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Tandberg SLR Reference Manual
5-1
5.
Data Reliability
5.1. Summary
This chapter deals with data reliability. It starts with a general introduction including important
points for the system designer, and then goes on to describe the algorithm employed during
write- and read- operations when errors occur. The important message is that MEDIA
ERRORS WILL OCCUR, even in the best designed system, and the Tandberg SLR Product
Line Drives are designed to deal with these errors in a very efficient way.
5.2. General Introduction
Data Reliability
Data reliability is a function of many variables such as:
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Tape and cartridge quality
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Head quality
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The design of the read- and write-electronics
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Capstan quality
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Capstan motor and servo system
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Quality of the mechanical locking system, the cartridge-
guides and the head positioning system
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Quality of tape handling
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Drive mounting in the host chassis
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Cleaning and maintenance
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Cleanness of the air surrounding the Drive and tape
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Quality of the power-supply connected to the Drive
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Quality of the way data-errors are treated by the formatter
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ECC algorithm
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Operating and storage environments
Features Given
Special Attention
The Drive is designed and constructed for optimal quality to ensure a low error rate. Here are
some of the features that have been given special attention:
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The Drive mechanism is mounted on a rigid casting
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The locking mechanism ensures that the cartridge always
locks in the same position
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The head positioning system is able to position the head
within very narrow tolerances
•
The write and the read channels incorporate many new
signal processing features which improve the recording
and reading on marginal tapes
•
A sophisticated head positioning system that includes
multistep off-track alignment for reading marginal data
blocks
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Stand-by position (head removed from the tape) when the
tape is not running
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Intelligent error recovery algorithms handles dropouts and
disturbances
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Very powerful ECC algorithm
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Power shut-down when the tape is not running
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Switchable Read Threshold
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Conditional retensioning of tape