The IBM 7206 Model 220 External 4mm DDS-4 Tape Drive provides the advanced performance, improved capacity, and high reliability demanded in a data storage solution for the IBM RS/6000 family of workstations and servers. Adapted to specifically exploit RS/6000 manageability features, this streaming tape drive is ideally suited for critical backup, restore and archive operations.

Technology enhancements to Digital Data Storage (DDS) technology continue and are implemented in the IBM 7206 Model 220. Metal Particle 3 tape (MP+++), implemented in DDS-4 tape technology, is manufactured with a flexible and corrosion resistant magnetic coating which extends tape storage life. Additionally, thinner tracks on the tape allow for increased tape storage capacity. With 2:1 compression, cartridge capacity is increased up to 40GB per cartridge, and a sustained data transfer rate of up to 21.6 GB per hour is possible. The attributes of the low-cost, high capacity tape cartridge combined with the performance characteristics of the 7206 Model 220 DDS-4 Tape Drive provide an excellent price/capacity proposition.

These factors provide many benefits. Maintenance of tape inventory as well as tape costs may be reduced as a result of the higher capacity tape cartridges. The enhanced data transfer rate, nearly three times faster than the IBM 7206 Model 110 DDS-3 Tape Drive, saves operator time. Engineering enhancements such as a simplified tape path, improved air flow, and automatic drum and head cleaning contribute to the drive's high reliability. Data integrity is enhanced with non-data grade media rejection and read after write data verification.

Reading and writing on DDS-4 tape cartridges, as well as two-generation backward compatible DDS tape cartridges (DDS-2 and DDS-3), provides for migration and data interchange.

Model 220

• Data storage capacity : 4GB to 20GB* (8GB to 40GB* with 2:1 data compression)
• Data transfer rate : 400KB to 3MB/sec (800KB to 6MB/sec with compression)
• Read and write in DDS-2 , DDS3 and DDS-4 tape cartridges providing for ease of migration and interchange
• Non-data grade media rejection which will not permit writing on audio-grade media
• DDS-4 technology offering improved read-channel performance, enhanced self-cleaning technologies, energy saving features, and fewer components
• File access average search speed of 40 seconds on any part of a DDS-4 tape
• SCSI-2 Interface