FlashTape solid state tape drive to replace legacy DEC tape drives

DEC TZ87-TA

Overview

Peripheral Vision Tech LTD (PV) (Reading UK), have developed a Solid state Tape drive with emulation capability aimed at Legacy systems. This is a SCSI tape drive with no moving parts in a 3.5” form factor. Data is stored on an industry standard industrial strength Compact Flash (CF) card, which can be easily removed, and treated as a replacement for the tape cartridge. The CF card can then be plugged into a Windows PC and the data archived. It has a standard SCSI1/SCSI2 interface and can be configured to replace those hard-to-find SCSI DEC tape drives used in legacy systems.

Testimonials
Applications & Case Studies

When connected to a SCSI Host, the Host sees the FlashTape as a regular SCSI Tape dive. It is a single printed circuit board (PCB) controller, that bridges the CF card to a SCSI bus. When attached to a host computer’s SCSI bus, the FlashTape PCB appears as a SCSI target (DEC Tape drive). The card accepts 5 volt power, and SCSI signals via standard connectors.

Features

SCSI solid state Tape drive that uses an industry strength standard Compact Flash (CF) Card as its storage.
Typically 3.5” form factor. However various form factors are available so that the product is a mechanical match for the original drive.
No Host software or hardware modifications are necessary. Plug & Play operation.
The original drive can simply be removed and replaced by the FlashTape. Cable connectivity is the same.
It requires 5V only which is supplied via the same standard molex style disk power connector.
Standard 50 pin SCSI2 interface. SCSI2 transfer rates of (up to) 10 Mbytes/sec.
68-pin SCSI3 connector version available.
Tape capacities only limited by current CF cards (currently 256 GB).
No moving parts. Rugged. Overcomes the reliability problems of ageing tape drives.
Vastly improved reliability and MTBF over the original drive.
The SCSI FlashTape can be configured to emulate & replace those unreliable (or hard to repair) SCSI tape drives for legacy systems.
Low Power, 5V only-- less than 400Ma.
Optional HVD interface via a plug-in daughter card.
Allows backup data to be stored on small and rugged media.
Eliminates problems of slow backups shoe-shining the tape drive, which eventually leads to traditional tape failures.
Removable low-cost Flash card can be treated as a single tape media, and then copied to a Windows PC.
Can be dual-ported so that two or more Hosts can share the unit.
Write Protect available either via a front panel switch or via the CF cards that come with integral Write protect switches.
Existing DEC tapes can be copied to CF cards allowing future-proofing of existing backup data.
PV aim the product as a low-cost way to give extra life for Legacy Hosts which would otherwise need to use unreliable second-hand drives.

Specifications

Standard 3½”x 1” form factor: Width: 101mm, Length: 150mm, Height: 25mm.
Synchronous & asynchronous transfer capable at Fast SCSI 2 Burst rates of 10 Mbytes/sec.
Input Power: Via standard Molex style disk drive connector 5V & 12 V. 12V not used- no connection. 5V +/- 5% @ 400 Ma (depending upon CF Media).
Various standard form factors available: 3.5” x 1”, 5.25”x 1.625”, 3.5”x 1.625”. Industry standard hole mount positions M3 threaded.
Interface: Compliant with SCSI2 standards - ANSI X3. 131-1994.
Mounting: Any orientation.
Connector: Standard SCSI 50-pin, Single-Ended (SE). HVD adapter daughter card available.
CF Card compatibility: Type 1 CF cards via a CFA approved 3M CF socket.
Ejector: Ejector Option for easy removal of CF card.
Retainer: Retainer clip option permits stability for mobile and in high vibration applications.
Reliability (MTBF): in excess of 750,000 hours (and counting) (empirical data).
Parts that wear: CF card eventually wears-out, but this low-cost part can simply be replaced by the end-user.
Moving parts: None
Write Protect: Several CF cards with Write protect switch are supported. External Write protect Switch available
Diagnostic Port 1: A serial port with comprehensive diagnostic printout, microcode upload, and SCSI trace capability.
Diagnostic Port 2: A 16-pin parallel LCD display and pushbutton port, that facilitates a menu driven product configuration system.

Power

Input Power: Via standard Molex style disk drive connector 5V & 12 V. 12V not used- no connection. 5V +/- 5% @ 400 Ma (depending upon CF Media). In-rush current of 1A.
CF Power: 3V3 via on board regulator.

