Seagate Technology 10002475-003, Руководство по описанию продукции

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Introduction Chapter 1
Product Description Manual Page 5
The streaming-tape intelligence in the STT8000 ATAPI minicartridge drive
provides a continuous tape motion with an uninterrupted, precisely coordinated
flow of data to and from the minicartridge. This "streaming" motion combined
with the "serpentine" recording method is one element that contributes to the
increased storage capacities, efficiency, and speed of today's minicartridge
technology.
Use of the "serpentine" recording method exploits the bidirectional capabilities
of the cartridge. With this method, the tape is not rewound at the end of a
track. Instead, the write-read heads are logically or mechanically switched to a
different position on the tape and another track is written or read in the reverse
direction. That is, the drive first records track 1 in one direction and when the
end of the tape is reached, the head is moved and the direction of tape motion is
reversed to record track 2. This serpentine process continues until the entire
tape is recorded. The individual tracks are sequential to minimize the amount
of head motion as the heads change position for each track.
Flash EEPROM
The STT8000 ATAPI minicartridge drive incorporates leading-edge technology
in the flash EEPROM, which is useful should the drive's firmware need to be
upgraded at some point. With the permanently installed, electrically
upgradeable, flash EEPROM memory, revised firmware for the drive can be
loaded via any one of two methods:
z Seagate OEM firmware cartridge (See chapter 4)
z Host IDE bus
This feature enables qualified OEMs needing to revise the drive firmware to do
so rapidly and at a reduced cost. Flash EEPROM should also prolong the life
cycle of a drive because many new techniques—such as increasing the capacity
of the drive through support for longer tapes—may require only a firmware
upgrade.
Software
The STT-8000 ATAPI minicartridge drive is a cost-effective means of backing
up fixed disks. The drive is compatible with DOS
TM version 5.0 or later,
Microsoft Windows TM 3.1 or later, Microsoft Windows 95, or Windows NT and
will operate with many of the popular backup software applications such as
Seagate's Backup for DOS and Windows, Windows 95, Netware, or Windows
NT.