3592 data cartridge
This section describes the capacity, construction, operation, and components of the IBM® 3592 Enterprise Tape Cartridge.
The 3592 tape drive has a bidirectional read/write head with an Enterprise Tape 3592 format. The TS1140, TS1150, TS1155, TS1160, and TS1170 tape drives write or read 32 tracks at a time. The capacity of 3592 data cartridges varies by drive model and recording format.
Encryption-enabled tape drives encrypt the data after compression.
Figure 1 shows an IBM 3592 tape cartridge and its components.
| # | Component | # | Component |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cartridge case | 5 | IBM product label |
| 2 | Cartridge bar code label | 6 | Cartridge door |
| 3 | Volume serial (VOLSER) number | 7 | Write-protect switch |
| 4 | Label area | 8 | Stacking indent |
Through its vision system, the TS4500 tape library identifies the types of cartridges it contains during an inventory operation. The bar code reader reads the VOLSER (see 3 in Figure 1) of the cartridge bar code label 2 that is in the label area 4 of the cartridge. If your cartridge does not have a pre-attached bar code label and you attach one to it, place it entirely within the recessed label area. (See 3 and 4 as an example of proper placement.) The label must be flat to within 0.5 mm (0.02 inches) over the length of the label and have no folds, missing pieces, tears, or any extraneous markings. Failure to follow these placement requirements results in degraded readability.
The IBM product label 5 specifies the type of cartridge: data, economy, WORM, or cleaning. The indent on the top of the tape cartridge 8 is for stacking cartridges on top of each other. No labels are to be affixed in this area.
The cartridge door 6 protects the tape from contamination when the cartridge is out of the drive. When you insert the cartridge into the drive, a threading mechanism pulls the tape out of the cartridge, across the drive head, and onto a non-removable takeup reel. The head can then read or write data from or to the tape.
Each data cartridge includes a write-protect switch 7 that you can set to prevent data from being overwritten or erased from the tape by the drive.
You can order tape cartridges with the bar code labels included, or you can order custom labels.
The 3592 data cartridge has a nominal cartridge life of 20,000 load and unload cycles. The quantity of load and unload cycles to reach this number depends on the environment in which the tape is used.