Your planning strategy must include consideration of multiple media formats and a choice of cartridge system tapes. The TCDB provides the tape device selection information (TDSI) that determines the data class attributes assigned to a volume. Depending on the IBM subsystems, available features, and interchange requirements between stand-alone and library-resident tape drives, you should include the following multimedia considerations:
The 3590 Model B tape drives write data in the 128-track format, the 3590 Model E tape systems write data in the 256-track format, and the 3590 Model H tape systems write data in the 384-track format. Data that is written on a 3590 Model B tape system can also be read on 3590 Model E or Model H tape systems. Data that is written on a 3590 Model E can also be read on a 3590 Model H.
The 3592 Model J tape drives read and write only in EFMT1 format.
The 3592 Model E05 tape drives read and write in EFMT1 and EFMT2 formats.
The encryption-capable 3592 Model E05 tape drives read and write in EFMT1, EFMT2, and EEFMT2 formats.
The 3592 Model E06 tape drives read EFMT1, EFMT2, EEFMT2, EFMT3, and EEFMT3 and write EFMT2, EEFMT2, EFMT3, and EEFMT3 formats.
The 3592 Model E07 tape drives read EFMT1, EFMT2, EEFMT2, EFMT3, EEFMT3, EFMT4, and EEFMT4 and write EFMT3, EEFMT3, EFMT4, and EEFMT4 formats. Write support for EFMT3 and EEFMT3 is provided only on MEDIA9 and MEDIA10 and support for EFMT4 and EEFMT4 is provided with MEDIA9, MEDIA10, MEDIA11, MEDIA12, and MEDIA13. Only read support is provided for media types MEDIA5 through MEDIA8 and EFMT2/EEFMT2 with MEDIA9 and MEDIA10.