Imation T9840 Brochure

The Standard in

High Performance

Tape Technology

9840 Tape Technology

StorageTek

T9840 Tape Drive Family

T9840B Technology

Performance to Match the Demands of Data

In today’s online environment, every second
counts and every bit of data matters. Issues
of speed, reliability, versatility, and cost
are extremely important when managing
access-critical applications. StorageTek 9840
Tape Drives are the proven drives to keep
critical information in your control and at
your fingertips.

Fast Access Design is Ideal for
HSM Applications

Optical connectivity and dual-port design
allow for all switch and hub topologies.
Not only does this design make device
sharing and high availability applications
easy to implement, there’s no need for
extra hardware to do it.

Extreme Reliability

StorageTek 9840 tape drives can easily support
numerous applications and platforms, while
simplifying storage management. Duty cycle
performance and optimum data integrity mean
less downtime, fewer mechanical constraints,
and reduced tape handling.

Controlling Data — Leveraging Investments

With today’s tightening IT budgets, it’s
never been more important to protect your
equipment. StorageTek is all about protecting
the investments needed to be successful.
Our broad compatibility and advanced Adaptive
Media Technology (AMT) allow for convenient
mixing of media and drives within libraries
to improve control, balance performance,
save space, reduce costs and manage the
ever-growing amounts of information.

• Achieves 19 MB/s, the fastest transfer rates

of any enterprise tape technology for
optimum performance and time savings.

• 20 GB native (40– 80 GB compressed)

9840 tape cartridge is designed for both
the 9840 and T9840B drives.

• Unprecedented power allows it to do

the work of multiple mid-range systems.

• World’s first native 2 Gbit fibre channel

interface. Directly attaches to SANs and
hosts without the cost of additional
adapters.

• Unprecedented durability and enterprise-

strength reliability to perform more than
16 hours a day.

• Choice of Fibre, SCSI or ESCON interfaces

provides attachment across all environments
from mainframe to Unix and NT.

Timeline

9840 technology
introduced

10 MB/s native transfer rate

20 GB native capacity,

20011998

T9840B drive
introduced

Increased native transfer rate
to 19 MB/s while using the
existing 9840 cartridge

Fast,

Hardworking,

Reliable

Combining expertise in drive and media technologies

The collaborative efforts of StorageTek and
Imation in the development of 9840 technology
represent the integration of world-leading
drive and media design. The combination
of StorageTek drive and library expertise
with proven Imation media and cartridge solu­tions have allowed 9840 technology to success­fully deliver faster access to data
and optimized throughput.

Speed

• Access times are decreased to 12 seconds

due to the dual hub, mid-point load design.
As soon as the cartridge is loaded into the
drive and locked into position, the drive
immediately engages into search mode
eliminating any thread-up time.

• The tape rides on a cushion of air that

virtually eliminates friction between the
tape and guides, enabling the fastest search
speeds of any tape storage system. Less
friction also reduces the amount of debris
generated, therefore minimizing data errors.

Performance

• 9840 is the only half-inch tape cartridge

to contain a baseplate. This aluminum
baseplate enhances cartridge stability and
enables precise alignment between head and
tape to ensure reliable data reading/writing.

• 9840 cartridges are designed to protect

against damage due to impact such as
when a cartridge is dropped. The dual reel
is center parked, dividing the weight of the
tape between the two reels. This means
that each hub absorbs half of the force of
impact— twice that of a single hub design.
The cartridge shell also contains tiny plastic
“crush pads” to absorb some of the impact
if the tape is dropped.

• Common form factor fits most existing

half-inch tape and automated libraries
providing added protection for drive
investments.

Reliability

• Advanced servo writing techniques enable

288 data tracks to be written across the
half-inch wide tape. If the data track of 3480
tape was a forty-foot-wide highway, the 9840
data track would be a mere three-foot-wide
sidewalk. The tape coating on the 9840
cartridge is so advanced that it allows
greater amounts of information to be stored
on smaller areas of tape, with increased
reliability and data accuracy.

Typical Har d Disk

5.25 Optical

9840

3490E

3590

3590E

DLT IV 7000

200406080100

Access Time Comparison*

(seconds)

<

1

5.5

+

12

45

95

53

100

*Based on average first access to data, including load time

High capacity plus

T9940 Technology

Designed for data-intensive storage applica­tions such as archiving, backup and disaster
recover, the 9940 system includes SCSI, ESCON
and Fibre Channel connectivity. With the ability
to coexist with other families of StorageTek
drives, the 9940 system means optimum flexi­bility in managing multiple and existing appli-

access-centric platform led to the development
of the 9940 capacity-centric system. The 9940
tape cartridge packs 60 GB (up to 240 GB com­pressed) capacity into a single-reel, familiar
3480 form factor. For those who value capacity
plus performance, multiple connectivity
options and a low cost of ownership, 9940
capacity-centric technology

The future of enterprise data
management is here

With today’s ever increasing volumes of data,
organizations large and small are facing the
challenge of how to successfully manage the
data that is so critical to success.

Revolutionary Technology Plus
Manufacturing Expertise

The Imation 9840 tape cartridge features
a completely internal tape path design,
based on the proven 3480-based form factor
and featuring cutting-edge technological devel­opments. Drawing on nearly 50 years
of Imation’s expertise in half-inch tape manu­facturing, the 9840 cartridge is in the enviable
position of combining ‘the best
of the best’ in leading edge innovations, includ­ing:

• Servo Writing Expertise – enables precise

read/write performance for improved
reliability. Imation developed the world’s first
servo written cartridge and continues to lead
servo writing developments.

• Internal Tape Path – improves data integrity

and access time by managing the tape
movements completely within the cartridge.
Precise tape gliding adjusts tape motion

without edge damage. Internal 18

" tape path

allows tape instabilities to be adjusted prior
to reaching the drive head for read/write
accuracy.

• Proprietary Backcoating – dissipates static

and minimizes tape compression caused by
wound-in debris.

• Unique Aluminum Baseplate – enhances

cartridge stability and enables precision
alignment between head and tape for precise
data reading/writing.

• World Class Tooling and Manufacturing

Processes – Imation’s leading-edge injection
molding group at our Wahpeton, North
Dakota, manufacturing facility— an Industry
Week 2001 “Best Plants” Award Winner— utilizes
state-of-the-art molding software and systems
to produce cartridge components, such as the
ultra-flat surface precision tape spools
found within the 9840 cartridge.

Imation

9840 Half-Inch Tape Cartridge

High capacity, fast access, added security

The 9840 VolSafe™20 GB Cartridge

Some companies need technology that delivers
reliable, secure Write-Once-Read-Many (WORM)
storage capabilities in a more robust way than
optical. Imation delivers just such a solution.
The 9840 VolSafe 20 GB Cartridge provides
non-erasable, non-rewritable, cost-effective

The 9840 VolSafe 20 GB Cartridge is compatible
with existing tape libraries, providing the nec­essary flexibility for managing archived data.
Designed to be used with 9840 drives,
the 9840 VolSafe cartridge provides the high
performance and rapid access times of 9840

World Headquarters

Storage Technology Corporation
One StorageTek Drive
Louisville, Colorado 80028 USA
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Imation Enterprises Corp.
1 Imation Place
Oakdale, MN 55128-3414
651 704.4000
888 466.3456 phone
800 537.4675 fax
www.imation.com
[e-mail]

Imation Canada Inc.
P.O. Box/C.P. 5440
London, Ontario
N6A 5Z6 Canada
888 466.3456 phone (tél)
888 864.2260 fax (télec)