Environmental

Operating Temperature: Commercial operating temperature range from 0ºC to +65ºC.
Non Operating Temperature range -40 ºC to 90 ºC
Humidity 5% to 90% RH Non-condensing. Max wet bulb temp = 26ºC
Operating Vibration: Swept Sine: better than 0.3g peak, 5-500 Hz @ 1 octave/min
Non-operating shock: better than 90 g peak for 3 mS
Altitude: Operating: better than 0 Km to 5 Km. Non operating to 18 Km

SCSI Interface

Single-ended 50 pin bus SCSI 2 or SCSI 1 or SASI with many emulations.
Synchronous & asynchronous transfer capable at Fast SCSI 2 Burst rates of 10 Mbytes/sec.
SCSI Termination via on board active terminators selectable via a jumper.
HVD (High Voltage Differential) SCSI interface is possible by using a plug-in daughter card option. On board HVD terminators are also selectable.

Mechanical

Standard 3½”x 1” form factor: Width: 101mm, Length: 150mm, Height: 25mm.
M3 Mounting holes at standard hard disk positions, sides and base. Maximum screw length: 6mm.

Reliability

BER.. Bit Error Rate given perfect CF media, less than 1 bit in 10 million bits.
MTBF .. Calculated…better than 500,000 hrs. Failure rate gained from empirical data based on a 50 unit sample from 2007 - better than 750,000 hrs and counting.

Supported SCSI Commands

Command Name	Operation Code	Type	Supported
INQUIRY	12h	M	YES
FORMAT	04h	M	YES*
MODE SELECT (6)	15h	O	YES
MODE SENSE (6)	1Ah	O	YES
PREVENT /ALLOW medium removal	1Eh	O	YES
READ (6)	08h	M	YES
READ (10)	28h	M	YES
READ BUFFER (10)	3Ch	O	YES
READ CAPACITY (10)	25h	M	YES
READ DEFECT DATA (10)	37h	M	YES*
REASSIGN BLOCKS (6)	07h	O	YES*
RECEIVE DIAGNOSTIC RESULTS(6)	1Ch	O	YES
REQUEST SENSE (6)	03h	M	YES
REZERO UNIT (6)	01h	O	YES
SEEK (6)	0Bh	O	YES*
SEEK (10)	2Bh	O	YES*
SEND DIAGNOSTIC (6)"	1Dh	O	YES
START STOP (6)	1Bh	O	YES
TEST UNIT READY (6)	00h	M	YES
VERIFY	2Fh	O	YES*
WRITE (6)	0Ah	M	YES
WRITE (10)	2Ah	M	YES
WRITE VERIFY (10)	2Eh	M	YES
WRITE BUFFER (10)	3Bh	O	YES

Type:	SCSI2 specification command allocation
Key:	M = Command implementation is mandatory.
	O =Command implementation is optional.
	YES = Commands implemented
	YES* = Commands not applicable to this product – but supported with benign data and good status

Supportability/Maintainability

The FlashTape/SCSICFDisk drives are solid state. There are no moving parts. There is no maintenance.

In the PV products the data is written to Compact Flash cards. These store the data in NAND flash chips the same way as any other SSD.

Nand flash technology offers unlimited reads, but limited write cycles. To improve the write endurance, the CF cards we supply use "wear leveling" where high usage cells are swapped for unused ones. This operation is transparent to the system. Further, it can be appreciated that reliability will be improved by choosing a larger CF card capacity than the system may require (thus giving a larger pool of unused data cells). This CF wear is further mitigated by using SLC types. Peripheral Vision recommends and supplies only Single-Level Cell (SLC) NAND Flash CF cards.

Given that the only FlashTape/SCSICFDisk component that is susceptible to wear is the CF card. This is easily replaceable, and so the only routine maintenance is to replace the CF card - typically every 2 years.

Mechanical Options

Standard 3.5”, 5.25 form factors available.
M3 Mounting holes at standard hard disk positions, sides and base. Maximum screw length: 6mm.
Bezels can be with or without a logo.
Front panel write protect switch is available.
External Cases can be desktop or rack mount. Both with universal power supplies and a chouce of bulkhead connectors to suit any application.

