorded at 2.6-, 6.0-, 10.0-, 15.0-, 20.0- or 35.0-gigabyte formats to the new specified format.

High reliability

Data integrity is outstanding. Critical reliability features include a very high life expectancy for the head and low wear on tape media. (Media reliability and warranties are provided by the media suppliers, not by Compaq. Customers should consult those suppliers for their implied or expressed warranties.)

This family of tape drives features powerful Reed Solomon error-correcting code (ECC)—a 64-bit cyclical redundancy check (CRC) on each 4 kilobytes of data on media, end-to-end 16-bit CRC on each record overlapped with parity from the SCSI bus, and internal parity checking on the cache buffer. These features result in an exceptionally low hard error rate, specified as 1 in each 1 x 1,017 bits read.

Choice of models

5157 manual load model
The 5157 manual model is a compact unit designed to be installed in a 7186, 7187, or 7188 cabinet. It is loaded manually and is most suitable for low-volume single-cartridge tape insertion or for use in some automated tape robotic environments.

5157ACL model with automatic cartridge loader
For environments that have large data storage requirements, the 5150ACL is an excellent choice. The 5157ACL provides all standard 5157 capabilities with the addition of automatic cartridge loading and a 10-cartridge removable cartridge magazine. It is designed to be installed inside a 7186, 7187, or 7188 cabinet.

With the use of multiple magazines, data cartridges can be stored, thereby eliminating cartridge handling and facilitating changes of the tape drive cartridges. Another advantage is that you can record up to 700 gigabytes of data before the subsystem requires operator attention.

Three 5157ACL tape drives in a 7186 single high enclosure.

5158ACL desktop model with automatic cartridge loader
The 5158ACL model is a compact unit packaged in a desktop enclosure for convenient installation adjacent to a host server. It comes with a 10-cartridge ACL for high-volume backup with minimal operator intervention.

The 5158ACL tabletop is a DLT7000 tape drive with an ACL packaged in a tabletop enclosure.

5159 model for use in 9710ACS
The 5159 model is designed for use in the 9710ACS automated tape library system.

Easy installation

These tape drives install easily, with one simple cable connection to the server and one AC power cable. When installed inside the 7186, 7187, or 7188 cabinets, the 5157 or 5157ACL units provide optimal floor space utilization and cabinet conformity.

The 5157/5158/5159 subsystems connect to a Compaq NonStop™ Himalaya K-series server through a 3216 fiber-optic tape controller. With Compaq NonStop™ Himalaya S-series servers, the subsystems connect through the processor MFC SCSI port or a Compaq ServerNet/DA (fiber or SCSI) adapter. To reduce installation costs, two tape drives can be daisy chained and can share a single controller or adapter connection.

Self-contained diagnostics

Numerous advanced offline diagnostic features are available within the tape drive to isolate and recover from problems quickly. These routines include a comprehensive offline self-test, scratch pad memory, and advanced error reporting capabilities. Error information is displayed on the LED panel of the subsystem.

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