The exceptionally high capacity of the 5142, its low cost per megabyte, and its read/write speed make it an excellent choice for tape backup for entry-level NonStop® Himalaya® servers. Employing the newest DDS-3 recording techniques with on-board hardware data compression, the 5142 can store as many as 24 gigabytes of data on a single cartridge and read or write up to 2 megabytes of data per second. The DAT standards committee has set the DDS-3 data recording format to be backward read/write compatible with the previous DDS and DSS-2 recording formats. Thus a 5142 DDS-3 machine can process the tape media created on the previous 5141 DDS-2 systems. This feature enables the 5142 to be added to an operations environment that includes 5141 subsystems. Note, however, that the 5141 DDS-2 subsystems cannot process media created in the DDS-3 recording format.

The 5142 is easy to operate. It features a 32-character, interactive control panel and an internal self-test diagnostic routine that lets you quickly ascertain the status of the drive. The 5142 also includes flash EPROM memory that lets you easily update microcode or performance options.

The 5142 drive can be installed while your NonStop servers remain online, and it requires no application rewrites or additional software. With its superior operational characteristics and low cost, it is well suited for the Tandem environment, where performance and reliability are critical.

High-capacity cartridge tape storage

The 5142 drive is a third-generation DAT drive that employs DDS, DDS-2, and DDS-3 high-density recording techniques to provide maximum storage capacity per cartridge tape.

Using the new DDS-3 recording method, the 5142 media can store as many as 12 gigabytes of uncompressed data or 24 gigabytes of compressed data on a single cassette. (Each 5142 DDS-3 cartridge contains 125 meters of 4-millimeter tape.)

Because it can store such a large amount of data on a small amount of tape, the 5142 is able to back up the database of a typical entry-level NonStop Himalaya server on only one or two cassettes, drastically reducing the amount of operator involvement in tape backup procedures.

With the 5142, operators change tape cartridges far less frequently than with older cartridge or open-reel tape media: The amount of data stored on a single 5142 cartridge (12 gigabytes) would occupy 94 Tandem 5126 tape drive cartridges or 80 standard 2,400-foot reels of 0.5-inch, 9-track tape encoded at 6,250 bits per inch. With typical 2:1 data compression, a single DDS-3 data cartridge can store 24 gigabytes, or the equivalent of 160 half-inch, 9-track, 2,400-foot open reel tapes or 188 Tandem 5126 cartridges.

The 5142ACL offers the added functionality of a six-cartridge automatic cartridge loader (ACL). Thus up to 144 gigabytes of data can be written to tape with a single insertion of a six-cartridge data magazine. Operator intervention can be practically eliminated for most entry-level NonStop Himalaya servers.

Low cost per megabyte

The 5142 offers the best price/performance of any tape subsystem designed for use with Himalaya servers. In many cases, only a single cartridge is required for the backup of an entire database (up to 24 gigabytes), so operations can schedule unattended nightly system backups. Significant savings can be achieved in equipment costs and in the cost of operators’ time.

In addition, the low price of the 5142 makes it feasible to run multiple 5142 drives, in parallel at a single site, for increased performance or storage capacity.

The high capacity of the DA cartridge delivers very low cost per megabyte of storage.

High performance

The read/write performance of the 5142 lets you complete backup operations in less time than with other comparable media.

The maximum burst data-transfer rate of the 5142, without using data compression, is 1,000 kilobytes per second, for a total of 3.6 gigabytes per hour. The effective burst data-transfer rate using data compression is 2 megabytes per second. The actual performance depends on the specific system type and application.

Manageability features

The 5142 drive incorporates several features that help operators monitor and control backup operations. Among these are the following:

• 32-character, interactive control panel. The LCD control panel of the 5142 can display a variety of information for operators, including current operation, performance data, compression status, error codes, and a message indicating that routine maintenance is necessary. Using the control panel in conjunction with the mode button, operators can enable or disable data compression and initiate internal self-test diagnostics.
• Internal self-test diagnostic routines. These routines enable the 5142 to diagnose problems with its drive or electronics while offline. Error codes are displayed on the control panel.

Rapid installation

Installing a 5142 drive is as simple as connecting a SCSI cable.

Using Tandem’s standard SCSI cables, the 5142 connects to either an S-series processor MFC SCSI port or to the ServerNet™/Device Adapter (ServerNet/DA) that has an appropriate interface installed.