The way air moves through the IBM Diamondback tape library changes depending on whether
you have Climate-Controlled Diamondback or Diamondback without an AC unit.
Diamondback without AC unit
The Diamondback tape library draws cool air in
through the perforated holes in the front door of the frame. Hot air vents through perforated holes
in the back door of the frame. There is no air flow through the top or bottom of the frame. Cold air
1 enters the library from the front and hot air
2 exits out the back.Figure 1. Air flow for
Diamondback without AC unit
Tape drive canisters have their own cooling fans that draw air from the front of the drive canister
to the rear of the drive canister. Ensure that the front and
rear of the library are not blocked so that air flows freely through the tape drive canisters. This
helps to keep the library at a normal operating temperature.
Note: For sizing total library air flow requirements, use 10 cubic feet per minute (cfm) per tape
drive canister. For example, a library with a total of 14 tape drive canisters will draw 14 x 10 cfm
= 140 cfm cool air through the front door of the library and exhaust the warm air through the
perforated back door of the library.
Climate-Controlled Diamondback
Climate-Controlled Diamondback has two distinct airflow loops operate: internal and external.
The internal loop is a sealed system where cooled air circulates exclusively within the
tape library, ensuring a stable and controlled environment for the tape drives. No external air
enters this loop.
The external loop enables the air conditioner to function effectively by managing heat
removal. Warm air generated by the tape drives is expelled through the AC unit
1 , while cooler air enters the unit through its bottom inlet
2 , allowing efficient heat exchange and maintaining optimal operating
conditions.
The external air flow ranges from 400 cubic feet per minute (cfm) to 707 cubic feet per minute
(cfm) depending on the combined internal and external heat loads.
Figure 2. Air flow for Climate-Controlled Diamondback
Note: Best practice is to orient the back of the library toward a hot aisle.