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Casings

Casing 8 – Internal 3.5" form factor, black enclosed

pv cases 08 internal tray 3 5 black

Casing 3 – Internal tray 5.25" form factor (no logo, CF card)

pv cases 03 internal tray 5 25 nologo cf

Casing 3a – Internal tray 5.25" form factor (with logo, CF card)

Casing 4 – Internal tray 3.5" form factor (standard height, with logo)

Casing 5 – Internal tray 3.5" form factor (1" height, with front bezel)

pv cases 05 internal tray 3 5 1inch frontbezel

Casing 6 – Internal tray 3.5" form factor (1" height, no front bezel)

pv cases 06 internal tray 3 5 1inch nofrontbezel

Casing 2 – Internal tray 5.25" form factor (with logo, PCMCIA card)

Casing 7 – 19" rack 1U height

Casing 7 – 19inch rack 1U height

Casing 8a – Internal 3.5" form factor, black enclosed, no external CF access

Casing 8a – Internal 3.5inch form factor, black enclosed, no external CF access

External Enclosures

External enclosure 1a (with Logo, with Write Protect Switch)

External enclosure 1a (with logo with Write Protect switch)

External enclosure 1 (Universal Power Supply)

External enclosure (universal power supply)

Other Emulations

Other SCSI Tape Drive Emulations.

Please see below a list of other SCSI Tape Drive Emulations that we cater for.

Supported Hosts, Systems & OS

Supported Hosts, Systems and Operating Systems

DEC VAX, uVax , Dec Alpha - all models
Digital Unix OSF, VMS, RT-11, RSTS.
Compatible with the StorageWorks shelf SBB modules

HP1000, HP9000,
Specifically… HP 9000 series 200, 300/400 , 500, 600, 700 & 800, HP B, C D, & J series - B132L, B132L+, B180L systems.

Apollo - replacement disks & tape drives.
Sun, Sun Spark all models - replacement disks & tape drives.
IBMRS6000- replacement disks & tape drives.
IBM AS/400 – replacement tape drives.
Bull DPS-7000 – replacement tape drives.
Honeywell Measurex, QCS systems, and TDC 2000 / TDC 3000 – replacement disks & tape drives.
Rosemount RS3- replacement disks & tape drives.
Replacement Disks and DDS tapes on MODCOMP hosts.
Replacement disk and floppy drives on Owens- Illinois OI SCS-0211-GRO2 Disk Module,
Disks and tapes for AT&T 3B series computers (3B20D/3B20C/3B21D/3B21E)
Point4 -replacement QIC & Pertec tape drives.
Rimfire and Gecko

Solutions for the Semiconductor manufacturing industry.

Disk replacements for Applied Materials (AMAT) Centura, Endura and P5000 systems.
Disk replacements for LAM Research.
Disk replacements for Canon with HP9000 running ENDOS, Disk and MO replacements for all Canon steppers.
Replacement Disks Floppy drives on TSK systems.
Replacement Disks Floppy drives on TEL P-8 Probers

Disk and tape replacements for flight simulators… Evans & Sutherland, Encore, Gould, Thomson CSF, and GOLD monitoring systems.

Telco system solutions for: Ericsson AXE10 (Proven ODD replacement with IOG20C) , Fujitsu Fetex , Coral and 9600 series, ITT, NEC Neax, Neax Sigma, Nortel DMS, North Electric, NTT, ROLM, Sagem, Samsung telecommunications, Siemens EWSD, Siemens TXP, Stromburg Carlson DCO, Tropico, Western Electric.

Geophysisical Data Capture systems… TTS, Sercel, I/O systems.
Proven operation with Sercel 408UL Fujitsu 3490E SCSI differential tape drive emulation
I/O systems Fujitsu 3490 or 3590 SCSI drive emulation
Tap Systems TTS2+ SCSI DAT drive emulation
Utec systems

Machine Tool systems. Proved working with GE Fanuc and Gleason tools running FlexOS.
Proved working with MK10 based Hitachi drilling machines.

Medical imaging..
GE Prospeed CT-Scanner- specifically a replacement for the Fujitsu M1606SAU disk
Elscint SPx Gamma Camera- disk replacement

Wire bonding equipment disk & floppy disk replacement
Proved working with the Kulicke & Soffa 8090.

Operating systems supported

UNIX, Linux, IRMX86, MXOPEN VX Works, HP UNIX HPUX, DEC VMS, RSTS, OSF, OS2
HPUX, HP-RTE, GCOS, MxOpen, BOSS, HPL, MPX, Solaris, SunOS, TurboDOS, OS9